[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 20, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12971-12976]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-6747]



[[Page 12971]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 020213030-2030-01; I.D. No. 012202C ]


Announcement of Funding Opportunity to Submit Proposals for the 
Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms (MERHAB) Program

AGENCY: Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research/Coastal Ocean 
Program (CSCOR/COP), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice of funding availability for financial assistance for 
project grants and cooperative agreements.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this document is to advise the public that 
CSCOR/COP is soliciting proposals for two types of projects: targeted 
research and regional intensive monitoring.
    CSCOR/COP is soliciting targeted research proposals for one to 
three years of research and development of tools, approaches and 
technologies that could be included as routine components of existing 
Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) monitoring programs. CSCOR/COP is also 
soliciting proposals from regional multi-investigator partnerships of 
one to five years for intensive monitoring of HABs that build the 
capacity of existing local, state, tribal, or regional coastal 
monitoring programs to provide early warning of HAB events to coastal 
communities and increase regional ability to rapidly respond to HAB 
events. Funding is contingent upon the availability of Federal 
appropriations. Projects funded under this announcement are anticipated 
to have a September 1, 2002, start date.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of proposals at the CSCOR/COP office is 
3 p.m., e.s.t., April 25, 2002. Note that late-arriving applications 
provided to a delivery service on or before April 24, 2002, with 
delivery guaranteed before 3 p.m., e.s.t., on April 25, 2002, will be 
accepted for review if the applicant can document that the application 
was provided to the delivery service with delivery to the address 
listed below guaranteed prior to the specified closing date and time 
and, in any event, the proposals are received in the CSCOR/COP office 
by 3 p.m. e.s.t., no later than two business days following the closing 
date.

ADDRESSES: Submit the original and 19 copies of your proposal to 
(MERHAB02) Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research/Coastal Ocean 
Program (N/SCI2), SSMC No. 4, 8th Floor, Station 8243, 1305 East-West 
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. NOAA and Standard Form Applications 
with instructions are accessible on the CSCOR/COP Internet site http://www.cop.noaa.gov under the COP Grants Information Section, Part D, 
Application Forms for Initial Proposal Submission. For application 
forms, see Budget and
    Application forms section. Forms may be viewed and, in most cases, 
filled in by computer. All forms must be printed, completed, and mailed 
to CSCOR/COP with original signatures. If you are unable to access this 
information, you may call CSCOR/COP at 301-713-3338 to leave a mailing 
request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical Information. Marc Suddleson, 
MERHAB 2002 Program Manager, CSCOR/COP, 301-713-3338/ext 162, Internet: 
[email protected]
    Business Management Information. Leslie McDonald, COP Grants 
Administrator, 301-713-3338/ext 155, Internet: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following web sites furnish 
supplementary information from reports dealing with harmful algal 
blooms: Boesch et.al Feb 1997, Harmful Algal Blooms in Coastal Waters: 
Options for Prevention, Control and Mitigation, Silver Spring, MD at 
http://www.cop.noaa.gov/pubs/das/das10.html; and Anderson et.al. Sept 
2000, Estimated Annual Economic Impact from Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) 
in the U.S. WHOI at http://www.redtide.whoi.edu/hab pertinentinfo /
Economics--Report.pdf).
    Information on the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and 
Control Act and the 2000 National Assessment of HABs in U.S. Waters, 
National Science and Technology Council Committee on Environment and 
Natural Resources (CENR), Washington, DC, can be located at http://www.habhrca.noaa.gov.
    Details about ongoing MERHAB projects currently funded by the 
CSCOR/COP MERHAB Program are found at
    http://www.cop.noaa.gov/Fact_Sheets/MERHAB.htm. Hard copies of 
these resources can be obtained from the CSCOR/COP office.

Background

Program Description

    For complete program description and other requirements for CSCOR/
COP, see the General Grant Administration Terms and Conditions annual 
notification in the Federal Register (66 FR 63019, December 4, 2001) 
and at the CSCOR/COP home page.
    In spite of a growing list of affected resources and coastal 
communities, our ability to prevent, control, and mitigate the impacts 
of HABs remains limited. Acting on the findings of a 1996 NOAA and DOI 
Report, Harmful Algal Blooms in Coastal Waters: Options for Prevention, 
Control and Mitigation, the research agenda of the Ecology and 
Oceanography of Harmful Algal Bloom (ECOHAB) program for the past five 
years has focused on building a scientific understanding about the 
cause and behavior of HABs. ECOHAB continues to support research that 
develops understandings of the linkages between the biology, ecology, 
physiology, and behavior of harmful species and the physics, chemistry, 
bathymetry, and meteorology of the surrounding environment. ECOHAB 
research is developing the capabilities to forecast bloom landfall, 
evaluate toxicity, and provide mitigation strategies that might 
ameliorate the impact of blooms along U.S. coasts. ECOHAB is also 
producing new state-of-the art HAB technologies, such as detection 
assays and molecular probes.
    With the maturation of ECOHAB and other HAB research programs, more 
effort is needed to adapt their research products into regionally and 
locally tested tools that can be used to prevent, control, or mitigate 
the impact of HABs. The 1996 NOAA and DOI Report noted that knowledge 
about the basic information on the causes and behavior of HABs would 
ultimately lead to the development of prevention, control, and 
mitigation (PCM) strategies. The plan called for Federal and state 
agencies with responsibilities for resource management, environmental 
protection, and public health to support PCM research.
    While prevention of HABs is the preferred management option, effort 
to enhance the current abilities to reduce the incidence and extent of 
harmful algal blooms (before they begin) requires additional research 
and face legislative hurdles. For example, more research is needed to 
determine whether a cause-and-effect relationship exists between 
increased pollution and nutrient loading and an incidence of some HAB 
species (e.g., Pfiesteria, Pseudo-nitzchia, cyanobacteria). Further, a 
national regulatory strategy to effectively control polluted run off 
and nutrient loading is under development; but more research is 
required to educate decision makers.
    Efforts to control HABs are also being explored, but these too face 
serious scientific and policy hurdles. Attempts to use chemicals to 
directly control HAB

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cells encounter many logistical problems and environmental objections. 
Chemicals are likely to be nonspecific, indiscriminately targeting all 
co-occurring algae and other organisms along with the target algal 
species. Chemical application and other options, such as flocculants or 
biological controls need additional research to determine their wider 
impacts to the coastal ecosystem.
    Strategies to mitigate or minimize human health risks, ecosystem 
damage, fisheries losses, and declines in tourism due to algal blooms 
are currently the best option for coastal management of the HAB 
problem. Many different types of actions can be taken to mitigate the 
impact of HABs, including forecasting bloom development and movement, 
monitoring HAB cells and toxins, and responding rapidly to HAB events.
    Monitoring combined with rapid response to HAB events has been 
identified as the most effective way to mitigate the impact of HABs 
(CENR 2000). A number of coastal states have existing HAB monitoring 
programs designed to prevent human illness from shellfish poisoning 
syndromes and to monitor the environment for blooms and forecast their 
development and movement. State shellfish monitoring programs detect 
toxins in different fisheries species either to provide advance warning 
of outbreaks or to delineate areas that require harvest restrictions. 
State environmental monitoring programs for plankton and fish in 
coastal estuaries and bays provide early warning of blooms.
    Many states supplement their HAB monitoring activities with rapid 
response teams that are deployed to assess suspected HAB events. HABs 
have the potential to develop rapidly, and often the observable event 
may be short-lived. Rapid response is essential to ensure that the 
appropriate sampling is done to determine whether a HAB event is in 
progress. Regions also have established communication networks to 
distribute information about outbreaks to researchers, managers, and 
the public. Providing rapid and accurate information is critical to 
assess the risks to resources and human health and to avoid public 
misconceptions about the safety of coastal resources. Such 
misconceptions have caused severe economic impacts to regions not 
directly affected by HAB events. A study completed by Woods Hole 
Oceanographic Institute in September 2000 calculated the total 
estimated annual cost from HABs on public health, commercial fisheries, 
recreation and tourism, and monitoring and management in the United 
States to be $49 million. This estimate was noted by the authors to be 
highly conservative and sensitive to single events that equal or exceed 
the total estimated economic impact.
    Many coastal communities experiencing HABs are not covered by 
regular public or private monitoring programs for HABs, and many do not 
receive adequate information about outbreaks. State monitoring programs 
have not kept pace with the expansion of the HABs problem. Tight state 
budgets and the need to monitor for more toxins in more organisms over 
larger areas have left many monitoring programs underfunded. Further, 
support of state monitoring efforts through the Federal Clean Water 
Program has not specifically addressed the need for increased HAB 
monitoring. The problem is exacerbated by managers' inability to 
quantify the benefits to human health, commercial fisheries, recreation 
and tourism of controlling HABs and to compare these to the costs of 
mitigation strategies.

CSCOR/COP Program Interest

    Through the MERHAB program, CSCOR/COP intends to build capabilities 
of local, state, tribal, and private sector for regular and intensive 
measurement of HAB parameters. This will make existing monitoring 
programs more efficient while providing better coverage in time and 
space. MERHAB will enable rigorous field testing of state-of-the-art 
technology through targeted projects and will incorporate the new 
methods of detecting and tracking HABs into existing monitoring 
programs through regional, intensive monitoring projects. MERHAB will 
also develop event-response capabilities within affected regions to 
ensure trained and equipped personnel are able to mobilize quickly, 
conduct appropriate sampling and testing, and communicate effectively 
during HAB events.
    With faster, less expensive, and more reliable detection methods 
for HAB cells and toxins, and stronger mechanisms in place to respond 
to outbreaks, programs will be better able to mitigate the impact of 
HABs on vital resources and will protect public health. As a result, 
managers will be able to better address the expanding HAB problems 
facing their coastal regions and, therefore, they will be better 
positioned to request long-term support from Federal and state agencies 
or from other funding entities.

Goal

    The primary goal of the MERHAB program is to incorporate products 
generated from past or ongoing HAB research programs into operational 
components of existing monitoring programs in HAB-impacted coastal 
regions. MERHAB is not intended to provide long-term support for 
routine monitoring efforts.

A. MERHAB-Targeted Research Projects

    (1) Objectives: (a) Develop a technology that will enhance HAB 
monitoring activities in U.S. coastal waters; and (b) incorporate that 
technology into existing HAB monitoring programs.
    (2) Characteristics: (a) Should rigorously field-test new 
technologies to detect algal species, toxin, or toxicity and/or monitor 
the environmental conditions that support HABs. New technologies may 
include, but are not limited to, rapid field assays for shellfish, 
improved diagnostic techniques for in situ detection of HAB cells, and 
remote sensing technology to help target sampling efforts; (b) May be 
led either by an individual or by small investigative team; and (c) 
Must address specified research needs of the HAB community.
    Investigators should include in their work plans efforts to build 
support for the incorporation of technology into one or more existing 
HAB monitoring programs. (See Part II: Further Supplementary 
Information Section (11) ``Project Funding Priorities.'')

B. MERHAB-regional, Intensive Monitoring Projects

    (1) Objectives: (a) Develop new or increase existing regional 
capabilities for HAB monitoring; (b) Incorporate new tools for HAB 
measurement into existing monitoring efforts; (c) Include local, state, 
regional, Federal, or non-governmental entities as active partners in 
identifying environmental measurements and their importance to managing 
coastal resources and protecting human health (i.e. generating public 
advisories) in the area; (d) Determine long-term local and regional 
support that will assume financial responsibility for resulting 
enhancements in HAB monitoring once NOAA support has ended; and (e) 
Develop local and/or regional capabilities to respond to HAB events.
    (2) Characteristics: (a) Include a suite of annual studies and 
involve a multi-disciplinary, collaborative team of investigators. The 
team should represent groups with strong interests in improved HAB 
monitoring, including, but not limited to, the natural and social 
science research community, existing monitoring programs, communities 
dependent upon affected resources, industry, and non-profit 
organizations; (b) Provide evidence that local, state,

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tribal, regional, and Federal representatives were consulted in the 
development of the proposal to ensure appropriate economic, regulatory, 
and management issues are addressed; (c) Include a plan for continued 
consultation with these representatives to facilitate the incorporation 
of research results into existing monitoring programs and to identify 
means to continue HAB monitoring efforts after MERHAB project funding 
has ended; (d) Form a management team with a designated chairperson 
serving as the main point of contact with the MERHAB Program Manager.
    In similar CSCOR research programs (i.e. ECOHAB), management teams 
provide strong leadership and solid partnerships among principal 
investigators and collaborators. Teams serve to interpret results 
collected from the expanded suite of pilot studies, permitting 
acceptance or rejection of the approaches, techniques, or tools 
explored during each annual budget period. MERHAB management teams will 
also analyze results for application under local conditions and assess 
effectiveness under specific constraints so that application to other 
coastal systems or species may be determined.

Shared Research Project Characteristics

    The following characteristics are shared by both MERHAB-Targeted 
projects and MERHAB-regional, intensive monitoring projects.
    (1) Project results will be distributed to stakeholders via 
scientific, peer-reviewed articles, synthesis documents, briefings, 
electronic web sites, and any other means defined by the proposers. (2) 
Project proposals should clearly identify a timetable of 
accomplishments and major program elements that will lead to specific 
interim and final assessments of applicability and effectiveness of a 
number of monitoring approaches.
    Continuation of funding will be contingent upon the determination 
by the awarding agency that the selected project is on course to 
provide both interim and final products that will improve HAB 
monitoring capabilities in the local or national coastal environment 
impacted by HABs.

Expected Products and Outcomes

A. MERHAB-Targeted Projects

    (1) Development and testing of new HAB monitoring tools;
    (2) Demonstration of effective application of technology in an 
existing monitoring program; and
    (3) Comprehensive data analysis and integration that advances the 
state of science and management (i.e. technical reports, peer-reviewed 
publications, databases, numerical and conceptual models, etc.).

B. MERHAB-regional, Intensive Monitoring Projects

    (1) Include regional stakeholder input and participation through 
means that may include, but are not limited to, annual workshops, 
management and technical advisory committees that involve a broad 
spectrum of regional interests and training in use of new technology;
    (2) Provide recommendations to management of the parameters to be 
measured in a region and the types of instruments that should be 
developed or adapted into existing monitoring programs;
    (3) Deploy new HAB monitoring tools in existing monitoring 
programs;
    (4) Conduct comprehensive data analysis and integration that 
advances the state of science and management. (i.e. technical reports, 
peer-reviewed publications, data bases, numerical and conceptual 
models; regional case studies with explicit applications to important 
management issues; risk analysis of management scenarios; regional 
economic valuation of direct and indirect costs associated with HAB 
events; and region-specific management recommendations based on study 
results);
    (5) Accept commitments from one or more local, state, tribal, 
regional, or Federal organizations for continued, long-term support of 
expanding HAB monitoring capabilities;
    (6) Develop real-time, scientific response capability during HAB 
outbreaks for the region that includes, but is not limited to, the use 
of local experts, establishing local academic-government- NGO-private 
partnerships for providing immediate analytical and sampling 
capacities, and expanding local abilities for transferring samples to 
analytical services outside the region; and
    (7) Outreach to improve awareness of HAB outbreaks and their 
environmental and societal costs, and to mitigate their impact on vital 
natural resources, public health and local/regional economies.

Part I: Schedule and Proposal Submission

    This document requests full proposals only. The provisions for 
proposal preparation provided here are mandatory. Proposals received 
after the published deadline or proposals that deviate from the 
prescribed format will be returned to the sender without further 
consideration. Information regarding this announcement, additional 
background information, and required Federal forms are available on the 
COP home page.

Full Proposals

    Applications submitted in response to this announcement require an 
original proposal and 19 proposal copies at time of submission. This 
includes color or high-resolution graphics, unusually sized materials, 
or otherwise unusual materials submitted as part of the proposal. For 
color graphics, submit either color originals or color copies. The 
stated requirements for the number of proposal copies provide for a 
timely review process. Facsimile transmissions and electronic mail 
submission of full proposals will not be accepted.

Required Elements

    All recipients must follow the instructions in the preparation of 
the CSCOR/COP application forms included in Part II: Further 
Supplementary Information, (10) Application forms and kit. Each 
proposal must also include the following nine elements or it will be 
returned to sender without further consideration:
    (1) Standard Form 424. At time of proposal submission, all 
applicants shall submit the Standard Form, SF-424 (Rev 7-97), 
``Application for Federal Assistance,'' to indicate the total amount of 
funding proposed for the whole project period. This form is to be the 
cover page for the original proposal and all requested copies. Multi-
institutional proposals must include signed SF-424 forms from all 
institutions requesting funding.
    (2) Signed summary title page. The title page should be signed by 
the Principal Investigator (PI). The Summary Title page identifies the 
project's title starting with the acronym MERHAB 2002, a short title 
(less than 50 characters), the lead PI's name and affiliation, and 
complete address, phone, FAX, and E-mail information. The requested 
budget for each fiscal year should be included on the Summary Title 
page. Multi-investigator proposals must include the names and 
affiliations of each investigator on the title page. Multi-institution 
proposals must also identify the lead investigator from each fiscal 
year for each institution and the requested funding for each fiscal 
year for each institution on the title page, but no signatures are 
required on the title page from the additional institutions. Lead 
investigator and separate budget information is not requested on the 
title page for institutions that are proposed to receive

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funds through a subcontract to the lead institution.
    (3) One-page abstract/project summary. The Project Summary 
(Abstract) Form, submitted with the application, must include summaries 
of the problem, rationale, scientific objectives and/or hypotheses to 
be tested, and a brief summary of work to be completed. The prescribed 
CSCOR/COP format for the Project Summary Form can be found on the 
CSCOR/COP Internet site under the CSCOR/COP Grants Information section, 
Part D.
    The summary should appear on a separate page, headed with the 
proposal title, institution(s), investigator(s), total proposed cost, 
and budget period. It should be written in the third person. The 
summary is used to help compare proposals quickly and allows the 
respondents to summarize these key points in their own words.
    (4) Statement of work/project description. The statement of the 
proposed work/project must be complete and include: identification of 
the problem, scientific objectives, proposed methodology, relevance to 
the MERHAB 2002 program goals, and its scientific priorities. For 
MERHAB-Targeted project proposals, the project description (including 
relevant results from prior support) should not exceed 15 pages. For 
MERHAB-regional, intensive monitoring project proposals, the project 
description (including relevant results from prior support) should not 
exceed 20 pages. Both page limits are inclusive of figures, other 
visual materials, and letters of endorsement, but are exclusive of 
references, a milestone chart, and letters of collaboration from 
unfunded collaborators.
    This section should clearly identify project management with a 
description of the functions of each PI within a team. It should 
provide a full scientific justification for the research, rather than 
simply reiterating justifications presented in this document. It should 
also include:
    (a) The objective for the period of proposed work and its expected 
significance;
    (b) The relation to the present state of knowledge in the field and 
relation to previous work and work in progress by the proposing 
principal investigator(s);
    (c) A discussion of how the proposed project lends value to the 
program goals;
    (d) Potential coordination with other investigators; and,
    (5) References cited. Reference information is required. Each 
reference must include the names of all authors in the same sequence 
they appear in the publications, the article title, volume number, page 
numbers, and year of publications. While there is no established page 
limitation, this section should include bibliographic citations only 
and should not be used to provide parenthetical information outside the 
15-page MERHAB-Targeted project or the 20-page MERHAB-regional project 
descriptions.
    (6) Milestone chart. It should provide time lines of major tasks 
covering the duration of the proposed project.
    (7) Budget and Application Forms Both NOAA and CSCOR/COP-specific 
application forms may be obtained at the CSCOR/COP Grants website. 
Forms may be viewed and, in most cases, filled in by computer. All 
forms must be printed, completed, and mailed to CSCOR/COP. If 
applicants are unable to access this information, they may call the 
CSCOR/COP grants administrator previously listed in the section 
entitled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. At time of proposal 
submission, all applicants must submit the Standard Form, SF-424 (Rev 
7-97) Application for Federal Assistance, to indicate the total amount 
of funding proposed for the whole project period. Applicants must also 
submit a COP Summary Proposal Budget Form for each fiscal year 
increment. Multi-institution proposals must include a Summary Proposal 
Budget Form for each institution. Use of this budget form will provide 
for a detailed annual budget and for the level of detail required by 
the CSCOR/COP program staff to evaluate the effort to be invested by 
investigators and staff on a specific project. The COP budget form is 
compatible with forms in use by other agencies that participate in 
joint projects with CSCOR/COP and can be found on the CSCOR/COP home 
page under COP Grants Information, Part D. All applications must 
include a budget narrative and a justification to support all proposed 
budget categories. The SF-424A, Budget Information (Non-Construction) 
Form, will be requested only from those applicants subsequently 
recommended for award.
    Ship time needs should be clearly identified in the proposed 
budget. The investigator is responsible for requesting ship time and 
for meeting all requirements to ensure the availability of requested 
ship time. Copies of relevant ship time request forms should be 
included with the proposal.
    (8) Biographical sketch. With each proposal, the following must be 
included: abbreviated curriculum vitae, up to two pages per 
investigator; a list of up to five publications most closely related to 
the proposed project and up to five other significant publications; and 
a list of all persons (including their organizational affiliation), in 
alphabetical order, who have collaborated on a project, book, article, 
or paper within the last 48 months must be included. If no 
collaborators exist this should be so indicated. Students, post-
doctoral associates, and graduate and postgraduate advisors of the PI 
should also be disclosed. This information is used to help identify 
potential conflicts of interest or bias in the selection of reviewers.
    (9) Proposal format and assembly. The original proposal should be 
clamped in the upper left-hand corner, but left unbound. The 19 
additional copies can be stapled in the upper left-hand corner or bound 
on the left edge. The page margin must be one inch (2.5 cm) at the top, 
bottom, left, and right, and the typeface standard 12-point size must 
be clear and easily legible. Proposals should be single spaced.

Part II: Further Supplementary Information

    (1) Program authorities. For a list of all program authorities for 
the Coastal Ocean Program, see General Grant Administration Terms and 
Conditions of the Coastal Ocean Program published in the Federal 
Register (66 FR 63019, December 4, 2001) and at the CSCOR/COP home 
page. Specific authority cited for this announcement is 16 U.S.C. 1442 
and Pub.L. 105-383, title VI, Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3447.
    (2) Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number. The CFDA 
number for the Coastal Ocean Program is 11.478.
    (3) Program description. For complete CSCOR/COP program 
descriptions, see General Grant Administration Terms and Conditions of 
the Coastal Ocean Program published in the Federal Register (66 FR 
63019, December 4, 2001).
    (4) Funding availability. Funding is contingent upon receipt of 
fiscal years 2002 - 2006 Federal appropriations. Approximately 
$2,000,000 per fiscal year will be available for supporting studies 
proposed by submissions to this announcement. Support in out years 
after FY 2002 is contingent upon the availability of funds. It is 
anticipated that three to five MERHAB-Targeted research projects will 
be funded at approximately $100,000 per year for up to three years and 
that two to three MERHAB-regional, intensive monitoring proposals will 
be funded at approximately $600,000 per year for up to five years.
    If an application is selected for funding, NOAA has no obligation 
to provide any additional prospective

[[Page 12975]]

funding in connection with that award in subsequent years. Continuation 
of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is 
based on satisfactory performance and is at the total discretion of the 
funding agency. Priority for these funds will be given to proposals 
that promote balanced coverage of the science objectives stated under 
this announcement.
    Publication of this document does not obligate the CSCOR/COP to any 
specific award or to obligate any part of the entire amount of funds 
available. Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws 
and agency policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal 
financial assistance awards.
    (5) Matching requirements. None.
    (6) Type of funding instrument. Either project grants or 
cooperative agreements will be used for non-Federal applicants. 
Interagency transfer agreements or other appropriate mechanisms other 
than project grants or cooperative agreements will be used for Federal 
applicants.
    (7) Eligibility criteria. For complete eligibility criteria for the 
CSCOR/COP, see CSCOR/COP's General Grant Administration Terms and 
Conditions annual document in the Federal Register (66 FR 63019, 
December 4, 2001) and the CSCOR/COP home page. Eligible applicants are 
institutions of higher education, not-for-profit institutions, state, 
local and Indian tribal governments and Federal agencies. CSCOR/COP 
will accept proposals that include foreign researchers as collaborators 
with researchers who are affiliated with a U.S. academic institution, 
Federal agency, or other non-profit organization.
    Applications from non-Federal and Federal applicants will be 
competed against each other. Proposals selected for funding from non-
Federal applicants will be funded through a project grant or 
cooperative agreement under the terms of this notice. Proposals from 
NOAA employees selected for funding shall be effected by an intra-
agency fund transfer. Proposals selected for funding from a non-NOAA 
Federal agency will be funded through an inter-agency transfer.
    NOTE: Before non-NOAA Federal applicants may be funded, they must 
demonstrate that they have legal authority to receive funds from 
another Federal agency in excess of their appropriation. Because this 
announcement is not proposing to procure goods or services from 
applicants, the Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 1535) is not an appropriate 
legal basis.
    (8) Award period. Full proposals for targeted projects can cover a 
project period of up to three years, and full proposals for regional, 
intensive monitoring projects can cover a project period of up to five 
years. Multi-year project period funding may be funded incrementally on 
an annual basis, but, once awarded, multi-year projects will not 
compete for funding in subsequent years. Each annual award shall 
require an Implementation Plan and statement of work that can be easily 
divided into annual increments of meaningful work representing solid 
accomplishments (if prospective funding is not made available, or is 
discontinued).
    (9) Indirect costs. Regardless of any approved indirect cost rate 
applicable to the award, the maximum dollar amount of allocable 
indirect costs for which DOC will reimburse the recipient shall be the 
lesser of: (a) the line item amount for the Federal share of indirect 
costs contained in the approved budget of the award; or (b) the Federal 
share of the total allocable indirect costs of the award based on the 
indirect cost rate approved by a cognizant or oversight Federal agency 
and current at the time the cost was incurred, provided the rate is 
approved on or before the award end date.
    (l0) Application forms and kit. For complete information on 
application forms for the CSCOR/COP, see CSCOR/COP's annual General 
Grant Administration Terms and Conditions Document in the Federal 
Register (66 FR 63019, December 4, 2001) at the CSCOR/COP home page and 
the information given under Required Elements, paragraph (7) Budget.
    (11) Project funding priorities. For description of project funding 
priorities, see CSCOR/COP's annual General Grant Administration Terms 
and Conditions Document in the Federal Register (66 FR 63019, December 
4, 2001) and the CSCOR/COP home page.
    (12) Evaluation criteria. For complete information on evaluation 
criteria, see CSCOR/COP's annual General Grant Administration Terms and 
Condition Document in the Federal Register (66 FR 63019, December 4, 
2001) and the CSCOR/COP home page.
    (13) Selection procedures. For complete information on selection 
procedures, see CSCOR/COP's annual General Grant Administration Terms 
and Conditions Document in the Federal Register (66 FR 63019, December 
4, 2001) and the CSCOR/COP home page. All proposals received under this 
specific Document will be evaluated and ranked individually in 
accordance with the assigned weights of the above evaluation criteria 
by independent peer mail review and/or panel review. No consensus 
advice will be given by the independent peer mail review or the review 
panel.
    (14) Other requirements. (a) For a complete description of other 
requirements, see CSCOR/COP's annual General Grant Administration Terms 
and Conditions Document in the Federal Register (66 FR 63019, December 
4, 2001) and the CSCOR/COP home page. NOAA has specific requirements 
that environmental data be submitted to the National Oceanographic Data 
Center (see section 16, Data Archiving).
    (b) the Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements 
for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register 
(66 FR 49917, October 1, 2001) are applicable to this solicitation. 
However, please note that the Department of Commerce will not implement 
the requirements of Executive Order 13202 (66 FR 49921), pursuant to 
guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget in light of a 
court opinion which found that the Executive Order was not legally 
authorized. See Building and Construction Trades Department v. 
Allbaugh, 172 F. Supp. 2d 138 (D.D.C. 2001). This decision is currently 
on appeal. When the case has been finally resolved, the Department will 
provide further information on implementation of Executive Order 13202.
    (c) Please note that NOAA is developing a policy on internal 
overhead charges; NOAA scientists considering submission of proposals 
should contact the appropriate CSCOR/COP Program Manager for the latest 
information.
    (15) Intergovernmental review. Applications under this program are 
not subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Federal Programs.'' It has been determined that this notice is not 
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 
553(a) (2), an opportunity for public notice and comment is not 
required for this notice relating to grants, benefits and contracts. 
Because this notice is exempt from the notice and comment provisions of 
the Administrative Procedure Act, a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is 
not required, and none has been prepared. It has been determined that 
this notice does not contain policies with Federalism implications as 
that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.
    (16) Data archiving. Any data collected in projects supported by 
CSCOR/COP must be delivered to a National Data Center (NDC), such as 
the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), in a format to be 
determined by the institution, the NODC, and Program

[[Page 12976]]

Officer. It is the responsibility of the funded institution for the 
delivery of these data; the DOC will not provide additional support for 
delivery beyond the award. Additionally, all biological cultures 
established, molecular probes developed, genetic sequences identified, 
mathematical models constructed, or other resulting information 
products established through support provided by CSCOR/COP are 
encouraged to be made available to the general research community at no 
or a modest handling charge (to be determined by the institution, 
Program Officer, and DOC). For more details, refer to CSCOR/COP data 
policy posted at the COP home page.
    (17) This notification involves collection-of-information 
requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The use of 
Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, and SF-LLL has been approved by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under control numbers 0348-0043, 
0348-0044, 0348-0040 and 0348-0046.
    The following requirements have been approved by OMB under control 
number 0648-0384; a Summary Proposal Budget Form (30 minutes per 
response), a Project Summary Form (30 minutes per response), a 
standardized format for the annual Performance Report (5 hours per 
response), a standardized format for the Final Report (10 hours per 
response), and the submission of up to 20 copies of proposals (10 
minutes per response). The response estimates include the time for 
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection of information.
    Send comments regarding these requirements and the burden estimate, 
or any other aspect of this collection of information, including 
suggestions for reducing this burden, to [email protected]. 
Copies of these forms and formats can be found on the CSCOR/COP home 
page under Grants Information sections, Parts D and F.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required 
to respond to, nor shall any 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 displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.

    Dated: March 11, 2002.
Jamison S. Hawkins,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone 
Management.
[FR Doc. 02-6747 Filed 3-19-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-JS-S