Michigan, Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy issued the following announcement on Sept. 2.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) today issued a request for proposals to fund a research project that will compare the long-term economic costs of management practices for mitigating groundwater contamination.
The $350,000 grant funding opportunity is open to non-profit and for-profit entities with experience in socio-economic case study analysis, educational institutions, or federal, state, tribal and local units of government. The funding is made available through the Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund (MGLPF).
The results of this project will provide a better understanding of the long-term implications, risks and costs of using institutional controls and other restrictive actions such as limiting the use of the aquifer when managing risks associated with groundwater that has become unusable due to contamination. Institutional controls are in use at more than 2,000 sites across the state. Michigan’s environmental laws do not provide detailed guidelines or limitations on the appropriate use of these mechanisms. This research project is intended to augment decision-making by addressing this information gap.
The goals of the research project are to:
- Assess the cost of using institutional controls at case study sites, compared to the cost that was expected at the time of implementation and the cost of other potential management actions.
- Estimate the total cumulative cost of using institutional controls in the 25 years since they became a common mechanism for managing groundwater contamination, based on the case study evaluations.
- Propose a decision-making framework or set of criteria to guide the use of institutional controls in the future, including steps to determine the anticipated economic cost of each option.
A webinar explaining details of the RFP is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Sept. 16. People who need special assistance to participate in the webinar can contact Kimber Frantz at 517-284-5035 or FrantzK@Michigan.gov in advance of the meeting.
For more information on the grant opportunity, visit the MGLPF website to review the RFP, register for the webinar or contact Emily Finnell at 517-599-1330 or FinnellE@Michigan.gov.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Michigan, Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy
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