[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 57 (Wednesday, March 25, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14435-14439]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-7716]



[[Page 14435]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Research


Energy Research Financial Assistance Program Notice 98-14; 
Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research Program (NABIR)

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice inviting research grant applications.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) of 
the Office of Energy Research (ER), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), 
hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for research 
grants in the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) 
Program. Grant applications are being solicited for five of the eight 
NABIR Program research elements: (1) Assessment; (2) Biotransformation 
and Biodegradation; (3) Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology; (4) 
System Engineering, Integration, Prediction, and Optimization; and 
Bioremediation and its Social Implications and Concerns (BASIC).

DATES: Applicants should submit a Notice of Intent to Apply, containing 
a title, a list of investigators, and a five-line summary of proposed 
research by April 15, 1998.
    The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 4:30 p.m., 
E.D.T., May 13, 1998, to be accepted for merit review and to permit 
timely consideration for award in fiscal year 1998.

ADDRESSES: Notices of Intent to Apply, referencing Program Notice 98-
14, should be sent by E-mail to [email protected].
    Formal applications, referencing Program Notice 98-14, must be sent 
to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Research, Grants and 
Contracts Division, ER-64, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-
1290, ATTN: Program Notice 98-14. This address must also be used when 
submitting applications by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail or any 
other commercial overnight delivery service, or when hand-carried by 
the applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John Houghton, Environmental 
Sciences Division, ER-74, Office of Biological and Environmental 
Research, Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone (301) 903-8288, 
E-mail [email protected], fax (301) 903-8519. The full text of 
Program Notice 98-14 is available via the Internet using the following 
web site address: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The mission of the NABIR Program is to 
provide the scientific understanding needed to use natural in situ 
processes and to develop new methods to accelerate those processes for 
bioremediation at DOE facilities. The NABIR program is initially 
emphasizing the bioremediation of metals and radionuclides in the 
subsurface below the root zone, including both thick vadose and 
saturated zones. The program is implemented through seven interrelated 
scientific research elements (Acceleration, Assessment, Biogeochemical 
Dynamics, Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Biotransformation and 
Biodegradation, Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology, and System 
Engineering, Integration, Prediction, and Optimization); and a social 
and legal element called Bioremediation and its Social Implications and 
Concerns (BASIC). A document entitled Natural and Accelerated 
Bioremediation Research Program Plan (DOE/ER-0659T) containing an 
initial planning description of the NABIR Program and each of the 
science elements is available via the Internet using the following web 
site address: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/ober/nabir/cover.html. 
The NABIR Program Plan is also available from the Office of Scientific 
and Technical Information, P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (DOE and 
DOE grantees only) and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Technology 
Administration, National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 
22161, (703) 487-4650 (public source). Additional information about 
NABIR, such as references to infrastructure that could be available to 
the research community, can be accessed from the NABIR Homepage: http:/
/www.lbl.gov/NABIR/. Abstracts of currently funded projects are 
available via the Internet using the following web site address: http:/
/www.lbl.gov/NABIR/awardees.html.
    Each scientific research element is directed by a program manager 
from OBER, who is responsible for providing support and overall 
direction for the element, including determining the relevance of the 
proposed research to the goals and objectives of the program element to 
the NABIR and other DOE programs. The NABIR program also has Science 
Team Leaders, selected through an earlier peer review process, who 
provide scientific leadership and coordination to the community of 
NABIR investigators. Information on the current Science Team Leaders 
and DOE program staff is available via the Internet using the following 
web site address: http://www.lbl.gov/NABIR/research__5.html.

Program Focus

    The NABIR Program supports long-term, hypothesis-driven research 
directed at specific topics that will provide the understanding 
necessary to develop effective new bioremediation technologies for DOE 
site cleanup. This research will help determine the future viability of 
bioremediation technologies at the DOE sites. The NABIR Program will 
not support research to evaluate the risk to humans. Although the 
program is directed at specific goals, it supports research that is 
more fundamental in nature than demonstration projects.
    The initial emphasis of the NABIR Program is on field-scale 
research and metal and radionuclide contamination, specifically on the 
metals and radionuclides associated with past weapons production 
activities. However, the research program will support laboratory, 
theoretical, modeling, and other non-field research projects, if they 
fill important gaps that would be necessary to complete understanding 
for field-scale studies. The study of real problems might iterate 
between, for example, the laboratory and the field. Investigators 
without access to laboratories licensed to work with radionuclides may 
propose research with non-radioactive surrogates of radionuclides, or 
collaborate with a licensed laboratory. Typically, the bioremediation 
of metals and radionuclides involves, but is not limited to, 
mobilization and immobilization scenarios. Consideration of organic 
contaminants, such as solvents and complexing agents that would be 
important substrates, facilitators, inhibitors, or sources of carbon or 
electron donors or acceptors, can be included in the proposed research 
to the extent that they influence the primary goal of understanding the 
remediation of metals and radionuclides. Applicants are encouraged to 
review Chemical Contaminants on DOE Lands, DOE/ER-0547T, available at 
the OBER Homepage: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/ober/EPR/
contam.pdf, for a compilation of wastes and waste mixtures at the DOE 
sites.
    NABIR is a research program designed to serve as a foundation for 
microbial in situ bioremediation techniques. Although ``spillover'' 
benefits of the research to other cleanup needs such as the use of 
bioreactors to process waste streams are anticipated, NABIR

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emphasizes investigations into bioremediation of subsurface waste sites 
and their by-products released to the environment. This emphasis 
includes research that will assist the application of in situ 
bioremediation in conjunction with other cleanup methods, for example, 
using bioremediation to mobilize radionuclides so that pump-and-treat 
techniques could be more effective. Problems characterized by large 
areas with low-concentration contamination are emphasized over problems 
of localized, high concentration contamination. Research on 
phytoremediation will not be supported during this funding period.
    In research plans that involve the potential release of chemicals, 
enzymes, and/or microorganisms to the field (both at contaminated and 
non-contaminated control sites), applicants must discuss how they will 
involve the public or stakeholders in their research, beginning with 
experimental design through completion of the project. All applicants 
should discuss other relevant societal issues, where appropriate, which 
may include intellectual property protection, and communication with 
and outreach to affected communities (including members of affected 
minority communities where appropriate) to explain the proposed 
research.

NABIR Infrastructure

    The NABIR program anticipates selecting at least one Field Research 
Center (FRC) located at a DOE site. The FRC will serve as a central 
facility for researchers to use at their option. However, FRCs will not 
be identified for at least a year from the date of this solicitation 
and until National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review of the NABIR 
Program is complete. Applicants may use any available contaminated or 
uncontaminated field site that is presently available to them, 
including but not limited to DOE sites. However, investigators are 
encouraged to consult the listing of current FRC-related field research 
sites and facilities available to NABIR investigators on the NABIR 
Homepage, at http://www.lbl.gov/NABIR/research__6.html. Investigators 
should describe how their research will interface with or transfer to 
field-scale research at the site they are using, to FRC-related sites, 
or to the FRC site that will be available in the future. A centrally 
maintained database will be developed to provide limited information, 
such as site characterization and kinetics data, that will be needed by 
a broad segment of investigators. When appropriate, applications must 
include a short discussion of the Quality Assurance and Quality Control 
(QA/QC) measures that will be applied in data gathering and analysis 
activities. Successful applicants will be expected to coordinate their 
QA/QC protocols with NABIR program personnel. A draft of guidelines to 
be used by Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) 
program investigators in managing their information and data can be 
found on the NABIR Homepage: http://www.lbl.gov/NABIR/data-guide.html.

Scientific Research Elements

    The following sections describe each of the NABIR scientific 
research elements that are emphasized in this solicitation. Applicants 
may propose research that transcends more than one research element; it 
is also anticipated that many applications could be placed in more than 
one element. However, each application should identify the one science 
element most closely aligned with the proposed research, to facilitate 
scientific review.
    Assessment: Current methods for measuring and predicting the 
effectiveness of bioremediation are inadequate and, in most cases, 
poorly developed. Demonstrating the effectiveness of bioremediation 
will require documentation for direct measures, such as alteration of 
contaminant mobility, or indirect measures, such as accumulation of 
undesirable by-products. The Assessment program seeks the development 
of innovative and effective methods to assess:
     Bioremediation rate and activity, including microbial 
community structure and dynamics, biotransformation processes and 
rates, and electron flow; and
     Bioremediation endpoints, including not only the 
concentrations of contaminants and byproducts but also the stability, 
bioavailability, and toxicity of residual end-products. NABIR will not, 
however, fund projects that examine human health risks of endpoints.
    This element will focus on developing techniques for assessing the 
bioremedial activities of individual microbial strains and functional 
groups within a community and on validating existing and emerging 
laboratory and field techniques. Priority will be given to research 
applications that could result in techniques and/or instrumentation 
that: (i) Operate in real time; (ii) operate in field-scale 
heterogeneous environments; (iii) are cost-effective; and (iv) 
determine endpoints that more closely approximate limited or non-
bioavailability. Research is sought to answer questions such as:
     Can quantitative techniques be adapted or developed for 
measurement of microbial community structure, movement, activity, and 
effectiveness during bioremediation?
     How can geophysical, geochemical, and hydrologic 
properties critical to bioremediation effectiveness be determined?
     What new methods might be developed to interpret complex 
data sets, including temporal and spatial variability in support of 
bioremediation management?
     Can bioremediation endpoints that accurately measure 
bioavailability be quantitatively established?
    An important priority is the development of ``core scale'' and 
field scale technologies to measure viable biomass, community 
composition, and nutritional status and ``core scale'' interrogation 
technologies. These technologies would address such items as 
biogeochemical processes that control mineral and contaminant 
distribution, metabolic activity (especially low-level), 
biotransformation rates, and hydraulic and hydrogeochemical variables 
that control microbial distribution. Priority will be given to new and 
advanced techniques that are likely to be available for use at the 
NABIR Field Research Center in two to three years (http://www.lbl.gov/
NABIR/research__6.html).
    Biotransformation and Biodegradation: The goal of all 
bioremediation efforts is to reduce the potential toxicity of chemical 
contaminants in the field by using living organisms or their products 
to mineralize, degrade, transform, mobilize, or immobilize 
contaminants. There is already a significant base of knowledge about 
many pathways for organic chemical degradation, and several important 
contaminant degradation mechanisms are presently under detailed 
investigation. However, the understanding of biotransformation and 
biodegradation pathways and mechanisms in the field is incomplete. 
Although the degradation of many organic compounds and the 
biotransformation of some inorganic compounds in laboratory cultures 
have been well described, it is often unclear how this information 
relates to bioremediation processes under field conditions. The 
biotransformation of metals and radionuclides in thick, variably 
saturated, vadose zones is poorly understood. Successful laboratory 
studies have not allowed for predictions about the fate of complex 
chemical mixtures that include metals and radionuclides in the field. 
It would

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be useful to understand: (i) The metabolic pathways taken by mixtures 
of chemicals in the presence of complex microbial communities in vadose 
zones and their interfaces with saturated zones and the waste plume; 
(ii) the kinetics of desirable metal and radionuclide 
biotransformations and the physicochemical factors affecting the 
kinetics of those transformations; and (iii) the relationships between 
microbial cell microenvironments and aqueous geochemistry related to 
the sequestration, release, precipitation, solubility, organic 
complexation, or chemical modification (e.g., oxidation/reduction) of 
metals and radionuclides. Priority will be given to applications for 
research: (i) Using multiple contaminants; (ii) using microbial 
consortia; and (iii) on microbial processes that permanently sequester 
or chemically alter metallic or radioactive constituents of mixed 
wastes. Research is needed to address questions such as:
     How can laboratory studies, especially those involving 
interdisciplinary approaches or mixed culture approaches, be used to 
accurately represent field situations and allow for predictions of 
chemical fate?
     How important are microbial species interactions in the 
biotransformation of metals and radionuclides?
     How do organic and inorganic co-contaminants, i.e., mixed 
wastes, affect the rates of microbial biotransformation of metals and 
radionuclides?
     What factors control the fates and kinetics of microbial 
metal and radionuclide biotransformations in vadose and saturated 
zones?
     What are the critical characteristics of sites where 
natural biotransformation and biodegradation of mixed metal and 
radionuclide wastes are occurring that promote these processes?
     Can microbiological processes be harnessed to permanently 
sequester metals and/or radionuclides in the subsurface?
     What are the metal- and radionuclide-transforming 
capabilities, including metabolic pathways, of indigenous 
microorganisms in deep vadose or saturated zones representative of DOE 
sites?
    Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology: Fundamental research in 
Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology at both the molecular and the 
organismal level is needed to understand better the natural intrinsic 
processes of bioremediation in mixed contaminant sites. A more complete 
understanding of energetics at the community level may ultimately 
provide the ability to control or stimulate communities capable of 
transformation and to channel carbon flow (including natural- and 
polluting-organic compounds) through these communities or populations. 
It is essential to understand the roles and interactions of diverse 
microbial communities in order to understand how and to what extent the 
structure of the biological community influences the course of 
bioremediation and to what extent the environmental factors influence 
community dynamics in sites containing metals and radionuclides. This 
need is especially critical to successful bioremediation of diffuse 
metals and radionuclides in thick vadose and deep saturated zones. 
Research should be directed toward: (i) Identifying and characterizing 
microbial communities at contaminated sites; (ii) understanding the 
dynamics of in situ microbial communities in the presence of metals and 
radionuclides; (iii) bacterial survival, including toxic effects from 
metals and radionuclides; and (iv) measuring key microbial metabolic 
and transformation processes including reduction, oxidation, 
mobilization/immobilization, and bacterial survival, including 
bacterial predation. A specific interest is the understanding of 
bacterial activity in biofilms that can alter contaminants during 
intrinsic bioremediation and in situ biostimulation. Research utilizing 
column and in situ environments is encouraged particularly with non-
destructive techniques and real or near-time monitoring.
    Particular attention should be given to:
     The distribution, composition and metabolic activity of 
biofilms particularly at the field scale;
     The ecology and dynamics of microbial communities as a 
function of local environmental conditions;
     Quantifying the spatial distribution of in situ microbial 
communities, particularly at the field scale;
     Environmental factors that affect the presence, abundance, 
and diversity of in situ, subsurface microbial communities; and
     Fluxes of nutrients and electron donors in the saturated/
vadose zones across stratigraphic boundaries where differences in 
microbial activity occur.
    System Engineering, Integration, Prediction, and Optimization: This 
research element primarily supports modeling activities. One goal of 
the NABIR program is to produce a model or series of models that will 
help stimulate bioremediation in the field, predict whether 
bioremediation will be successful and, if so, how to optimize the 
approach. Models that take advantage of advanced computational tools 
can be useful for many reasons, including providing a better 
understanding of the underlying processes, serving as a way to focus 
attention on the intersection or coupling between processes and subject 
areas, and identifying priority or rate-limiting processes. One of the 
distinguishing features of the NABIR program is its emphasis on 
integrating among the disciplines and research projects. Models can 
serve as effective tools to improve integration.
    This announcement solicits applications that would, at the end of 
one year of research, define the structure and the content of an 
integrative model for the NABIR program. However, the investigators 
would not necessarily construct the model. Instead, they would identify 
possible data, tools, resources, or information needed for the 
development of an integrative model. The investigators might, for 
example, hold workshops or prepare reviews of existing models, 
including their advantages and limitations. They might identify 
criteria for a successful integrative model, suggesting parameters for 
input and output.
    Models eventually developed by and for the NABIR program will focus 
on the in situ bioremediation of metals and radionuclides. An 
integrative model will include functions such as water flow and 
transport, chemical and microbiological reactions, as well as 
peripheral capabilities, such as statistics, geographic information 
systems, visualization, and uncertainty analysis. The model must be 
flexible enough to capture and test process models developed in NABIR 
research projects. Models will be used, in part, to help set future 
research priorities of the NABIR program by highlighting missing 
research topics.
    The application should describe the manner in which the 
investigators will interact with the rest of the NABIR research 
community and the breadth of capability of the investigators proposing 
the research. It is anticipated that a future solicitation will be 
offered for the development of an integrative model following the 
selection of a Field Research Center and on the results of this 
solicitation. Awards will be made for up to one year. Anticipated 
levels of funding are $250,000 or less, contingent on the availability 
of appropriated funds.
    Bioremediation and its Societal Implications and Concerns (BASIC): 
The introduction of non-native or genetically engineered microorganisms 
or the manipulation of the environment to

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change its microbial composition or chemical characteristics may raise 
concerns among those who live or work nearby. Even the reintroduction 
of native microorganisms into their natural environment can raise 
people's concerns. Great care is required to involve the affected 
communities and stakeholders in any plans to use novel agents and/or 
processes to remediate a contaminated site. Although it may be many 
years before work in the NABIR program supports any or all of these 
activities, it is wise to begin consideration of some of the issues 
involved now. The Bioremediation and its Societal Implications and 
Concerns (BASIC) component of the NABIR program is directed at these 
societal implications of bioremediation.
    DOE seeks applications that address effective ways to: (i) 
Articulate the risks and benefits of in situ bioremediation to 
stakeholders; and (ii) involve affected communities in bioremediation 
research and decision making. This can include studies or conferences 
that will identify and clarify the most urgent issues. It is essential 
that studies, explorations, and discussions of the societal 
implications of bioremediation research be firmly grounded in the 
actual NABIR science. As a result, DOE solicits applications for the 
preparation and dissemination of educational materials, in any 
appropriate medium, that will enhance understanding of the scientific 
as well as the societal aspects of bioremediation among the general 
public or specified groups. Educational efforts that target specific 
groups should include a detailed description of the relationship 
between NABIR and that group or community in addition to assessment 
measures for determining the effectiveness of the educational effort. 
DOE also encourages applications for the support of conferences 
focusing on the legal and societal implications of NABIR.
    Applicants should demonstrate their knowledge of any relevant 
literature and should include detailed plans for the gathering and 
analysis of factual information and its societal implications. Where 
appropriate, applicants may make use of relevant activities or field 
sites where bioremediation experiments are planned or underway. All 
research applications should address the issue of efficient 
dissemination of results to the widest appropriate audience. Examples 
of BASIC issues might include:
     Effective education of stakeholders and others regarding 
the underlying NABIR science;
     Clarification of public perception of bioremediation 
issues;
     Past experiences and lessons learned from bioremediation 
using exogenous or engineered organisms;
     Bioremediation strategies and technologies involving 
microbes--the experiences of the commercial sector; and
     Intellectual property issues of microbes intended for use 
in field level bioremediation.
    Additional information on the NABIR Program, including those 
elements which are not a part of this solicitation, is available at the 
following web site: http://www.lbl.gov/NABIR/. For researchers who do 
not have access to the world wide web, please contact Ms. Carlson; 
Environmental Sciences Division, ER-74; U.S. Department of Energy; 
19901 Germantown Road; Germantown, MD 20874-1290; phone (301) 903-3338; 
fax (301) 903-8519; [email protected]; for hard copies of 
background material mentioned in this solicitation.

Program Funding

    It is anticipated that up to $3 million will be available for 
multiple awards to be made in FY 1998 in the categories described 
above, contingent on the availability of appropriated funds. 
Applications may request project support up to three years, with out-
year support contingent on the availability of funds, progress of the 
research, and programmatic needs. Annual budgets for research projects 
in the first four scientific research elements are expected to range 
from $200,000 to $500,000 total costs. Annual budgets for most of the 
BASIC projects are not expected to exceed $100,000. Researchers are 
encouraged to team with investigators in other disciplines where 
appropriate. DOE may encourage collaboration among prospective 
investigators, to promote joint applications or joint research 
projects, by using information obtained through other forms of 
communication.

Collaboration

    Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with researchers in other 
institutions, such as universities, industry, non-profit organizations, 
federal laboratories and FFRDCs, including the DOE National 
Laboratories, where appropriate, and to incorporate cost sharing and/or 
consortia wherever feasible.
    Collaborative research applications may be submitted in several 
ways:
    (1) When multiple private sector or academic organizations intend 
to propose collaborative or joint research projects, the lead 
organization may submit a single application which includes another 
organization as a lower-tier participant (subaward) who will be 
responsible for a smaller portion of the overall project. If approved 
for funding, DOE may provide the total project funds to the lead 
organization who will provide funding to the other participant via a 
subcontract arrangement. The application should clearly describe the 
role to be played by each organization, specify the managerial 
arrangements and explain the advantages of the multi-organizational 
effort.
    (2) Alternatively, multiple private sector or academic 
organizations who intend to propose collaborative or joint research 
projects may each prepare a portion of the application, then combine 
each portion into a single, integrated scientific application. A 
separate Face Page and Budget Pages must be included for each 
organization participating in the collaborative project. The joint 
application must be submitted to DOE as one package. If approved for 
funding, DOE will award a separate grant to each collaborating 
organization.
    (3) Private sector or academic organizations who wish to form a 
collaborative project with a DOE FFRDC may not include the DOE FFRDC in 
their application as a lower-tier participant (subaward). Rather, each 
collaborator may prepare a portion of the proposal, then combine each 
portion into a single, integrated scientific proposal. The private 
sector or academic organization must include a Face Page and Budget 
Pages for its portion of the project. The FFRDC must include separate 
Budget Pages for its portion of the project. The joint proposal must be 
submitted to DOE as one package. If approved for funding, DOE will 
award a grant to the private sector or academic organization. The FFRDC 
will be funded, through existing DOE contracts, from funds specifically 
designated for new FFRDC projects. DOE FFRDCs will not compete for 
funding already designated for private sector or academic 
organizations. Other Federal laboratories who wish to form 
collaborative projects may also follow guidelines outlined in this 
section.
    Applications will be subjected to scientific merit review (peer 
review) and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria 
listed in descending order of importance as codified at 10 CFR 
605.10(d):

1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project
2. Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach
3. Competency of Applicant's Personnel and Adequacy of Proposed 
Resources

[[Page 14439]]

4. Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget

    The evaluation will include program policy factors such as the 
relevance of the proposed research to the terms of the announcement and 
an agency's programmatic needs. Note, external peer reviewers are 
selected with regard to both their scientific expertise and the absence 
of conflict-of-interest issues. Non-federal reviewers may be used, and 
submission of an application constitutes agreement that this is 
acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting institution.
    To provide a consistent format for the submission, review and 
solicitation of grant applications submitted under this notice, the 
preparation and submission of grant applications must follow the 
guidelines given in the Application Guide for the Office of Energy 
Research Financial Assistance Program 10 CFR Part 605.
    Information about the development, submission of applications, 
eligibility, limitations, evaluation, the selection process, and other 
policies and procedures may be found in 10 CFR Part 605, and in the 
Application Guide for the Office of Energy Research Financial 
Assistance Program. Electronic access to the Guide and required forms 
is made available via the World Wide Web at: http://www.er.doe.gov/
production/grants/grants.html. On the ER grant face page, form DOE F 
4650.2, in block 15, also provide the PI's phone number, fax number and 
E-mail address. The research description must be 20 pages or less, 
exclusive of attachments, and must contain an abstract or summary of 
the proposed research (to include the hypotheses being tested, the 
proposed experimental design, and the names of all investigators and 
their affiliations). Attachments include curriculum vitae, QA/QC plan, 
a listing of all current and pending federal support, and letters of 
intent when collaborations are part of the proposed research.
    Although the required original and seven copies of the application 
must be submitted, researchers are asked to submit an electronic 
version of the abstract of the proposed research in ASCII format along 
with a valid e-mail address to Ms. Karen Carlson by e-mail at 
[email protected]. Curriculum vitae should be submitted in a 
form similar to that of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the 
National Science Foundation (NSF) (two to three pages), for example 
see: http:/ /www.nsf.gov:80/bfa/cpo/gpg/fkit.htm#forms-9.
    The Office of Energy Research, as part of its grant regulations, 
requires at 10 CFR 605.11(b) that a recipient receiving a grant and 
performing research involving recombinant DNA molecules and/or 
organisms and viruses containing recombinant DNA molecules shall comply 
with NIH ``Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA 
Molecules'', which is available via the world wide web at: http://
www.niehs.nih.gov/odhsb/biosafe/nih/nih97-1.html (59 FR 34496, July 5, 
1994), or such later revision of those guidelines as may be published 
in the Federal Register. Grantees must also comply with other federal 
and state laws and regulations as appropriate, for example, the Toxic 
Substances Control Act (TSCA) as it applies to genetically modified 
organisms. Although compliance with NEPA is the responsibility of DOE, 
grantees proposing to conduct field research are expected to provide 
information necessary for the DOE to complete the NEPA review and 
documentation.
    Related Funding Opportunities: Investigators may wish to obtain 
information about the following related funding opportunities:
    Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management: The 
Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP). Contact: Mr. Mark 
Gilbertson, Director, Office of Science and Risk Policy, Office of 
Science and Technology, EM-52, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, e-mail 
[email protected]. phone (202) 586-7150. The EMSP home page is 
available at web site: http://www.em.doe.gov/science/.
    DOE/EPA/NSF/ONR Joint Program on Bioremediation, Dr. Robert E. 
Menzer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for 
Environmental Research and Quality Assurance, 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20460, [email protected], phone (202) 260-
5779.
    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program 
is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR Part 
605.

    Issued in Washington, DC, March 18, 1998.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director for Resource Management, Office of Energy Research.
[FR Doc. 98-7716 Filed 3-24-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P