[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]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-M