[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 131 (Friday, July 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37101-37105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-17490]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 990513129-9129-01]
RIN 0648-ZA65


NOAA Climate and Global Change Program, Program Announcement

AGENCY: Office of Global Programs, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Climate and Global Change Program represents a National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contribution to evolving 
national and international programs designed to improve our ability to 
observe, understand, predict, and respond to changes in the global 
environment. This program builds on NOAA's mission requirements and 
longstanding capabilities in global change research and prediction. The 
NOAA Program is a key contributing element of the U.S. Global Change 
Research Program (USGCRP), which is coordinated by the interagency 
Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources. NOAA's program is 
designed to complement other agency contributions to that national 
effort.

DATES: Unless otherwise noted, strict deadlines for submission to the 
FY 2000 process are: Letters of intent must be received at the Office 
of Global Programs (OGP) no later than July 31, 1999. Full proposals 
must be received at OGP no later than October 15, 1999. Applicants who 
have not received a response to their letter of intent within four 
weeks should contact the Program Manager. The time from target date to 
grant award varies by program area. We anticipate that review of full 
proposals will occur during late September 1999 through March 2000, and 
funding should begin during the spring of 2000 for most approved 
projects. May 1, 2000, should be used as the proposed start date on 
proposals, unless otherwise directed by the appropriate Program 
Officer. Applicants should be notified of their status within six 
months. All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the 
guidelines below. Failure to heed these guidelines may result in 
proposals being returned without review.

ADDRESSES: Letters of Intent and Proposals should be submitted to: 
Office of Global Programs; National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration; 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1225; Silver Spring, MD 20910-
5603.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irma duPree at the above address, or 
at (301) 427-2089 ext. 107, fax: (301) 427-2222, Internet: 
duP[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Funding Availability

    NOAA believes that the Climate and Global Change Program will 
benefit significantly from a strong partnership with outside 
investigators. Current Program plans assume that over 50% of the total 
resources provided through this announcement will support extramural 
efforts, particularly those involving the broad academic community. 
Because of ongoing debates on the Federal budget, it is uncertain how 
much money will be available through this announcement. Actual funding 
levels will depend upon the final FY 2000 budget appropriations. This 
Program Announcement is for projects to be conducted by investigators 
both inside and outside of NOAA, primarily over a one, two or three 
year period. The NOAA Climate and Global Change Program has been 
approved for multi-year funding up to a three year duration. The 
funding instrument for extramural awards will be a grant unless it is 
anticipated that NOAA will be substantially involved in the 
implementation of the project, in which case the funding instrument 
should be a cooperative agreement. Examples of substantial involvement 
may include but are not limited to proposals for collaboration between 
NOAA or NOAA scientists and a recipient scientist or technician and/or 
contemplation by NOAA of detailing Federal personnel to work on 
proposed projects. NOAA will make decisions regarding the use of a 
cooperative agreement on a case-by-case basis. Funding for non-U.S. 
institutions and contractual arrangements for services and products for 
delivery to NOAA is not available under this announcement. Matching 
share is not required by this program.

2. Program Authority

    49 U.S.C. 44720(b); 33 U.S.C. 883d, 883e; 15 U.S.C. 2904; 15U.S.C. 
2931 et seq.; (CFDA No. 11.431)--CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

3. Program Objectives

    The long term objective of the Climate and Global Change Program is 
to provide reliable predictions of climate variability and change with 
associated regional implications on time scales ranging from seasons to 
a century or more. NOAA believes that climate variability across these 
time scales can be modeled with an acceptable probability of success 
and are the most relevant for fundamental social concerns. Predicting 
the behavior of the coupled ocean-atmospheric-land surface system will 
be NOAA's primary contribution to a successful national effort to deal 
with observed or anticipated changes in the global environment. NOAA 
has a range of unique facilities and capabilities that can be applied 
to Climate and Global Change investigations. Proposals that seek to 
exploit these resources in collaborative efforts between NOAA and 
extramural investigators are encouraged.

4. Program Priorities

    In FY 2000, NOAA will give priority attention to individual 
proposals in the Main Program Elements listed below. The names, 
affiliations and phone numbers of relevant Climate and Global Change 
Program Officers are provided. Funding for some programs may be limited 
to ongoing projects or may be used to fund projects proposed in FY 1999 
that were unable to be funded due to budgetary circumstances. 
Prospective applicants should communicate with Program Officers for 
information on priorities within program elements and prospects for 
funding.

(A) Aerosols

    The Aerosols program element focuses on research to improve the 
predictive understanding of the role of anthropogenic aerosols in 
climate focusing. For further information, please contact Joel Levy, 
NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 111, Internet: 
[email protected].

(B) Atmospheric Chemistry

    The Atmospheric Chemistry Project focuses on global monitoring, 
process-oriented laboratory and field studies, and theoretical modeling 
to improve the predictive understanding of the atmospheric trace gases 
that influence the earth's chemical and radiative balance. For an 
information sheet containing further details, contact: Joel

[[Page 37102]]

M. Levy, NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext.111, 
Internet: [email protected]; or Fred C. Fehsenfeld, NOAA/Aeronomy 
Laboratory, Boulder, CO, 303-497-5819, Internet: [email protected].

(C) Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI)

    Research on Vulnerability, Opportunities, and Response Options. 
Variability, change, and surprise results from a wide variety of 
climatological, social, economic and ecological circumstances and 
interactions. The purpose of this program is to increase understanding 
of the impacts of climate variability and change as conditioned by 
ongoing processes of decision-making and socio-economic transformation. 
The suite of efforts is intended to further research-based integration 
between studies of the whole of the climate system, including human 
components, such as health, and evolving informational and educational 
needs of decision-makers in climate sensitive sectors. The goal is to 
provide the basis for more effective application of climate 
information, including climate forecasts, for purposes of adaptation. 
The intent of this program is to encourage overlapping research 
approaches to integrate knowledge for problem solving. Prospective 
applicants are strongly encouraged to communicate with Program Officers 
listed within this program.

(D) Human Dimensions of Global Change Research (HDGCR)

    The Human Dimensions of Global Change Research program is aimed at 
understanding how social and economic systems are currently influenced 
by fluctuations in climate, and how human behavior can be (or why it 
may not be) affected based on information about variability in the 
climate system. In addition, a separate program announcement for HDGCR 
may be issued later this year because an interagency joint announcement 
on human vulnerability and opportunities associated with climate and 
environmental surprise is under consideration. For more information and 
a detailed information sheet, contact: Caitlin Simpson, NOAA/Office of 
Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 152, Internet: [email protected].
    A joint interagency announcement is also anticipated on Climate and 
Health. (For more information on this future announcement contact Juli 
Trtanj, NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 134, 
Internet: [email protected].)

(E) Regional Assessments

    NOAA's present program of Regional Assessments possesses three 
distinct qualities: (1) Interdisciplinarity, integration and synthesis; 
(2) Bridging the gap between climatic, environmental and societal 
interactions on different temporal and spatial scales; and (3) Decision 
support and services. It requires innovative partnerships among a 
spectrum of interests (Federal, State, local and private) to enable 
regional organizational capacity to develop accurate (i.e., identifying 
risks, uncertainties, and/or indeterminacies), balanced syntheses and 
services on an ongoing basis. As such, the program relies heavily on 
consolidating the results and data from ongoing NOAA-OGP disciplinary 
program elements, already funded in a region, into an integrated 
framework. For more information and a detailed information sheet, 
contact: Roger Pulwarty, NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 301-427-2089 
ext. 103, Internet: [email protected].

(F) Climate Change Date and Detection

    The scientific goals of this element include efforts to: (1) 
Provide data and information management support activities needed to 
assure the availability of critical data sets from a variety of 
national and international programs of primary interest to NOAA's 
Climate and Global Change Program, e.g., the CLIVAR (Climate 
Variability and Predictability) Program, GEWEX (Global Energy & Water 
Cycle Experiment), GCOS (Global Climate Observing System), National and 
International Assessments, etc.; (2) provide data and information 
management support related to cross cutting science efforts necessary 
to assess seasonal, interannual, decadal, and longer climate variations 
and changes; (3) document the quantitative character of observed 
climate variations and changes; and (4) attribute changes in the 
observed climate record to specific climate forcings.

(G) NOAA/NASA Jointly Sponsored Project

    A number of new starts are anticipated within the NOAA/National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) co-sponsored project that 
supports research in the areas of data fusion and enhancement of 
climate data sets through the use of space and/or ground based 
observations. Preference will be given to those proposals that use more 
than one observing system to develop a blended data set.

(H) NOAA/DOE Jointly Sponsored Project

    A very limited number of new starts are anticipated within the 
NOAA/Department of Energy (DOE) co-sponsored project that specifically 
addresses all aspects of Climate Change Detection and Attribution.
    Additional details on the jointly sponsored projects are provided 
on the supplementary fact sheet included in the Program Announcement 
mailing (additional copies of the supplementary fact sheet can be 
obtained from Irma duPree at the Office of Global Programs). For 
further information contact: Bill Murray, NOAA/Global Programs, 301-
427-2089 ext. 133, Internet: [email protected]; Chris Miller, NOAA/
Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 143, Internet: [email protected]; 
Martha Maiden, NASA/Headquarters 202/358-1078, Internet: 
[email protected]; or Rick Petty, DOE/Environmental Sciences Division, 
Germantown, MD; 301-903-5548, Internet: Rick.P[email protected].

(I) Climate Dynamics and Experimental Prediction

    This program will not accept applications to initiate centers at 
new institutions, but will accept renewal applications for ongoing 
efforts or as part of ongoing negotiations. Qualified applications for 
this program may be submitted throughout the year. For further 
information, contact Mark Eakin, NOAA/Global Programs, 301-427-2089 
ext. 109, Internet: [email protected].

(J) Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR)

    CLIVAR focuses on the role of the coupled ocean and atmosphere 
within the overall climate system, with emphasis on variability, 
especially within the oceans, on seasonal to centennial time scales. 
CLIVAR intends to explore predictability and how to improve predictions 
of climate variability and climate change using existing, re-analyzed, 
and new global observations, enhanced coupled ocean-atmosphere-land-ice 
models and paleoclimate records. A separate program announcement for 
CLIVAR will be issued later this year inviting proposals for CLIVAR 
Atlantic, CLIVAR Pacific (formerly GOALS), and CLIVAR PACS. 
Investigators interested in these program areas are encouraged to 
respond to this later announcement. For further information on the 
Atlantic, please contact James Todd, NOAA /Global Programs, 301/427-
2089 ext. 139, Internet: [email protected]. For the Pacific and PACS 
efforts, please

[[Page 37103]]

contact, Michael Patterson, NOAA/Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 
102, Internet: [email protected].

(K) Economics and Human Dimensions of Climate Fluctuations

    Please see Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) above.

(L) GEWEX Continental-Scale International Project (GCIP)

    GCIP supports research directed at closing regional water and 
energy budgets, developing coupled hydrologic-atmospheric models and 
interpreting hydroclimatic predictions for water resource managers 
within the Mississippi River Basin. For this call priority will be 
given to research in the Missouri River Basin. Details of the priority 
research needs are outlined in the CCIP Major Activities Plan for the 
Large Scale Area--Northwest. A later joint GCIP/PACS call dealing with 
monsoonal circulations and summer precipitation is under consideration 
and will be outlined in a subsequent information sheet. For more 
information, contact Rick Lawford, NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 301-
427-2089 ext. 146, Internet: [email protected].

(M) Global Carbon Cycle (GCC)

    GCC focuses on global observations, process-oriented field studies 
and modeling to improve our ability to predict the fate of 
anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2), and future CO2 concentrations. A 
separate program announcement for GCC may be issued later this year 
because an interagency joint announcement in this area is under 
consideration. For an information sheet containing further details and 
the current priorities, please contact Lisa Dilling, NOAA/Office of 
Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 106, Internet: [email protected] 
or see the web at: http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/MPE/GCC/GCCinfo.html.

(N) Global Ocean--Atmosphere--Land System (GOALS):

    Please see Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) above.

(O) Pan-American Climate Studies (PACS)

    Please see Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) above.

(P) Ocean-Atmosphere Carbon Exchange Study (OACES)

    Please see Global Carbon Cycle (GCC) above.

(Q) Paleoclimatology

    The NOAA Paleoclimatology Program will entertain proposals that 
support the joint IGBP PAGES/WCRP CLIVAR Research Initiative. This 
initiative is jointly supported by NOAA and the National Science 
Foundation (NSF) through the Earth System History (ESH) Program at NSF. 
All proposals must be submitted to the NSF/ESH Program by January 15 
each year. For more information, please contact Heather Benway, NOAA/
Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 113, Internet: [email protected]; 
Jonathan Overpeck NOAA/National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, CO; 
303-497-6172, Internet: [email protected]; or Connie Sancetta, 
National Science Foundation (NSF) OCE Program, Arlington, VA; 703-306-
1586, Internet: [email protected]. or visit http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1997/
nsf9716/nsf97161.htm.

5. Eligibility

    Extramural eligibility is not limited and is encouraged with the 
objective of developing a strong partnership with the academic 
community. Universities, non-profit organizations, for-profit 
organizations, State and local governments, and Indian Tribes, are 
included among entities eligible for funding under this announcement.
    Funding for non-U.S. institutions is not available under this 
announcement.

6. Letters of Intent

    Letters of Intent should provide a concise description of the 
proposed work and its relevance to the program element to which it is 
directed. (A) Investigators must identify the program element that is 
being pursued in the Letter of Intent. Failure to identify program 
element will result in return of application. Secondary program 
elements should also be identified, if appropriate. (B) Investigators 
must identify a project title in the Letter of Intent (LOI). (C) 
Letters should be no more than two pages in length and include the name 
and institution of principal investigator(s), a statement of the 
problem, brief summary of work to be completed, methodology to be used, 
and approximate cost of the project. (D) It is in the best interest of 
applicants and their institutions to submit letters of intent; however, 
it is not a requirement. (E) Facsimile and electronic mail are 
acceptable for letters of intent only. (F) Full proposals will be 
encouraged only for LOIs deemed relevant by Program Management.

7. Evaluation Criteria

    Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those 
proposals that address one of the Program Elements listed and meet the 
following evaluation criteria:
    (A) Scientific Merit: Intrinsic scientific value of the subject and 
the study proposed, including methodology and readiness.
    (B) Relevance: Importance and relevance to the goals of the 
selected Program Element(s). (See Program Objectives above)

8. Selection Procedures

    All proposals, including those submitted by NOAA employees, will be 
evaluated in accordance with the above evaluation criteria by (A) 
independent peer mail review, and/or (B) independent peer panel review, 
and a rating will be calculated based on these evaluations; both NOAA 
and non-NOAA experts in the field may be used in this process. The 
program officer will not be a voting member of an independent peer 
panel. The recommendations and evaluations of the panel members will be 
considered by the Program Officer in final selections. Proposals are 
usually awarded in the numerical order they are ranked based on the 
independent peer mail review or the independent peer panel review. 
However, the Program Manager will ascertain which proposals do not 
substantially duplicate other projects that are currently funded by 
NOAA or are approved for funding by other federal agencies, and fall 
within remaining funds available. As a result of this review, the 
Program Manager may decide to select an award out of order. The Program 
Manager will also determine the total duration of funding and the 
amount of funding for each selected proposal. Unsatisfactory 
performance by a recipient under prior Federal awards may result in an 
application not being considered for funding.

9. Proposal Submission

    The following forms are required in each application, with original 
signatures on each federal form. Failure to comply will result in 
proposal application being returned.
    (A) Full Proposals: (1) Proposals submitted to the NOAA Climate and 
Global Change Program must include the original and two unbound copies 
of the proposal. (2) Investigators are required to submit 3 copies of 
the proposal, however, the normal review process requires 20 copies. 
For an optimal review, investigators are encouraged to submit 
sufficient proposal copies, especially color or unusually sized (not 
8.5''x11''), or otherwise unusual materials submitted as part of the 
proposal. Only three

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original copies of the Federally-required forms are needed. (3) 
Proposals must be limited to 30 pages (numbered), including budget, 
investigators vitae, and all appendices, and should be limited to 
funding requests for one to three year duration. Appended information 
may not be used to circumvent the page length limit. Federally-mandated 
forms are not included within the page count. (4) Proposals should be 
sent to the NOAA Office of Global Programs at the above address. (5) 
Facsimile transmissions and electronic mail submission of full 
proposals will not be accepted.
    (B) Required Elements: All proposals must include the following 
elements: (1) Signed title page: The title page should be signed by the 
Principal Investigator (PI) and the institutional representative and 
should clearly indicate which program element is being addressed. If 
more than one investigator is listed on the title page, please identify 
the lead investigator. The PI and institutional representative should 
be identified by full name, title, organization, telephone number and 
address. The total amount of Federal funds being requested should be 
listed for each budget period. (2) Abstract: An abstract must be 
included and should contain an introduction of the problem, rationale 
and a brief summary of work to be completed. The abstract should appear 
on a separate page, headed with the proposal title, institution(s), 
investigator(s), total proposed cost and budget period. (3) Results 
from prior research: The results of each prior research project (during 
the last 3 years) relevant to the proposed effort should be summarized 
in brief paragraphs. This section should not exceed two pages. (4) 
Statement of work: The proposed project must be completely described, 
including identification of the problem, scientific objectives, 
proposed methodology, relevance to the goal of the Climate and Global 
Change Program, and the program priorities listed above. Benefits of 
the proposed project to the general public and the scientific community 
should be discussed. The Statement of work, including references but 
excluding figures and other visual materials, must not exceed 15 pages 
of text. Investigators wishing to submit group proposals that exceed 
the 15 page limit should discuss this possibility with the appropriate 
Program Officer prior to submission. Proposals from 3 or more 
investigators may include a statement of work containing up to 15 pages 
of overall project description plus up to 5 additional pages for 
individual project descriptions. (5) Budget Justification; A brief 
description of the expenses listed on the budget and how they address 
the proposed work. Item justifications must include salaries, 
equipment, publications, supplies, tuition, travel, etc. (6) Budget: 
The proposal must include total and annual itemized budgets 
corresponding with the descriptions provided in the statement of work. 
Non-Federal Applicants must submit a Standard Form 424 (4-92) 
``Application for Federal Assistance,'' including a detailed budget 
using the Standard Form 424a (4-92), ``Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs.'' Travel must be itemized to include 
destination, airfare, per diem, lodging and ground travel. The form is 
included in the standard NOAA application kit. (7) Vitae: Abbreviated 
curriculum vitae are sought with each proposal. Reference lists should 
be limited to all publications in the last three years with up to five 
other relevant papers. (8) Current and pending support: For each 
investigator, submit a list that includes project title, supporting 
agency with grant number, investigator months per year, dollar value 
and duration. Requested values should be listed for pending support.
    (C) Other requirements: Applicants may obtain a standard NOAA 
application kit from the Program Office.

10. Primary Applicant Certification

    All primary applicants must submit a completed Form CD-511, 
``Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other 
Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and 
Lobbying''. Applicants are also hereby notified of the following:
    (A) Nonprocurement 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;
    (B) Drug Free Workplace: Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR part 26, 
section 605) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F, ``Governmentwide 
Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related section 
of the certification form prescribed above applies;
    (C) 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 applications/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 program, whichever is 
greater; and
    (D) 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.

11. Lower Tier Certifications

    (A) Recipients must require applicants/bidders for subgrants, 
contracts, subcontracts, or 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 subrecipient should 
be submitted to DOC in accordance with the instructions contained in 
the award document.
    (B) Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all applicable 
Federal laws and Federal and Department of Commerce policies, 
regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance 
awards.
    (C) Preaward 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 verbal assurance that 
may have been received, there is no obligation to the applicant on the 
part of Department of Commerce to cover pre-award costs.
    (D) This program is subject to the requirements of OMB Circular No. 
A-110, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements 
with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and other Non-Profit 
Organizations, and 63 CFR 47155, September 4, 1998, ``Uniform 
Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions 
of Higher Education, Hospitals, Other Non-Profit and Commercial 
Organizations, to State and Local Governments'', as applicable. 
Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order 
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
    (E) 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 applicant have been

[[Page 37105]]

convicted of, or are presently facing criminal charges such as fraud, 
theft, perjury, or other matters which significantly reflect on the 
applicant's management, honesty, or financial integrity.
    (F) 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.
    (G) No award of 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 the Department of Commerce are made.
    (H) Buy American-Made Equipment or Products--Applicants are 
encouraged that any equipment or products authorized to be purchased 
with funding provided under this program be American-made to the 
maximum extent feasible.
    (I) The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an 
application under this program must not exceed the indirect cost rate 
negotiated and approved by a cognizant Federal agency prior to the 
proposed effective date of the award or 100 percent of the total 
proposed direct cost dollar amount in the application, whichever is 
less.
    (J) If an application is selected for funding, the Department of 
Commerce has no obligation to provide any additional future funding in 
connection with the award. Renewal of an award to increase funding or 
extend the period of performance is at the total discretion of the 
Department of Commerce.
    (K) In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations, no person 
on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability 
shall be excluded from participation in, denial benefits of, or be 
subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving 
financial assistance from the NOAA Climate and Global Change Program. 
The NOAA Climate and Global Change Program does not have direct TDD 
(Telephonic Device for the Deaf) capabilities, but can be reached 
through the State of Maryland supplied TDD contact number, 800-735-
2258, between the hours of 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
    (L) Notwithstanding any other provisions 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, unless that collection of 
information displays a current valid OMB control number.

12. Classification

    The standard forms have been approved by the Office of Management 
and Budget pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act under OMB approval 
number 0348-0043, 0348-0044, and 0348-0046. This notice has been 
determined to be not significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.

    Dated: July 2, 1999.
Louisa Koch,
Deputy Assistant Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-17490 Filed 7-8-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KB-M