[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 117 (Thursday, June 18, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33352-33355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-16268]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 980429111-8111-01]
RIN 0648-ZA43
Coastal Services Center Coastal Change Analysis Program
AGENCY: National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of Federal assistance.
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SUMMARY: The Coastal Services Center announces the availability of
Federal assistance for fiscal year 1999 in the Coastal Change Analysis
Program. This announcement provides detailed guidelines for the program
area and include details for the technical program, evaluation
criteria, and selection procedures. All applicants are required to
submit a NOAA Grants Application Package and project proposal. The
standard NOAA Grants Application Package (which includes forms SF-424,
SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-424C, SF-424D, CD-511, DC-512, and SF-LLL) can be
obtained from the Coastal Services Center, (843) 740-1200. Each funded
project will establish a cooperative agreement. The total amount of
funding is $200,000 to $335,000. A 20% cost share is required.
DATES: Completed applications will be accepted through 5:00 pm Eastern
Daylight Time on July 15, 1998. Target award date is anticipated to be
within 90 days of application closing date.
ADDRESSES: Send completed applications to Dr. Dorsey Worthy, NOAA
Coastal Services Center, 2234 South Hobson Avenue, Charleston, South
Carolina 29405-2413.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dr. Dorsey Worthy, (843) 740-1234 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority
Statutory authority for this program is provided under 16 U.S.C.
Sec. 1456.c (Technical Assistance); 15 U.S.C. Sec. 1540 (Cooperative
Agreements); 33 U.S.C. Sec. 1442 [Research program respecting possible
long-range effects of pollution, overfishing, and man-induced changes
of ocean ecosystems]; and 33 U.S.C. Sec. 1441 (Monitoring and research
programs).
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
The CSC Program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance under Number 11.473.
Program Description
NOAA's Coastal Services Center (CSC) is seeking proposals to expand
its national effort to monitor change in coastal habitats. The purpose
of these guidelines is to identify eligibility criteria, roles and
responsibilities, milestones, and selection criteria associated with
the award. Each funded project will establish a one year cooperative
agreement between CSC and the Cooperator. Most projects will be funded
in the approximately $10,000-$75,000 range. A cost share of 20% of the
total award amount is required for consideration.
Background
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA)
Coastal Services Center (CSC) in Charleston, South Carolina is a
coastal science and resource advisory center that draws on the
expertise of NOAA and its partners to address critical coastal resource
issues. Established in 1994 in Charleston, the Center's mission is to
provide information, education and technology transfer to the coastal
community for improved decision making. The Center serves to bridge the
gap between coastal scientists and resource managers by bringing Center
staff, technologies, and outside partner expertise to bear on national
problems related to coastal ecosystems and economies.
The Coastal Services Center's Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-
CAP) is a nationwide effort to produce standardized land cover and
benthic habitat maps and change data for all coastal areas of the
United States. This work is accomplished in close
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cooperation with state and local resource management agencies. The
objectives of the program are to produce nationally consistent baseline
and change data, and to determine the impacts these changes have on
living marine resources for informed coastal decision making as well as
for identifying and protecting essential fish habitat. For these C-CAP
efforts, consideration for funding will be limited to projects in the
following states, based on gaps in previous mapping efforts: Florida,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Texas.
Total amount of funding available is $200,000 to $335,000.
C-CAP will initiate projects in three general areas in FY99:
0. New terrestrial land cover change analysis projects will be
initiated to derive Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) based terrestrial
wetlands and uplands land cover characterizations and change for state
or regional scale studies. These projects are part of the C-CAP effort
to establish a baseline change assessment for all coastal areas of the
United States. Project funding for FY99 will range from $10,000 to
$75,000, for a total of up to $300,000 maximum for this category.
1. New seagrass and other submersed-benthic mapping projects will
be initiated to derive location and change maps of seagrass and other
nearshore benthic resources as part of the continuing C-CAP effort to
establish a baseline change assessment for all coastal areas of the
United States. Project funding for FY99 will range from $5,000 to
$10,000, for a total of up to $30,000 maximum for this category.
2. State and local land cover and benthic change applications
projects will be initiated to foster local (county and township level)
use of C-CAP land cover and benthic resource maps for coastal land use
planning and management. Project funding for FY99 will range from
$10,000 to $35,000, for a total of up to $35,000 maximum for this
category.
Roles and Responsibilities
These projects are intended to be cooperative in nature. The
project proposals should demonstrate cooperative efforts among various
participants such as federal, state, and local governments. Successful
proposals will establish a consortium of key participants, and identify
appropriate responsibilities for these project partners. The following
items identify the minimum project participation expected by the
Coastal Services Center and the project applicant. Additional roles and
responsibilities should be identified by the applicant.
1. Coastal Services Center. C-CAP and the Coastal Services Center
shall have primary responsibility for the following activities
associated with the project:
2 Provide all Landsat TM imagery or aerial Photography needed for
the project. The original, government-provided data are property of CSC
and must be returned to CSC upon completion of the project.
2 Provide technical guidance for image processing, field
verification, and accuracy assessment to ensure all procedures and
products meet the guidelines presented in Dobson et al. 1995 (Available
on the C-CAP homepage of the CSC web site or upon request from the CSC
library). This includes:
--The provision of guidance and manpower in all field exercises deemed
necessary by both parties; and
--Site visits by C-CAP personnel to the facilities of the cooperator(s)
to provide technical assistance as necessary during data processing.
2 Provide all necessary forms, information and assistance to
document Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) compliant metadata
for the change detection product.
2 Monitor progress and evaluate biannual progress reports.
0. Cooperator. The Cooperator shall have primary responsibility for
the following activities associated with the project:
2 Organize and manage project planning and partnership
development.
2 Administer the cooperative agreement in accordance with the
terms of the cooperative agreement award.
2 Identify a technical coordinator that will take the lead for all
technical aspects of the change detection and a management coordinator
that will be responsible for relating the data to key management issues
an ensuring that the data are integrated into pertinent coastal
management programs.
2 Perform a change detection analysis for the study area as per
this announcement presented in Dobson et al. 1995.
2 Furnish for the change detection analysis all digital (i.e. NWI)
or hard copy (i.e. aerial photos) data at their disposal that may be
valuable as ancillary data.
2 Provide complete FGDC compliant metadata for the change
detection products.
2 Provide all georeferenced field data collected during image
verification and accuracy assessment.
2 Submit biannual progress reports.
0. Joint Responsibility Both C-CAP and the cooperator will provide
final field accuracy assessment of the product, which may require
either party to supply such equipment as laptop computers for field
use, GPS units, four-wheel drive vehicles, etc.
Project Funding Priority
Program policy factors may be considered in final award decisions
to ensure a balance of technical areas and geographic distribution.
Project Proposal
All project proposals should include the following sections for a
total of 6-8 pages maximum:
2 Goals and Objectives--identify broad project goals and
quantifiable objectives;
2 Background/Introduction--state the problem and summary of
existing federal/state/local efforts;
2 Audience--describe specifics of how the project will contribute
to improving or resolving coastal management issues with the primary
target audience, also identify the audience explicitly;
2 Project Description/Methodology--describe the specifics of the
project (in 3 pages maximum), with a complete and explicit description
of the project area (i.e. TM scene path, row; number and location of
aerial photos, flightlines etc);
2 Project Partners--identify project partners and their respective
roles;
2 Milestones and Outcomes--list target milestones, timelines, and
desired outcomes in terms of products or services; and,
2 Project Budget--provide a detailed budget breakdown by category
and provide a brief narrative budget justification, including
identification of 20% cost share.
Note: All applicants are required to submit 1 original and 2
copies of a completed and signed NOAA Grants Application Package.
The application package may be obtained by calling the Coastal
Services Center at (843) 740-1200.
Selection Process
Applicants will submit applications to the Coastal Services Center
by the published due date. Each proposal will be reviewed by two
external and two NOAA reviewers. Reviewers will individually score each
proposal following the criteria published in these guidelines. Each
proposal will be ranked by average score and submitted to the CSC
Coastal Information Services Associate Director, who will make the
final selections based on reviewer
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rankings and the project funding priorities outlined above. It is
anticipated that 3 to 10 projects will be funded.
Evaluation Criteria (With Weights)
Applications that do not meet the required 20% cost share will not
be considered.
Coastal Management Relevance (40 points).
2 Does the project tie into ongoing federal, state or local
management activities and/or programs? (25 points).
2 Does the project address critical federal, state or local
coastal management policies relating to land cover and land cover
change (i.e. non-point source runoff? (15 points).
Strength of Partnerships (30 points).
2 Does the project have a clearly defined audience and products
have clearly defined users? (15 points).
2 How will the project foster ongoing federal, state or local
partnerships for use of land cover change to answer coastal management
needs among key collaborators? (15 points).
Technical Merit (30 points).
2 Does the proposed project maximize the use of existing
resources? (15 points).
2 Is the approach scientifically sound and relevant at the local
level? (15 points).
Selection Schedule
The following are the approximate milestones and dates for the
selection schedule of the cooperator:
Applications due: July 15, 1998
Award target start date: October 31, 1998
Project Reporting/Evaluation Requirements
The Cooperator will be asked to provide biannual progress reports.
Funding Availability
Specific funding available for awards will be finalized after NOAA
budget for FY 99 is authorized. Total funding available for this
announcement will be between $200,000 and $335,000. There is nos
guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for
all approved projects. Publication of this notice does not obligate
NOAA to award any specific grant or cooperative agreement or to
obligate all or any parts of the available funds.
Cost Sharing
Cost sharing at 20% of the total Federal project funding cost is
required in response to these guidelines and should be provided by the
applicant or third party contributions.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicant eligibility is limited to projects in the following
states, based on gaps in previous efforts; Florida, Massachusetts, New
Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Texas. Other Federal
agencies or institutions are not eligible to receive Federal assistance
under this notice.
Indirect Costs
The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an
application under this program must not exceed the current indirect
cost rate negotiated and approved by the applicant's cognizant Federal
agency, prior to the proposed effective date of the award or 100
percent of the total proposed direct costs dollar amount in the
application, whichever is less. If a rate has not been established, one
will be negotiated by the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector
General.
Federal Policies and Procedures
Recipients and sub-recipients are subject to all Federal laws and
Federal and DOC policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to
Federal assistance awards.
Name Check Review
All non-profit and for-profit applicants are subject to a name
check review process. Name checks are intended to reveal if any key
individuals associated with the recipient have been convicted of, or
are presently facing, criminal charges such as fraud, theft, perjury,
or other matters that significantly reflect on the recipient's
management, honesty, or financial integrity.
Past Performance
Unsatisfactory performance under prior Federal awards may result in
an application not being considered for funding.
Pre-Award Activities
If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they do
so solely at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the Government.
Notwithstanding any oral or written assurance that may have been
received, there is no obligation on the part of DOC to cover pre-award
costs, should an award not be made or funded at a level less than
requested.
No Obligation for Future Funding
If the application is selected for funding, DOC has no obligation
to provide any additional future funding in connection with that award.
Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of
performance is at the total discretion of DOC.
Delinquent Federal Debts
No award or Federal Funds shall be made to an applicant who has an
outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either:
(i) The delinquent account is paid in full,
(ii) A negotiated repayment schedule is established and at least
one payment is received, or
(iii) Other arrangements satisfactory to DOC are made.
Primary Applicant Certifications
All organizations or individuals preparing grant applications must
submit a completed Form CD-511 ``Certifications Regarding Debarment,
Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace
Requirements and Lobbying,'' and explanations are hereby provided:
Non-Procurement Debarment and Suspension
Prospective participants (as defined at 15 CFR part 26, Section
105) are subject to 15 CFR part 26, ``Nonprocurement Debarment and
Suspension'' and the related section of the certification form
prescribed above applies;
Drug-Free Workplace
Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR part 26, Section 605) are subject to
15 CFR part 26, subpart f, ``Government side Requirements for Drug-Free
Workplace (Grants)'' and the related section of the certification form
prescribed above applies;
Anti-Lobbying
Persons (as defined at 15 CFR part 28, Section 105) are subject to
the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352, ``Limitation on use of
appropriated funds to influence certain Federal contracting and
financial transactions,'' and the lobbying section of the certification
form prescribed above applies to application/bids for grants,
cooperative agreements, and contracts for more than $100,000, and loans
and loan guarantees for more than $150,000, or the single family
maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever is greater; and
Anti-Lobbying Disclosures. Any applicant that has paid or will pay for
lobbying using any funds must submit an SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of
Lobbying Activities,'' as required under 15 CFR part 28, Appendix B.
Lower-Tier Certifications
Recipients shall require applicants/bidders for sub-grants,
contracts,
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subcontracts, or other lower-tier-covered transactions at any tier
under the award to submit, if applicable, a completed Form CD-512,
``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and
Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions and Lobbying'' and
disclosure form, SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form
CD-512 is intended for the use of recipients and should not be
transmitted to DOC. SF-LLL submitted by any tier recipient or sub-
recipient should be submitted to DOC in accordance with the
instructions contained in the aware document.
False Statements
A false statement on an application is grounds for denial or
termination of funds and grounds for possible punishment by a fine or
imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
Intergovernmental Review
____ Applications under this program are subject to Executive Order
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
Buy American-Made Equipment or Products
Applicants are hereby notified that they will be encouraged, to the
greatest extent practicable, to purchase American-made equipment and
products with funding provided under this program in accordance with
Congressional intent.
Classification
This action has been determined to be not significant for purposes
of Executive Order 12866.
Prior notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required
by the Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for this notice
concerning grants, cooperative agreements, benefits, and contracts.
Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis is not required for
purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall a
person be subject to, a penalty for failure to comply with a collection
of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA) unless the collection of information displays a currently
valid OMB control number.
This notice involves a collection-of-information requirement
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. The collection-of-information
has been approved by OMB, OMB Control Numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044,
0348-0040, 0348-0046, and 0605-0001.
Dated: June 9, 1998.
Captain Evelyn J. Fields,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal
Zone Management.
[FR Doc. 98-16268 Filed 6-17-98; 8:45 am]
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