Authority: The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321-4346); Council on Environmental quality Regulations, title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, parts 1500-1508 (40 CFR parts 1500-1508); and U.S. Department of Agriculture NEPA Regulations, part 1b (7 CFR part 1b).

This decision is made pursuant to section 6(c) of the Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Materials Importation Act of 1966 (Pub. L. 89-651, 80 Stat. 897; 15 CFR part 301). Related records can be viewed between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. in Suite 4100W, U.S. Department of Commerce, Franklin Court Building, 1099 14th Street, NW., Washington, DC.

Docket Number: 02-048. Applicant: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-0135. Instrument: (2) each Multi-Tasking Radiosynthesis Devices with Accessories. Manufacturer: Synthia Lab System Sweden AB, Sweden. Intended Use: See notice at 67 FR 77749, December 19, 2002.

Comments: None received. Decision: Approved. No instrument of equivalent scientific value to the foreign instrument, for such purposes as it is intended to be used, is being manufactured in the United States. Reasons: The foreign instrument provides computer driven, robotically controlled modular reactors for producing more than 15 11C-labeled radiopharmaceutical compounds for research in human and primate brain chemistry and radiochemical compound development. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory advised January 27, 2003, that (1) this capability is pertinent to the applicant's intended purpose and (2) it knows of no domestic instrument or apparatus of equivalent scientific value to the foreign instrument for the applicant's intended use.

We know of no other instrument or apparatus of equivalent scientific value to the foreign instrument which is being manufactured in the United States.

Pursuant to section 6(c) of the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials Importation Act of 1966 (Pub. L. 89-651; 80 Stat. 897; 15 CFR part 301), we invite comments on the question of whether instruments of equivalent scientific value, for the purposes for which the instruments shown below are intended to be used, are being manufactured in the United States.

Comments must comply with 15 CFR 301.5(a)(3) and (4) of the regulations and be filed within 20 days with the Statutory Import Programs Staff, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230. Applications may be examined between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. in Suite 4100W, U.S. Department of Commerce, Franklin Court Building, 1099 14th Street, NW., Washington, DC.

Docket Number: 02-052. Applicant: University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637. Instrument: Electron Microscope, Model Tecnai G 2 F30 S-TWIN. Manufacturer: FEI Company, The Netherlands. Intended Use: The instrument is intended to be used for research in the following areas:

Projects investigating metal, semiconductor, and biological nanocrystals, focusing both on the characterization of individual nanocrystals as well as on their self-assembly properties.

Projects aimed at elucidating the nanoscale phase separation and pattern formation of block copolymers, including novel conjugated copolymers. Also, the use of those copolymer structures as nano-templates and scaffolds for organic/inorganic composites.

Projects investigating the structure and formation of bio-fibers and bio-membranes, as well as their potential for novel materials applications.

Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: December 27, 2002.

Docket Number: 03-001. Applicant: University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Dentistry, 650 E. 25th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108. Instrument: (2) Each Scanning Acoustic Microscopes, Models SAM 2000 and WINSAM 100. Manufacturer: Kramer Scientific Instruments GmbH, Germany. Intended Use: The instruments are intended to be used for projects including micro-mechanical measurement at the cellular/tissue level, and interfacial coupling defects in experimental oxirane/polyol composites. Other studies include: (1) Determining whether the lack of mechanical strain permits the osteocyte to send signals initiating bone resorption and (2) to study the fracture mechanics of newly synthesized low-shrinking and low-stress producing resin composite restorative materials. Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: January 3, 2003.

Docket Number: 03-002. Applicant: University of Colorado, JILA, 440 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0440. Instrument: DFB Fiber Laser with Amplifier, Model Y10. Manufacturer: Koheras A/S, Denmark. Intended Use: The instrument is intended to be used to study the energy level of a single trapped Hg+ ion. Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: January 15, 2003.

The Department of Commerce has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Title: Application Form for Membership on a National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.

Form Number(s): None.

OMB Approval Number: 0648-0397.

Type of Request: Regular submission.

Burden Hours: 150.

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562)980-4001; fax (562)980-4018.

The Department of Defense has submitted to OMB for clearance, the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

Detailed information on location and times for each of the public hearing will be published in local and regional newspapers two weeks in advance, and public service announcements will be provided to radio and television stations. MDA, GMD, and U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command personnel will attend all sessions to present information on the DEIS, to receive comments, and to answer questions.

Copies of the document will be made available at the following public libraries:

• Anchorage Municipal Library, 3600 Denali St., Anchorage, AK 99503

• Everett Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA 98201

• Kodiak City Library, 319 Lower Mill Bay Rd, Kodiak, AK 99615

• Lompoc Public Library, 501 E North Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436

• Mountain View Branch Library, 150 S Bragaw St, Anchorage, AK 99508

• Oxnard Public Library, 251 S A St., Oxnard, CA 93030

• Valdez City Library, 212 Fairbanks, Valdez, AK 99686

• Hawaii State Library, Hawaii Documents Center, 478 South King St., Honolulu, HI 96813

• University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hamilton Library, 2550 The Mall, Honolulu, HI 96822

On December 30, 2002, the Assistant Secretary published a notice in the Federal Register (67 FR 79581 through 79587) inviting applications for new awards for the Native American and Alaska Native Children in School Program. The standard and program specific forms that were supposed to be included in the notice were inadvertently excluded. This notice includes all of these forms. All other information provided in the December 20 notice remains the same.

You may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.

To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office toll free at 1-800-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.

Note: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on the GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.

1. In this order, we grant an application under section 205 of the Federal Power Act (FPA) 1 by Consolidated Edison Energy, Inc. (CEE) and Rockland Electric Company (RECO) (collectively, Applicants), requesting that the Commission grant authorization for CEE to make sales to its affiliate RECO, pursuant to CEE's market-based rates tariff, as part of CEE's participation in the statewide auction bidding process approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU). This order concludes that the BPU-approved bidding process as described below alleviates the Commission's concerns regarding affiliate abuse. This order benefits customers by permitting power to be bid into the BPU-approved auction while protecting against affiliate abuse.

1. In this order, we partially and fully grant the requests for rehearing and partially grant the complaints in the above-captioned proceedings and hold that the interconnection agreements (IAs) in these dockets must be modified to conform with our recent decision in Duke Hinds II. 1 Our holdings here benefit the public interest by assuring that the rates, terms, and conditions for interconnection service are just and reasonable, and provide the parties with a reasonable means to ensure the reliable operation, protection, and integrity of their transmission systems.

2. More specifically, we partially grant rehearing in Pacific Gas and Electric Company 2 (Docket No. ER02-1330-002) and find that the IA in this docket is unjust and unreasonable. We also partially grant the rehearings in Entergy Gulf States, Inc. 3 (Docket No. ER02-1472-001); Entergy Services, Inc. 4 (Docket No. ER02-1151-001); Entergy Services, Inc. 5 (Docket No. ER02-1069-001); and fully grant the rehearing in Entergy Services, Inc. 6 (Docket No. ER02-2243-002) and find that the IAs in these dockets are unjust and unreasonable under section 206 of the Federal Power Act (FPA).7 We also partially grant the complaints filed by Wrightsville Power Facility, L.L.C. (Wrightsville Power) in Docket No. EL02-88-000 and by Kinder Morgan Michigan, LLC (Kinder Morgan) in Docket No. EL03-12-000.8 In each of these cases, we direct modification to the respective IAs.

3. On March 15, 2002, the Commission issued an order in Duke Hinds I. 9 In that proceeding, Entergy, the transmission provider, had filed a revision to an unexecuted IA to reflect Duke's, the generator's, election of certain additional upgrades that were not included in the original, executed IA, which had been previously accepted by the Commission. The Commission accepted the revisions, stating that, once the Commission accepts an IA, where the interconnecting generator assumed the responsibility, without protest, “to pay, on a direct assignment basis without credit, for certain facilities,” the generator is “bound to the terms and conditions of the [original interconnection agreement] into which it willingly entered.” 10 Further, the Commission stated that it “can act on behalf of a party to revise terms and conditions to which the parties have agreed and which the Commission has accepted, only if it finds that the contract is contrary to the public interest under Section 206 [of the FPA].” 11

4. Duke sought rehearing and filed a complaint, pointing to language in the IA which specifically reserved the parties' rights to request changes to the IA under section 205 12 or 206 of the FPA.

5. On January 28, 2003, the Commission issued Duke Hinds II. In Duke Hinds II, the Commission agreed with Duke that the revised IA was subject to review under a just and reasonable standard because the agreement contained provisions that allowed either party unilaterally to request changes to the IA under section 205 or 206 of the FPA. Further, the Commission found that the more stringent public interest 13 standard of review was not the appropriate standard of review; in Duke Hinds I, the Commission had “failed to recognize * * * the existence of specific provisions [in the interconnection agreement] preserving [the generator's] statutory right to file a complaint under section 206 and have the Commission revise the [IA] if we find [it] to be unjust and unreasonable.” 14 The Commission then directed Entergy to revise its interconnection agreement to reclassify certain facilities as network upgrades and to provide the generator with transmission credits, plus interest, for the costs associated with those facilities, consistent with long-held Commission policy.15

6. We will grant the above-captioned requests for rehearing and complaints. All of these IAs involve crediting issues that are inconsistent with Commission Policy. Further, each of the respective Commission-accepted IAs contain language, similar to the language found in the Duke Hinds II IA, preserving the rights of the parties to unilaterally seek revisions to their agreements, under sections 205 and 206 of the FPA. Thus, the Commission should evaluate these IAs under the just and reasonable, and not public interest, standard.

7. In Pacific Gas and Electric Company 16 (Docket No. ER02-1330-002), the Commission conditionally accepted for filing, as modified, several executed agreements, to be effective May 17, 2002, relating to the interconnection of PG&E's transmission system and Los Medanos Energy Center LLC (LMEC), subject to the outcome of any future Commission action in the Duke Hinds I rehearing and complaint proceedings. We will now partially grant rehearing with respect to this issue and establish a May 17, 2002 refund effective date, the date the agreements became effective. Specifically, we find that because the agreements at issue contain provisions 17 that allow either party unilaterally to request changes to them under section 205 or 206 of the FPA, the just and reasonable standard applies, consistent with Duke Hinds II, and thus the agreements must be modified to be consistent with Commission policy. We will direct PG&E to file such modifications within 30 days of the date of this order.

8. In addition, we have reviewed the IAs, and their corresponding pending requests for rehearing, in other proceedings and partially and fully grant those rehearings. Because the IAs at issue also contain provisions that allow either party unilaterally to request changes to them under section 205 or 206 of the FPA, the just and reasonable standard applies, consistent with Duke Hinds II. We find that these agreements must be modified to be consistent with Commission policy. Specifically, in this regard, we partially grant the requests for rehearing in Entergy Gulf States, Inc. (in Docket No. ER02-1472-001); Entergy Services, Inc. (in Docket No. ER02-1151-001); Entergy Services, Inc. (in Docket No. ER02-1069-001); and fully grant the request for rehearing in Entergy Services, Inc. (in Docket No. ER02-2243-002).

9. Accordingly, pursuant to Section 206 of the FPA, the Commission will direct modification to the IAs in those proceedings, in accordance with our ruling in Duke Hinds II and Commission policy, within 30 days of the date of this order.

10. In order to give maximum protection to customers, we will establish the refund date at the earliest date allowed. Accordingly, we will direct the Secretary to publish this order in the Federal Register and, for Docket Nos. EL03-3-000 and ER02-1472-001; EL03-4-000 and ER02-1151-001; EL03-5-000 and ER02-1069-001; EL03-13-000 and ER02-2243-002, the refund effective date will be 60 days from the date on which this order is published in the Federal Register.

11. We will also partially grant the complaints filed by Wrightsville Power Facility, L.L.C. (Wrightsville Power) in Docket No. EL02-88-000 and by Kinder Morgan Michigan, LLC (Kinder Morgan) in Docket No. EL03-12-000. We find that, because the agreements at issue contain provisions that allow either party unilaterally to request changes to them under section 205 or 206 of the FPA, the just and reasonable standard applies, consistent with Duke Hinds II, and thus the agreements must be modified to be consistent with Commission policy. Accordingly, we will direct modifications to the IAs in these proceedings within 30 days of the date of this order.

12. In order to give maximum protection to consumers, we will establish the refund date at the earliest date allowed. For Docket No. EL02-88-000, because Wrightsville Power filed a complaint on its own motion, we will establish the refund date as July 19, 2002, 60 days after it filed the complaint. For Docket No. EL03-12-000, because Kinder Morgan filed a complaint on its own motion, we will establish the refund date as December 16, 2002, 60 days after it filed the complaint.

The Commission orders:

(A) The requests for rehearing in Docket Nos. ER02-1330-002, ER02-1472-001, ER02-1151-001, and ER02-1069-001 are hereby partially granted, as discussed in the body of this order.

(B) The request for rehearing in Docket No. ER02-2243-002 is hereby granted.

(C) The complaints filed by Wrightsville Power Facility, L.L.C. (Wrightsville Power) in Docket No. EL02-88-000 and by Kinder Morgan Michigan, LLC (Kinder Morgan) in Docket No. EL03-12-000 are hereby partially granted, as discussed in the body of this order.

(D) The transmission providers in the instant dockets are hereby directed to modify their IAs, as discussed in the body of this order, within 30 days of the date of this order.

(E) The Secretary shall promptly publish this order in the Federal Register.

(F) This order is hereby effective as discussed in the body of this order.

Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:

a. Type of Application: Preliminary permit

b. Project No.: 12385-000

c. Date filed: October 3, 2002

d. Applicant: Universal Electric Power Corporation

e. Name and Location of Project: The Grenada Dam Hydroelectric Project would be located on the Yalobusha River in Grenada County, Mississippi. The project would utilize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' existing Grenada Dam and Reservoir.

f. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).

g. Applicant Contact: Mr. Raymond Helter, Universal Electric Power Corporation, 1145 Highbrook Street, Akron, OH 44301, (330) 535-7115.

h. FERC Contact: James Hunter, (202) 502-6086.

i. Deadline for filing comments, protests, and motions to intervene: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice.

The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all interveners filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person in the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervener files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency.

j. Description of Project: The proposed project, using the Corps' existing Grenada Dam and Reservoir, would consist of: (1) Two 80-foot-long, 96-inch-diameter steel penstocks, (2) a powerhouse containing five generating units with a total installed capacity of 12.75 megawatts, (3) a 3-mile-long, 14.7-kilovolt transmission line connecting to an existing substation, and (4) appurtenant facilities. The project would have an average annual generation of 78 gigawatthours.

k. This filing is available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the “FERRIS” link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, call toll-free 1-866-208-3676 or e-mail ferconlineSupport@ferc.gov . For TTY, call (202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item g. above.

l. Competing Preliminary Permit—Anyone desiring to file a competing application for preliminary permit for a proposed project must submit the competing application itself, or a notice of intent to file such an application, to the Commission on or before the specified comment date for the particular application (see 18 CFR 4.36). Submission of a timely notice of intent allows an interested person to file the competing preliminary permit application no later than 30 days after the specified comment date for the particular application. A competing preliminary permit application must conform with 18 CFR 4.30(b) and 4.36.

m. Competing Development Application—Any qualified development applicant desiring to file a competing development application must submit to the Commission, on or before a specified comment date for the particular application, either a competing development application or a notice of intent to file such an application. Submission of a timely notice of intent to file a development application allows an interested person to file the competing application no later than 120 days after the specified comment date for the particular application. A competing license application must conform with 18 CFR 4.30(b) and 4.36.

n. Notice of Intent—A notice of intent must specify the exact name, business address, and telephone number of the prospective applicant, and must include an unequivocal statement of intent to submit, if such an application may be filed, either a preliminary permit application or a development application (specify which type of application). A notice of intent must be served on the applicant(s) named in this public notice.

o. Proposed Scope of Studies under Permit—A preliminary permit, if issued, does not authorize construction. The term of the proposed preliminary permit would be 36 months. The work proposed under the preliminary permit would include economic analysis, preparation of preliminary engineering plans, and a study of environmental impacts. Based on the results of these studies, the Applicant would decide whether to proceed with the preparation of a development application to construct and operate the project.

p. Comments, Protests, or Motions to Intervene—Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, .214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all protests or other comments filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified comment date for the particular application.

q. Filing and Service of Responsive Documents—Any filings must bear in all capital letters the title “COMMENTS”, “NOTICE OF INTENT TO FILE COMPETING APPLICATION”, “COMPETING APPLICATION”, “PROTEST”, or “MOTION TO INTERVENE”, as applicable, and the Project Number of the particular application to which the filing refers. Any of the above-named documents must be filed by providing an original and eight copies to: The Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. An additional copy must be sent to Director, Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, at the above-mentioned address. A copy of any notice of intent, competing application or motion to intervene must also be served upon each representative of the Applicant specified in the particular application.

Comments, protests, and interventions may be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of paper; see 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site under the “e-Filing” link. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings. Please include the project number (P-12385-000) on any comments or motions filed.

r. Agency Comments—Federal, state, and local agencies are invited to file comments on the described application. A copy of the application may be obtained by agencies directly from the Applicant. If an agency does not file comments within the time specified for filing comments, it will be presumed to have no comments. One copy of an agency's comments must also be sent to the Applicant's representatives.

Responsible Agency: Office of Federal Activities, General Information (202) 564-7167 or http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa. Weekly receipt of Environmental Impact Statements filed January 27, 2003, through January 31, 2003, pursuant to 40 CFR 1506.9.

EIS No. 030046, DRAFT EIS, BLM, WY, South Powder River Basin Coal Project, Proposed Application for Leasing of Five Federal Coal Tracts: NARO North/South (North Antelope/ Rochelle Mine Complex), Little Thunder (Black Thunder Mine) West Roundup (North Rochelle Mine) and West Antelope (Antelope Mine), Campbell and Converse Counties, WY, Comment Period Ends: April 08, 2003, Contact: Nancy Doelger (307) 261-7627.

This document is available on the Internet at: http://www.wyblm.com.

EIS No. 030047, DRAFT EIS, AFS, MI, Interior Wetlands Project, Proposal to Harvest Timber, Prune White Pine Trees, Adjust the Growth System, Create and Maintain Wildlife Openings and Improve Transportation System, Hiawatha National Forest, Eastside Administrative Unit, Chippewa County, MI, Comment Period Ends: April 08, 2003, Contact: Martha Sjogren (906) 643-7900.

This document is available on the Internet at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hiawatha.

EIS No. 030048, DRAFT EIS, DOD, CA, AS, AK, HI, WA, Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Extended Test Range (ETR) Project, Proposal to Construct and Operate Additional Launch and Test Facilities including the Sea Based X-Band Radar, Comment Period Ends: March 24, 2003, Contact: David Hasley (256) 955-4170.

EIS No. 030034, DRAFT EIS, AFS, CA, Stream Fire Restoration Project, Implementation, Plumas National Forest, Mt. Hough Ranger District, Plumas County, CA, Comment Period Ends: March 17, 2003, Contact: Rich Bednarski (530) 283-7641.

Revision of FR Notice Published on 1/31/2003: Correction to Telephone number.

Availability of EPA comments prepared pursuant to the Environmental Review Process (ERP), under section 309 of the Clean Air Act and section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act as amended. Requests for copies of EPA comments can be directed to the Office of Federal Activities at (202) 564-7167. An explanation of the ratings assigned to draft environmental impact statements (EISs) was published in the Federal Register dated April 12, 2002 (67 FR 17992).

ERP No. D-AFS-F65034-WI Rating LO, Northwest Howell Project, Timber Harvest, Wildlife Openings Maintenance, Aspen and Jack Pine Types Regeneration, Hardwood and Conifer Tree Seedilings Protection, Lakes Habitat Improvements and Transportation System Development, Eagle-Florence District, Chequameg-Nicolet National Forest, Forest and Florence Counties, WI.

Summary: EPA has no objections to this vegetation management plan since the design features in the project should function to avoid and reduce potential impacts.

ERP No. D-AFS-F65035-WI Rating LO, Cayuga Project Area, Various Resource Management Projects, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Great Divide Ranger District, Ashland County, WI.

Summary: EPA has no objections to the preferred alternative, we believe Alternative 4 is environmentally preferable because of its emphasis on long-term ecosystem health over the desires of forest resource consumers.

ERP No. D-AFS-G65085-NM Rating EC2, Sacramento, Dry Canyon and Davis Grazing Allotments, Authorization of Livestock Grazing Activities, Lincoln National Forst, Sacramento Ranger District, Otero County, NM.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns and requested additional information to address and mitigate potential impacts to federally protected species under the Endangered Species Act.

ERP No. D-BLM-K09808-NV Rating LO, Ivanpah Energy Center Project, 500 Megawatt (MW) Gas-Fired Electric Power Generating Station Construction and Operation, Approval, Right-of-Way Grant, BLM Temporary Use Permit, FHWA Permit to Cross Federal Aid Highway, U.S. Army COE Section 10 and 404 Permits and NPDES Permit Issuance, Clark County, NV.

Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objections with the proposed action.

ERP No. D-BLM-L65407-OR Rating EC2, Lookout Mountain Forest and Rangeland Health Project and Baker Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment involving Changes in Visual Resources Management (VRM) Inventory Classes and Decommissioning of Roads, Implementation, Baker City, Baker County, OR.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with the lack of specific information on noxious weed treatment, and potential impacts to air quality from prescribed burns.

ERP No. D-JUS-K80044-CA Rating LO, Sacramento County Juvenile Hall Expansion Project, Accommodation of 90 New Beds in the Short-Term and 240 New Beds in the Long-Term, Sacramento County, CA.

Summary: EPA has no objection to the proposed action since the DEIS provided an adequate analysis of potential impacts, and all potentially significant impacts have been mitigated or accounted for.

ERP No. DS-COE-E36154-FL Rating LO, Upper St. Johns River Basin and Related Areas, Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project, New Information concerning Preservation and Enhancement of Floodplain and Aquatic Habitats North of the Fellsmere Grade, Brevard County, FL

Summary: While future monitoring and some changes may be necessary to determine the degree of successful marsh enhancement resulting from these water manipulations, EPA has no environmental objections to its implementation.

ERP No. F-COE-E35086-FL, Fort Pierce Shore Protection Project, Future Dredging of Capron Shoal, Implementation, St. Lucie County, FL.

Summary: EPA determined that the unavoidable losses attendant to implementation of this project have been appropriately mitigated, therefore EPA has no objection to the proposed action.

ERP No. F-DOE-L05224-WA, Maiden Wind Farm Project, Construction and Operation of up to 494 Megawatts (MW) of Wind Generation on Privately-and Publicly-owned Property, Conditional Use Permits, Rattlesnake Hills, Benton and Yakima Counties, WA.

Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

ERP No. F-NPS-K61152-CA, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area General Management Plan, Implementation, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, CA.

Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

ERP No. F-USA-E11050-KY, Blue Grass Army Depot, Destruction of Chemical Munitions, Design, Construction, Operation and Closure of a Facility to Destroy the Chemical Agent and Munitions, Madison County, KY.

Summary: EPA has no objection to the proposed action or the various technologies which will be used to accomplish this objective.

The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and § 225.41 of the Board’s Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire a bank or bank holding company. The factors that are considered in acting on the notices are set forth in paragraph 7 of the Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)(7)).

The notices are available for immediate inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank indicated. The notices also will be available for inspection at the office of the Board of Governors. Interested persons may express their views in writing to the Reserve Bank indicated for that notice or to the offices of the Board of Governors. Comments must be received not later than February 21, 2003.

A. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Sue Costello, Vice President) 1000 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30303:

1. Allen Tucker, Palm Beach, Florida; to acquire additional voting shares of Advantage Bankshares, Inc., North Palm Beach, Florida, and thereby indirectly acquire additional voting shares of Advantage Bank, North Palm Beach, Florida.

The companies listed in this notice have applied to the Board for approval, pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.) (BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR Part 225), and all other applicable statutes and regulations to become a bank holding company and/or to acquire the assets or the ownership of, control of, or the power to vote shares of a bank or bank holding company and all of the banks and nonbanking companies owned by the bank holding company, including the companies listed below.

The applications listed below, as well as other related filings required by the Board, are available for immediate inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank indicated. The application also will be available for inspection at the offices of the Board of Governors. Interested persons may express their views in writing on the standards enumerated in the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1842(c)). If the proposal also involves the acquisition of a nonbanking company, the review also includes whether the acquisition of the nonbanking company complies with the standards in section 4 of the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1843). Unless otherwise noted, nonbanking activities will be conducted throughout the United States. Additional information on all bank holding companies may be obtained from the National Information Center website at www.ffiec.gov/nic/.

Unless otherwise noted, comments regarding each of these applications must be received at the Reserve Bank indicated or the offices of the Board of Governors not later than March 3, 2003.

A. Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (A. Linwood Gill, III, Vice President) 701 East Byrd Street, Richmond, Virginia 23261-4528:

1. Bank of Granite Corporation, Granite Falls, North Carolina; to merge with First Commerce Corporation, Charlotte, North Carolina, and thereby indirectly acquire First Commerce Bank, Charlotte, North Carolina.

B. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Randall C. Sumner, Vice President) 411 Locust Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63166-2034:

1. Mechanics Banc Holding Company, Water Valley, Mississippi; to become a bank holding company by acquiring 100 percent of the voting shares of Mechanics Bank, Water Valley, Mississippi.

A notice announcing the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for a cooperative agreement program for Public Health Conference Support published in the Federal Register on January 10, 2003, Volume 68, Number 7, and pages 1463-1467. The notice is amended as follows: On page 1466, first column, under Section G. Submission and Deadline, paragraph one should read: For conferences May 15, 2003-September 30, 2004. Also on page 1466, first column, under Section G. Deadline, paragraph three, should read: If your conference dates fall between October 1, 2002 and May 14, 2003; and paragraph four, should read: May 15, 2003 to September 30, 2004.

Citizens Advisory Committee on Public Health Service (PHS) Activities and Research at Department of Energy (DOE) Sites: Oak Ridge Reservation Health Effects Subcommittee (ORRHES): the meeting originally planned for February 10, 2003, has been postponed until March 3, 2003.

The items originally scheduled for discussion on February 10th will be presented and discussed when the subcommittee meets in Oak Ridge on March 3, 2003.

Contact Person for More Information: La Freta Dalton, Designated Federal Official, or Marilyn Palmer, Committee Management Specialist, Division of Health Assessment and Consultation, ATSDR, 1600 Clifton Road, NE., M/S E-54, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, telephone 1-888-42- ATSDR (28737), fax (404) 498-1744.

The Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, has been delegated the authority to sign Federal Register notices pertaining to announcements of meetings and other committee management activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a list of information collection requests under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 498-1210. Send written comments to CDC, Desk Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503. Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project: Exposure to Aerosolized Brevetoxins During Red Tide Events (OMB No. 0920-0494)—Extension—National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Gymnodinium breve is the marine dinoflagellate responsible for extensive blooms (called “red tides”) that form in the Gulf of Mexico. G. breve produces potent toxins, called brevetoxins, that have been responsible for killing millions of fish and other marine organisms. The biochemical activity of brevetoxins is not completely understood and there is very little information regarding human health effects from environmental exposures, such as inhaling brevetoxin that has been aerosolized and swept onto the coast by offshore winds. CDC, National Center for Environmental Health is planning to recruit 100 people who work along the coast of Florida and who potentially will be occupationally exposed to aerosolized red tide toxins some time during the year following recruitment. We plan to administer a base-line respiratory health questionnaire and conduct pre- and post-shift pulmonary function tests during a time when there is no red tide reported near the area. When a red tide develops, we plan to administer a symptom survey and conduct pulmonary function testing (PFT) on a group of study participants who are working in the area where the red tide is near shore and on a control group of study participants who are not working in an area where the red tide is near shore (i.e., are not exposed to the red tide). We will then compare (1) symptom reports before and during the red tide and (2) the changes in baseline PFT values during the work shift (differences between pre- and post-shift PFT results without exposure to red tide) with the changes in PFT values during the work shift when individuals are exposed to red tide.

In addition, we plan to assist in collecting biological specimens (inflammatory cells from nose and throat swabs) to assess whether they can be used to verify exposure and to demonstrate a biological effect (i.e., inflammatory response) from exposure to red tide. We have collected part of the data, but, because we are dealing with natural phenomena and are subject literally to the tides, we must extend our data collection time for an additional two years. The estimated annualized burden is 206 hours.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a list of information collection requests under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 498-1210. Send written comments to CDC, Desk Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503. Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project: Data Collection on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)—New—National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This project will collect data from proxy respondents on children ages 4 to 10 with and without ADHD. This program addresses the Healthy People 2010 focus area of Mental Health and Mental Disorders, and describes the prevalence, treated prevalence, select co-morbid conditions, secondary conditions, and health risk behavior of ADHD.

The purpose of this program is to support research in ADHD and the exploration of other health conditions and health risk behaviors to children with the disorder. The main objectives of the project are to determine the prevalence or treated prevalence of children with ADHD in a defined community; to identify rates of select co-morbid or secondary conditions in children with ADHD in a defined community; to identify types and rates of health risk behaviors in children with ADHD; and to describe current and previous receipt of treatment in children with ADHD. The estimated annualized burden is 4,367 hours.

This program is authorized under section 301(a) [42 U.S.C. 241(a)] of the Public Health Service Act, and section 391(a) [42 U.S.C. 280b(a)] of the Public Service Health Act, as amended. The catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.136.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for grants for Acute Care, Rehabilitation and Disability Prevention Research. This program addresses the “Healthy People 2010” focus areas of Injury and Violence Prevention.

The purposes of the program are to:

1. Solicit research applications that address the priorities reflected under the heading, “Program Requirements.”

2. Build the scientific base for the prevention and control of injuries, disabilities and deaths.

3. Encourage professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines of engineering, epidemiology, medicine, biostatistics, public health, law and criminal justice, behavioral and social sciences to perform research in order to prevent and control injuries more effectively.

4. Encourage investigators to propose research that involves intervention development and testing as well as research on methods; to encourage individuals, organizations, or communities to adopt and maintain effective intervention strategies.

Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with the following performance goal for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC): Develop new or improved approaches for preventing and controlling death and disability due to injuries.

Applications may be submitted by public and private nonprofit and for profit organizations and by governments and their agencies; that is, universities, colleges, technical schools, research institutions, hospitals, other public and private nonprofit and for profit organizations, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, state and local governments or their bona fide agents, including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Indian tribes, or Indian tribal organizations, and small, minority, and/or women-owned businesses.

Applications that are incomplete or non-responsive to the below requirements will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. The following are applicant requirements:

1. A principal investigator who has conducted research, published the findings in peer-reviewed journals, and has specific authority and responsibility to carry out the proposed project.

2. Demonstrated experience on the applicant's project team in conducting, evaluating, and publishing injury control research in peer-reviewed journals.

3. Effective and well defined working relationships within the performing organization and with outside entities which will ensure implementation of the proposed activities.

4. The ability to carry out injury control research projects as defined under Attachment 2 (1.a-c). The attachment is posted with this program announcement on the CDC Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/ncipchm.htm.

5. The overall match between the applicant's proposed theme and research objectives and the program priorities as described under the heading, “Program Requirements.”

Approximately $1,800,000 is available in FY 2003 to fund approximately 6-9 awards. It is expected that the awards will begin on or about September 1, 2003, and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up to three years. The maximum funding level for each project will not exceed $300,000 per year (including both direct and indirect costs) or $900,000 for a three year project period.

Applications that exceed the funding caps noted above will be excluded from the competition and returned to the applicant. The availability of Federal funding may vary and is subject to change.

Consideration will also be given to current grantees who submit a competitive supplement requesting one year of funding to enhance or expand existing projects, or to conduct one-year pilot studies. These awards will not exceed $150,000, including both direct and indirect costs. Supplemental awards will be made for the budget period to coincide with the actual budget period of the grant and are based on the availability of funds.

Continuation awards within the approved project period will be made based on satisfactory progress demonstrated by investigators at work-in-progress monitoring workshops (travel expenses for this annual one day meeting should be included in the applicant's proposed budget), the achievement of work plan milestones reflected in the continuation application, and the availability of funds.

The specific program priorities for these funding opportunities are outlined with examples in this announcement under the section, “Programmatic Requirements.”

Grant funds will not be made available to support the provision of direct care. Eligible applicants may enter into contracts, including consortia agreements, as necessary to meet the requirements of the program and strengthen the overall application.

Matching funds are not required for this program.

In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, the recipient will be responsible for accomplishing one of the following activities:

Research Activity 1: Develop and evaluate protocols that provide onsite interventions in acute care settings or linkages to off-site services for patients at risk of injury or psycho social problems following injury.

Research Activity 2: Develop and apply methods that can be used to calculate population-based estimates of the incidence, costs, and long-term consequences of spinal cord injury (SCI) and non-hospitalized traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Research Activity 3: Identify methods and strategies to ensure that people with TBI and SCI receive needed services.

For more information on all 3 Research Activities, see Attachment 3 of this announcement as posted on the CDC Web site.

A LOI is optional for this program. The narrative should be no more than two double-spaced pages, printed on one side, with one inch margins, and unreduced 12-point font. The letter should identify the announcement number, the name of the principal investigator, and briefly describe the scope and intent of the proposed research work. The letter of intent does not influence review or funding decisions, but the number of letters received will enable CDC to plan the review more effectively and efficiently.

The Program Announcement title and number must appear in the application. Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program plan. The narrative should be no more than 25 pages, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced 12-point font.

Applications should follow the PHS-398 (Rev. 5/2001) application and Errata Sheet (see Attachment 4 of this announcement as it is posted on the CDC Web site). The narrative should include the following information:

1. The project's focus that justifies the research needs and describes the scientific basis for the research, the expected outcome, and the relevance of the findings to reduce injury morbidity, mortality, disability, and economic losses. This focus should be based on recommendations in “Healthy People 2010” and the “CDC Injury Research Agenda,” and should seek creative approaches that will contribute to a national program for injury control.

2. Specific, measurable, and time-framed objectives.

3. A detailed plan describing the methods by which the objectives will be achieved, including their sequence. A comprehensive evaluation plan is an essential component of the application.

4. A description of the principal investigator's role and responsibilities.

5. A description of all the project staff, regardless of their funding source. It should include their titles, qualifications, experience, percentage of time each will devote to the project, as well as that portion of their salary to be paid by the grant.

6. A description of those activities related to, but not supported by, the grant.

7. A description of the involvement of other entities that will relate to the proposed project, if applicable. It should include commitments of support and a clear statement of their roles.

8. A detailed first year's budget for the grant, including future annual projections, if relevant.

9. An explanation of how the research findings will contribute to the national effort to reduce the morbidity, mortality and disability caused by injuries within three to five years from project start-up.

An applicant organization has the option of having specific salary and fringe benefit amounts for individuals omitted from the copies of the application which are made available to outside reviewing groups. To exercise this option: on the original and two copies of the application, the applicant must use asterisks to indicate those individuals for whom salaries and fringe benefits are not shown; however, the subtotals must still be shown. In addition, the applicant must submit an additional copy of page 4 of Form PHS-398, completed in full, with the asterisks replaced by the salaries and fringe benefits. This budget page will be reserved for internal staff use only.

On or before March 7, 2003, submit the LOI to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the “Where to Obtain Additional Information” section of this announcement.

Submit the signed original and two copies of the PHS 398 (OMB Number 0925-0001)(adhere to the instructions on the Errata Instruction Sheet for PHS 398). Forms are available at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm. If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section (PGO-TIM) at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to you.

The application must be received by 4 p.m. Eastern Time April 8, 2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management—PA03023, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146. Applications may not be submitted electronically.

A postcard will be mailed by PGO-TIM, notifying you that CDC has received your application.

Letters of intent and applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they are received before 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. Applicants sending applications by the United States Postal Service or commercial delivery services must ensure that the carrier will be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the closing date and time. If an application is received after closing due to (1) carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a guarantee for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant weather delays or natural disasters, CDC will upon receipt of proper documentation, consider the application as having been received by the deadline.

Applications which do not meet the above criteria will not be eligible for competition and will be discarded. Applicants will be notified of their failure to meet the submission requirements.

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by CDC staff for completeness and responsiveness as outlined under the “Eligible Applicants” Section (Items 1-5). Incomplete applications and applications that are not responsive will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. It is especially important that the applicant's abstract reflects the project's focus, because the abstract will be used to help determine the responsiveness of the application.

Applications which are complete and responsive may be subjected to a preliminary evaluation (streamline review) by a peer review committee, the Injury Research Grant Review Committee (IRGRC), to determine if the application is of sufficient technical and scientific merit to warrant further review by the IRGRC. CDC will withdraw from further consideration applications judged to be noncompetitive and promptly notify the principal investigator/program director and the official signing for the applicant organization. Those applications judged to be competitive will be further evaluated by a dual review process.

Competing supplemental grant awards may be made, when funds are available, to support research work or activities not previously approved by the IRGRC. Applications should be clearly labeled to denote their status as requesting supplemental funding support. These applications will be reviewed by the IRGRC and the secondary review group.

All awards will be determined by the Director of the NCIPC based on priority scores assigned to applications by the primary review committee IRGRC, recommendations by the secondary review committee of the Science and Program Review Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee for Injury Prevention and Control(ACIPC), consultation with NCIPC senior staff, and the availability of funds.

1. The primary review will be a peer review conducted by the IRGRC. All applications will be reviewed for scientific merit using current National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria (a scoring system of 100-500 points) to evaluate the methods and scientific quality of the application. All categories are of equal importance, however, the application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have a major scientific impact. Factors to be considered will include:

a. Significance—Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field?

b. Approach—Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics? Does the project include plans to measure progress toward achieving the stated objectives? Is there an appropriate work plan included?

c. Innovation—Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge or advance existing paradigms, or develop new methodologies or technologies?

d. Investigator—Is the principal investigator appropriately trained and well-suited to carry out this work? Is the proposed work appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other significant investigator participants? Is there a prior history of conducting injury-related research?

e. Environment—Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Does the proposed research take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support? Is there an appropriate degree of commitment and cooperation of other interested parties as evidenced by letters detailing the nature and extent of the involvement?

f. Ethical Issues—What provisions have been made for the protection of human subjects and the safety of the research environments? How does the applicant plan to handle issues of confidentiality and compliance with mandated reporting requirements, e.g., suspected child abuse? Does the application adequately address the requirements of 45 CFR 46 for the protection of human subjects? Not scored; however an application can be disapproved if the research risks are sufficiently serious and protection against risks is so inadequate as to make the entire application unacceptable. The degree to which the applicant has met the CDC Policy requirements regarding the inclusion of women, ethnic, and racial groups in the proposed research (See Attachment 1, AR-2, of this announcement, as posted on the CDC Web site). This includes:

(1) The proposed plan for the inclusion of both sexes and racial and ethnic minority populations for appropriate representation.

(2) The proposed justification when representation is limited or absent.

(3) A statement as to whether the design of the study is adequate to measure differences when warranted.

(4) A statement as to whether the plans for recruitment and outreach for study participants include the process of establishing partnerships with community(ies) and recognition of mutual benefits.

g. Study Samples—Are the samples sufficiently rigorously defined to permit complete independent replication at another site? Have the referral sources been described, including the definitions and criteria? What plans have been made to include women and minorities and their subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research? How will the applicant deal with recruitment and retention of subjects?

h. Dissemination—What plans have been articulated for disseminating findings?

i. Measures of Effectiveness—The Peer Review Panel shall assure that measures set forth in the application are in accordance with CDC's performance plans. How adequately has the applicant addressed these measures?

The IRGRC will also examine the appropriateness of the proposed project budget and duration in relation to the proposed research and the availability of data required for the project.

2. The secondary review will be conducted by the Science and Program Review Subcommittee (SPRS) of the ACIPC. The ACIPC Federal agency experts will be invited to attend the secondary review and will receive modified briefing books (i.e., abstracts, strengths and weaknesses from summary statements, and project officer's briefing materials). ACIPC Federal agency experts will be encouraged to participate in deliberations when applications address overlapping areas of research interest, so that unwarranted duplication in federally-funded research can be avoided and special subject area expertise can be shared. The NCIPC Division Associate Directors for Science (ADS) or their designees will attend the secondary review in a similar capacity as the ACIPC Federal agency experts to assure that research priorities of the announcement are understood and to provide background regarding current research activities. Only SPRS members will vote on funding recommendations, and their recommendations will be carried to the entire ACIPC for voting by the ACIPC members in closed session. If any further review is needed by the ACIPC, regarding the recommendations of the SPRS, the factors considered will be the same as those considered by the SPRS.

The committee's responsibility is to develop funding recommendations for the NCIPC Director based on the results of the primary review, the relevance and balance of proposed research relative to the NCIPC programs and priorities, and to assure that unwarranted duplication of federally-funded research does not occur. The secondary review committee has the latitude to recommend to the NCIPC Director, to reach over better ranked proposals in order to assure maximal impact and balance of proposed research. The factors to be considered will include:

a. The results of the primary review including the application's priority score as the primary factor in the selection process.

b. The relevance and balance of proposed research relative to the NCIPC programs and priorities.

c. The significance of the proposed activities in relation to the priorities and objectives stated in “Healthy People 2010,” the Institute of Medicine report, “Reducing the Burden of Injury,” and the “CDC Injury Research Agenda.” (See Attachment 2, Resource Materials, of this announcement, as posted on the CDC web site.)

d. Budgetary considerations.

3. Continued Funding.

Continuation awards made after FY 2003, but within the project period, will be made on the basis of the availability of funds and the following criteria:

a. The accomplishments reflected in the progress report of the continuation application indicate that the applicant is meeting previously stated objectives or milestones contained in the project's annual work plan and satisfactory progress is being demonstrated through presentations at work-in-progress monitoring workshops.

b. The objectives for the new budget period are realistic, specific, and measurable.

c. The methods described will clearly lead to achievement of these objectives.

d. The evaluation plan will allow management to monitor whether the methods are effective.

e. The budget request is clearly explained, adequately justified, reasonable and consistent with the intended use of grant funds.

Provide CDC with an original plus two copies of:

1. Annual progress report. The progress report will include a data requirement that demonstrates measures of effectiveness.

2. A financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of the budget period.

3. Final financial report and performance report, no more than 90 days after the end of the project period.

4. At the completion of the project, the grant recipient will submit a brief summary 2,500 to 4,000 words written in non-scientific [laymen's] terms. The narrative should highlight the findings and their implications for injury prevention programs, policies, environmental changes, etc. The grant recipient will also include a description of the dissemination plan for research findings. This plan will include publications in peer-reviewed journals and ways in which research findings will be made available to stakeholders outside of academia (e.g., state injury prevention program staff, community groups, public health injury prevention practitioners, and others). CDC will place the summary report and each grant recipient's final report with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) to further the agency's efforts to make the information more available and accessible to the public.

Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the “Where to Obtain Additional Information” section of this announcement.

The following additional requirements are applicable to this program. For a complete description of each see Attachment 1 of the program announcement, as posted on the CDC web site.

Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.

This and other CDC announcements, the necessary applications, and associated forms can be found on the CDC Web site, Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov. Click on “Funding,” then “Grants and Cooperative Agreements.”

For general questions about this announcement, contact: Technical Information Management, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2700.

For business management and budget assistance, contact: Cheryl Maddux, Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2759, E-mail address: afx0@cdc.gov.

For program technical assistance, contact:Tom Voglesonger, Program Manager, Office of the Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Highway, NE, Mailstop K-02, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, Telephone: (770) 488-4823, E-mail address: TVoglesonger@cdc.gov.

Application Deadline: April 8, 2003.

This program is authorized under section 301(a) (42 U.S.C. 241(a)) of the Public Health Service Act and section 391(a) (42 U.S.C. 280b(a)) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. The catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.136.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for grants for Dissemination Research of Effective Interventions to Prevent Unintentional Injuries. This program addresses the “Healthy People 2010” focus area of Injury and Violence Prevention.

The purposes of the program are to:

1. Solicit research applications that address the priorities reflected under the “Programmatic Requirements.”

2. Build the scientific base for the prevention and control of injuries, disabilities, and deaths.

3. Encourage professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines of engineering, epidemiology, medicine, biostatistics, public health, law and criminal justice, behavioral, and social sciences to perform research in order to prevent and control injuries more effectively.

4. Encourage investigators to propose research that involves intervention development and testing as well as research on methods; to encourage individuals, organizations, or communities to adopt and maintain effective intervention strategies.

Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with the following performance goal for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC): Develop new or improved approaches for preventing and controlling death and disability due to injuries.

Applications may be submitted by public and private nonprofit and for-profit organizations and by governments and their agencies; that is, universities, colleges, research institutions and institutes, hospitals, managed care organizations, other public and private nonprofit and for-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, State and local governments or their bona fide agents, including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Indian tribes, or Indian tribal organizations, and small, minority, and/or women-owned businesses.

Applications that are incomplete or non-responsive to the below requirements will be returned to the applicant without further consideration:

1. A principal investigator who has conducted research, published the findings in peer-reviewed journals, and has specific authority and responsibility to carry out the proposed project.

2. Demonstrated experience on the applicant's project team in conducting, evaluating, and publishing injury prevention and dissemination research in peer-reviewed journals.

3. Effective and well-defined working relationships within the performing organization and with outside entities which will ensure implementation of the proposed activities.

4. The ability to carry out injury prevention and dissemination research projects as defined under Attachment 2 (1.a-c). The attachment is posted with this announcement on the CDC Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/ncipchm.htm.

5. The overall match between the applicant's proposed theme and research objectives, and the program interests as described under the heading, “Program Requirements.”

Approximately $450,000 is available in FY 2003 to fund two awards for this grant program. It is expected that the awards will begin on or about September 1, 2003, and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up to three years. The maximum funding level for each project will not exceed $225,000 (including both direct and indirect costs) per year or $675,000 for a three-year project period.

Applications that exceed the funding caps noted above will be excluded from the competition and returned to the applicant. The availability of Federal funding may vary and is subject to change.

Consideration will also be given to current grantees who submit a competitive supplement requesting one year of funding to enhance or expand existing projects, or to conduct one-year pilot studies. These awards will not exceed $150,000, including both direct and indirect costs. Supplemental awards will be made for the budget period to coincide with the actual budget period of the grant and are based on the availability of funds.

Continuation awards made after FY 2003, but within the approved project period, will be made on the basis of the availability of funds and the following criteria:

a. The accomplishments reflected in the progress report of the continuation application indicate that the applicant is meeting previously stated objectives or milestones contained in the project's annual work plan and satisfactory progress demonstrated through presentations at work-in-progress monitoring workshops.

b. The objectives for the new budget period are realistic, specific, and measurable.

c. The methods described will clearly lead to achievement of these objectives.

d. The evaluation plan will allow management to monitor whether the methods are effective.

e. The budget request is clearly explained, adequately justified, reasonable and consistent with the intended use of grant funds.

Grant funds will not be made available to support the provision of direct care. Eligible applicants may enter into contracts, including consortia agreements, as necessary to meet the requirements of the program and strengthen the overall application.

Matching funds are not required for this program.

The focus of dissemination research sought in this solicitation is to determine what methods and factors influence the successful adoption of safety practices or safety policies by individuals, organizations, or institutions. Dissemination research examines strategies for promoting uptake, widespread adoption and maintenance of effective interventions and programs. Interventions are defined as systematic mechanisms or specific strategies designed to change the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, or practices of individuals and populations in order to reduce risk and improve health their health risk. Effective interventions are defined as interventions that have credible scientific evidence of effectiveness. Evidence of effectiveness (for an intervention) refers to the results from a completed study that has been evaluated by appropriate statistical methods, through research with control or comparison groups with whom pre- and post-intervention behavioral outcomes are measured, and found to have significantly influenced the adoption of safer behaviors or the reduction of risky behaviors. Uptake refers to the process in which an individual or population perceives a need for change, acquires information about interventions, assesses the fit between their need and the interventions, makes a selection, and prepares relevant others for implementation of the intervention. This program announcement is not intended to support just dissemination of effective programs without research on the process or outcomes, nor is it intended to support program development or replication studies. Studies can focus on methods to encourage practitioners and policy makers to adopt science-based programs, policies and laws that reduce unintentional injuries. Studies can also examine factors that increase or impede the individual adoption or organizational and community capacity for implementing and sustaining effective interventions.

Dissemination research can vary in its application in several ways. At the level of the individual, family or small group, a safety innovation typically involves changes in behaviors or lifestyle practices so that uptake and implementation of the innovation may be achieved. At the organizational level, such as the workplace, school or managed care organization, successful uptake may require the introduction of new programs, or changes in policies, enforcement, or management support. At a broader community level, facilitation of uptake may require a planned dissemination process. Dissemination activities might include the targeted use of mass media or the planned use of peer leaders to promote the development of new health standards that many in the community will endorse. Also, policy or legislative change may be relevant.

The following are the research themes of this solicitation:

1. Product-related dissemination research. Where there are effective safety products available that are not being sufficiently used (e.g., bicycle helmets or hip pads for hip fracture prevention in a fall), achieving satisfactory diffusion of the innovation (whether at the individual, social or organizational level) requires an understanding of the barriers and facilitators for change, and mechanisms for overcoming resistance to change, including in the marketplace.

2. Social marketing-related dissemination research. Where effective interventions are being used successfully in one locale, but their diffusion throughout the culture is non-existent or slow, social marketing strategies may be effective to influence social norms and accelerate widespread adoption. It may be useful to select or target people and institutions at various stages in their willingness to change, such as early adopters, late adopters, and those who lag behind in adopting any innovation. Select methods may be necessary to reach and influence these audiences, such as those who are first contemplating the possibility of change or those who already intend to change but have not yet done so. Also, it may be useful to identify communication channels and systems to support legislation or other activities that promote widespread adoption. For any dissemination or diffusion activity, recruiting early adopters to assist in these efforts might provide role models for others and prove useful to enhance uptake of the intervention.

To assist the preparation of the application, note the following are examples where there is evidence of effective interventions and for which dissemination research is needed:

1. Increasing the use of bicycle helmets among adolescents.

2. Reducing fall-related injuries among older adults (exercise programs, medication review programs, hip protectors).

3. Reducing injuries due to residential fires.

4. Increasing the use of safety belts by high risk groups.

5. Reducing alcohol-impaired driving.

6. Increasing the use of booster seats.

7. Reducing young driver crash risks.

A LOI is optional for this program. The narrative should be no more than two single-spaced pages, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced 12-point font. The letter should identify the announcement number, the name of the principal investigator, and briefly describe the scope and intent of the proposed research work. The letter of intent does not influence review or funding decisions, but the number of letters received will enable CDC to plan the review more effectively and efficiently.

The Program Announcement title and number must appear in the application. Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program plan. The narrative should be no more than 25 single-spaced pages, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced 12-point font.

Applications should follow the PHS-398 (Rev. 5/2001) application and Errata sheet (see Attachment 4 of this announcement as posted on the CDC Web site), and the narrative should include the following information:

1. The project's focus that justifies the research needs and describes the scientific basis for the research, the expected outcome, and the relevance of the findings to reduce injury morbidity, mortality, disability, and economic losses. This focus should be based on recommendations in “Healthy People 2010” and the “CDC Injury Research Agenda” and should seek creative approaches that will contribute to a national program for injury control.

2. Specific, measurable, and time-framed objectives.

3. A detailed plan describing the methods by which the objectives will be achieved, including their sequence. A comprehensive evaluation plan is an essential component of the application.

4. A description of the principal investigator's role and responsibilities.

5. A description of all the project staff regardless of their funding source. It should include their title, qualifications, experience, percentage of time each will devote to the project, as well as that portion of their salary to be paid by the grant.

6. A description of those activities related to, but not supported by the grant.

7. A description of the involvement of other entities that will relate to the proposed project, if applicable. It should include commitments of support and a clear statement of their roles.

8. A detailed first year's budget for the grant with future annual projections, if relevant.

9. An explanation of how the research findings will contribute to the national effort to reduce the morbidity, mortality and disability caused by violence-related injuries within three to five years from project start-up.

An applicant organization has the option of having specific salary and fringe benefit amounts for individuals omitted from the copies of the application which are made available to outside reviewing groups. To exercise this option: on the original and two copies of the application, the applicant must use asterisks to indicate those individuals for whom salaries and fringe benefits are not shown; however, the subtotals must still be shown. In addition, the applicant must submit an additional copy of page 4 of Form PHS-398, completed in full, with the asterisks replaced by the salaries and fringe benefits. This budget page will be reserved for internal staff use only.

On or before March 10, 2003, submit the LOI to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the “Where to Obtain Additional Information” section of this announcement.

Submit the signed original and two copies of PHS 398 (OMB Number 0925-0001) (adhere to the instructions on the Errata Instruction Sheet for PHS 398). Forms are available at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.

If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section (PGO-TIM) at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to you.

The application must be received by 4 p.m. eastern time April 8, 2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management—PA03033, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146.

Applications may not be submitted electronically.

A postcard will be mailed by PGO-TIM, notifying you that CDC has received your application.

Letters of intent and applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they are received before 4 p.m. eastern time on the deadline date. Applicants sending applications by the United States Postal Service or commercial delivery services must ensure that the carrier will be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the closing date and time. If an application is received after closing due to (1) carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a guarantee for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant weather delays or natural disasters, CDC will upon receipt of proper documentation, consider the application as having been received by the deadline.

Applications which do not meet the above criteria will not be eligible for competition and will be discarded. Applicants will be notified of their failure to meet the submission requirements.

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by CDC staff for completeness and responsiveness as outlined under the “Eligible Applicants” section (items 1-5). Incomplete applications and applications that are not responsive will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. It is especially important that the applicant's abstract reflects the project's focus, because the abstract will be used to help determine the responsiveness of the application.

Applications which are complete and responsive may be subjected to a preliminary evaluation (streamline review) by a peer review committee, the Injury Research Grant Review Committee (IRGRC), to determine if the application is of sufficient technical and scientific merit to warrant further review by the IRGRC; CDC will withdraw from further consideration applications judged to be noncompetitive and promptly notify the principal investigator/program director and the official signing for the applicant organization. Those applications judged to be competitive will be further evaluated by a dual review process.

Competing supplemental grant awards may be made, when funds are available, to support research work or activities not previously approved by the IRGRC. Applications should be clearly labeled to denote their status as requesting supplemental funding support. These applications will be reviewed by the IRGRC and the secondary review group.

All awards will be determined by the Director of the NCIPC based on priority scores assigned to applications by the primary review committee IRGRC, recommendations by the secondary review committee of the Science and Program Review Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee for Injury Prevention and Control (ACIPC), consultation with NCIPC senior staff, and the availability of funds.

1. The primary review will be a peer review conducted by the IRGRC. A committee of reviewers with appropriate expertise will review all applications for scientific merit using current National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria (a scoring system of 100-500 points) to evaluate the methods and scientific quality of the application. All categories are of equal importance, however, the application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have a major scientific impact.

Factors to be considered will include:

a. Significance. Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field?

b. Approach. Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics? Does the project include plans to measure progress toward achieving the stated objectives? Is there an appropriate work plan included?

c. Innovation. Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge or advance existing paradigms, or develop new methodologies or technologies?

d. Investigator. Is the principal investigator appropriately trained and well-suited to carry out this work? Is the proposed work appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other significant investigator participants? Is there a prior history of conducting injury-related research?

e. Environment. Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Does the proposed research take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support? Is there an appropriate degree of commitment and cooperation of other interested parties as evidenced by letters detailing the nature and extent of the involvement?

f. Ethical Issues. What provisions have been made for the protection of human subjects and the safety of the research environments? How does the applicant plan to handle issues of confidentiality and compliance with mandated reporting requirements, (e.g., suspected child abuse)? Does the application adequately address the requirements of 45 CFR part 46 for the protection of human subjects? (An application can be disapproved if the research risks are sufficiently serious and protection against risks is so inadequate as to make the entire application unacceptable.) The degree to which the applicant has met the CDC Policy requirements regarding the inclusion of women, ethnic, and racial groups in the proposed research (see Attachment 1, AR-2). This includes:

(1) The proposed plan for the inclusion of both sexes and racial and ethnic minority populations for appropriate representation.

(2) The proposed justification when representation is limited or absent.

(3) A statement as to whether the design of the study is adequate to measure differences when warranted.

(4) A statement as to whether the plans for recruitment and outreach for study participants include the process of establishing partnerships with community or communities and recognition of mutual benefits.

g. Study Samples. Are the samples rigorously defined to permit complete independent replication at another site? Have the referral sources been described, including the definitions and criteria? What plans have been made to include women and minorities and their subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research? How will the applicant deal with recruitment and retention of subjects?

h. Dissemination. What plans have been articulated for sharing the research findings?

i. Measures of Effectiveness. The Peer Review Panel shall assure that measures set forth in the application are in accordance with CDC's performance plans. How adequately has the applicant addressed these measures?

The IRGRC will also examine the appropriateness of the proposed project budget and duration in relation to the proposed research and the availability of data required for the project.

2. The secondary review will be conducted by the Science and Program Review Subcommittee (SPRS) of the ACIPC. ACIPC Federal agency experts will be invited to attend the secondary review and will receive modified briefing books (i.e., abstracts, strengths and weaknesses from summary statements, and project officer's briefing materials). ACIPC Federal agency experts will be encouraged to participate in deliberations when applications address overlapping areas of research interest so that unwarranted duplication in federally funded research can be avoided and special subject area expertise can be shared. The NCIPC Division Associate Directors for Science (ADS) or their designees will attend the secondary review in a similar capacity as the ACIPC Federal agency experts to assure that research priorities of the announcement are understood and to provide background regarding current research activities. Only SPRS members will vote on funding recommendations, and their recommendations will be carried to the entire ACIPC for voting by the ACIPC members in closed session. If any further review is needed by the ACIPC, regarding the recommendations of the SPRS, the factors considered will be the same as those considered by the SPRS.

The committee's responsibility is to develop funding recommendations for the NCIPC Director based on the results of the primary review, the relevance and balance of proposed research relative to the NCIPC programs and priorities, and to assure that unwarranted duplication of federally funded research does not occur. The secondary review committee has the latitude to recommend to the NCIPC Director, to reach over better ranked proposals in order to assure maximal impact and balance of proposed research. The factors to be considered will include:

a. The results of the primary review including the application's priority score as the primary factor in the selection process.

b. The relevance and balance of proposed research relative to the NCIPC programs and priorities.

c. The significance of the proposed activities in relation to the priorities and objectives stated in “Healthy People 2010,” the Institute of Medicine report, “Reducing the Burden of Injury,” and the “CDC Injury Research Agenda.”

d. Budgetary considerations.

Provide CDC with an original plus two copies of:

1. Annual progress report. The progress report will include a data requirement that demonstrates measures of effectiveness.

2. A financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of the budget period.

3. Final financial report and performance report, no more than 90 days after the end of the project period.

4. At the completion of the project, the grant recipient will submit a brief (2,500 to 4,000 words written in non-scientific (laymen's) terms) summary highlighting the findings and their implications for injury prevention programs, policies, environmental changes, etc. The grant recipient will also include a description of the dissemination plan for research findings. This plan will include publications in peer-reviewed journals and ways in which research findings will be made available to stakeholders outside of academia, (e.g., state injury prevention program staff, community groups, public health injury prevention practitioners, and others). CDC will place the summary report and each grant recipient's final report with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) to further the agency's efforts to make the information more available and accessible to the public.

Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the “Where to Obtain Additional Information” section of this announcement.

The following additional requirements are applicable to this program. For a complete description of each see Attachment 1 of the application kit, as posted on the CDC Web site.

Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.

This and other CDC announcements, the necessary applications, and associated forms can be found on the CDC home page Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov.

Click on “Funding,” then “Grants and Cooperative Agreements.”

For general questions about this announcement, contact: Technical Information Management, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146. Telephone: (770) 488-2700.

For business management and budget assistance, contact: Van King, Grants Management Specialist, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146. Telephone: (770) 488-2751. E-mail address: vbk5@cdc.gov.

For program technical assistance, contact: Tom Voglesonger, Program Manager, Office of the Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Highway, NE., Mail Stop K-02, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724.

Telephone: (770) 488-4823. E-mail address: TVoglesonger@cdc.gov.

Application Deadline: April 8, 2003.

This program is authorized under section 301(a) [42 U.S.C. 241(a)] of the Public Health Service Act and section 391(a) [42 U.S.C. 280b(a)] of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. The catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.136.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for grants for Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Injury Prevention Research. This program addresses the “Healthy People 2010” focus area of Injury and Violence Prevention.

The purposes of the program are to:

1. Solicit research applications that address the priorities reflected under the “Programmatic Requirements.”

2. Build the scientific base for the prevention and control of injuries, disabilities, and deaths.

3. Encourage professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines of engineering, epidemiology, medicine, biostatistics, public health, law and criminal justice, and behavioral, and social sciences to perform research in order to prevent and control injuries more effectively.

4. Encourage investigators to propose research that involves intervention development and testing as well as research on methods, to encourage individuals, organizations, or communities to adopt and maintain effective intervention strategies.

Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with the following performance goal for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC): Develop new or improved approaches for preventing and controlling death and disability due to injuries.

Applications may be submitted by public and private nonprofit and for profit organizations and by governments and their agencies; that is, universities, colleges, technical schools, research institutions, hospitals, other public and private nonprofit and for profit organizations, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, state and local governments or their bona fide agents, including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau, Federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Indian tribes, or Indian tribal organizations, and small, minority, and/or women-owned businesses.

Applications that are incomplete or non-responsive to the below requirements will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. The following are applicant requirements:

1. A principal investigator who has conducted research, published the findings in peer-reviewed journals, and has specific authority and responsibility to carry out the proposed project.

2. Demonstrated experience on the applicant's project team in conducting, evaluating, and publishing injury control research in peer-reviewed journals.

3. Effective and well-defined working relationships within the performing organization and with outside entities, which will ensure implementation of the proposed activities.

4. The ability to carry out injury control research projects as defined under Attachment 2 (1.a-c). The attachment is posted with this announcement on the CDC Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/ncipchm.htm.

5. The overall match between the applicant's proposed theme and research objectives and the program priorities as described under the heading, “Program Requirements.”

Approximately $1,200,000 is expected to be available in FY 2003 to fund approximately 4-6 awards for intimate partner violence and sexual violence research grants. It is expected that the awards will begin on or about September 1, 2003, and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a three-year project period. The maximum funding level will not exceed $300,000 (including both direct and indirect costs) per year and $900,000 for the three-year project period. The specific program priorities for these funding opportunities are outlined with examples in this announcement under the section, “Programmatic Requirements.”

Applications that exceed the funding caps noted above will be excluded from the competition and returned to the applicant. The availability of Federal funding may vary and is subject to change.

Consideration will also be given to current grantees that submit a competitive supplement requesting one year of funding to enhance or expand existing projects, or to conduct one-year pilot studies. These awards will not exceed $150,000, including both direct and indirect costs. Supplemental awards will be made for the budget period to coincide with the actual budget period of the grant and are based on the availability of funds.

Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made based on satisfactory progress demonstrated by investigators at work-in-progress monitoring workshops (travel expenses for this annual one day meeting should be included in the applicant's proposed budget), and the achievement of work plan milestones reflected in the continuation application.

Grant funds will not be made available to support the provision of direct care. Eligible applicants may enter into contracts, including consortia agreements, as necessary to meet the requirements of the program and strengthen the overall application.

Matching funds are not required for this program.

NCIPC is soliciting investigator-initiated research that will help expand and advance our understanding of violence, its causes, and prevention strategies.

The following research themes are the focus of this investigator-initiated solicitation:

1. Evaluate strategies for disseminating and implementing evidence-based interventions or policies for the prevention of intimate partner violence and sexual violence.

2. Evaluate the efficacy, effectiveness, and cost effectiveness of interventions, programs, and policies to prevent intimate partner violence and sexual violence.

3. Identify shared and unique risk and protective factors for the perpetration of intimate partner violence and sexual violence and examine the relationships among these forms of violence and others such as child maltreatment, youth violence, or suicidal behavior.

Additional information may be found for all attachments as posted with this announcement on the CDC Web site: http://www.cdc.gov.

A LOI is optional for this program. The narrative should be no more than two single-spaced pages, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced 12-point font. The letter should identify the announcement number, the name of the principal investigator, and briefly describe the scope and intent of the proposed research work. The letter of intent does not influence review or funding decisions, but the number of letters received will enable CDC to plan the review more effectively and efficiently.

The Program Announcement title and number must appear in the application. Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program plan. The narrative should be no more than 25 single-spaced pages, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced 12-point font.

Applications should follow the PHS-398 (Rev. 5/2001) application and Errata sheet (See Attachment 4 of this announcement). The narrative should include the following information:

1. The project's focus that justifies the research needs and describes the scientific basis for the research, the expected outcome, and the relevance of the findings to reduce injury morbidity, mortality, disability, and economic losses. This focus should be based on recommendations in “Healthy People 2010” and the “CDC Injury Research Agenda” and should seek creative approaches that will contribute to a national program for injury control.

2. Specific, measurable, and time-framed objectives.

3. A detailed plan describing the methods by which the objectives will be achieved, including their sequence. A comprehensive evaluation plan is an essential component of the application.

4. A description of the principal investigator's role and responsibilities.

5. A description of all the project staff regardless of their funding source. It should include their title, qualifications, experience, percentage of time each will devote to the project, as well as that portion of their salary to be paid by the grant.

6. A description of those activities related to, but not supported by the grant.

7. A description of the involvement of other entities that will relate to the proposed project, if applicable. It should include commitments of support and a clear statement of their roles.

8. A detailed first year's budget for the grant with future annual projections, if relevant.

9. An explanation of how the research findings will contribute to the national effort to reduce the morbidity, mortality and disability caused by violence-related injuries within three to five years from project start-up.

An applicant organization has the option of having specific salary and fringe benefit amounts for individuals omitted from the copies of the application, which are made available to outside reviewing groups. To exercise this option: on the original and two copies of the application, the applicant must use asterisks to indicate those individuals for whom salaries and fringe benefits are not shown; however, the subtotals must still be shown. In addition, the applicant must submit an additional copy of page four of Form PHS-398, completed in full, with the asterisks replaced by the salaries and fringe benefits. This budget page will be reserved for internal staff use only.

On or before March 10, 2003, submit the LOI to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the “Where to Obtain Additional Information” section of this announcement.

Submit the original and two copies of PHS 398 (OMB Number 0925-0001) (adhere to the instructions on the Errata Instruction Sheet for PHS 398). Forms are available at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.

If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section (PGO-TIM) at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to you.

The application must be received by 4 p.m. Eastern Time April 8, 2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management-PA03024, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146.

Applications may not be submitted electronically.

A postcard will be mailed by PGO-TIM, notifying you that CDC has received your application.

Letters of intent and applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they are received before 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. Applicants sending applications by the United States Postal Service or commercial delivery services must ensure that the carrier will be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the closing date and time. If an application is received after closing due to (1) carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a guarantee for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant weather delays or natural disasters, CDC will upon receipt of proper documentation, consider the application as having been received by the deadline.

Applications, which do not meet the above criteria, will not be eligible for competition and will be discarded. Applicants will be notified of their failure to meet the submission requirements.

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by CDC staff for completeness and responsiveness as outlined under the “Eligible Applicants” Section (Items one through five). Incomplete applications and applications that are not responsive will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. It is especially important that the applicant's abstract reflects the project's focus, because the abstract will be used to help determine the responsiveness of the application.

Applications which are complete and responsive may be subjected to a preliminary evaluation (streamline review) by a peer review committee, the Injury Research Grant Review Committee (IRGRC), to determine if the application is of sufficient technical and scientific merit to warrant further review by the IRGRC; CDC will withdraw from further consideration applications judged to be noncompetitive and promptly notify the principal investigator/program director and the official signing for the applicant organization. Those applications judged to be competitive will be further evaluated by a dual review process.

Competing supplemental grant awards may be made, when funds are available, to support research work or activities not previously approved by the IRGRC. Applications should be clearly labeled to denote their status as requesting supplemental funding support. These applications will be reviewed by the IRGRC and the secondary review group.

All awards will be determined by the Director of the NCIPC based on priority scores assigned to applications by the primary review committee IRGRC, recommendations by the secondary review committee of the Science and Program Review Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee for Injury Prevention and Control (ACIPC), consultation with NCIPC senior staff, and the availability of funds.

1. The primary review will be a peer review conducted by the IRGRC. All applications will be reviewed for scientific merit using current National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria (a scoring system of 100-500 points) to evaluate the methods and scientific quality of the application. All categories are of equal importance, however, the application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have a major scientific impact. Factors to be considered will include:

a. Significance. Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field?

b. Approach. Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics? Does the project include plans to measure progress toward achieving the stated objectives? Is there an appropriate work plan included?

c. Innovation. Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge or advance existing paradigms, or develop new methodologies or technologies?

d. Investigator. Is the principal investigator appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the proposed work appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other significant investigator participants? Is there a prior history of conducting violence-related research?

e. Environment. Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Does the proposed research take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support? Is there an appropriate degree of commitment and cooperation of other interested parties as evidenced by letters detailing the nature and extent of the involvement?

f. Ethical Issues. What provisions have been made for the protection of human subjects and the safety of the research environments? How does the applicant plan to handle issues of confidentiality and compliance with mandated reporting requirements, e.g., suspected child abuse? Does the application adequately address the requirements of 45 CFR Part 46 for the protection of human subjects? (An application can be disapproved if the research risks are sufficiently serious and protection against risks is so inadequate as to make the entire application unacceptable.) The degree to which the applicant has met the CDC Policy requirements regarding the inclusion of women, ethnic, and racial groups in the proposed research (See Attachment 1, AR-2). This includes:

(1) The proposed plan for the inclusion of both sexes and racial and ethnic minority populations for appropriate representation.

(2) The proposed justification when representation is limited or absent.

(3) A statement as to whether the design of the study is adequate to measure differences when warranted.

(4) A statement as to whether the plans for recruitment and outreach for study participants include the process of establishing partnerships with community(ies) and recognition of mutual benefits.

g. Study Samples. Are the samples sufficiently rigorously defined to permit complete independent replication at another site? Have the referral sources been described, including the definitions and criteria? What plans have been made to include women and minorities and their subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research? How will the applicant deal with recruitment and retention of subjects?

h. Dissemination. What plans have been articulated for disseminating findings?

i. Measures of Effectiveness. The Peer Review Panel shall assure that measures set forth in the application are in accordance with CDC's performance plans (See attachment). How adequately has the applicant addressed these measures?

The IRGRC will also examine the appropriateness of the proposed project budget and duration in relation to the proposed research and the availability of data required for the project.

2. The secondary review will be conducted by the Science and Program Review Subcommittee (SPRS) of the ACIPC. The ACIPC Federal agency experts will be invited to attend the secondary review, will receive modified briefing books (i.e., abstracts, strengths and weaknesses from summary statements, and project officer's briefing materials). The ACIPC Federal agency experts will be encouraged to participate in deliberations when applications address overlapping areas of research interest so that unwarranted duplication in federally-funded research can be avoided and special subject area expertise can be shared. The NCIPC Division Associate Directors for Science (ADS) or their designees will attend the secondary review in a similar capacity as the ACIPC Federal agency experts to assure that research priorities of the announcement are understood and to provide background regarding current research activities. Only SPRS members will vote on funding recommendations, and their recommendations will be carried to the entire ACIPC for voting by the ACIPC members in closed session. If any further review is needed by the ACIPC, regarding the recommendations of the SPRS, the factors considered will be the same as those considered by the SPRS.

The committee's responsibility is to develop funding recommendations for the NCIPC Director based on the results of the primary review, the relevance and balance of proposed research relative to the NCIPC programs and priorities, and to assure that unwarranted duplication of federally-funded research does not occur. The secondary review committee has the latitude to recommend to the NCIPC Director, to reach over better-ranked proposals in order to assure maximal impact and balance of proposed research. The factors to be considered will include:

a. The results of the primary review including the application's priority score as the primary factor in the selection process.

b. The relevance and balance of proposed research relative to the NCIPC programs and priorities.

c. The significance of the proposed activities in relation to the priorities and objectives stated in “Healthy People 2010,” the Institute of Medicine report, “Reducing the Burden of Injury,” and the “CDC Injury Research Agenda.”

d. Budgetary considerations.

3. Continued Funding

Continuation awards made after FY 2003, but within the project period, will be made on the basis of the availability of funds and the following criteria:

a. The accomplishments reflected in the progress report of the continuation application indicate that the applicant is meeting previously stated objectives or milestones contained in the project's annual work plan and satisfactory progress demonstrated through presentations at work-in-progress monitoring workshops.

b. The objectives for the new budget period are realistic, specific, and measurable.

c. The methods described will clearly lead to achievement of these objectives.

d. The evaluation plan will allow management to monitor whether the methods are effective.

e. The budget request is clearly explained, adequately justified, reasonable and consistent with the intended use of grant funds.

Provide CDC with an original plus two copies of:

1. Annual progress report. The progress report will include a data requirement that demonstrates measures of effectiveness.

2. A financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of the budget period.

3. Final financial report and performance report, no more than 90 days after the end of the project period.

4. At the completion of the project, the grant recipient will submit a brief (2,500 to 4,000 words written in non-scientific [laymen's] terms) summary highlighting the findings and their implications for injury prevention programs, policies, environmental changes, etc. The grant recipient will also include a description of the dissemination plan for research findings. This plan will include publications in peer-reviewed journals and ways in which research findings will be made available to stakeholders outside of academia, (e.g., state injury prevention program staff, community groups, public health injury prevention practitioners, and others). CDC will place the summary report and each grant recipient's final report with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) to further the agency's efforts to make the information more available and accessible to the public.

Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the “Where to Obtain Additional Information” section of this announcement.

The following additional requirements are applicable to this program. For a complete description of each see Attachment 1 of this announcement as posted on the CDC web site.

Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.

This and other CDC announcements, the necessary applications, and associated forms can be found on the CDC Web site, Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov. Click on “Funding,” then “Grants and Cooperative Agreements.”

For business management assistance, contact: Angie Nation, Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: (770) 488-2719, E-mail address: aen4@cdc.gov.

For program technical assistance, contact: Tom Voglesonger, Program Manager, Office of the Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Highway, NE, Mail Stop K-02, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, Telephone: (770) 488-4823, Internet address: TVoglesonger@cdc.gov.

This program is authorized under section 301(a) [42 U.S.C. 241(a)] of the Public Health Service Act and section 391 (a) [42 U.S.C. 280b(a)] of the Public Service Health Act, as amended. The catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.136.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for a grant program for Dissertation Awards for Doctoral Candidates for Violence-Related Injury Prevention Research in Minority Communities. This program addresses the “Healthy People 2010” focus area of Injury and Violence Prevention.

The purposes of the program are to:

1. Solicit research applications that address the priorities reflected under the “Programmatic Requirements.”

2. Build the scientific base for the prevention and control of injuries, disabilities, and deaths disproportionately experienced in minority communities.

3. Encourage doctoral candidates from a wide spectrum of disciplines, including, epidemiology, medicine, biostatistics, public health, law and criminal justice, behavioral and social sciences, to perform research in order to prevent and control injuries more effectively.

4. Assist students in the completion of their dissertation research on a violence-related topic.

5. Encourage investigators to build research careers related to the prevention of violence-related injuries, disabilities, and deaths in minority communities.

A dissertation represents the most extensive research experience formulated and carried out by a doctoral candidate, with the advice and guidance of a mentor (the chair or another member of the dissertation committee). Dissertation research involves a major investment of the doctoral student's time, energy, and interest and its substance is often the basis for launching a research career. This research initiative is aimed at providing students with assistance to complete their dissertation research on a violence-related topic and, thereby, increasing representation of junior investigators in violence-related injury research.

Deaths and injuries associated with interpersonal violence and suicidal behavior are a major public health problem in the United States and around the world. In 1999, more than 46,000 people died from homicide and suicide in the United States. Among 15 to 24 year olds, homicide ranked as the second and the third leading causes of death. Violent deaths are the most visible consequence of violent behavior in our society. Morbidity associated with physical and emotional injuries and disabilities resulting from violence, however, also constitutes an enormous public health problem. For every homicide that occurs each year there are more than 100 non-fatal injuries resulting from interpersonal violence. For every completed suicide it is estimated that there are 20 to 25 suicide attempts. The mortality and morbidity associated with violence are associated with a variety of types of violence including child mistreatment, youth violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, elder abuse, and self-directed violence or suicidal behavior.

Violence has a disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minorities. In 1999, homicide was the leading cause of death for African Americans and the second leading cause of death for Hispanics between the ages of 15 and 34. Suicide was the second leading cause of death for American Indians and Alaskan Natives and Asian and Pacific islanders 15 to 34 years of age. It is important to note that existing research indicates that race or ethnicity, per se, is not a risk factor for violent victimization or a cause of violent behavior. Rather, racial or ethnic status is associated with many other factors that do influence the risk of becoming a victim or behaving violently. Nevertheless, racial and ethnic minorities in the United States are at high risk for both violent victimization and perpetration. A better understanding of the factors that contribute to this vulnerability or protection from such risk is important to furthering effective violence prevention programs that address racial and ethnic minorities.

There is a critical need for highly qualified scientists to carry out research on violence that can help in the development, implementation, and evaluation of effective violence prevention programs. In particular, scientists are needed who bring an understanding and sensitivity to the problems of violence as they affect minority communities. The purpose of this extramural research training grant program is to attract young scientists to the field of violence prevention by encouraging doctoral candidates from a variety of disciplines to conduct violence prevention research and hopefully carry this focus on throughout their careers. The number of individuals who are members of minority groups and who are engaged in violence-related injury prevention research is currently small. This research program should also attract young minority scientists to the field of violence research.

Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with the following performance goal for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC): Develop new or improved approaches for preventing and controlling death and disability due to injuries.

Assistance will be provided to any United States public or private institution. The institution must support an accredited doctoral level training program. The performance site must be domestic.

Applicants must be students in good standing enrolled in an accredited doctoral degree program. The applicant must have the authority and responsibility to carry out the proposed project. Applicants must be conducting or intending to conduct research in one of the areas described under the “Research Objectives” in the Program Requirement's section of this announcement. To receive this funding, applicants must have successfully defended their dissertation proposal. This must be verified in a letter of certification from the mentor (the chair or another member of the dissertation committee). CDC requests that, if available, the letter of certification be submitted with the grant application, or before the negotiation and award.

Applications that are incomplete or non-responsive to the below requirements will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. The following are applicant requirements:

1. A principal investigator who has the skill and academic training to conduct the proposed research, and the specific authority to carry out the proposed project.

2. Effective and well-defined working relationships within the performing organization and with outside entities, which will ensure implementation of the proposed activities.

3. The ability to carry out injury-control research projects as defined under Attachment 2 (1.a-c) as posted on the CDC web site at www.cdc.gov.

4. The overall match between the applicant's proposed theme and research objectives and the program priorities as described under the heading, “Program Requirements”.

Approximately $100,000 is expected to be available in FY 2003 to five fund approximately five dissertation awards for doctoral candidates. It is expected that the average awards will begin on or about September 1, 2003, and will be made for a 12-month budget and project period. The project period may be extended without additional funds for up to a total of 24 months. The maximum funding level will not exceed $20,000 (including both direct and indirect costs). Applications that exceed the funding caps noted above will be excluded from the competition and returned to the applicant. The availability of Federal funding may vary and is subject to change.

Training grant funds will not be made available to support the provision of direct patient care including medical and/or psychiatric care. Eligible applicants may enter into contracts, including consortia agreements, as necessary to meet the requirements of the program and strengthen the overall application.