Defense and State Memorandum of Agreement

https://dsmoa.usace.army.mil

Huntsville Center
Published Sept. 9, 2016
Updated: Sept. 30, 2021

Mission

The Defense and State Memorandum of Agreement (DSMOA) program was established pursuant to section 211 (B) of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), enacted Oct. 17, 1986. The goal of the DSMOA program is to expedite environmental restoration at Department of Defense (DOD) installations through enhanced partnerships with States, Territories, and the District of Columbia. These partnerships improve communication, coordination, and cooperation between States and DOD components resulting in the protection of human health and the environment through environmental restoration and ensuring compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. The DOD components participating in the DSMOA program include Department of the Army, Department of the Air Force, Department of the Navy, Defense Logistics Agency, and Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS). There are currently 52 states and territories participating in the voluntary DSMOA program.

Organization

All participating States and Territories must have an original DSMOA agreement with the Department of Defense. A DSMOA is the overarching agreement between DoD and a State that provides a framework to establish partnerships at DoD installations. After signing a DSMOA with DOD, a State must apply for and be awarded a DSMOA Cooperative Agreement (CA) every two years to obtain financial reimbursement for its services and activities. The CAs allow the DSMOA program to reimburse States and Territories for expedited eligible regulatory services, such as technical review of documents, site visits, public participation support, Restoration Advisory Boards, identification and explanation of applicable, relevant and appropriate requirements, and quality assurance/quality control sampling and analysis, which support the DOD in the execution of the Defense Environmental Restoration Programs (DERP) and Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) programs.

The CAs provide funding and identify specific installations for DSMOA work. Funding is provided through the DERP and BRAC programs, and only those installations undergoing or planning to undergo environmental restoration in the DERP and BRAC programs are eligible for the DSMOA program. Installations conducting environmental activities funded through sources other than restoration dollars are not eligible for the DSMOA program. States and Territories receive more than $40 million annually to support eligible environmental restoration at active installations, BRAC locations, and FUDS.

The Army is designated the lead agent for all DOD components, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is designated the Army’s execution agent. A virtual team comprised of representatives from the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville’s Environmental and Munitions Center of Expertise and Contracting Directorate, and Headquarters USACE provide project management and administration of the 52 current CAs. The team provides financial and budget support related to DSMOA activities and acts as a liaison with the components and provides grants officer functions. Headquarters USACE maintains the overall program oversight and liaison with DOD.

For additional program information, visit the DSMOA portal at https://dsmoa.usace.army.mil.


DownlFact sheet thumbnaiload the DSMOA fact sheet (PDF)

 

DSMOA fact sheet

(as of September 2021)