Alternatives to Procurement and distribution of resource materials and vocational skills kit

Treasury is publishing multiple funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) for its RESTORE Act grant programs. This announcement applies only to the Direct Component and is only for applications for eligible construction and real property acquisition activities, including environmental restoration projects and including projects with or without a non-federal cost-share for another federally funded project or program. To apply for eligible activities that do not involve any construction, land acquisition, or environmental restoration, applicants should use the non-construction funding opportunity announcement (GR-RDC-25-002). All construction and real property acquisition activities, and any activity that requires a permit from a federal or state agency, including natural resource restoration projects, should be submitted under this construction and real property acquisition funding opportunity announcement. Trust Fund amounts are available to carry out eligible activities described in the RESTORE Act and Treasury’s implementing regulations at 31 CFR 34.201. These are: 1) Restoration and protection of the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches and coastal wetlands of the Gulf Coast region. 2) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, and natural resources. 3) Implementation of a Federally- approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan, including fisheries monitoring. 4) Workforce development and job creation. 5) Improvements to or on State parks located in coastal areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 6) Infrastructure projects benefitting the economy or ecological resources, including port infrastructure. 7) Coastal flood protection and related infrastructure. 8) Promotion of tourism in the Gulf Coast region, including promotion of recreational fishing. 9) Promotion of the consumption of seafood harvested from the Gulf Coast region. 10) Planning assistance. 11) Administrative costs. Eligible activities 1 through 7 listed above must be carried out in the Gulf Coast region.

NOFO Number: DE-FOA-0003631 - Unlocking New Levels of Output and Capacity for Key Subsurface Resources SBIR/STTR (UNLOCK SBIR/STTR) To obtain a copy of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) please go to DOE eXCHANGE at https://exchange.energy.gov/. To apply to this NOFO, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through DOE eXCHANGE (https://exchange.energy.gov/Registration.aspx). For detailed guidance on using DOE eXCHANGE, please refer to the DOE eXCHANGE User Guide (https://exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx). ARPA-E will not review or consider application materials submitted through other means. For problems with DOE eXCHANGE, email ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov (with NOFO name and number in the subject line). Questions about this NOFO? Check the Frequently Asked Questions available at http://arpa-e.energy.gov/faq. For questions that have not already been answered, email ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov. Agency Overview: The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260). ARPA-E issues this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under its authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. § 16538. The NOFO and any cooperative agreements or grants made under this NOFO are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as supplemented by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on, and the development of, transformative science and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental missions of the Department. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology. For the latest news and information about ARPA-E, its programs and the research projects currently supported, see: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/. ARPA-E funds transformational research. Existing energy technologies generally progress on established “learning curves” where refinements to a technology and the economies of scale that accrue as manufacturing and distribution develop drive improvements to the cost/performance metric in a gradual fashion. This continual improvement of a technology is important to its increased commercial deployment and is appropriately the focus of the private sector or the applied technology offices within DOE. In contrast, ARPA-E supports transformative research that has the potential to create fundamentally new learning curves. ARPA-E technology projects typically start with cost/performance estimates well above the level of an incumbent technology. Given the high risk inherent in these projects, many will fail to progress, but some may succeed in generating a new learning curve with a projected cost/performance metric that is significantly better than that of the incumbent technology. ARPA-E will provide support at the highest funding level only for submissions with significant technology risk, aggressive timetables, and careful management and mitigation of the associated risks. ARPA-E funds technology with the potential to be disruptive in the marketplace. The mere creation of a new learning curve does not ensure market penetration. Rather, the ultimate value of a technology is determined by the marketplace, and impactful technologies ultimately become disruptive – that is, they are widely adopted and displace existing technologies from the marketplace or create entirely new markets. ARPA-E understands that definitive proof of market disruption takes time, particularly for energy technologies. Therefore, ARPA-E funds the development of technologies that, if technically successful, have clear disruptive potential, e.g., by demonstrating capability for manufacturing at competitive cost and deployment at scale. ARPA-E funds applied research and development (R&D). The Office of Management and Budget defines “applied research” as an “original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge…directed primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective” and defines “experimental development” as “creative and systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing products or processes.” Applicants interested in receiving financial assistance for basic research (defined by the Office of Management and Budget as “experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts”) should contact the DOE’s Office of Science (http://science.energy.gov/). Office of Science national scientific user facilities (http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/) are open to all researchers, including ARPA-E Applicants and awardees. These facilities provide advanced tools of modern science including accelerators, colliders, supercomputers, light sources and neutron sources, as well as facilities for studying the nanoworld, the environment, and the atmosphere. Projects focused on early-stage R&D for the improvement of technology along defined roadmaps may be more appropriate for support through the DOE applied energy offices including: the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) (https://www.energy.gov/cmei/office-critical-minerals-and-energy-innovation), the Hydrogen and Geothermal Energy Office (https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/hydrocarbons-and-geothermal-energy-office), the Office of Nuclear Energy (http://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy), and the Office of Electricity (https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity). ARPA-E encourages submissions stemming from ideas that still require proof-of-concept R&D efforts as well as those for which some proof-of-concept demonstration already exists. Submissions can propose a project with the end deliverable being an extremely creative, but partial solution. Program Overview: 1. Background and Motivation Subsurface resources, including oil, gas, geothermal, and mineral systems, underpin modern energy security, industrial productivity, and economic competitiveness. However, substantial technical hurdles related to the extraction of these resources limit their full potential, especially within geologically complex formations characterized by low matrix permeability and inefficient resource mobility. Oil and Gas The combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has revolutionized U.S. energy supply and made unconventional oil and gas fundamental to U.S. energy security. These methods now account for the production of over 64% of domestic oil and 78% of domestic natural gas from shale and tight formations. Despite the substantial production, the recovery efficiency (or recovery factor) remains strikingly low. Although the United States boasts 1,778 trillion cubic feet of recoverable shale and tight gas and 191 billion barrels (bbl) of recoverable unconventional oil,6 over 80% of the resource remains trapped underground, and well output may decline up to 50% within the first year of operation. These limitations force continuous drilling of new wells to maintain production volumes, and this strategy is complicated by operational limitations. Infill drilling frequently leads to well interference, diminishing output from both new and existing wells due to overlapping stimulated rock volumes and pressure communication between boreholes. The depletion of prime "Tier 1" drilling locations exacerbates this problem, forcing operators to target lower-quality reservoirs or employ tighter infill spacing. Even though technological advancements such as longer laterals, increased proppant usage, and greater water volumes have been implemented to counteract these challenges, the inherently low permeability of unconventional rock, coupled with limited control over subterranean fracture formation and interaction, means that a substantial portion of the oil and gas remains unrecoverable. Overall, transformative approaches are needed to address low recovery rates, steep production decline, and concerns regarding water sourcing, wastewater management, and related risks. Other Subsurface Resources The fundamental challenge of extracting valuable resources from low-permeability, hard-to-access rock formations extends beyond oil and gas. Efficient extraction of other subsurface resources, such as geothermal energy, minerals and metals, and coalbed methane, also depends on creating and maintaining connective, conductive pathways for fluid or heat transport. Addressing these shared challenges presents a significant opportunity for cross-cutting advancements that will enhance recovery efficiency across diverse subsurface systems. 2. Technical Challenges Oil and Gas Low permeability and resource access. Shale and tight formations exhibit extremely low permeabilities, ranging from nanodarcys to microdarcys (approximately 10¿18 to 10¿21 m2), which prevents economic hydrocarbon flow without significant permeability enhancement or stimulation. Hydraulic fracturing remains the dominant method for achieving this enhancement and requires the injection of millions of gallons of water along with millions of pounds of proppants per well to create conductive fractures. Its effectiveness is hindered by non-uniform fractures and poor connectivity with natural fractures, reducing effective stimulated reservoir volume, sweep efficiency, and overall recovery. Fracture conductivity and propagation. Proppants are crucial for maintaining the conductivity of hydraulically induced fractures, creating pathways for hydrocarbon flow once injection stops. However, traditional proppants (primarily sand) often fail to reach fracture extremities due to factors such as leak-off and settling, causing early closure and diminished flow contribution. Proppant effectiveness is further impaired by crushing, embedding, and chemical and thermal degradation, which diminish fracture conductivity and, consequently, hydrocarbon flow. Although engineered proppants (e.g., resin-coated, ceramic) offer enhanced strength and durability, widespread adoption is limited by their higher cost compared with sand. In addition, fracture orientation is strongly governed by the in-situ stress field, which is poorly characterized and difficult to control, leading to unpredictable fracture propagation and uneven stimulation. This challenge is further compounded during refracturing operations. Enhanced recovery. Despite success in conventional fields, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods have shown marginal success in unconventional formations due to their ultra-low permeability. Injected fluids (e.g., CO2, surfactants, solvents) are largely confined to the fracture network, with minimal access to the hydrocarbons in the unstimulated matrix. Non-uniform fracture connectivity further causes fluid channeling and inefficient displacement, while complex fluid-rock-hydrocarbon interactions add uncertainties. Together, these hurdles constrain the economic viability of EOR in shale and tight formations. Refracturing. Refracturing existing wells offers an economic alternative to drilling new wells but faces major challenges. Success depends on accurately characterizing existing fractures and diverting fluids into unstimulated rock, rather than depleted zones, which requires advanced diversion and flow control technologies. Inter-well interference, common in both refracturing and infill drilling, can reduce neighboring wells’ productivity. Without precise candidate selection, accurate reservoir characterization, and improved downhole control, refracturing yields will continue to be economically uncertain. Water management. Each shale and tight well requires 1.5 to 16 million gallons of water for hydraulic fracturing and generates 1–12 bbl of produced water (a combination of formation water and fracturing water) per barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) over its lifecycle. Although some of the produced water is reused for fracturing, the majority is still disposed of via injection wells, posing potential environmental risks. Additionally, the high salinity and complex chemistry of the produced water make surface treatment costly. Sensing and far-field characterization. Current diagnostic tools such as microseismic and distributed fiber optic sensing offer limited resolution of fracture dimensions, connectivity, and conductivity. This limitation leads to difficulty in mapping fracture networks, characterizing unstimulated zones to estimate undrained volumes, and monitoring fluid migration in the far field. Furthermore, effectively monitoring proppant distribution and assessing fracture conductivity within the stimulated region remains an unsolved challenge. The long-term monitoring capabilities are also constrained by the durability of sensors in harsh downhole environments. Other Subsurface Resources The challenge of mobilizing and recovering resources from low-permeability, geologically complex formations extends beyond shale and tight oil and gas reservoirs, constraining other subsurface resources. Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), particularly in hot dry rock and low-permeability basement formations, face difficulties in sustaining conductive fractures and in maintaining uniform flow across them. This difficulty leads to thermal short circuiting and suboptimal thermal recovery. Sand-based proppants may degrade under high temperatures and stress, causing conductivity loss. High temperatures limit sensor longevity. Monitoring fracture propagation, fluid pathways, and¿far-field¿behavior also remains challenging. Circulation losses (~230 to 4,200 gallons per megawatt-hour) raise water demand and seismic risks, while scaling clogs flow paths. In-situ leaching operations for extracting minerals and metals face challenges in low permeability formations due to poor leaching agent (i.e., lixiviant) to rock contact, resulting in low recovery. Containment of injected fluids during in-situ leaching is critical for groundwater protection, but current wellbore monitoring methods (e.g., logging) are inadequate to track complex subsurface flow, geochemical interactions, and far-field fluid excursions. Further difficulties arise from post-leaching groundwater restoration and wastewater management. For example, uranium recovery can generate 50–250 gallons of wastewater per pound of uranium recovered, underscoring the need for effective water management strategies. Coalbed methane production requires extensive dewatering that yields significant wastewater, presenting costly treatment and disposal challenges. The low, anisotropic permeability of coal seams often necessitates stimulation and enhanced recovery to maintain production. Overcoming hurdles in characterizing permeability, dewatering, and tracking subsurface gas fronts is crucial for optimizing production. A critical opportunity exists to develop crosscutting, next-generation technologies that enhance stimulation and recovery efficiency, expand flow pathways, and improve water management across diverse subsurface systems. To view the NOFO in its entirety, please visit https://exchange.energy.gov/.

Treasury is publishing multiple funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) for its RESTORE Act grant programs. This announcement applies only to the Direct Component and is only for applications for eligible non-construction activities, including projects with or without a non-federal cost-share for another federally funded project or program. This announcement also includes planning assistance needed to prepare the Multiyear Implementation Plan (Multiyear Plan) required by the RESTORE Act. To apply for eligible activities involving construction and/or acquisition of real property or any other activity that requires a permit from a federal or state agency, including natural resource restoration projects, applicants should use the construction and real property acquisition funding opportunity announcement (GR-RDC-25-002).Trust Fund amounts are available to carry out eligible activities described in the RESTORE Act and Treasury’s implementing regulations at 31 CFR 34.201. These are: 1) Restoration and protection of the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches and coastal wetlands of the Gulf Coast region. 2) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, and natural resources. 3) Implementation of a Federally- approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan, including fisheries monitoring. 4) Workforce development and job creation. 5) Improvements to or on State parks located in coastal areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 6) Infrastructure projects benefitting the economy or ecological resources, including port infrastructure. 7) Coastal flood protection and related infrastructure.8) Promotion of tourism in the Gulf Coast region, including promotion of recreational fishing. 9) Promotion of the consumption of seafood harvested from the Gulf Coast region. 10) Planning assistance. 11) Administrative costs. Eligible activities 1 through 7 listed above must be carried out in the Gulf Coast region.

This program is not open to the public. Eligibility is determined by federal statute. Applications can only be accepted from the designated state authority or agency.

NOFO Number: DE-FOA-0003630 - Unlocking New Levels of Output and Capacity for Key Subsurface Resources (UNLOCK) To obtain a copy of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) please go to DOE eXCHANGE at https://exchange.energy.gov/. To apply to this NOFO, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through DOE eXCHANGE (https://exchange.energy.gov/Registration.aspx). For detailed guidance on using DOE eXCHANGE, please refer to the DOE eXCHANGE User Guide (https://exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx). ARPA-E will not review or consider application materials submitted through other means. For problems with DOE eXCHANGE, email ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov (with NOFO name and number in the subject line). Questions about this NOFO? Check the Frequently Asked Questions available at http://arpa-e.energy.gov/faq. For questions that have not already been answered, email ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov. Agency Overview: The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260). ARPA-E issues this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under its authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. § 16538. The NOFO and any cooperative agreements or grants made under this NOFO are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as supplemented by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on, and the development of, transformative science and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental missions of the Department. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology. For the latest news and information about ARPA-E, its programs and the research projects currently supported, see: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/. ARPA-E funds transformational research. Existing energy technologies generally progress on established “learning curves” where refinements to a technology and the economies of scale that accrue as manufacturing and distribution develop drive improvements to the cost/performance metric in a gradual fashion. This continual improvement of a technology is important to its increased commercial deployment and is appropriately the focus of the private sector or the applied technology offices within DOE. In contrast, ARPA-E supports transformative research that has the potential to create fundamentally new learning curves. ARPA-E technology projects typically start with cost/performance estimates well above the level of an incumbent technology. Given the high risk inherent in these projects, many will fail to progress, but some may succeed in generating a new learning curve with a projected cost/performance metric that is significantly better than that of the incumbent technology. ARPA-E will provide support at the highest funding level only for submissions with significant technology risk, aggressive timetables, and careful management and mitigation of the associated risks. ARPA-E funds technology with the potential to be disruptive in the marketplace. The mere creation of a new learning curve does not ensure market penetration. Rather, the ultimate value of a technology is determined by the marketplace, and impactful technologies ultimately become disruptive – that is, they are widely adopted and displace existing technologies from the marketplace or create entirely new markets. ARPA-E understands that definitive proof of market disruption takes time, particularly for energy technologies. Therefore, ARPA-E funds the development of technologies that, if technically successful, have clear disruptive potential, e.g., by demonstrating capability for manufacturing at competitive cost and deployment at scale. ARPA-E funds applied research and development (R&D). The Office of Management and Budget defines “applied research” as an “original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge…directed primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective” and defines “experimental development” as “creative and systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing products or processes.” Applicants interested in receiving financial assistance for basic research (defined by the Office of Management and Budget as “experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts”) should contact the DOE’s Office of Science (http://science.energy.gov/). Office of Science national scientific user facilities (http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/) are open to all researchers, including ARPA-E Applicants and awardees. These facilities provide advanced tools of modern science including accelerators, colliders, supercomputers, light sources and neutron sources, as well as facilities for studying the nanoworld, the environment, and the atmosphere. Projects focused on early-stage R&D for the improvement of technology along defined roadmaps may be more appropriate for support through the DOE applied energy offices including: the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) (https://www.energy.gov/cmei/office-critical-minerals-and-energy-innovation), the Hydrogen and Geothermal Energy Office (https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/hydrocarbons-and-geothermal-energy-office), the Office of Nuclear Energy (http://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy), and the Office of Electricity (https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity). ARPA-E encourages submissions stemming from ideas that still require proof-of-concept R&D efforts as well as those for which some proof-of-concept demonstration already exists. Submissions can propose a project with the end deliverable being an extremely creative, but partial solution. Program Overview: 1. Background and Motivation Subsurface resources, including oil, gas, geothermal, and mineral systems, underpin modern energy security, industrial productivity, and economic competitiveness. However, substantial technical hurdles related to the extraction of these resources limit their full potential, especially within geologically complex formations characterized by low matrix permeability and inefficient resource mobility. Oil and Gas The combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has revolutionized U.S. energy supply and made unconventional oil and gas fundamental to U.S. energy security. These methods now account for the production of over 64% of domestic oil and 78% of domestic natural gas from shale and tight formations. Despite the substantial production, the recovery efficiency (or recovery factor) remains strikingly low. Although the United States boasts 1,778 trillion cubic feet of recoverable shale and tight gas and 191 billion barrels (bbl) of recoverable unconventional oil,6 over 80% of the resource remains trapped underground, and well output may decline up to 50% within the first year of operation. These limitations force continuous drilling of new wells to maintain production volumes, and this strategy is complicated by operational limitations. Infill drilling frequently leads to well interference, diminishing output from both new and existing wells due to overlapping stimulated rock volumes and pressure communication between boreholes. The depletion of prime "Tier 1" drilling locations exacerbates this problem, forcing operators to target lower-quality reservoirs or employ tighter infill spacing. Even though technological advancements such as longer laterals, increased proppant usage, and greater water volumes have been implemented to counteract these challenges, the inherently low permeability of unconventional rock, coupled with limited control over subterranean fracture formation and interaction, means that a substantial portion of the oil and gas remains unrecoverable. Overall, transformative approaches are needed to address low recovery rates, steep production decline, and concerns regarding water sourcing, wastewater management, and related risks. Other Subsurface Resources The fundamental challenge of extracting valuable resources from low-permeability, hard-to-access rock formations extends beyond oil and gas. Efficient extraction of other subsurface resources, such as geothermal energy, minerals and metals, and coalbed methane, also depends on creating and maintaining connective, conductive pathways for fluid or heat transport. Addressing these shared challenges presents a significant opportunity for cross-cutting advancements that will enhance recovery efficiency across diverse subsurface systems. 2. Technical Challenges Oil and Gas Low permeability and resource access. Shale and tight formations exhibit extremely low permeabilities, ranging from nanodarcys to microdarcys (approximately 10¿18 to 10¿21 m2), which prevents economic hydrocarbon flow without significant permeability enhancement or stimulation. Hydraulic fracturing remains the dominant method for achieving this enhancement and requires the injection of millions of gallons of water along with millions of pounds of proppants per well to create conductive fractures. Its effectiveness is hindered by non-uniform fractures and poor connectivity with natural fractures, reducing effective stimulated reservoir volume, sweep efficiency, and overall recovery. Fracture conductivity and propagation. Proppants are crucial for maintaining the conductivity of hydraulically induced fractures, creating pathways for hydrocarbon flow once injection stops. However, traditional proppants (primarily sand) often fail to reach fracture extremities due to factors such as leak-off and settling, causing early closure and diminished flow contribution. Proppant effectiveness is further impaired by crushing, embedding, and chemical and thermal degradation, which diminish fracture conductivity and, consequently, hydrocarbon flow. Although engineered proppants (e.g., resin-coated, ceramic) offer enhanced strength and durability, widespread adoption is limited by their higher cost compared with sand. In addition, fracture orientation is strongly governed by the in-situ stress field, which is poorly characterized and difficult to control, leading to unpredictable fracture propagation and uneven stimulation. This challenge is further compounded during refracturing operations. Enhanced recovery. Despite success in conventional fields, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods have shown marginal success in unconventional formations due to their ultra-low permeability. Injected fluids (e.g., CO2, surfactants, solvents) are largely confined to the fracture network, with minimal access to the hydrocarbons in the unstimulated matrix. Non-uniform fracture connectivity further causes fluid channeling and inefficient displacement, while complex fluid-rock-hydrocarbon interactions add uncertainties. Together, these hurdles constrain the economic viability of EOR in shale and tight formations. Refracturing. Refracturing existing wells offers an economic alternative to drilling new wells but faces major challenges. Success depends on accurately characterizing existing fractures and diverting fluids into unstimulated rock, rather than depleted zones, which requires advanced diversion and flow control technologies. Inter-well interference, common in both refracturing and infill drilling, can reduce neighboring wells’ productivity. Without precise candidate selection, accurate reservoir characterization, and improved downhole control, refracturing yields will continue to be economically uncertain. Water management. Each shale and tight well requires 1.5 to 16 million gallons of water for hydraulic fracturing and generates 1–12 bbl of produced water (a combination of formation water and fracturing water) per barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) over its lifecycle. Although some of the produced water is reused for fracturing, the majority is still disposed of via injection wells, posing potential environmental risks. Additionally, the high salinity and complex chemistry of the produced water make surface treatment costly. Sensing and far-field characterization. Current diagnostic tools such as microseismic and distributed fiber optic sensing offer limited resolution of fracture dimensions, connectivity, and conductivity. This limitation leads to difficulty in mapping fracture networks, characterizing unstimulated zones to estimate undrained volumes, and monitoring fluid migration in the far field. Furthermore, effectively monitoring proppant distribution and assessing fracture conductivity within the stimulated region remains an unsolved challenge. The long-term monitoring capabilities are also constrained by the durability of sensors in harsh downhole environments. Other Subsurface Resources The challenge of mobilizing and recovering resources from low-permeability, geologically complex formations extends beyond shale and tight oil and gas reservoirs, constraining other subsurface resources. Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), particularly in hot dry rock and low-permeability basement formations, face difficulties in sustaining conductive fractures and in maintaining uniform flow across them. This difficulty leads to thermal short circuiting and suboptimal thermal recovery. Sand-based proppants may degrade under high temperatures and stress, causing conductivity loss. High temperatures limit sensor longevity. Monitoring fracture propagation, fluid pathways, and¿far-field¿behavior also remains challenging. Circulation losses (~230 to 4,200 gallons per megawatt-hour) raise water demand and seismic risks, while scaling clogs flow paths. In-situ leaching operations for extracting minerals and metals face challenges in low permeability formations due to poor leaching agent (i.e., lixiviant) to rock contact, resulting in low recovery. Containment of injected fluids during in-situ leaching is critical for groundwater protection, but current wellbore monitoring methods (e.g., logging) are inadequate to track complex subsurface flow, geochemical interactions, and far-field fluid excursions. Further difficulties arise from post-leaching groundwater restoration and wastewater management. For example, uranium recovery can generate 50–250 gallons of wastewater per pound of uranium recovered, underscoring the need for effective water management strategies. Coalbed methane production requires extensive dewatering that yields significant wastewater, presenting costly treatment and disposal challenges. The low, anisotropic permeability of coal seams often necessitates stimulation and enhanced recovery to maintain production. Overcoming hurdles in characterizing permeability, dewatering, and tracking subsurface gas fronts is crucial for optimizing production. A critical opportunity exists to develop crosscutting, next-generation technologies that enhance stimulation and recovery efficiency, expand flow pathways, and improve water management across diverse subsurface systems. To view the NOFO in its entirety, please visit https://exchange.energy.gov/.

The National Parks Business Plan Internship (BPI) goal is to jointly administer a graduate-level internship program focused on improving the business management and operational health of our national parks and NPS programs.  The internship program should: Provide students with in-depth training on NPS business management and operations, exposure to park and/or program level operations, and the opportunity to conduct substantive analysis and evaluation which lead to recommendations that improve strategic planning and management decision-making.  Encourage highly qualified graduate students from professional disciplines underrepresented in the NPS workforce (Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Policy, Master of Environmental Management, and similar degree programs) to explore federal careers with conservation and land management agencies. Cultivate a lifelong stewardship ethic for public lands in graduate students from top universities. Eligible recipients are State, local and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations. 

While the agency will consider innovative enhancements to existing countermeasures, the goal is to develop evidence-based projects that are scalable and transferable for use by State and local law enforcement agencies.  The primary intent of this of the ITSE Grant Program is to 1) develop innovative traffic safety enforcement programs that demonstrate effectiveness by reducing the number of motor vehicle crashes due to one or more of the subject risky driving behaviors; and 2) ensure the traffic safety enforcement programs are repeatable and scalable for use by law enforcement throughout the United States. In addition to those goals, the Department seeks to fund projects that advance the priorities of this Administration as described in DOT’s mission statement and across executive orders.

The purpose of this modification is to clarify the meaning of the Program Policy Factors in Section V.C. To obtain a copy of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. To apply to this NOFO, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through ARPA-E eXCHANGE ( https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Registration.aspx ). For detailed guidance on using ARPA-E eXCHANGE, please refer to the ARPA-E eXCHANGE User Guide (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx). ARPA-E will not review or consider concept papers submitted through other means. For problems with ARPA-E eXCHANGE, email ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov (with NOFO name and number in the subject line). Questions about this NOFO? Check the Frequently Asked Questions available at http://arpa-e.energy.gov/faq . For questions that have not already been answered, email ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov.   AGENCY OVERVIEW The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260): “(A) to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that— (i) reduce imports of energy from foreign sources; (ii) reduce energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases; (iii) improve the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; (iv) provide transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; and (v) improve the resilience, reliability, and security of infrastructure to produce, deliver, and store energy; and (B) to ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies.” ARPA-E issues this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under its authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. § 16538. The NOFO and any cooperative agreements or grants made under this NOFO are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as supplemented by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on, and the development of, transformative science and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental missions of the Department. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology. For the latest news and information about ARPA-E, its programs and the research projects currently supported, see: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/. ARPA-E funds transformational research. Existing energy technologies generally progress on established “learning curves” where refinements to a technology and the economies of scale that accrue as manufacturing and distribution develop drive improvements to the cost/performance metric in a gradual fashion. This continual improvement of a technology is important to its increased commercial deployment and is appropriately the focus of the private sector or the applied technology offices within DOE. In contrast, ARPA-E supports transformative research that has the potential to create fundamentally new learning curves. ARPA-E technology projects typically start with cost/performance estimates well above the level of an incumbent technology. Given the high risk inherent in these projects, many will fail to progress, but some may succeed in generating a new learning curve with a projected cost/performance metric that is significantly better than that of the incumbent technology. ARPA-E will provide support at the highest funding level only for submissions with significant technology risk, aggressive timetables, and careful management and mitigation of the associated risks. ARPA-E funds technology with the potential to be disruptive in the marketplace. The mere creation of a new learning curve does not ensure market penetration. Rather, the ultimate value of a technology is determined by the marketplace, and impactful technologies ultimately become disruptive – that is, they are widely adopted and displace existing technologies from the marketplace or create entirely new markets. ARPA-E understands that definitive proof of market disruption takes time, particularly for energy technologies. Therefore, ARPA-E funds the development of technologies that, if technically successful, have clear disruptive potential, e.g., by demonstrating capability for manufacturing at competitive cost and deployment at scale. ARPA-E funds applied research and development (R&D). The Office of Management and Budget defines “applied research” as an “original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge…directed primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective” and defines “experimental development” as “creative and systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing products or processes.”0F1 Applicants interested in receiving financial assistance for basic research (defined by the Office of Management and Budget as “experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts”)1 should contact the DOE’s Office of Science (http://science.energy.gov/). Office of Science national scientific user facilities (http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/) are open to all researchers, including ARPA-E Applicants and awardees. These facilities provide advanced tools of modern science including accelerators, colliders, supercomputers, light sources and neutron sources, as well as facilities for studying the nanoworld, the environment, and the atmosphere. Projects focused on early-stage R&D for the improvement of technology along defined roadmaps may be more appropriate for support through the DOE applied energy offices including: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (http://www.eere.energy.gov/), the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (https://www.energy.gov/fecm/office-fossil-energy-and-carbon-management), the Office of Nuclear Energy (http://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy), and the Office of Electricity (https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity). ARPA-E encourages submissions stemming from ideas that still require proof-of-concept R&D efforts as well as those for which some proof-of-concept demonstration already exists. Submissions can propose a project with the end deliverable being an extremely creative, but partial solution. PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) Ready program provides a vital mechanism for the support of innovative energy R&D that complements ARPA-E’s primary focus on early-stage transformational energy technologies that require proof of concept. Technologies that achieve substantial technical advancement under ARPA-E support may still face significant technical and commercial challenges upon completion of an award's funding period, and thus are at risk of being stranded in their development path once ARPA-E funding ends. Experience across ARPA-E’s diverse energy portfolios, and input from a wide range of investors and industry stakeholders, indicate that pre-commercial scaling projects are critical to establish practical performance and cost parameters. These pre-commercial scaling projects aim to 1) translate the performance achieved at bench scale to commercially scalable versions of the technology, 2) integrate the technology with broader systems, 3) provide extended performance data, and 4) validate the manufacturability and reliability of new energy technologies. Successful scaling projects should enable industry stakeholders to justify the substantial commitments of financial resources, personnel, manufacturing facilities, and materials necessary to subsequently deploy the technologies at a commercial scale. SCALEUP Ready seeks to scale the most promising technologies previously funded by ARPA-E. The possibility of ARPA-E-funded technologies becoming stranded along their development pathways leaves substantial intellectual property developed with American taxpayer dollars vulnerable to adoption by foreign competitors, who capture it for continued development and economic benefit overseas. This harms national competitiveness, as U.S. industries often fall behind on the development, scaling, and manufacturing of technologies necessary to compete in rapidly evolving global energy markets. Thus, projects selected for SCALEUP Ready will meet ARPA-E’s statutory goals by “accelerating transformational technological advances in areas that industry by itself is not likely to undertake because of technical and financial uncertainty."

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites applications for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program, administered by the National Park Service (NPS). ORLP provides funding to 1) to acquire land and water for parks and other outdoor recreation purposes in qualifying areas, and 2) to develop new or renovate existing outdoor recreation facilities that provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the public in qualifying areas. ORLP is a program within the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State and Local Assistance Program, which provides matching grants to States. ORLP funding is available in addition to traditional LWCF state formula grants and does not affect state apportionments.  ORLP projects must be within a Qualifying Area, defined as:   an urban area that has a population of 25,000 or more in the most recent census, or  2 or more adjacent urban areas with a combined population of 25,000 or more in the most recent census; or  an area administered by a federally recognized Indian Tribe or an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian community organization.   Additional requirements under the ORLP program:  Matching Requirement - ORLP is dollar for dollar match, meaning it covers up to 50% of all project costs. Applicants are responsible for providing non-federal funds for at least 50% of project costs.  Perpetuity Requirement - Projects assisted through ORLP must be maintained and accessible for public outdoor recreation use in perpetuity. This applies to the assisted park or site in its entirety, not just the area assisted by the grant funds.  Alignment with LWCF Law and Policy - As an LWCF program, ORLP projects must align with the purposes and requirements of the LWCF Act and LWCF Manual .  Alignment with National Priorities – Projects must be responsive to Executive and National priorities, including those outlined in Executive Order 14313 , "Establishing the President's Make America Beautiful Again Commission" and Secretarial Order 3442 , "Land and Water Conservation Fund Implementation by the U.S. Department of the Interior."  

The Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES) provides funding to public, private and third sector applicants, to support improvements to existing district heating or communal heating projects in England and Wales that are operating sub-optimally and resulting in poor outcomes for customers and operators. Projects can apply to HNES for either revenue or capital grant funding: Revenue grants – grants to fund procurement or mobilisation of external third-party support to carry out Optimisation Studies. These studies will assess heat network projects to identify causes of sub-optimal performance and recommend costed intervention or improvement measures. Capital grants – grants to part-fund the delivery (installation) of eligible intervention/improvement measures.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites applications for the Readiness and Recreation Initiative (RARI), administered by the National Park Service (NPS). The purpose of the program is to: 1) provide outdoor recreation opportunities, and 2) promote or support compatible land uses and avoid incompatible development in areas in the vicinity of, or ecologically related to, a military installation or military airspace, and/or to maintain or enhance disaster resilience. RARI is a program within the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). State and Local Assistance Program. RARI funding is available in addition to traditional LWCF state formula grants and does not affect state apportionments. RARI operates in partnership with the Department of War (DOW) and seeks to leverage funding across departments to benefit the general public and military communities. RARI is dollar for dollar match, meaning it covers up to 50% of all project costs and applicants are responsible for funding the remaining 50% of project costs. However, for RARI projects, DOW Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) funds are allowable to meet the LWCF Act's cost-share requirement (10 U.S.C. 2684a). Therefore, 100% of project costs could be funded through these two federal programs. To be eligible, proposed projects must: Include a land acquisition component. Be in a Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Partnership Opportunity Area or Sentinel Landscape. Have a Letter of Support from a Military Installation or Range commander.1 Additional LWCF requirements for the RARI program: Perpetuity Requirement - Projects assisted through RARI must be maintained and accessible exclusively for public outdoor recreation use in perpetuity. This applies to the assisted park or site in its entirety, not just the area assisted by the grant funds. Alignment with LWCF Law and Policy - As an LWCF program, RARI projects must align with the purposes and requirements of the LWCF Act and LWCF Manual. This includes meeting a priority need or goal identified in the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). Alignment with National Priorities – Projects must be responsive to Executive and National priorities, including those outlined in Executive Order 14313, "Establishing the President's Make America Beautiful Again Commission" and Secretarial Order 3442, "Land and Water Conservation Fund Implementation by the U.S. Department of the Interior."

Through this Disaster NOFO, EDA will award investments in regions experiencing severe economic distress or other economic harm resulting from hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, and other natural disasters occurring in calendar years 2023 and 2024. EDA’s goal under this NOFO is to assist communities recovering from a disaster by realizing opportunities to recover and change the economic trajectory of the community for the better. In other words, EDA funding seeks to help communities recover and set them on a path to exceed their previous pre-disaster baseline. EDA seeks projects that are responsive to community needs post-disaster by engaging all aspects of the community, with special focus on private industry partners. This Disaster NOFO provides funding through three pathways: Readiness Path – Standalone non-construction projects designed to increase a community’s readiness to apply for or implement disaster recovery funding from private and public sources including, but not limited to, future EDA NOFOs and the Implementation or Industry Transformation Paths under this NOFO. Projects will fund strategy development, capacity building, and/or predevelopment costs necessary for future recovery projects. Implementation Path – Standalone construction or non-construction projects designed to address the economic challenges faced by a community recovering from a natural disaster and improve economic trajectories beyond pre-disaster economic conditions. Industry Transformation Path – Led by a coalition of regional stakeholders, a portfolio of large-scale, multicomponent construction and non-construction projects designed to fundamentally transform the economic trajectory of a region through the development or acceleration of an industry.