[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1206-1211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-501]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 02-12: 
Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research Program

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) of 
the Office of Science (SC), 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. 
The focus of the NABIR program is on radionuclides and metals that 1) 
pose the greatest potential risk to humans and the environment at DOE 
sites, and 2) are tractable for immobilization by means of 
bioremediation. Applications are especially encouraged that address the 
radionuclides uranium and technetium. Applications should describe 
research projects in one of the following categories:
    1. Projects that address the scientific aims of the Biomolecular 
Science and Engineering Element.
    2. Projects to be performed at the NABIR Field Research Center 
(FRC) addressing field scale biostimulation of microbiological 
processes that immobilize uranium and/or technetium. Interdisciplinary 
teams must include, at a minimum, expertise in microbiology, 
geochemistry and hydrology.

DATES: Researchers are strongly encouraged (but not required) to submit 
a preapplication for programmatic review. Early submission of 
preapplications is encouraged, to allow time for review for 
programmatic relevance. A brief preapplication should

[[Page 1207]]

consist of one or two pages of narrative describing the research 
objectives and methods.
    The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 4:30 p.m., 
E.S.T., March 13, 2002, to be accepted for merit review and to permit 
timely consideration for awards late in Fiscal Year 2002, or in early 
Fiscal Year 2003. An original and seven copies of the application must 
be submitted; however, applicants are requested not to submit multiple 
applications using more than one delivery or mail service.

ADDRESSES: If submitting a preapplication, referencing Program Notice 
02-12, it should be sent by e-mail to science.doe.gov">anna.palmisano@science.doe.gov.
    Formal applications referencing Program Notice 02-12 on the cover 
page must be forwarded to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of 
Science, Grants and Contracts Division, SC-64, 19901 Germantown Road, 
Germantown, MD 20874-1290, ATTN: Program Notice 02-12. 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. Anna Palmisano, Environmental 
Sciences Division, SC-74, Office of Biological and Environmental 
Research, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone: (301) 903-9963, 
e-mail: science.doe.gov">anna.palmisano@science.doe.gov, fax: (301) 903-8519. The full 
text of Program Notice 02-12 is available via the Internet using the 
following web site address: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    For more than 50 years, the U.S. created a vast network of more 
than 113 facilities for research, development, and testing of nuclear 
materials. As a result of these activities, subsurface contamination 
has been identified at over 7,000 discrete sites across the U.S. 
Department of Energy (DOE) complex. With the end of the Cold War 
threat, the DOE has shifted its emphasis to remediation, 
decommissioning, and decontamination of contaminated groundwater, 
sediments, and structures at its sites. DOE is currently responsible 
for remediating 1.7 trillion gallons of contaminated groundwater and 40 
million cubic meters of contaminated soil. It is estimated that more 
than 60% of DOE facilities have groundwater contaminated with metals or 
radionuclides. The only other type of contaminant that appears more 
often than metal and radionuclide contaminants in groundwater is 
chlorinated hydrocarbons. More than 50% of all soil and sediments at 
DOE facilities are contaminated with radionuclides and metals, the 
contaminants found with the highest frequency in soil at all DOE waste 
sites. Indeed, while virtually all of the contaminants found at 
industrial sites nationwide can also be found at DOE sites, many of the 
metals and especially the radionuclides found on DOE sites are unique 
to those sites. The NABIR program aims: (1) To provide the fundamental 
knowledge to support the development of new remediation technologies 
for radionuclides and metals, and (2) to advance the understanding of 
the key microbiological and geochemical processes that control the 
effectiveness of in situ immobilization as a means of long term 
stewardship.
    While bioremediation of organic contaminants involves their 
transformation to benign products such as carbon dioxide, 
bioremediation of radionuclides and metals involves their removal from 
the aqueous phase to reduce risk to humans and the environment. 
Microorganisms can directly transform radionuclides and metals by 
changing their oxidation state to a reduced form that leads to in situ 
immobilization. Or, microorganisms can indirectly immobilize 
radionuclides and metals through the reduction of inorganic ions that 
can, in turn, chemically reduce contaminants to less mobile forms. The 
long-term stability of these reduced contaminants is as yet unknown. 
Other mechanisms whereby microorganisms can influence mobility of 
contaminants include alteration of pH, oxidation/reduction reactions 
and complexation.
    Currently, the fundamental knowledge that would allow cost-
effective deployment of in situ subsurface bioremediation of 
radionuclides and metals is lacking. The focus of the NABIR program is 
on radionuclides and metals that: (1) Pose the greatest potential risk 
to humans and the environment at DOE sites, and (2) are tractable for 
immobilization by means of bioremediation. Thus, research is focused on 
the radionuclides uranium, technetium, and plutonium and the metals 
chromium and mercury. Radioactive contaminants such as tritium and 
cobalt are not a focus because of their relatively short half lives, 
and strontium and cesium are not addressed because they are not readily 
amenable to biotransformation. Research is focused on subsurface 
sediments below the zone of root influence and includes both the vadose 
(unsaturated) zone and the saturated zone (groundwater and sediments). 
NABIR research is oriented toward application in areas that have low 
levels of widespread contamination because it is too costly to clean up 
those situations with existing technologies. Uranium, technetium, and 
chromium can be especially mobile in the subsurface under certain 
conditions; they are risk-driving contaminants at some DOE sites. The 
effects of co-contaminants, such as nitrate, complexing agents, such as 
Ethylenediaminetetraacetate and chlorinated solvents, such as 
trichloroethylene and carbon tetrachloride on the behavior of 
radionuclides and metals in the subsurface is also of interest to the 
NABIR program.

NABIR Program

    The goal of the NABIR program is to provide the fundamental science 
that will serve as the basis for development of cost-effective 
bioremediation and long-term stewardship of radionuclides and metals in 
the subsurface at DOE sites. The focus of the program is on strategies 
leading to long-term immobilization of contaminants in place to reduce 
the risk to humans and the environment. The NABIR program encompasses 
both intrinsic bioremediation by naturally occurring microbial 
communities, as well as accelerated bioremediation through the use of 
biostimulation (addition of inorganic or organic nutrients). NABIR will 
provide an improved, multidisciplinary understanding of the 
biogeochemical functioning of terrestrial subsurface systems. The NABIR 
Program supports hypothesis-driven research that is more fundamental in 
nature than demonstration projects.
    Naturally occurring subsurface microbes may be involved in 
intrinsic bioremediation of radionuclides and metals by reduction and 
immobilization, either directly or indirectly. However, these natural 
processes typically occur at fairly slow rates, and there may be a need 
to use biostimulation to enhance the rates. The primary focus of the 
NABIR program is on biostimulation strategies, due to the ubiquity of 
metal-reducers in nature. In situ immobilization of contaminants is one 
approach to long-term stewardship, which is the post-closure 
responsibility of DOE at its contaminated sites. Long-term stewardship 
involves long-term monitoring and other maintenance activities to 
ensure that residual in-ground contaminants do not spread

[[Page 1208]]

further. Immobilized radionuclides and metals are not removed from the 
subsurface as may occur with excavation, pump and treat, or 
biodegradation of organic contaminants. Immobilization is focused on 
contaminant capture from both vadose zone and groundwater plumes. As 
such, it may be a strategy applied to prevent the discharge of deep or 
widely distributed contaminants from the vadose zone to groundwater, or 
from groundwater to a receiving water body (e.g., the Columbia River at 
Hanford). Therefore, an important aspect to the NABIR program is to 
assess factors controlling the long-term stability of the immobilized 
contaminants and to devise approaches (biological/chemical) to maintain 
their immobilization through the stewardship phase. Research on 
phytoremediation is not supported by NABIR.
    The NABIR program consists of four interrelated scientific research 
elements (Biogeochemical Dynamics, Biotransformation, Community 
Dynamics and Microbial Ecology, and Biomolecular Science and 
Engineering). Innovative method development for the four NABIR 
scientific research elements is supported under the Assessment Element. 
The program also includes an element addressing ethical, legal and 
social issues of bioremediation called Bioremediation and its Societal 
Implications and Concerns (BASIC). The NABIR program encourages 
researchers to integrate laboratory and field research. DOE has a Field 
Research Center (FRC) at the Y-12 site near Oak Ridge National 
Laboratory (ORNL). Additional information about NABIR and the FRC can 
be accessed from the NABIR Homepage: http://www.lbl.gov/NABIR/

Current Request for Applications

    Two kinds of projects are solicited in this request for 
applications:
    1. Research projects that address the scientific aims of the NABIR 
Biomolecular Science and Engineering Element.
    2. Research projects to be performed at the NABIR FRC addressing 
field scale biostimulation of microbiological processes that immobilize 
uranium and/or technetium. Research would be conducted at the FRC that 
is located near Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN. 
Interdisciplinary teams must include, at a minimum, experts in the 
fields of microbiology, geochemistry, and hydrology.
    Applications for research on other elements of the NABIR program 
will not be addressed at this time.

The NABIR Biomolecular Science and Engineering Element

    Research in the Biomolecular Sciences and Engineering element 
provides a knowledge base, at the biomolecular level, of the processes 
leading to the in situ immobilization of radionuclides (U, Tc, and Pu) 
and metals (Cr and Hg) by indigenous subsurface microorganisms. 
Applications for this solicitation are especially encouraged that 
address the radionuclides uranium and technetium. The primary goal of 
this element is to understand the genetic, biochemical, and regulatory 
processes that mediate biotransformation of these specific 
radionuclides and metals, leading to their immobilization. 
Characterization of genes, gene products, and genetic regulatory 
networks associated with these biotransformations is key to this 
understanding. Secondary goals include: (1) Understanding molecular 
mechanisms of resistance of subsurface microorganisms to radionuclide 
and metal toxicity, (2) understanding, at a molecular level, the 
processes of lateral transfer between microbes of genes involved in 
biotransformation of these radionuclides and metals, (3) developing 
novel technologies to provide insights into biomolecular mechanisms of 
radionuclide and radionuclide biotransformation, and (4) developing 
approaches to manipulate pathways and enzyme systems that mediate these 
transformations to improve their ability to immobilize these 
radionuclides and metals.
    DOE subsurface sites encompass a wide range of environments, with a 
diversity of microbial communities and contaminants. One of the 
challenges of the Biomolecular Science and Engineering Element is to 
select microbes for studies that are active members of subsurface 
microbial communities. A second challenge is to extrapolate laboratory 
findings on pure cultures under laboratory conditions to complex in 
situ environmental conditions. This extrapolation is especially 
critical in studying gene expression, which may be modified by changes 
in local cellular environments in the subsurface. A third challenge is 
to take advantage of genomic and other data derived from the DOE 
Microbial Genome Program on subsurface microorganisms to increase our 
understanding of how genes relevant to bioremediation are expressed in 
the environment.

Technical Areas of Interest for the Biomolecular Science and 
Engineering Element

    Research projects are sought that focus on understanding the 
regulation of genes that have been identified to be important in: (1) 
The immobilization of radionuclides (U, Tc, and Pu) and metals (Cr and 
Hg) by naturally occurring microorganisms in contaminated subsurface 
environments, and (2) the growth and survival of microorganisms in the 
presence of these radionuclides and metals. Applications should 
primarily focus on indigenous subsurface microorganisms that can 
precipitate and immobilize these radionuclides and metals. Applications 
addressing immobilization of uranium and technetium are strongly 
encouraged. For mercury and plutonium, two other contaminants targeted 
by the NABIR program, strategies for immobilization are less clear, and 
may require the development of novel approaches. Detailed studies of 
the enzymatic mechanisms for radionuclide/metal reduction are needed to 
increase our understanding of in situ processes and to identify gene 
targets for better molecular assessment of radionuclide and metal 
reduction. Microorganisms selected for Biomolecular Science and 
Engineering research should be those that may play an important role in 
reducing these radionuclides and/or metals in subsurface environments. 
Exploring the effects of key environmental parameters on genetic 
regulation and expression of radionuclide and/or metal reduction is a 
critical need. The NABIR FRC provides an opportunity for Biomolecular 
Science and Engineering researchers to work at a DOE site in 
collaboration with scientists from the Biogeochemistry, 
Biotransformation, and Community Dynamics elements. Studies at the 
NABIR FRC show that microbial reduction of radionuclides and metals is 
affected by the presence of nitrate and low pH. Thus, research into 
microbial mechanisms involved in the reduction of these radionuclides 
and metals in this type of subsurface environment is of special 
interest. More information on the NABIR FRC and current research being 
conducted at the FRC can be found at the web site http://www.esd.ornl.gov/nabirfrc. The ultimate goal of this element is to 
improve our ability to predict and to manipulate the activities of 
microbes in situ, particularly in an in situ immobilization scenario.
    New and creative scientific approaches are sought that address the 
following fundamental research

[[Page 1209]]

questions for the Biomolecular Science and Engineering Element:
    What are the basic biomolecular mechanisms of uranium and 
technetium reduction and reoxidation in microorganisms, primarily those 
indigenous to the subsurface?
    How do low pH and high nitrate concentrations impact the 
biochemistry and gene expression and regulation of uranium and 
technetium reduction?
    How can biomolecular processes be manipulated to enhance the 
sustainability of immobilization of uranium and technetium?
    Are there novel biomolecular mechanisms that can be used to 
immobilize mercury or plutonium?
    For further information on the Biomolecular Science and Engineering 
Element, please contact Dr. Daniel Drell 
(science.doe.gov">Daniel.Drell@science.doe.gov), the Program Element Manager.

Field Scale Bioremediation Experiments

    Although bioremediation of radionuclides and metals has been 
studied in the laboratory, and bioremediation technologies have been 
demonstrated in the field, there are few examples of carefully 
controlled, hypothesis-driven, in situ bioremediation research at the 
field-scale. The NABIR FRC provides opportunities for such field-scale 
experiments. The focus of field experiments at the FRC is on in situ 
immobilization of radionuclides, such as uranium and technetium by 
microbiological processes. For more information on the NABIR FRC, 
access the FRC web site at http://www.esd.ornl.gov/nabirfrc. For this 
solicitation, applicants are especially encouraged to develop 
experiments for Area 2, a low nitrate, circumneutral site at the FRC. 
Applicants may also choose to propose research for Area 1, a high 
nitrate, low pH site. Both sites are described in the following 
sections; maps and additional information on the sites are available at 
the FRC web site.
    Applicants must propose a testable hypothesis that is based on 
biologically-mediated mechanisms of immobilization for in situ field 
research, and they should describe a detailed technical approach that 
should include (1) establishing a defined (surface area and depth) 
experimental and control plot within the proposed contaminated field 
site, and (2) manipulating the experimental plot by amendments of 
nutrients or other chemicals that might stimulate microbial communities 
to immobilize uranium or technetium. The technical approach must be 
described in phases such that completion of each phase could result in 
publishable results. A statistically robust sampling regimen to 
determine the efficacy of the manipulation should also be described. 
Moreover, the applicant must explain the technical feasibility of 
performing the proposed field research. Technology demonstration 
projects will not be funded by this solicitation.
    The applicants should propose research to be performed as an 
interdisciplinary team including, at a minimum, expertise in 
microbiology, geochemistry, and hydrology. The Principal Investigator 
for the team must have prior experience in relevant field research, and 
the activities of each team member must be clearly defined. Multi-
institutional partnerships are strongly encouraged; for example, 
applicants may draw expertise from National Laboratories, academia, and 
other institutions engaged in basic research. The successful team must 
be willing to partner with other funded NABIR investigators who may 
wish to obtain samples in conjunction with the proposed field studies.
    Although compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
is the responsibility of DOE, successful applicants who propose to 
conduct field research are expected to provide information necessary 
for the DOE to complete the NEPA review and documentation. Successful 
applicants will also be expected to brief and to obtain approval of 
their written work plan from the FRC Advisory Panel prior to beginning 
their field work. For this solicitation, applicants should describe how 
they would communicate their proposed experimental design and their 
results to stakeholders, regulators, and community groups. Applicants 
may wish to review the FRC Communication Plan, which can be found on 
the FRC web site. 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. For further information on NABIR 
Field Research, please contact Mr. Paul Bayer (paul.bayer@ 
science.doe.gov), the NABIR Field Activities Manager.

Characteristics of Area 2 at the NABIR FRC

    The S-3 Ponds were the primary source of contamination detected at 
Area 2 of the NABIR FRC. The S-3 Ponds consisted of four unlined ponds 
constructed in 1951 on the west end of the Y-12 Plant. Liquid wastes, 
composed primarily of nitric acid plating wastes containing nitrate and 
various radionuclides and metals (e.g., uranium and technetium) were 
disposed of in the ponds until 1983. Waste disposal activities at the 
site have created a mixed waste plume of contamination in the 
underlying unconsolidated residuum (primarily saprolite and fill) and 
shale bedrock. Area 2 is located several hundred feet to the southwest 
of the former Ponds. Contaminants were probably transported to Area 2 
through a historic stream channel of Bear Creek during operation of the 
Ponds. Some contaminated residuum and sediments in Area 2 were 
excavated and deposited in the S-3 Ponds, however, much contaminated 
residuum remains and contributes to the groundwater contamination 
currently detected in Area 2.
    A typical geologic profile at Area 2 would consist of about 6 m of 
reworked fill and saprolite at the surface underlain by 2 m of intact 
saprolite with weathered bedrock below the saprolite. As much as 300-
500 mg/kg of uranium may be associated with the solid phase material. 
The reworked fill tends to have a higher hydraulic conductivity than 
the native saprolite. Based on data from a tracer study test conducted 
in 1998, the rate of interstitial groundwater movement in the 
unconsolidated fill was calculated to range from 0.7 to 4.5 m/day, with 
an average rate of about 2.2 m/day. Hydraulic monitoring at the site 
indicates that the depth to groundwater is approximately 4.5 meters 
from the surface and the hydraulic gradient ranges between about 0.01 
and 0.025 to the southwest towards the Creek. Vertical upward gradients 
between the shale bedrock and unconsolidated zone are as great as 0.25.
    In Area 2, there is a shallow pathway (10 m) for the migration of 
groundwater contaminated with uranium (1-2 mg/L) to seep in the upper 
reach of Bear Creek, which is adjacent to Area 2. Nitrate 
concentrations are generally 100 mg/L at Area 2, but have been detected 
above 1,000 mg/L in several of the wells. Technetium concentrations are 
generally less than 600 pCi/L, and total dissolved solids 
concentrations are approximately 1,000 mg/L. The pH of groundwater at 
Area 2 tends to be between 6 and 7 with dissolved oxygen content about 
1-2 mg/L. Areas of higher and lower uranium and nitrate exist at Area 
2. For example TPB-16 which is representative of an area with higher 
uranium and lower nitrate contains 28 mg/L nitrate, 98 mg/L sulfate, 
310 mg/L chloride, 60 mg/L inorganic carbon, 2 mg/L dissolved

[[Page 1210]]

organic carbon, and 1.3 mg/L uranium; well FW003 which is 
representative of an area with higher nitrate and lower uranium 
contains 1059 mg/L nitrate, 16 mg/L sulfate, 183 mg/L chloride, 89 mg/L 
inorganic carbon, 13 mg/L organic carbon, and 0.01 mg/L uranium.
    An 8 to 9 m deep trench bisects Area 2 in an east to west 
direction. The trench was filled with gravel except for an 18 m long 
section in the middle, which was filled with zero-valent iron. Guar gum 
slurry was added during excavation to prevent the trench walls from 
collapsing. The trench is oriented nearly parallel to the direction of 
groundwater flow and is designed to use both the natural groundwater 
gradient and the permeability contrast between the gravel and iron in 
the trench and the native silt and clay outside the trench to direct 
flow through the iron treatment zone. Approximately 52 wells have been 
installed at the site. Two 20m X 20m plots (one located on either side 
of the trench) that are high in uranium are available for use by NABIR 
PIs for field research.

Characteristics of Area 1 at the NABIR FRC

    The S-3 Ponds were also the primary source of contamination 
detected at Area 1 of the NABIR FRC. A small 7 m X 25 m field plot has 
been established in Area 1 just south of the S-3 Ponds. This field 
plot, along with other locations within Area 1, is available for NABIR 
research. Thirteen monitoring wells have been installed in the field 
plot. The wells are generally 3 cm in diameter, about 7 m deep and have 
a 1.5 m length of screened interval at the bottom of the well. The 
wells have been used in the past for conducting small-scale push-pull 
tests of various types. A brief description of these experiments can be 
found at the FRC web site. The impact of these push-pull tests probably 
does not extend beyond the 7 m X 25 m field plot. A typical geologic 
profile at the Area 1 field plot would consist of about 1.5 m of 
reworked fill and saprolite at the surface underlain by about 7 m of 
intact saprolite with weathered shale bedrock below the saprolite. 
Hydraulic conductivity of the saprolite is fairly low (about 0.26 m/
day) with maximum pumping rates of  1 liter/minute. Hydraulic 
monitoring at the site indicates that the depth to groundwater is 
approximately 3.5 m from the surface and the hydraulic gradient is 
fairly flat. Contaminants include all the contaminants generally 
associated with the S-3 Ponds groundwater plume (i.e., nitrate, 
technetium, uranium, volatile organic compounds and other common anions 
and cations).
    Concentrations of contaminants in groundwater and soil from well to 
well are variable but tend to be fairly stable over time within 
individual wells. Nitrate concentrations at the Area 1 field plot in 
groundwater range from 48 to 10,400 mg/l, uranium ranges from 0.01 to 
7.5 mg/l, and technetium-99 ranges from 66 to 31,000 pCi/l. Wells with 
high uranium (e.g., >1 mg/l) tend to have high to moderate nitrate 
(>1,000 mg/l) and high technetium concentrations (>12,000 pCi/l). The 
pH of groundwater at Area 1 tends to be more acidic than Area 2 but 
ranges between 3.25 and 6.5 with dissolved oxygen content about 1-2 mg/
L. Sulfate concentrations range between 219 mg/l and 1 mg/l, and 
chloride concentrations range between 22 and 760 mg/l. Aluminum can be 
as high as 620 mg/l, and nickel concentrations average around 8.6 mg/l. 
Calcium, sodium, magnesium, and manganese are other metals detected at 
significant concentrations (>100 mg/l) at the site. Tetrachloroethylene 
(120 ug/l), acetone (230 ug/l), and some other volatile organic 
compounds (VOCs) are also detected at the Area 1 field plot. As much as 
375 mg/kg of uranium is associated with the solid phase material.

Additional Information for Applications

    It is anticipated that up to $2 million will be available for 
multiple awards to be made in late Fiscal Year 2002 and early Fiscal 
Year 2003, in the categories described above, contingent on 
availability of appropriated funds. An additional sum, up to $2 
million, will be available for competition by DOE National Laboratories 
under a separate solicitation (LAB 02-12). Applications may request 
project support up to three years, with out-year support contingent on 
availability of funds, progress of the research and programmatic needs. 
Annual budgets for projects in the Biomolecular Science and Engineering 
are expected to range from $100,000 to $300,000 total costs. Annual 
budgets for interdisciplinary field research projects at the FRC are 
expected to range from $300,000-$1,000,000 for total costs. Costs for 
drilling at the FRC should not be included in the applicant's budget. 
DOE may encourage collaboration among prospective investigators to 
promote joint applications or joint research projects by using 
information obtained through the preliminary applications or through 
other forms of communication.

Merit Review

    Applications will be subjected to formal merit review (peer review) 
and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria which 
are listed in descending order of importance 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;
    4. Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget.
    Also, as part of the evaluation, program policy factors become a 
selection priority. Note, external peer reviewers are selected with 
regard to both their scientific expertise and the absence of conflict-
of-interest issues. Federal and non-federal reviewers will be used, and 
submission of an application constitutes agreement that this is 
acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting institution.

Submission Information

    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 Science Financial Assistance 
Program. Electronic access to SC's Financial Assistance Application 
Guide is possible via the World Wide Web at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html. DOE is under no obligation to pay for 
any costs associated with the preparation or submission of applications 
if an award is not made. In addition, for this notice, 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). Applicants 
who have had prior NABIR support must include a Progress Section with a 
brief description of results and a list of publications derived from 
that funding. Attachments should include short (2 pages) 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. Curriculum vitae should be submitted in a form similar to 
that of NIH or NSF (two to three pages), see for example: http://www.nsf.gov:80/bfa/cpo/gpg/fkit.htm#forms-9.

[[Page 1211]]

    The Office of Science 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 the 
National Institutes of Health (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/rdna-apr98.pdf, (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.
    Additional information on the NABIR Program 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 Karen Carlson; 
Environmental Sciences Division, SC-74; U.S. Department of Energy; 
19901 Germantown Road; Germantown, MD 20874-1290; phone: (301) 903-
3338; fax: (301) 903-8519; E-mail: science.doe.gov">karen.carlson@science.doe.gov; for 
hard copies of background material mentioned in this solicitation.
    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 on December 28, 2001.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 02-501 Filed 1-8-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-02-U