The following Project Narrative sections are required. To facilitate the application review and award process, submit the sections in the order of their appearance as stated below. Applicants should clearly identify the sections in the project narrative section of the application.

1.    Organization Information and Capacity. Briefly provide information about your organization. This should include: (1) your organization’s mission; (2) a brief overview of the structure of your organization, programs, leadership, and special expertise; and (3) your organization’s experience and capacity to manage federal grant programs—with emphasis on experience managing federal grants related to training individuals who have a statutory responsibility to respond to accidents and incidents involving hazardous materials. If your application proposes to partner with another nonprofit organization, a letter of agreement from the nonprofit organization is required with your application.

2.    Contact Information. Identify the designated project director, including the name, position, address, e-mail address, and telephone number of the individual(s) who will be responsible for coordinating the funded activities. Additionally, identify authorized individuals who will accept the awarded grant document, as well as individuals responsible for the submission of required federal financial reports and progress reports.

3.    Statement of Need. Describe the current capacity and any areas of deficiency as it concerns preparedness for pipeline incidents in high consequence areas. This may include: (1) a discussion of whether the applicant has identified or needs to identify the pipeline network/locations for improved response or efficiency within the state; (2) a description of the location and need for exercises to prepare for responses to incidents involving the transportation of hazardous materials via pipelines; or (3) the number of responders needing training in the different disciplines of response functions, such as firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, Emergency Medical Services, etc.

4.    High Consequence Areas. Describe the high consequence areas within your jurisdiction that will be reached by the proposed training in your application. High consequence areas are defined in sections 192.903 and 195.450 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations.

5.    Proposed Training and Timeline. Describe the proposed activities that will take place under the grant. This section should include: (1) the number and type of activities/courses proposed; (2) the location of the activities if known, and if unknown, explain the methodology for selecting locations; (3) a plan for training individuals with statutory responsibility to respond to accidents and incidents involving hazardous materials via the pipelines; (4) the estimated cost of each activity; and (5) the timeframe when the activity will take place. The timeline should include benchmarks and milestones that will help monitor the project’s success.

6.    Projected Outputs and Objectives. Provide quantifiable and measurable outputs planned for the grant’s performance period. Outputs are quantitative data that describe the proposed activities. For delivery of Pipeline Safety training courses, projected outputs should include: (1) number and type of course(s); and (2) the number of projected students trained for each course. Broader outcomes or goals may be provided to describe the intended impact of the proposed outputs. This can be either quantitative or qualitative and should reflect the projected impact of the grant activity outputs.

7.    Course Description. Provide an outline or detailed description of the training activity that will be conducted.

8.    Monitoring and Evaluation of Training. Provide an explanation of monitoring efforts, internal controls, and quality assurance plans to ensure grant program success. These may include, but are not limited to, random examinations, inspections, and audits of training to maximize the cost effectiveness and impact of the program.

9.    Safety. Applicants must address how their project provides substantial safety benefits. Prior to receiving funds, all projects are expected to, at a minimum, identify and mitigate to the extent practicable any significant safety risks that could result after project completion. Applicants should include how their project will not negatively impact the overall safety of the traveling public.