[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 67 (Monday, April 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16733-16737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-8453]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 000616180-2007-05]
RIN 0648-ZA91


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 
long-standing 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 agencies' contributions to that 
national effort.
    All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements 
below. Failure to heed these guidelines will result in proposals being 
returned without review.

DATES: Unless otherwise noted, strict deadlines for submission to the 
FY 2003 process are: Letters of intent must be received at the Office 
of Global Programs (OGP) no later than 30 days after the Announcement 
appears in the Federal Register. Applicants who have not received a 
response to their letter of intent within four weeks should contact the 
Program Manager. Full proposals must be received at OGP no later than 
60 days after the due date for Letters of Intent. The time from receipt 
of proposals to grant award varies by program area. We anticipate that 
review of full proposals will occur during August and September 2002, 
and funding should begin during early spring of 2003 for most approved 
projects. Applicants should be notified of their status within six 
months. February 1, 2003 or March 1, 2003, should be used as the 
proposed start date on proposals, unless otherwise directed by the 
appropriate Program Manager.

ADDRESSES: Letters of Intent and Proposals should be submitted to: 
Office of Global Programs; National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration; 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1210; 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: 
[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. 
Please be advised that actual funding levels will depend upon the final 
FY 2003 budget appropriations. In previous years approximately 
$6,000,000 has been available. Approximately 60 new awards are made 
each year.
    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 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; 15 U.S.C. 2904; 15 U.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

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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 modelled with an acceptable probability of success 
and are the most relevant for fundamental social concerns. Predicting 
the behavior of the coupled ocean-atmosphere-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 Elements

    In FY 2003, 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 Managers are provided. Funding for some programs may be limited 
to ongoing projects or may be used to fund projects proposed in FY 2002 
that were unable to be funded due to budgetary circumstances. 
Prospective investigators are urged to check the Climate & Global 
Change Program Web page (http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/) for general Managers 
for information on priorities within program elements and prospects for 
funding.
    (A) Aerosol-Climate Interactions Program--(ACIP)--The goal of the 
Aerosol-Climate Interaction Program (ACIP)--formerly known as the 
Aerosols Program, is elucidation of the role of aerosols in climate. To 
this end, ACIP seeks to answer the following questions: (1) What are 
the properties and distributions of radiatively significant 
tropospheric aerosols; and (2) What is the impact of those properties 
on the radiative balance of the Earth/Atmosphere climate system?
    To this end, ACIP has restricted support to and will continue to 
support research focused on the following topics, which are all 
designed to address the two questions cited above in support of program 
goals: (1) In-situ measurements of aerosols, in the context of highly 
focused field studies; (2) improvement and development of methodologies 
necessary to fill critical gaps in current in-situ aerosol measurement 
capabilities; and (3) data analyses stressing the synergistic use of 
in-situ and remotely-sensed data sets.
    ACIP functions in a highly cooperative context with related 
programs at the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Department 
of Energy, with an emphasis on collaboration in multi-disciplinary 
field campaigns as well as individual investigations designed to 
exploit opportunities to achieve synergies among program goals. To 
facilitate achieving these ends, ACIP places high priority on research 
foci and strategies articulated by the National Aerosol-Climate 
Interaction Program. Further information on that program can be found 
on the Internet at http://www.c4.ucsd.edu/NACIP.
    In FY 2003, ACIP anticipates augmentation of funding based upon the 
President's FY 2003 budget request. Because these funds have not yet 
been secured by NOAA, prospective participants in the program are 
warned that availability of funding is not assured.
    For FY 2003, ACIP is soliciting proposals limited to the following:
    (1) Investigations addressing limiting factors in current in-situ 
measurement capabilities. Priority will be given to methods and 
techniques applicable to development of fast, compact, instruments, 
capable of autonomous operation and integration with common data 
services, that can be deployed on light aircraft. Examples of 
applicable research include, but are not limited to, aerosol light 
absorption, chemical analyses of carbonaceous aerosols, selective 
analysis of soot, improved measurements of CCN, instrument 
intercomparisons and developments, of standards.
    (2) Overlapping with item (1), special focus is placed on spin-up 
of comprehensive light-aircraft field measurements of the most 
radiatively important aerosols, with an emphasis on elucidation of 
black carbon distributions. The objective of this study will be 
collection of adequate data aloft to begin the process of verifying and 
validating chemical transport models. It is expected that a well-
designed study will invoke and be highly integrated with a state-of-
the-art modelling framework.
    (3) As a follow-up to the ACE-Asia field campaign, data analyses 
stressing the synergistic use of multi-disciplinary data sets, with 
emphases on achieving closure on the radiative impacts of Asian 
aerosols observed during the campaign. Further information on ACE-Asia 
can be obtained at http://http://saga.pmel.noaa.gov/aceasia/.
    Further information may be obtained from the ACIP home page posted 
on the Internet (http://ogp.noaa.gov/mpe/acip/index.htm). In addition, 
prospective investigators are welcome to contact the Program Manager, 
Joel Levy, at 301-427-2089 x111 (voice); 301-427-2073 (fax); or 
[email protected] (e-mail).
    (b) Atmospheric Chemistry--The Atmospheric Chemistry Project 
focuses on global monitoring, process-oriented laboratory and field 
studies, and theoretical modelling to improve the predictive 
understanding of the atmospheric trace species that influence the 
earth's chemical and radiative balance and the variation of the 
concentration of these trace species regionally and seasonally. Note 
that grants funded under this program support joint research activities 
of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) project and 
NOAA/OGP, but are restricted to non-NOAA scientists whose participation 
is critical to the success of this research. Grant proposals will be 
evaluated by expert reviewers from the atmospheric chemistry community 
in the context of critical gaps in and desired supplements to the 
existing IGAC and NOAA research. For further information please 
contact: Krisa Arzayus NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 301-427-2089 
ext. 183, Internet: [email protected]; or Fred C. Fehsenfeld, 
NOAA/Aeronomy Laboratory, Boulder, CO, 303-497-5819, Internet: 
[email protected].
    (C) Climate Observation: The goal of this element is to build and 
sustain the global climate observing system that is needed to satisfy 
the long-term requirements of the operational forecast centers, 
international research programs, and major scientific assessments. The 
element supports in situ ocean and atmospheric components that 
contribute to global networks for understanding the Earth's climate 
system, the global water cycle, and the global carbon cycle, and looks 
for efficiencies to be gained by utilizing common platforms/sites/data 
infrastructure for several objectives. This program element will not 
accept applications for new projects in FY 2003, but will support 
renewal applications for ongoing efforts or as part of ongoing 
negotiations. For more information contact: Michael Johnson, NOAA 
Office of Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 169, Internet: 
[email protected].
    (D) 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

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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 
around the world. 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. The CSI is a chapeau for a suite of activities; prospective 
applicants must apply to one of the following program elements:
    Human Dimensions of Global Change Research (HDGCR): One of the main 
goals of the HDGCR program is understanding and analyzing the decision 
process as it relates to information about a dynamic climate system. 
The program is interested in building and analyses, modelling, and 
field work of societal adaptation to climate and the use of scientific 
information. For more information contact: Nancy Beller-Simms, NOAA/
Office of Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 180, [email protected]; or Caitlin Simpson, NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 
301-427-2089 ext. 152, [email protected].
    Health and Climate Variability: A joint interagency announcement is 
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].)
    Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments: This program element 
was titled Regional Assessments. NOAA's present program of Regional 
Integrated Sciences and Assessments possesses three distinct qualities:
    (1) Interdisciplinary, integration and synthesis; (2) bringing 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 
interested parties (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. This program will not accept applications to initiate new 
activities, but will accept renewal applications for ongoing efforts or 
as part of ongoing negotiations. For more information contact: Harvey 
Hill, NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 197, e-mail 
address: [email protected].
    (E) Climate Change Data and Detection: The scientific goals of this 
element include efforts to:
    (1) Provide data and information management support to assure the 
availability of critical data sets for a variety of international 
programs and assessments of primary interest to NOAA's C&GC Program, 
e.g., WCRP (World Climate Research Program) and IGBP (International 
Geosphere Biosphere Program), GCOS (the Global Climate Observing 
System), the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), as well 
as national programs and assessments, e.g., Pan-American Climate 
Studies (PACS), US CLIVAR (Climate Variability and Predictability) 
Program, the US National Climate Assessment, the Tri-lateral North 
American Climate Extremes Assessment, etc.; (2) develop, quality 
control, and evaluate data sets and quantify time-dependent biases 
(homogeneity) for cross-cutting science necessary to improve our 
ability to describe, understand, and predict seasonal, interannual, 
decadal, and longer term climate variations and changes; (3) calibrate, 
validate, and blend existing data sets from a variety of observing 
systems, including space based, in situ, and model data (data set 
enrichment); (4) document the quantitative character of observed 
climate variations and changes (climate change detection); and (5) 
attribute changes in the observed climate record to specific climate 
forcing (climate change attribution).
    During FY 2003, the Climate Change Data and Detection program 
element expects to include two major interagency activities:
    --Climate Change Detection and Attribution: NOAA and the Department 
of Energy (DOE) will co-sponsor a project that addresses all aspects of 
climate change detection and attribution.
    --Paleoclimatology: NOAA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) 
will co-sponsor a Paleoclimatology project that will entertain 
proposals to support the joint WCRP CLIVAR/IGBP PAGES Research 
Initiative. This initiative is jointly supported by NOAA and the NSF 
through the Earth System History (ESH) Program at NSF. This project 
will complement an in-house NOAA paleoclimatology research effort. For 
further information contact: Bill Murray, NOAA, 301-427-2098 ext. 133, 
Internet: [email protected]; Chris Miller, NOAA, 301-427-2089 ext. 
143, Internet: [email protected]; Rick Petty, DOE; 301-903-5548, 
Internet: [email protected]; or David Verardo, NSF, 703-292-8527, 
Internet: [email protected].
    (F) 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: Anjuli 
Bamzai, NOAA/Global Programs, Silver Spring, MD; telephone: 301-427-
2089 ext. 113, Internet: anjuli.bamzai.noaa.gov.
    (G) Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR): The U.S. 
CLIVAR program seeks to observe, model and understand patterns of 
climate variability on seasonal to decadal time scales and to assess 
the predictability of such climate variability. The ultimate goal of 
NOAA's participation in CLIVAR is to develop skillful predictions of 
climate variability and change on seasonal to multi-decadal time scales 
and regional spatial scales for optimal use in resource planning and 
police decision making. The program is designed to understand global 
climate variability; to determine the spatial and temporal extent to 
which this variability is predictable, to develop the observational, 
theoretical, and computational means to predict variability and to make 
enhanced predictions, where feasible. NOAA's research focuses on large-
scale recurrent patterns of variability that influence climate on the 
regional scale, particularly over the US. Among these patterns are the 
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), 
Tropical Atlantic Variability (TAV), the North Atlantic Oscillation 
(NAO), and the American monsoon systems. NOAA has structured its CLIVAR 
program to focus on variability and predictability within three 
regions: the Atlantic, the Pacific, and Pan America. For the Pan 
American Climate Studies (PACS) program, please contact Michael 
Patterson, NOAA/Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 102, Internet: 
[email protected]. For further information on CLIVAR-Atlantic, 
please contact James Todd,

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NOAA/Global Programs, 301/427-2089 ext. 139, Internet: 
[email protected]. For the CLIVAR- Pacific, please contact Ming Ji, 
NOAA/Global, Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 189, Internet: 
[email protected].
    (H) Economics and Human Dimensions of Climate Fluctuations: Please 
see Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) above.
    (I) GEWEX Americas Prediction Project (GAPP): GAPP is jointly 
supported by NOAA and NASA. Initiatives are solicited which have a 
geographical focus on the western USA or the Mississippi River Basin, 
and address the following GAPP priorities:
    (1) Land memory and orographic processes and their spatial and 
temporal variability: GAPP seeks to better understand the contributions 
of orography (including features such as the low level jet), soil 
moisture, vegetation and snow and other cold land processes to the 
predictability of the water cycle.
    (2) Model transferability studies, enriched data set production and 
assimilation of remotely-sensed data to support the US contribution to 
the GEWEX Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period.
    (3) Scientific investigations to examine the applications of 
climate forecasts and GAPP products in water resources management. 
Details about GAPP are available through the GAPP Science Plan and on 
the GAPP Web Site at http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/mpe/gapp/index.htm. For 
further information, please contact Rick Lawford ([email protected]. 
301-427-2089 ext. 146), or Michael Jasinski ([email protected], 
202-358-1847), or Jin Huang ([email protected], 301-427-2089 ext. 
148).
    (J) Global Carbon Cycle (GCC): The U.S. Interagency Carbon Cycle 
Science Program (CCSP) seeks to answer two overarching questions: (1) 
How large and variable are the dynamic reservoirs and fluxes of carbon 
within the Earth System, and how might carbon cycling change and be 
changed in future years, decades and centuries, and (2) What are our 
options for managing carbon sources and sinks to achieve an appropriate 
balance of risk, costs, and benefits to society? For more detailed 
information on interagency priorities, science planning and agency 
roles, please consult the Web at: http://www.carboncyclescience.gov.
    NOAA's participation in the U.S. program focuses on three main 
goals: (1) Quantifying spatial patterns and variability of carbon 
sources and sinks at global to regional scales; (2) documenting the 
fate of anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere and oceans; and (3) 
improving future climate predictions by incorporating a dynamic 
understanding of the carbon cycle into models. To achieve these goals, 
the GCC program focuses on oceanic and atmospheric observations, 
process-oriented field studies and modelling. Information and current 
project abstracts can be found on the Web at: http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/mpe/gcc/index/html. For FY2003, GCC will issue a separate announcement 
later in the year. Investigators interested in the GCC program area are 
encouraged to respond to this later announcement. For further 
information, please contact: Lisa Dilling, NOAA/Office of Global 
Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 106, Internet: [email protected] or 
Krisa Arzayus, 301-427-2089 ext. 183 Internet: [email protected] 
or see the Web at: http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/mpe/gcc/index/html.
    (K) Paleoclimatology: Please see Climate Change Data and Detection 
above.

5. Eligibility

    Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, other 
nonprofits, commercial organizations, international organizations, 
state, local and Indian tribal governments. 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 selected for funding from NOAA scientists 
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. PLEASE 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 the 
appropriation. The only exception to this is governmental research 
facilities for awards issued under the authority of 49 USC 44720. 
Because this announcement is not proposing to procure goods or services 
from applicants, the Economy Act (31 USC 1535) is not an appropriate 
legal basis.

6. Letters of Intent (LOI)

    The purpose of the LOI process is to provide information to 
potential applicants on the relevance of their proposed project to the 
Climate and Global Change Program and the likelihood of it being funded 
in advance of preparing a full proposal. Full proposals will be 
encouraged only for LOIs deemed relevant, therefore, it is in the best 
interest of the applicants and their institutions to submit an LOI; 
however, it is not a requirement. The LOI should provide a consise 
description of the proposed work and its relevance to the targeted 
program element. The LOI must include the components listed below. If 
these components are not included, the LOI risks a delayed response and 
may not be considered by the program reviewers. (A) Investigators must 
identify the program element that is being targeted in the LOI. (B) 
Investigators must specify a tentative project title in the LOI. (C) 
LOIs must include the name and institution of all principal 
investigator(s), and specify which individual is the Lead principal 
investigator. (D) LOIs should be no more than two pages in length and 
must include a statement of the problem, brief summary of work to be 
completed, methodology to be used, and approximate cost of the project. 
Facsimile and electronic mail are acceptable for LOIs (but not for full 
proposals).
    A panel of program managers will review each LOI to determine 
whether the LOI is responsive to the program goals as advertised in 
this notice. An LOI response (e-mail or letter) will be sent back to 
the investigator encouraging or discouraging a full proposal. The final 
decision to submit a full proposal will be made by the investigator.

7. Evaluation Criteria

    Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those 
proposals that address one of the Program Elements listed above and 
meet the following evaluation criteria:
    (A) Scientific Merit: Intrinsic scientific value of the subject and 
the study proposed, including methodology and readiness: 50%.
    (B) Relevance: Importance and relevance to the goals of the 
selected Program Element(s). (See Program Objectives above): 50%.

8. Selection Procedures

    Proposals, including those submitted by NOAA employees, will be 
evaluated in accordance with the above evaluation criteria by (A) 
independent per mail review, and/or (B) independent peer panel review 
consisting of both NOAA and non-NOAA (including non-Federal) experts. 
The Program Manager will not be a voting member of an independent peer 
panel. Occasionally a peer mail review or a peer panel review will be 
used exclusively. More often, the peer

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mail reviews will be provided to the peer review panel for use in its 
deliberations. The peer mail reviewers rate each proposal using the 
above evaluation criteria. The panel will review and discuss each 
project and, based on the above evaluation criteria, each member of the 
panel will separately provide a single numerical rating of each 
project. These ratings result in a rank order which, in association 
with a post-rating panel discussion, is used to establish those 
proposals that are meritorious and relevant and worthy of further 
consideration.
    The Program Manager will make his/her recommendations to the 
Selecting Official based upon his/her determination as to which of the 
worthy proposals (1) best achieve the strategic goals of NOAA (2) are 
most likely to be completed successfully, (3) do not substantially 
duplicate other projects that are currently funded by NOAA or are 
approved for funding by other federal agencies, (4) provide 
programmatic balance, (5) are highly cost effective and (6) fall within 
remaining funds available. Unsatisfactory performance by a recipient 
under prior Federal awards may result in an application not being 
considered for funding. Although rare, the Program Manager may decide 
to recommend a project that was not categorized as worthy of funding if 
he/she determines that it is a high-risk project from which a 
substantial potential benefit may occur. The Program Manager will also 
determine the total duration of funding and the amount of funding for 
each selected proposal.
    The Program Manager submits his/her recommendations to the 
Selecting Official who may approve or modify the final selection of 
projects to be recommended to the Grants Officer for funding based on 
the selection factors (1) to (6) above or classified as high risk, but 
with substantial potential benefit.
    Applications proposed for funding are subject to the requirements 
of Executive Order 12372, ``intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs''. This Notice has been determined to be ``not significant'' 
for purposes of Executive Order 12866. It has been determined that this 
notice does not contain policies with Federalism implications as that 
term is defined in Executive Order 13132. Because notice and comment 
are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other law, for this notice 
relating to public property, loans, grants benefits or contracts (5 
U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required and 
has not been prepared for this notice, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq. Pursuant to 
Executive Orders 13256, 12900, and 13021, the Department of Commerce, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly 
committed to broadening the participation of Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HIS), 
and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) in its educational and 
research programs. The DOC/NOAA vision, mission, and goals are to 
achieve full participation by Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) in 
order to advance the development of human potential, to strengthen the 
nation's capacity to provide high-quality education, and to increase 
opportunities for MSIs to participate in and benefit from Federal 
Financial Assistance programs. DOC/NOAA encourages all applicants to 
include meaningful participation of MSIs. Institutions eligible to be 
considered MSIs are listed at the following Internet Web site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/99minin.html.
    The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register 
notice of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 49917), are applicable to this 
solicitation. However, please note that the Department will not 
implement the requirements of Executive Order 13202 (66 FR 49921), 
pursuant to guidance issued by the office of Management 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.

Louisa Koch,
Deputy Assistant Administrator.
[FR Doc. 02-8453 Filed 4-5-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KB-M