[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 37 (Monday, February 25, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8529-8530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-4393]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


National Energy Technology Laboratory; Notice of Availability of 
a Financial Assistance Solicitation

AGENCY: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Department of 
Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of availability of a financial assistance solicitation.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the intent to issue Financial 
Assistance Solicitation No. DE-PS26-02NT41450 entitled Mining Industry 
of the Future/mineral Processing Technologies. The U.S. Department of 
Energy (DOE) Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) in collaboration 
with the National Mining Association (NMA) is seeking industry-led 
proposals for cost-shared research and development of technologies 
which will reduce energy consumption, enhance economic competitiveness 
and reduce environmental impacts of the domestic mining industry. The 
research is to address research priorities identified by the Mining 
Industry of the Future Mineral Processing Technology Roadmap (the 
Roadmap can be accessed on the Internet at: http://www.oit.doe.gov/mining/pdfs/mptroadmap.pdf). In particular, the roadmap identifies 
three (3) areas of mineral processing technology where the most impact 
and the greatest progress towards the mining vision goals can be 
expected: (1) Mineral Preparation--typical processes include 
communition, makedown, classification, and, to some extent, blasting 
and drilling; (2) Physical Separations--typical processes include 
flotation, dewatering, thickening or settling, filtering, drying, 
flocculation, screening, magnetic separation, classification and 
washing; and (3) Chemical Separations--typical processes include 
pelletizing or briquetting, smelting, refining, leaching, solvent 
extraction, bioleaching and electrowinning.

DATES: The solicitation will be available on the ``Industry Interactive 
Procurement System'' (IIPS) Web page at http://e-center.doe.gov on or 
about February 27, 2002. It is further anticipated that applications 
will be due approximately ninety (90) days from the date the 
solicitation is released. Applicants can download the solicitation from 
the IIPS Internet address above or obtain access through DOE/NETL's Web 
site at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business. Paper copies are not 
available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Jaskolka, Contract Specialist, 
MS 921-107, U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology 
Laboratory, Acquisition and Assistance Division (BL-10), P.O. Box 
10940, Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940, E-mail Address: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DOE Office of Industrial Technologies 
does not fund product development R&D. Applications submitted in 
response to this solicitation will only be funded if the proposed 
research and development addresses improving the energy efficiency of 
mineral processing technologies. Applications for literature reviews 
only will not be considered. Additionally, applications offering 
emissions or waste disposal, remediation, or treatment as a primary 
focus are not eligible for funding under this solicitation. This 
limitation does not include applications that target materials 
recycling or by-product utilization as their primary focus.
    The U. S. Congress looks to the Department of Energy (DOE) to work 
toward improving the energy efficiency of America's most energy-
intensive industries with special interest on industrial processing. 
DOE, through its Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT), supports 
industries in their efforts to increase energy efficiency, reduce 
waste, and increase productivity. The goal of OIT is to accelerate the 
development and use of advanced, energy efficient, renewable, and 
pollution prevention technologies that benefit industry, the 
environment, and U.S. energy security. OIT's core program is the 
Industries of the Future (IOF) Program that focuses on basic materials 
and processing industries such as the Mining Industry. In June 1998, 
the National Mining Association (NMA) and the Secretary of Energy 
signed a Compact pledging to work together through research and 
development partnerships. The objective of Solicitation No. DE-PS26-
02NT41450 is another step in continuing to support this pledge by 
funding research and development projects which address research needs 
described in the Mineral Processing Technology Roadmap. The three key 
industry-identified areas, as presented in the Mineral Processing 
Technology Roadmap and which form the bases for the areas of interest 
under this solicitation, are: Mineral preparation, physical 
separations, and chemical separations. Additional background 
information is provided in the National Mining Association's Report, 
``The Future Begins with Mining, A Vision of the Mining Industry of the 
Future (Sept. 1998)'', which can be accessed at: http://www.oit.doe.gov/mining/pdfs/vision.pdf. No fiscal year 2002 (FY02) 
funds are available for this solicitation; selection and negotiation of 
successful offers leading to award of cost-shared financial assistance 
cooperative agreements is subject to availability of funding in FY03 
and beyond. An estimated $3.9 million in DOE funds is planned for this 
initiative as follows: approximately $1.3 million in FY03; $1.4 million 
in FY04; and $1.2 million in FY05. Selection of successful offers are 
expected to be made on or before January 1, 2003, subject to 
availability of funding, with completion of negotiations and issuance 
of awards anticipated to occur within a reasonable timeframe 
thereafter. Multiple (three to ten) awards are contemplated.
    A minimum fifty percent (50%) cost-share is required, i.e., if the 
total proposed project cost is estimated as $2 million, the 
government's share would be no more than $1 million and the recipient's 
share would be no less than $1 million.
    Any for-profit or non-profit organization, university or other 
institution of higher education, or non-federal agency or entity is 
eligible to apply, unless otherwise restricted by the Simpson-Craig 
amendment. Applicants for financial assistance under this solicitation 
are subject to the eligibility requirements of section 2306 of the 
Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), Foreign Company Participation. EPAct 
provides further guidelines for companies who apply for financial 
assistance herein where the company's participation is to be in the 
economic interest of the U.S. and the company must either be U.S.-owned 
or incorporated in the U.S. with its parent company incorporated in a 
country that provides similar protections and privileges under U.S. 
law. Applications submitted by or on behalf of (1) Another Federal 
agency, a Federally-funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) or 
(3) a DOE Management and Operating (M&O) contractor will not be 
eligible for award under this solicitation. However, these 
organizations may be proposed as team members subject to the guidelines 
provided in the solicitation. Applicants must include at least two (2) 
mining companies as members of the multi-disciplinary team. Multi-
partner collaborations are encouraged.
    Once released, the solicitation will be available for downloading 
from the Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) Internet page 
(http://e-center.doe.gov). You must register with IIPS, to enable you 
to submit an application. If you need technical assistance in 
registering, or for any other

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IIPS function, call the IIPS Help Desk at (800) 683-0751 or E-mail the 
Help Desk personnel at center.doe.gov">IIPS_HelpDesk@e-center.doe.gov (do not contact 
the Contract Specialist). The solicitation will only be made available 
through IIPS, no hard (paper) copies of the solicitation and related 
documents will be distributed.
    Prospective applicants who would like to be notified as soon as the 
solicitation is available should subscribe to the Business Alert 
Mailing List at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business. Once you subscribe, 
you will receive an announcement by E-mail that the solicitation has 
been released to the public. Telephone requests, written requests, e-
mail requests, or facsimile requests for a copy of the solicitation 
package will not be accepted and/or honored. Applications must be 
prepared and submitted in accordance with the instructions and forms 
referenced in the solicitation. The actual solicitation document will 
allow for requests for explanation and/or interpretation.

    Issued in Pittsburgh, PA, on February 14, 2002.
Dale A. Siciliano,
Deputy Director, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 02-4393 Filed 2-22-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P