[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 12 (Friday, January 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2513-2526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1153]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Ocean Service

[Docket No. 021226332-2332-01; I.D. 121202C]


Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program Fiscal Year 2003 Funding 
Guidance

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Ocean 
Service (NOS), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Federal assistance for coral reef 
conservation activities.

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SUMMARY: This document advises the public that the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is soliciting proposals for the NOAA 
Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program (Program), pursuant to the Coral 
Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (Act). The Act authorizes the Secretary 
of Commerce (Secretary), through the NOAA Administrator 
(Administrator), and subject to the availability of funds, to provide 
matching grants of financial assistance for coral reef conservation 
projects under the Program. This document provides the specific Fiscal 
Year (FY) 2003 Funding Guidance (Guidance) necessary to award 
$5,590,000 in Federal assistance, of which NOAA is providing $5,240,000 
and the Department of the Interior (DOI)is providing $350,000, 
consistent with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program 
Implementation Guidelines (Guidelines) published in the Federal 
Register on Friday, April 19, 2002. The Guidelines can be found at 
http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/. The information published in this 
Guidance includes: specific program eligibility criteria, Funding 
Availability, proposal submittal and selection dates, and detailed 
application requirements and Application Evaluation criteria. All 
applications submitted pursuant to this notice must be consistent with 
the requirements stated herein, the Guidelines, and with ``A National 
Coral Reef Action Strategy'' (Strategy), completed in September 2002. 
The Strategy can also be found at: http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/. 
Applicants may also request copies of the Strategy from the contacts 
listed below. Funding will be subject to the availability of federal 
appropriations.

DATES: Applications must be received by NOAA before 5 P.M. Eastern Time 
on the dates specified below. Initial applications can be submitted by 
either electronic mail (e-mail) or surface mail; however, one original 
and two signed copies of the final application must be submitted by 
surface mail. Applicants should consider the delivery time when 
submitting their applications from international or remote areas. NOAA 
intends to provide funding to selected applicants no later than 
September 30, 2003. The following review and selection timetable 
applies to all applications under the Program, except the Coral Reef 
Research Ecosystem Program (see section IV):
    Initial Applications due to NOAA-March 14, 2003
    NOAA returns proposal comments to applicants-May 9, 2003
    Final Applications due to NOAA-June 6, 2003
    The NOAA Grants Officer will provide written notice to each 
successful applicant with written notice of the final funding selection 
on or before September 30, 2003. It is the goal of the NOAA Program 
Officer to also provide notice to each unsuccessful applicant before 
September 30, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Initial applications may be submitted by surface mail or e-
mail. Submissions by e-mail are preferred. If submitting by surface 
mail, applicants are encouraged to include a copy of the initial 
application in electronic format on disk or cd and mail both to: David 
Kennedy, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program Coordinator, Office of 
Response and Restoration, N/ORR, Room 10102, NOAA National Ocean 
Service, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Applications 
submitted by e-mail must be sent to [email protected]. Fax 
submittals will not be accepted except for the International Coral Reef 
Conservation proposals, Section VII (Fax: 301-713-4389).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Administrative questions should be 
directed to Bill Millhouser, 301-713-3155, extension 189 or e-mail at 
[email protected].
    Technical point of contact for State and Territory Coral Reef 
Management is Bill Millhouser, 301-713-3155, extension 189 or e-mail at 
[email protected].
    Technical point of contact for State and Territory Coral Reef 
Ecosystem Monitoring is John Christensen, 301-713-3028, extension 153 
or e-mail at [email protected].
    Technical point of contact for Coral Reef Ecosystem Research is 
Kimberly Puglise, 301-713-2427, extension 199 or e-mail at 
[email protected].
    Technical point of contact for General Coral Reef Conservation is 
Tom Hourigan, 301-713-3459, extension 122 or e-mail at 
[email protected].
    Technical point of contact for Projects to Improve or Amend Coral 
Reef Fishery Management Plans is Tom Hourigan, 301-713-3459, extension 
122 or e-mail at [email protected].
    Technical point of contact for International Coral Reef 
Conservation is Arthur Paterson, 301-713-3078, extension 217 or e-mail 
at [email protected].
    For general information on NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, 
contact Roger Griffis, 301-713-3989, extension 115 or e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NOAA announces the availability of 
$5,590,000 of Federal assistance in FY 2003 for Coral Conservation 
Activities. NOAA is providing $5,240,000 and DOI is providing $350,000. 
These funds will be used to support grants of financial assistance 
under the following six program categories: State and Territory Coral 
Reef Management; State and Territory Coral Reef Ecosystem

[[Page 2514]]

Monitoring; Coral Reef Ecosystem Research; Coral Reef Conservation; 
Projects to Improve or Amend Coral Reef Fishery Management Plans; and 
International Coral Reef Conservation.
    Please Note: The Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Program mentioned 
here will solicit proposals through NOAA's Undersea Research Program 
(NURP) on a different schedule than described in this Guidance. 
Applicants interested in submitting applications for coral research 
should consult section IV. Coral Reef Ecosystem Research.
    The amount of funds available and the application requirements for 
each program category are established in Sections II - VII of this 
notice. In addition to this specific program information, all 
applicants should carefully read section VIII. General Information for 
All Applicants.
    For applications submitted in electronic format, the preferred 
format is Adobe Acrobat (.PDF); however, WordPerfect or Microsoft Word 
files are acceptable. All applications must meet the information and 
formatting requirements specified in this Guidance. Federal financial 
assistance forms are not required to be submitted with the initial 
application; however, one original and two signed copies must be 
submitted with the final application.
    Each application must include a cover sheet with the following 
information:
    (a) Project title;
    (b) Applicant organization;
    (c) Principal investigator or contact;
    (d) Contact information including address, phone and fax numbers, 
and e-mail address;
    (e) Program category (see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, below);
    (f) Geographic location of the project;
    (g) Amount of grant funds requested;
    (h) Amount of matching funds provided; and,
    (i) Concise paragraph project summary.
    NOAA will select projects based on a review of applications 
pursuant to criteria contained in the Guidelines, the Strategy, and 
this Guidance. In addition, each program office will ensure where 
appropriate in their evaluation criteria, commitment to effective 
education and outreach consistent with NOAA's mission to protect coral 
reef resources. Selected recipients will enter into either a 
cooperative agreement with the NOAA Office responsible for the program 
or receive a grant depending upon the amount of NOAA's involvement in 
the project. Substantial involvement means a cooperative agreement, 
while independent work requires a grant. Examples of substantial 
involvement include:
    (1) Requirements that the appropriate DOC official collaborate with 
the recipient by working jointly with a recipient scientist or 
technician in carrying out the scope of work;
    (2) Specify direction or redirection of the scope of work due to 
the relationships with other projects; and,
    (3) Review scope of work and closely monitor the program operations 
during the performance period.
    Applicants whose initial applications are preliminarily selected 
must then submit a final Federal financial assistance award application 
package, including proposed projects and supporting documentation, and 
all required Federal financial assistance forms as described in the 
relevant program section below. The required Federal financial 
assistance forms SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, CD-511, CD-512, and if 
applicable, CD-346 and/or SF-LLL, can be obtained from the NOAA grants 
Website at http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/[tilde]grants/pdf. Applicants are 
required to include one original and two signed hard/paper copies for 
each final application package submitted.
    The number of awards made under this funding Guidance may vary. See 
each program description in sections II - VII for more information. 
Successful applicants may be asked to revise award objectives, work 
plans, or budgets prior to submittal of the final application. The 
exact amount of funds to be awarded, the final scope of activities, the 
project duration, and specific NOAA cooperative involvement with the 
activities of each project will be determined in pre-award negotiations 
among the applicant, NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD), and 
relevant NOAA staff. Projects should not be initiated in expectation of 
Federal funding until a notice of award document is received from NOAA 
GMD. Publication of this document does not obligate NOAA to award any 
specific project or obligate all or any part of the available funds.

I. Authority

    Statutory authority is provided under Section 6403 (Coral Reef 
Conservation Program) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 
U.S.C. 6401 et seq.). Each program's Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance (CFDA) number can be found in the specific program 
information included in sections II - VII below.

II. State and Territory Coral Reef Management

A. Program Description

    This description provides requirements for applying for funding 
appropriated by Congress to NOAA and DOI in FY 2003 to support 
comprehensive programs for the conservation and management of coral 
reefs and associated fisheries in the jurisdictions of Puerto Rico, the 
U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), Florida, Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of 
the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and American Samoa.
    NOAA's National Ocean Service, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource 
Management (OCRM) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office 
of Habitat Conservation (OHC), and DOI Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) 
are jointly providing approximately $2,100,000 in funding for 
cooperative agreements to support state and territorial coral reef and 
coral reef fishery management and conservation activities as listed in 
E(2) below.
    Each jurisdiction need only develop and submit one comprehensive 
coral reef management application for the funds available under this 
section. The Federal agencies will coordinate their reviews of each 
application to ensure comparability and continuity. It is anticipated 
that OCRM will make awards to four of the seven jurisdictions and that 
DOI/OIA will make awards to the remaining three jurisdictions.

B. Eligibility Criteria

    The eligible applicants are the governor-appointed point of contact 
agencies for coral reef activities in each of the jurisdictions of 
American Samoa, Florida, CNMI, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and USVI.

C. Funding Availability and Mechanism

1. Funding Availability
    Approximately $2,100,000 in FY 2003 funding is available for Coral 
Reef and Coral Reef Fishery Management cooperative agreements. Funding 
will be subject to the availability of federal appropriations. Support 
in out years after FY 2003 is contingent upon the availability of funds 
and the requirements of the Federal agency supporting the project. Each 
eligible jurisdiction can apply for a maximum $400,000.
2. Funding Mechanism
    Cooperative agreements will be awarded to each eligible 
jurisdiction. Applicants may submit applications covering a 12- to 18-
month period with

[[Page 2515]]

an anticipated start date of October 1, 2003.

D. Matching Funds

    The requirements for matching funds under Section VIII(3) of the 
Guidance are applicable to Funding Availability under this program. 
Specific information to be submitted in regard to matching funds can be 
found in the Application Content and Format Section below.

E. Application Content and Format

1. Application Content
    Applications should reflect the National Coral Reef Action 
Strategy, the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force National Action Plan to 
Conserve Coral Reefs, and local strategies for coral reef management, 
such as the 1999, U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Initiative Strategy, as 
modified by the events and activities of the last 3 years. In addition, 
proposed activities should be coordinated, where appropriate, with 
ongoing and proposed NOAA coral reef mapping, monitoring, coastal zone 
and fishery management initiatives, and DOI Fish and Wildlife Service 
and National Park Service coral reef activities.
    In light of the October 2002 U.S. Coral Reef Task Force resolution 
to implement a regional process to address six key focus areas, 
jurisdictions are encouraged to propose funding under this program for 
local projects and participation in support of this effort. A copy of 
the Task Force Resolution is available at http://coralreef.gov/res1cfm/
.
    In developing the application, applicants must consult with all 
relevant State and/or Territory governmental and non-governmental 
entities involved in coral reef activities in their respective 
jurisdictions. Those agencies consulted must include coastal zone 
management, water quality, and wildlife and/or marine resource 
agencies.
    Funding under this award is also intended to support jurisdictional 
participation in national coral reef planning activities, such as U.S. 
Coral Reef Task Force meetings. As such, applicants should include in 
their proposal, anticipated travel costs associated with attendance and 
participation at U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and other relevant meetings 
and conferences.
    Applicants may submit applications covering up to an 18-month 
period and must meet all applicable Department of Commerce (DOC) or DOI 
grant requirements. Initial and final applications must be submitted to 
NOAA by the due dates established in the DATES section above. Federal 
financial assistance forms are not required to be submitted with the 
initial application; however, all applicable Federal forms must be 
submitted with the final application. One original and two signed hard/
paper copies of the final application, including forms, are required.
    Large equipment and/or infrastructure acquisitions are not a 
priority for funding under this program. Such purchases proposed herein 
will be reviewed on a case by case basis with respect to the specific 
management objectives of this and the local coral reef program.
2. Application Format
    In developing the proposal, applicants must organize proposed tasks 
into the following nine key threat management categories (a - i, 
below), which are based on those found in the threat and management 
action matrices developed by the All Islands Group:
    a. Climate Change, Coral Bleaching, Diseases and Extreme Biotic and 
Storm Events, e.g., applied research, monitoring, or planning to better 
understand and manage impacts;
    b. Overfishing, Destructive Fishing, and the Harvest and Collection 
of Marine Ornamentals (Including Coral), in FY 2003, NMFS OHC has 
provided $350,000 of the total $2,100,000 to fund priority state and 
territorial coral reef fishery management activities. Proposed funding 
for coral reef fishery management tasks should not exceed $60,000 per 
jurisdiction, and should be budgeted within the jurisdiction's 
comprehensive proposal.
    The mandate of NMFS is to build sustainable fisheries, recover 
protected species, and sustain healthy habitats for these species. 
These tasks should be developed in the same format as the other coral 
reef management tasks and included and submitted in the comprehensive 
application. Examples of eligible projects include:
    (i) Assessment and monitoring of fish and fishery resources, 
collection of fishery information;
    (ii) Analysis of fishery impacts on reefs and support for the 
implementation of fishery gear restrictions or other priority 
regulations;
    (iii) Development of fishery reserves;
    (iv) Activities to improve management of ornamental reef species 
for the aquarium industry;
    (v) Hiring or training of enforcement officers; and,
    (vi) Outreach and education on fishery and endangered species 
issues.
    c. Increasing Development Pressure, Unmanaged Land Use, and 
Population Growth, e.g., tasks to forward the conservation and 
management of coral reefs through planning, designation, implementation 
and evaluation of land use and marine protected areas; including 
personnel training, equipment procurement, management plan development, 
signage, monitoring and enforcement, etc.;
    d. Tourism and Recreational Overuse, and Vessel Groundings and 
Anchorings, e.g., coastal zone management activities, marine and land 
zoning, vessel grounding prevention and management, mooring buoy 
installation, recreational signage, etc.;
    e. Alien and Invasive Species, e.g., policy development, mitigation 
projects, etc.;
    f. Marine Pollution, Sedimentation, Runoff, Nonpoint Source 
Pollution, and Marine Debris, e.g., tasks focused on: (1) Oil-spill 
prevention and response, e.g., developing response plans, personnel 
training, interagency coordination, etc.; (2) Marine debris prevention 
and removal, e.g., developing prevention policies, collection and 
disposal of debris, etc.; and (3) Reducing impacts from land-based/
watershed pollution source, e.g., Best Management Practices (BMP) 
planning and implementation, watershed restoration projects, etc.;
    g. Lack of General Public Awareness, e.g., tasks to increase 
general coral reef awareness including brochures and other 
informational materials, public meetings and workshops, etc.;
    h. National Security Activities, e.g., tasks intended to support 
coordination toward the management of impacts from national security 
activities; and,
    i. Other, e.g., activities that address other threats.
    The first page of the application should consist of the cover page 
described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section at the beginning of 
this document.
    For each category in which one or more task is proposed, the 
applicant must include the following information:
    a. A brief introduction that describes the status of the issue in 
the jurisdiction as addressed by the proposed task; recent actions 
undertaken to address the issues, with a focus on the status of 
previous federally funded tasks; the jurisdiction's strategy to address 
critical needs over the medium term; and, a justification for the 
proposed task.
    b. A description of each proposed task that must include:
    (i) The category of management action from the All Islands Group 
management action matrix under which the proposed activity falls;
    (ii) Clear identification of the work to be completed, who will 
perform the

[[Page 2516]]

work, relationship to ongoing projects and how the project fits into 
the jurisdiction's strategy for addressing the issue;
    (iii) How the project coordinates with relevant local governmental 
and non-governmental agencies and, if applicable, NOAA or DOI regional 
activities;
    (iv) Task timetable with interim benchmarks and clearly-defined 
work products;
    (v) Project priority as compared to all other proposed projects; 
and,
    (vi) A Summary Budget that includes a detailed breakdown of costs 
by category and information regarding the amount of matching funds 
available to the applicant, as described in Section VIII(3) of this 
Guidance. Intended sources of matching funds must be identified in the 
application, and applicants whose proposals are selected for funding 
will be required to submit with the final application, letter(s) of 
commitment to fund from the organization(s) providing matching funds.
    c. Each application must also include, on the last page, a summary 
budget table of all projects, which lists the name of each project 
proposed and the corresponding total cost and matching funds 
information.

F. Application Evaluation and Selection Criteria

1. Evaluation Criteria
    Applications will be peer-reviewed by individuals with coral reef 
and fisheries management experience on the following equally weighted 
evaluation criteria, as evidenced by information in the application:
    a. Documented need for the proposed coral reef management activity 
to fill gaps in the jurisdiction's management capacity;
    b. Demonstrated coordination with applicable ongoing local, state, 
territorial, and Federal coral reef management activities;
    c. Technical merit of the proposed management activity; and,
    d. Ability of the work to be completed for the funding and timing 
proposed.
    Subsequently, a Federal agency team of representatives from NMFS, 
OCRM, and OIA will review the applications, pursuant to equally 
weighted criteria described in Section X(3) of the Guidelines and 
comments received from peer reviewers. Based on this review, the team 
will make a preliminary funding recommendation for each jurisdiction.
    2. Selection Criteria
    OCRM and DOI will then provide the preliminary funding 
recommendation and application comments to each selected jurisdiction. 
These comments will include input from peer reviewers and the Federal 
agency team and are intended for use in the applicant's development of 
the final application.
    Upon receipt of the final application, complete with the requisite 
Federal financial assistance forms, the Federal agency team will review 
the complete package and make final funding recommendations based on 
the response to comments that were returned to the applicant. The team 
will submit these funding recommendations to the NOAA review panel for 
final review, pursuant to Section X(4) of the Guidelines.
    If all available funds are not awarded, NOAA and DOI will consult 
with the eligible applicants on the use of any residual funds. NOAA and 
DOI will work with each jurisdiction to ensure the greatest degree of 
success in meeting local, state, territorial, and national coral reef 
management needs.

G. Program Authority

    Specific authority for the NOAA program is found in 16 U.S.C. 6403. 
NOAA proposals will be reviewed and awarded by OCRM under title, 
Coastal Zone Management Program, CFDA Number: 11.419.

III. State and Territory Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring

A. Program Description

    This description provides requirements for applying for funding 
appropriated by Congress to the NOAA in FY 2003 to support state and 
territorial coral reef ecosystem monitoring. This program will be 
administered by the NOS National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Science 
(NCCOS).
    NOAA and its partners are implementing a nationally coordinated, 
comprehensive, long-term monitoring program to assess the condition of 
U.S. coral reef ecosystems and evaluate the effectiveness of coral reef 
ecosystem management decisions. This program was requested by the U.S. 
Coral Reef Task Force, which, along with the nation's coral reef 
program managers and the public, endorsed and called for implementation 
of ``A National Program to Assess, Inventory, and Monitor U.S. Coral 
Reef Ecosystems.''
    NOAA began implementing the Program in 2000 and continues to 
administer it with Congressional appropriations for coral reef 
conservation. The Program includes the collection, analysis, and 
reporting of long-term coral reef ecosystem monitoring data pursuant to 
scientifically valid methodologies and protocols and is a key priority 
of the National Coral Reef Action Strategy.
    The implementation plan calls for integration of now-disparate 
monitoring sites into a coordinated national network, sharing of 
monitoring information among U.S. coral reef resource managers and 
scientists, and filling gaps in monitoring coverage nationwide. Through 
this Program, U.S. Federal, state, commonwealth, and territory, and 
Freely Associated State agencies support a variety of local and 
regional assessments, inventories, and monitoring of U.S. and U.S. 
affiliated coral reef resources. Additionally, there are several 
regional volunteer and community monitoring programs regularly 
assessing reef resources. A nationally coordinated coral monitoring 
infrastructure will enable the preparation of a biennial science-based 
report on the condition or ``health'' of U.S. coral reef ecosystems and 
support local coral reef management efforts.
    The nation's coral reef resource managers have recommended key 
biotic and abiotic parameters that should be monitored at all local 
sites in the National monitoring network:
    1. Benthic habitat characterization (e.g., depth, habitat 
delineation, and/or percent live/dead cover of corals, submerged 
aquatic vegetation, macroalgae, sponges, rugosity, diversity, etc.);
    2. Associated biological community structure including fish 
condition (e.g., abundance, density, size, diversity, disease, harvest 
trends) and large motile and sessile invertebrates condition 
(abundance, density, size, diversity, disease, harvest trends); and,
    3. Water/substrate quality (e.g., temperature, nutrient enrichment, 
toxic chemicals, turbidity).
    Proposed work should include multi-organizational partnerships 
(local, regional, Federal, and possibly international) that build local 
capacity for maintaining long-term monitoring sites as part of a 
National Coral Reef Monitoring Network. NOAA will be an active partner 
in the development and implementation of the award; thus, proposals 
should be structured as cooperative agreements between NOAA and the 
principal investigators. For these proposals, it is appropriate to 
include the equipment necessary to build capacity to archive biotic 
transects (e.g., one or more digital videography cameras with 
underwater housing, museum maintenance of reference specimen 
collections, etc.).

[[Page 2517]]

B. Eligibility Criteria

    Eligible applicants are limited to the natural resource management 
agency in each U.S. State or Territory, or Freely Associated State, 
with jurisdiction over coral reefs, as designated by the respective 
governors or other applicable senior jurisdictional official. NOAA is 
requesting proposals from Puerto Rico, Florida, U.S. Virgin Islands, 
Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and the 
Republic of the Marshall Islands. Federal agencies are not eligible for 
funding under this Program.
    Furthermore, to be eligible for FY 2003 funding, applicants 
previously receiving funds under this Program must have made 
significant progress implementing those tasks and met data submission 
deadlines, including all performance and fiscal reporting requirements 
and data transfers.

C. Funding Availability and Mechanisms

1. Funding Availability
    Approximately $840,000 will be available in FY 2003 for coral reef 
ecosystem monitoring activities under this program. FY 2003 awards to 
Puerto Rico, Florida, U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, American Samoa, 
Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are expected 
to range from $50,000 to $100,000. FY 2003 awards to the Federated 
States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands are expected to be approximately $10,000 to $20,000 
per year. Funding will be subject to the availability of federal 
appropriations.
2. Funding Mechanism
    Funds will be administered though cooperative agreements between 
eligible organizations and NCCOS. FY 2003 awards to Puerto Rico, 
Florida, U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands may submit proposals up to 
3 years in duration, at funding levels between $50,000 to $100,000 per 
year (e.g., up to $300,000 for 3-year continuation proposal). FY 2003 
awards to the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and 
the Republic of the Marshall Islands may submit proposals up to three 
years in duration, at funding levels between $10,000 - $20,000 per year 
(i.e., $60,000 for three year continuation proposal). FY 2003 awards, 
however, will only provide funding for the monitoring activities 
proposed for FY 2003, and funding for out years is contingent on 
subsequent years' appropriations. Multiple-year proposals must specify 
the budget and activities for each year. Annual projects should follow 
the Federal fiscal year, beginning on October 1 and ending September 
30.

D. Matching Funds

    The requirements for matching funds under Section VIII(3) of the 
Guidance are applicable to Funding Availability under this program. 
Specific information to be submitted in regard to matching funds can be 
found in the Application Content and Format section below.

E. Application Content and Format

1. Content
    Application Content should be developed and submitted according to 
the following guidelines:
    a. First time applicants for monitoring awards: Eligible activities 
for the first year of proposed funding (i.e., FY 2003) include an 
initial characterization of baseline ecosystem condition, an inventory/
mapping of biotic resources, and an assessment of anthropogenic 
stressors (e.g., contaminants in lagoon sediments, sedimentation 
conditions, eutrophication, etc.) if these studies are prerequisite to 
establishing new long-term monitoring sites. Activities can also 
include database development and training of field crew. Proposed 
second and third year work should follow the guidelines for previous 
recipients below.
    b. Previous recipients of NCCOS monitoring awards: Proposals from 
previous recipients should detail the monitoring design, sampling 
parameters and protocols, data management, and the need/context for 
establishing new long-term monitoring sites. Proposals should describe 
how the proposed monitoring meets local coral conservation needs and 
fits into ongoing long-term assessments, inventories, and monitoring 
within the jurisdiction and/or region. Each proposal must provide 
enough specificity on the parameters to be monitored, the design and 
frequency of sampling, methods used, data management and quality 
assurance, and other information for peer-reviewers to judge the 
quality of proposed work. Of particular importance to creating a 
National Coral Reef Monitoring Network, each proposal should also 
address (1) how compatible the proposed data (e.g., data confidence 
limits, standardized protocols) will be with other jurisdictional and 
regional databases, and (2) when and in what format the data will be 
available to NOAA. The information produced through these awards is 
intended to fill gaps in knowledge of coral reef ecosystems nationwide, 
track and predict changes in coral reef ecosystems nationwide, and 
serve as the foundation for biennial reporting in the Report of the 
Health of U.S. Coral Reef Ecosystems.
    In addition, each jurisdiction's proposal for FY 2003 must include 
the preparation of a comprehensive assessment of coral reef ecosystem 
health. This will be each jurisdiction's contribution to the Report on 
the Health of U.S. Coral Reef Ecosystems: 2004. Toward this end, FY 
2003 proposals may budget for travel to at least one national workshop, 
costs for preparing and printing a jurisdictional report on the 
condition of coral reef ecosystems, and related expenses.
    In light of the October 2002 U.S. Coral Reef Task Force resolution 
to implement a regional process to address six key focus areas, 
jurisdictions are encouraged to propose funding under this program for 
local projects and participation in support of this effort.

2. Application Format

    Applicants must submit initial applications, inclusive of elements 
a-e below, by the date established in the DATES section above. 
Applications are limited to 15 standard letter size pages, including 
attachments, and font should be Times New Roman, 12 point or larger.
    a. A Cover Page as described in the SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION 
section at the beginning of this Guidance;
    b. A Project Description (i.e., narrative description) for each 
proposed task that includes: the specific priority management questions 
that are driving the effort, how data collected will be translated and 
transferred to the local management community, project objectives, and 
a timetable with project milestones;
    c. A Summary Budget that includes a detailed breakdown of costs by 
category and a description of the amount of matching funds available to 
the applicant, as described in Section VIII of the Guidelines. Each 
subcontract or subgrant should be listed as a separate item. Describe 
the products or services to be obtained and indicate the applicability 
or necessity of each to the project. Provide separate budgets for each 
subcontract or subgrant and indicate the basis for the cost estimates. 
More detailed budget instructions are available at http://
biogeo.nos.noaa.gov/[tilde]jchristensen/mon--web/. Intended

[[Page 2518]]

sources of matching funds must be identified in the application. 
Applicants whose proposals are selected for funding will be required to 
submit letter(s) of commitment to fund from the organization(s) 
providing matching funds with the final application. Multiple-year 
proposals must specify the budget and activities for each year;
    d. Curriculum Vitae for principal investigators;
    e. Summary Project Abstract; and,
    f. All required NOAA Federal financial assistance awards - forms 
(see below). One original and two copies of the jurisdiction's 
application must be submitted to NOAA by the date established in the 
DATES section at the beginning of this Guidance.
    Final applications must include all elements of the initial 
application, any responses to comments and edits, all required NOAA 
Federal financial assistance forms (element f above), and must be 
received by NOAA on or before the date established in the DATES section 
above. One original and two signed hard copies of the final 
applications are required.
    The NOAA Grants Management Division program web site, http://
www.rdc.noaa.gov/[tilde]grants/index.html, provides detailed 
application instructions and electronic versions of Federal financial 
assistance forms. The two most relevant sections at this web site are, 
``C. Instructions and Guidelines,'' and, ``D. Application Forms for 
Initial Proposal Submission.'' Applicants should review their 
application package prior to submission and be sure that all blocks on 
forms SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, CD-511, CD-512, and if applicable, CD-
346 and/or SF-LLL have been filled in completely. Monitoring program 
Applicants should reference http://biogeo.nos.noaa.gov?[tilde]jchristensen/mon--web/ for instructions on 
filling out forms SF-424 and SF-424A.

F. Application Evaluation and Selection Criteria

1. Evaluation Criteria
    Applications will be peer-reviewed by a small panel of 
representatives from relevant U.S. State, Territory, and Federal, and 
Freely Associated State agencies, as well as the jurisdictional coral 
reef Points of Contact (POCs). Each POC will be asked to review one or 
more proposals from other jurisdictions, but never their own. Proposals 
will be peer-reviewed on the following criteria:
    a. The jurisdiction's need for such work to fill gaps in monitoring 
coverage and build local capacity for long-term monitoring of coral 
reef ecosystems;
    b. The quality of the proposed science and potential for the 
resulting data to be incorporated into a National Monitoring Network;
    c. The ability of the principal investigators to conduct such work; 
and,
    d. Support for the All Islands Coral Reef Initiative, in applicable 
jurisdictions.
    Reviewer results will be shared with applicants, and applicants 
will be given the opportunity to revise their application and/or 
respond to reviewer comments.
    Taking into consideration comments received from peer reviewers, 
NCCOS will evaluate each proposal and develop funding recommendations 
based on the criteria in Section X(3) of the Guidelines. In evaluating 
the technical merit and adequacy of the implementation plan, NCCOS will 
apply the following 3 equally weighted criteria:
    a. Relevance to establishing a national monitoring network. The 
principal objective of the proposals should be to fill priority gaps or 
needs in coral reef monitoring and assessment programs, such that they 
contribute to the creation of a comprehensive and coordinated network 
of monitoring sites for U.S. coral reef ecosystems. In subsequent 
years, the project should be monitoring the ``minimum suite of key 
biotic and abiotic parameters,'' (as listed in the program description) 
at least once a year, at one or more sites;
    b. Quality assurance and error estimates for parameter 
measurements. Flexibility of methodologies for acquiring measurements 
is allowable, as long as they are done in situ and are quantitatively 
reliable within a jurisdiction and across a region. Where possible, 
NOAA favors a stratified random sampling design for site selection 
(i.e., ideally based on reliable habitat maps), multi-methodological 
monitoring of the ecosystem (i.e., line transects for cryptic species, 
point-count surveys for large pelagic species), and sample archiving 
(i.e., species reference collections, transect/survey videographic 
records); and
    c. Potential to meet data reporting requirements and the ability of 
transferring the data to the local or regional management community. 
Data from proposals must be useful in preparing the biennial report on 
the Health of U.S. Coral Reef Ecosystems. Grant recipients will provide 
raw or synthesized data to NCCOS no later than 3 months after data 
collection. The data generated in the National Coral Reef Ecosystem 
Monitoring Program will by used by NOAA and its partners to develop 
regional and national state of the reef reports and disseminated to the 
public via NOAA's Coral Reef Information (CoRIS) Web site development 
(http://www.coris.noaa.gov). Biotic data integrity is critical for 
sharing of information and detection of national/regional trends and 
hotspots. Each jurisdiction will need to have basic data management 
quality controls and quality assurances for its data. Funding 
eligibility for future funding years will be contingent on meeting data 
submission deadlines including all performance and financial reporting 
requirements and data transfers.
2. Proposal Selection
    Based on these reviews, NCCOS will provide a preliminary funding 
recommendation and proposal comments to each selected applicant. These 
comments will include input from peer reviewers and the Federal agency 
team and are intended for use in the applicant's development of the 
final application.
    Upon receipt of the final application, complete with the requisite 
Federal forms, the Federal agency team will review the complete package 
and make final funding recommendations based on the incorporation and/
or response to comments that were returned to the applicant. NCCOS will 
submit these funding recommendations to the NOAA review panel for final 
review, pursuant to Section X(4) of the Guidelines.

G. Program Authority

    Specific authority for this program is found in 16 U.S.C. 6403. 
Proposals will be reviewed and awarded by NCCOS under title, Financial 
Assistance for National Centers of Coastal Ocean Science, CFDA 11.426.

IV. Coral Reef Ecosystem Research

A. Program Description

    In FY 2003, the Program is providing $600,000 to NOAA's Undersea 
Research Program (NURP) to cooperatively administer NURP coral reef 
grant programs for the Caribbean, Florida, Hawaii, and the Western 
Pacific. Three separate requests for proposals will be announced. The 
Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory will administer and announce the 
program for Hawaii and the Western Pacific; the Caribbean Marine 
Research Center will address research needs in the U.S. Caribbean; and 
the Southeastern U.S. and Gulf of Mexico Center will announce a joint 
program in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
and the Sanctuary Friends of the Florida Keys, which will support 
research in the

[[Page 2519]]

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. All three requests for 
proposals and program descriptions are available at http://www.nurp.noaa.gov/noaacoral.html or by contacting the appropriate 
regional contact persons identified in the contact information section 
(C) below. The grant eligibility and matching requirements and review 
process will be consistent with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant 
Program Guidelines.
    Please Note: Proposals are not being solicited for Coral Reef 
Research at this time. Separate solicitations will be made at a later 
date. For more information see ``C. Contact Information'' below. 
Funding will be subject to the availability of federal appropriations.

B. Research Priorities

    Research supported through this program will address priority 
information needs identified by coral reef ecosystem managers and 
scientists. FY 2003 priorities include research on coral disease and 
bleaching, fisheries population dynamics and ecology, effects of 
anthropogenic stressors on benthic invertebrates, impacts and spread of 
invasive species, and evaluation of management actions and strategies. 
Specific priorities within these broad areas, and geographic 
preferences, will be indicated in each NURP Center's request for 
proposals.

C. Contact Information

    For overall information regarding the NURP Coral Reef Grants 
Program contact: Kimberly Puglise, 301-713-2427, extension 199 or e-
mail at [email protected], or see: http://www.nurp.noaa.gov/noaacoral.html.
    For information regarding the NURP Center for the Caribbean 
contact: Craig Dahlgren, 561-741-0192, extension 231 or e-mail at 
[email protected].
    For information regarding the NURP Center for the Southeastern 
United States and the Gulf of Mexico contact: Andrew Shepard, 910-962-
2446 or e-mail at [email protected].
    For information regarding the NURP Center for Hawaii and the 
Western Pacific contact: Keith Crook, 808-956-9429 or e-mail at 
[email protected].

V. General Coral Reef Conservation

A. Program Description

    This description provides guidance for applying for funding 
appropriated by Congress to NOAA in FY 2003 to support efforts by 
educational and non-governmental institutions to conserve the coral 
reef ecosystems of the United States and the Freely Associated States 
in the Pacific (Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia). This program will be 
administered by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of 
Habitat Conservation (OHC).
    The objective of this program is to support educational and non-
governmental institution led programs and projects in U.S. States and 
Territories and the Freely Associated States to:
    1. Help preserve, sustain and restore the condition of coral reef 
ecosystems;
    2. Promote the wise management and sustainable use of coral reef 
resources; and,
    3. Increase public knowledge and awareness of coral reef ecosystems 
and issues regarding their conservation.

B. Criteria Changes in FY 2003

    Please note the following criteria changes in the FY 2003 General 
Coral Reef Conservation program:
    1. Applicant Eligibility: Government agencies of U.S. States, 
Territories, and Commonwealths, and Freely Associated States are not 
eligible under this category in FY 2003. U.S. State and Territory 
government agencies are eligible under section II and III, and 
government agencies of the Freely Associated States are eligible under 
section III and VII.
    2. Project Eligibility: Applications for research activities will 
not be eligible under this category in FY 2003. Applicants interested 
in submitting coral research proposals should consult section IV. Coral 
Reef Ecosystem Research.
    3. Award size: It is expected that most awards will range from a 
minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $50,000. This is less than the 
maximum in FY 2002.

C. Eligibility Criteria

    Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, non-
profit organizations, commercial organizations, and local and Indian 
tribal governments. U.S. State, Territory, and Commonwealth, and Freely 
Associated State Government Agencies are not eligible under this 
category in FY 2003. Federal agencies are eligible under this program; 
however, pursuant to Section IV of the Guidelines, such applications 
will be a low priority unless they are an essential part of a 
cooperative project with other eligible educational or non-governmental 
institutions. In order for a Federal agency to receive an award under 
this program, it must provide the requisite statutory authority to 
receive funds from a Federal agency for these purposes. Please note 
that the Economy Act, 31 U.S.C. 1535, is not sufficient legal authority 
because NOAA is not procuring goods or services from the federal 
agency. Regional Fishery Management Councils are not eligible under 
this program.

D. Funding Availability and Mechanisms

1. Funding Availability
    Approximately $400,000 in funding is available in FY 2003 for 
awards under this program. It is expected that most awards will range 
from a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $50,000. Funding will be 
subject to the availability of federal appropriations.
2. Funding Mechanism
    Applications selected for funding from non-Federal applicants will 
be funded through a project grant or cooperative agreement under the 
terms of this document. Applications selected for funding from Federal 
agencies will be funded through an interagency agreement. Generally, 
NMFS will make awards only to those projects where requested funding 
will be used to complete proposed activities within a 18-month period 
from the approved start date of the project.

E. Matching Funds

    The requirements for matching funds under Section VIII(3) of the 
Guidance are applicable to Funding Availability under this program. 
Specific information to be submitted in regard to matching funds can be 
found in the Application Content and Format section here.

F. Application Content and Format

1. Application Content
    Applications should support the National Coral Reef Action Strategy 
and the following goals of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force National 
Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs: A.II. Assess and Monitor Reef 
Health; A.IV. Understand Social and Economic Factors; B.I. Improve Use 
of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs); B.II. Reduce Impacts of Fishing; 
B.IV. Reduce Pollution; B.V. Restore Damaged Reefs; and B.VI. Improve 
Education. In addition, proposed activities should be coordinated, 
where appropriate, with ongoing and proposed NOAA mapping, monitoring, 
and coral reef or fishery management initiatives, and DOI Fish and 
Wildlife Service and National Park Service coral reef activities.
    Applicants must consult with all relevant state, territory, and 
local

[[Page 2520]]

governmental and non-governmental entities involved in coral reef 
activities in developing the application. Local government agencies 
that must be consulted include coastal zone management, water quality, 
and wildlife and/or marine resource agencies.
    Applicants may submit applications covering a 12-to 18-month 
period, and must meet all applicable DOC grant requirements. One copy 
of the initial application, submitted electronically or by surface 
mail, must be received by NOAA by the date established in the DATES 
section above.
    One original and two signed copies of the final application, 
complete with all required Federal financial assistance forms (SF-424, 
SF-424A, SF-424B,, CD-511, CD-512, and, if applicable, CD-346 and/or 
SF-LLL) must be received by NOAA by the date established in the DATES 
section above. In addition, applicants may choose to submit an 
electronic copy (in Word Perfect, Microsoft Word, or PDF) with the 
required original and hard copies of the final application.
2. Application Format
    In developing the application, the applicant must catagorize 
proposed tasks into the following 7 categories, which are based on a 
subset of those found in the National Action Plan:
    a. Monitoring and assessment of coral reefs or reef resources; 
e.g., community or non-governmental organization monitoring or 
assessment programs that complement State or Territorial coral reef 
monitoring programs funded out of the NCCOS Coral Reef Monitoring 
Award,
    b. Socio-economic and resource valuation, e.g., community 
assessments, economic valuations, alternative income generation 
workshops, etc.,
    c. Marine Protected Areas and associated management activities, 
especially assessment of the gaps in protection of existing marine 
protected area systems, and outreach and education efforts,
    d. Coral reef fisheries management, e.g., resource assessments, 
collection of fishery information, outreach to fishers, co-management 
of coral reef fisheries by fishing communities, etc.,
    e. Reducing pollution, e.g., marine debris prevention and removal, 
reducing impacts from land-based/watershed pollution sources, etc.,
    f. Coral reef restoration, e.g., restoration of coral reef habitats 
resulting from physical and biological disturbances such as orphan 
vessel groundings, storm events, coral disease and coral predator 
outbreaks, and anthropogenic disturbances, particularly projects 
utilizing innovative coral restoration technologies and/or 
comprehensive evaluation of restoration sites, and
    g. Public education and outreach activities, e.g., brochures and 
other informational materials, public meetings and workshops, etc., 
particularly those which address the needs of local user groups.
    Please Note: Coral reef research activities are not eligible for 
funding under this General Coral Reef Conservation program. Applicants 
interested in submitting coral reef research proposals should consult 
section IV. Coral Reef Ecosystem Research of this Guidance.
    In addition, the following projects will not be eligible for 
funding:
    (1) Activities that constitute legally required mitigation for the 
adverse effects of an activity regulated or otherwise governed by state 
or Federal law;
    (2) Activities that constitute mitigation for natural resource 
damages under Federal or state law; and,
    (3) Activities that are required by a separate consent decree, 
court order, statute or regulation.
    Applications for the coral reef conservation activities beyond the 
scope of those legally required by mitigation or restoration activities 
as described above, are eligible under this program. For each project 
proposed, the applicant should not exceed 20 pages, including 
descriptions of qualification, letters of support and no more than five 
pages of other attachments, and should use 12-point font on letter size 
paper. Each application must include the following:
    1. The cover page described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section at the beginning of this Guidance.
    2. An introduction, not to exceed one page, that describes:
    a. The status and magnitude of the issues in the jurisdiction where 
the project will take place;
    b. Recent actions undertaken to address the issues, with a focus on 
federally funded tasks; and
    c. How the project fits into the jurisdiction's strategy to 
addressing critical coral reef conservation needs the next 2-to 3-
years.;
    3. A description of each proposed task that includes:
    a. Clear identification of the work to be completed and who will 
perform the work;
    b. How the project coordinates with relevant state, territorial, or 
local governmental and non-governmental agencies, and if applicable, 
NOAA regional activities;
    c. A narrative Budget Summary that includes a detailed breakdown of 
costs by category and information regarding the amount of matching 
funds available to the applicant, pursuant to Section VIII(3) of this 
Guidance. Intended sources of matching funds must be identified in the 
application. Applicants whose proposals are selected for funding will 
be required to submit with the final application, letter(s) of 
commitment to fund from the organization(s) providing matching funds; 
and
    d. Task timetable with interim benchmarks and clearly defined work 
products.

G. Application Evaluation and Selection Criteria

1. Evaluation Criteria
    Applications will be peer-reviewed on the following equally 
weighted evaluation criteria by individuals with coral reef 
conservation experience:
    a. Documented need for the proposed coral reef activity in the 
jurisdiction;
    b. Demonstrated coordination with applicable ongoing local, state, 
territorial, and Federal coral reef management activities;
    c. Technical merit of the proposed activity;
    d. Ability of the work to be completed for the funding and timing 
proposed (projects that can be completed within 18- months of the start 
date will receive a higher score for this criterion); and,
    e. Evidence presented of the capacity of the applicant to conduct 
the proposed work, including past performance on similar projects or 
programs involving coral reef ecosystems. NOAA will request and 
consider written comments on proposed projects from each agency with 
jurisdiction over coral reef ecosystems in the area where the project 
is to be conducted, pursuant to Section X(1) of the Guidelines.
    NMFS will then review the applications, consistent with the equally 
weighted criteria listed in Section X(3) of the Guidelines and comments 
received from peer reviewers and jurisdictions.
2. Selection Criteria
    In addition to these peer review criteria and comments from 
jurisdictions, NMFS will strive for a balanced selection of projects 
among jurisdictions and subject areas. Based on these cumulative 
reviews, NMFS will make preliminary funding recommendations which may 
not be the highest scoring proposals. NMFS will provide a summary of 
review comments to each selected applicant. These summary comments will 
include input from peer reviewers, the solicited

[[Page 2521]]

jurisdictions, and the NMFS review, and are intended to be used in the 
applicant's development of the final application.
    Upon receipt of the final application, complete with the requisite 
Federal forms, NMFS will review the complete package and make final 
funding recommendations based on the incorporation of, and/or response 
to, comments that were returned to the applicant. NMFS will submit 
these funding recommendations to the NOAA review panel for final 
review, pursuant to Section X(4) of the Guidelines. The review panel 
will ensure that funding decisions are consistent with the geographic 
distribution requirements of 16 U.S.C. 6403(d). As a result, awards may 
not necessarily be made to the highest scoring applications.
    If insufficient eligible projects are received, NOAA may reallocate 
residual funds from this program area to a different funding category 
under the Program.

H. Program Authority

    Specific authority for this program is found in 16 U.S.C. 6403. 
Proposals will be reviewed and awarded by the National Marine Fisheries 
Service Office of Habitat Conservation under title, Habitat 
Conservation, CFDA 11.463.

VI. Projects to Improve or Amend Coral Reef Fishery Management Plans

A. Program Description

    This description provides guidance for applying for funding 
appropriated by Congress to NOAA in FY 2003 to support conservation and 
management of coral reef fisheries by Regional Fishery Management 
Councils with responsibilities for Fishery Management Plans (FMP) that 
include coral reefs or fishery resources that depend on these reef 
ecosystems, as established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.). This program 
will be administered by the NMFS Office of Habitat Conservation (OHC).
    The objective of this program is to support value-added studies or 
projects by the Councils that will enhance the conservation of coral 
reef fishery resources. It is not intended to support normal Council 
activities or responsibilities.

B. Eligibility Criteria

    Applicants are limited to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery 
Management Council, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Gulf of 
Mexico Fishery Management Council, and Caribbean Fishery Management 
Council.

C. Funding Availability and Mechanisms

1. Funding Availability
    NMFS OHC will provide approximately $1,350,000 in FY 2003 funding 
for cooperative agreements to support coral reef conservation 
activities under this program. In order to ensure the regional balance 
called for by the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, a maximum of 
$750,000 will be available for activities in the Western Pacific, and a 
maximum of $600,000 will be available for activities in the South 
Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. Funding will be subject to the 
availability of federal appropriations.
2. Funding Mechanism
    Cooperative agreements will be awarded to successful applicants 
from each eligible Regional Fishery Management Council for eligible 
activities. Activities approved by NOAA will be awarded either as new 
cooperative agreements or amendments to existing cooperative agreements 
by either the Southeast Region or the Pacific Islands Area Office. 
Proposals should cover a project period of 12-to 18-month period with 
an anticipated start date of October 1, 2003.

D. Matching Funds

    The Administrator has waived the matching requirement of Section X 
of the Guidance for the Fishery Management Councils. This waiver is 
based on the fact that the Councils are funded solely by awards from 
the U.S. Federal Government, and, therefore, do not have the ability to 
generate matching funds.

E. Application Content and Format

1. Application Content
    Applications should support the National Coral Reef Action Strategy 
and the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force National Action Plan to Conserve 
Coral Reefs. In addition, proposed activities should be coordinated, 
where appropriate, with ongoing and proposed NOAA mapping, monitoring, 
and fishery management initiatives, and State and Territorial coral 
reef conservation initiatives in their own waters contiguous to the 
Federal Exclusive Economic Zone.
    Fishery Management Councils must consult with state and territorial 
agencies and all other relevant local governmental and non-governmental 
entities involved in coral reef activities in developing applications. 
Councils are strongly encouraged to coordinate project proposal 
development with NMFS Regions and Science Centers to ensure mutually 
supportive coral reef conservation programs.
    Councils may submit applications covering a 12-to 18-month period, 
and must meet all applicable DOC grant requirements. One copy of the 
initial application, submitted electronically or by surface mail, must 
be received by NOAA on or before the date established in the DATES 
section above.
    One original and two signed copies of the final application, 
complete with all required Federal financial assistance forms(SF-424, 
SF-424A, SF-424B,, CD-511, CD-512, and, if applicable, CD-346 and/or 
SF-LLL) must be received by NOAA on or before the date established in 
the DATES section above.
    a. Eligible activities: Eligible activities are those that support 
the Strategy's goal of Reducing the Adverse Impacts of Fishing and 
other Extractive Uses on Coral Reefs and incorporating these objectives 
into existing or new Federal fishery management plans. While first 
priority will be given to proposals for coral reef activities in the 
Council's jurisdiction, proposals for complementary activities of high 
conservation value within state waters that are fully coordinated with 
appropriate state, territory or commonwealth management authorities 
will also be accepted. Proposed activities should be in addition to 
those currently supported by NMFS and should not replace support for 
existing Council staff. The following represent priority activities for 
funding:
    (1) Studies that identify, map and characterize important essential 
fish habitat, habitat areas of particular concern, and spawning 
populations in U.S. coral reef ecosystems. Special priority will be 
given to studies associated with coral reef areas that are currently, 
permanently, or seasonally closed to fishing or that may merit 
inclusion in an expanded network of no-take ecological reserves. 
Eligible activities would include multi-beam or sidescan sonar mapping 
and characterization of such areas on deeper coral reefs, banks and 
beds;
    (2) Monitoring reef fish stocks in existing no-take marine reserves 
and reference sites on coral reefs in the Council's jurisdiction to 
evaluate the effectiveness of reserves;
    (3) Studies needed to develop proposals to reduce over-fishing of 
coral reef resources, including compilation of existing background 
information on currently unassessed coral reef fishery stocks, or 
targeted assessments of such coral reef fishery stocks for which 
overfishing is strongly suspected;
    (4) Studies needed to identify adverse effects of fishing and 
fishing gear on

[[Page 2522]]

essential fish habitat and implementing actions to reduce these 
effects;
    (5) Studies, workshops, or consultations with fishers needed to 
eliminate destructive and habitat-damaging fishing practices;
    (6) Studies, workshops, or consultations with fishers needed to 
assess the adequacy of current fishing regulations and the need for 
additional gear and anchoring restrictions to reduce habitat damage on 
coral reefs within the Council's jurisdiction;
    (7) Enhanced education and outreach to recreational and commercial 
fishers specifically targeted to reduce the adverse impacts of fishing 
on coral reef ecosystems;
    (8) Studies needed to understand ecosystem-scale considerations 
into coral reef fishery management plans;
    (9) Studies needed to understand ecosystem effects of fishing, 
including: the development of models and studies to improve our 
understanding of larval pathways, trophic interactions and their 
ecosystem impacts associated with fishing, and habitat impacts 
associated with certain types of fishing gear and practices; and
    (10) Studies needed to reduce the overexploitation of reef 
organisms for the aquarium trade.
    b. Ineligible Activities: The following categories of activities or 
expenses are not eligible for funding:
    (1) Meetings and travel necessary to conduct normal Council 
business including regular Advisory Panel, Stock Assessment Panel or 
Scientific and Statistical Committee meetings, Environmental Impact 
Statement hearings; other public hearings; Fishery Management Council 
meetings; etc.
    (2) Regular Council reports and information dissemination, 
including annual FMP reports, FMP amendments, public notices, 
advertisements, etc.
    (3) Council staff aside from a maximum of one full-time equivalent 
working exclusively on Council coral reef conservation activities.
    (4) Activities related to FMPs that do not directly include shallow 
coral reef resources.
2. Application Format
    Cooperative Agreement proposals must include:
    a. A cover page as described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section at the beginning of this Guidance.
    b. An introduction, not exceeding one page, that describes:
    (1) The status and magnitude of the coral reef fisheries 
conservation issues in the Council's jurisdiction; and
    (2) The Council's strategy to address critical coral reef fisheries 
conservation needs over the medium term (the next 2- to 3-years) and 
how the proposed activities support this strategy.
    c. A summary, not exceeding three pages, of the status and 
accomplishments of activities by the Council funded under the Coral 
Reef Conservation Grant Program in FY 2002.
    d. A description of each proposed task that should include:
    (1) Objective of the task of study;
    (2) Clear identification of the work to be completed, who will 
perform the work, brief description of the methods to be used, specific 
study sites (for field projects), expected deliverables, and how the 
project fits into the Council's strategy for addressing the larger 
coral reef fisheries conservation issue;
    (3) How the project coordinates with relevant local governmental 
and non-governmental agencies and, if applicable, NOAA regional 
activities;
    (4) Summary budget for each discrete task item including personnel 
costs (contract and Council staff), other contract costs, travel, 
supplies or equipment;
    (5) Task timetable with interim benchmarks and clearly defined work 
products; and,
    (6) Project priority as compared to all other proposed projects.

F. Application Evaluation and Selection Criteria

1. Evaluation Criteria
    Applications will be peer-reviewed on the following equally 
weighted evaluation criteria by individuals with coral reef 
conservation experience:
    a. Documented need for the proposed coral reef activity in the 
jurisdiction of the Council;
    b. Demonstrated coordination with applicable ongoing local, state, 
territorial, and Federal coral reef management activities;
    c. Technical merit of the proposed activity;
    d. Ability of the work to be completed for the funding and timing 
proposed and cost effectiveness of proposed activity; and,
    e. Evidence presented of the capacity of the applicant to conduct 
the proposed work, including past performance on similar projects or 
programs involving coral reef ecosystems, and progress on Coral Reef 
Conservation Grant activities funded in FY 2002.
    NOAA will also request and consider written comments on proposed 
projects from each agency with jurisdiction over coral reef ecosystems 
in the area where the project is to be conducted, pursuant to Section 
X(1) of the Guidelines.
    A NMFS team of representatives from the OHC, the Southeast Region, 
the Southeast Fishery Science Center, the Pacific Islands Area Office 
and the Honolulu Laboratory will review the applications, consistent 
with the equally weighted criteria listed in Section X(3) of the 
Guidelines and consider comments received from peer reviewers and 
appropriate management authorities.
    Based on this review, the team will make preliminary funding 
recommendations. These preliminary funding recommendations will be 
submitted to the NOAA review team, pursuant to Section X(4) of the 
Guidelines.
2. Selection Criteria
    Based on these cumulative reviews, NMFS will provide comments to 
each selected applicant. These comments will include input from peer 
reviewers, solicited jurisdictions, and the NMFS review team, and are 
intended to be used in the applicant's development of the final 
proposal.
    Upon receipt of the final application, complete with the requisite 
Federal financial assistance forms, the NMFS team will review the 
complete package and make final funding recommendations based on the 
incorporation of and/or response to comments that were returned to the 
applicant. The team will submit these funding recommendations to the 
NOAA review panel for final review, pursuant to Section X(4) of the 
Guidelines.
    If proposals from one or more Councils are ineligible to receive 
funding, NOAA may award those residual funds for eligible activities 
proposed by another Council or move the residual funds to a different 
funding category under the Program. NOAA will work with each Council to 
ensure the greatest degree of success in meeting the goals of the 
Strategy.
    G. Program Authority
    Specific authority for this program is found in 16 U.S.C. 6403. 
These cooperative agreements will be reviewed and awarded by the NMFS 
under title, Regional Fishery Management Councils, CFDA Number: 11.441.

VII. International Coral Reef Conservation

A. Program Description

    This description provides guidance for applying for funding 
appropriated by Congress to NOAA in FY 2003 to support the 
international conservation and management of coral reef ecosystems. 
These funds will be administered by NOS International Program Office 
(IPO).

[[Page 2523]]

    The Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 authorizes cooperative 
conservation and management of coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems 
with local, regional or international programs and partners. The 
National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs (National Action Plan) 
calls on the United States to, ``exercise global leadership in the 
international arena in shaping and developing environmentally sound and 
comprehensive coral reef policy, strengthen international conventions 
and foster strategic partnerships with other countries, international 
organizations and institutions, the public and private sectors, and 
non-governmental organizations to address international threats to 
coral reef ecosystems.''
    In FY 2003, the International program consists of the following 
four project categories:
    1. Promote Watershed Management in Wider Caribbean Island Nations: 
The National Action Plan encourages the U.S. to ``provide assistance in 
managing and conserving reef ecosystems and their watersheds.'' 
Further, the U.S. and its partners are launching the White Water to 
Blue Water Initiative presented at the World Summit on Sustainable 
Development. This Partnership emphasizes a cross-sectoral approach to 
marine resources management beginning with the upstream watershed and 
extending to the adjacent marine environment, including coral 
ecosystems. It is intended to help implement international agreements 
and programs, for example, the Barbados Programme of Action for the 
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, The 
Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment 
of the Wider Caribbean Region (the Cartagena Convention) and its three 
protocols (including The Protocol concerning Pollution from Land-based 
Sources and Activities), and the International Coral Reef Initiative. 
Therefore, IPO will fund activities that implement best management 
practices that reduce or control runoff to near shore coral reef 
ecosystems in the Wider Caribbean; assess effectiveness of these 
management practices; engage stakeholders and government agencies in 
collaborative partnerships to implement these practices; and recommend 
a set of best management practices that can be applied to small island 
Caribbean systems.
    2. Enhance Management Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas 
(MPAs): The National Action Plan calls for strengthening the protection 
of resources within existing MPAs. NOAA has launched a strategic 
partnership with the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) World Commission 
on Protected Areas (WCPA) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF)International to 
improve the management of MPAs by providing managers, planners and 
other decision makers with methods for assessing the effectiveness of 
MPA sites. Therefore, IPO will fund activities at coral MPA sites that 
are building an adaptive management and evaluation program and will 
conduct an assessment of management effectiveness in order to 
strengthen and achieve the site goals and objectives.
    3. Encourage Regional Approaches to Further No-Take Marine Reserves 
in the Wider Caribbean and Southeast Asia: The National Action Plan 
highlights the role that highly protected areas play in creating a 
network of coral marine protected areas for biodiversity, conservation 
and sustainable fisheries management. Through this program, IPO will 
fund regional level activities that benefit existing marine reserves in 
the Wider Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia shall be defined 
by Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, 
Thailand, and Vietnam. Furthermore, proposed regional level activities 
must involve sites in two or more countries and address the needs of 
no-take marine reserves in the regions as identified in the WCPA - 
Marine Caribbean Regional Coordination Plan and the WCPA-Marine 
Southeast Asia Regional Action Plan. The plans with the priority themes 
can be found at http://ipo.nos.noaa.gov/coralgrants.html.
    4. Promote Socio-Economic Monitoring in Coral Reef Management: The 
National Action Plan highlights that the human dimension is often 
overlooked in developing coral reef management strategies and calls for 
measures to enhance understanding of stakeholder benefits and resolve 
important user conflicts. Recognizing the importance of the human 
dimension, the GCRMN published The Socioeconomic Manual for Coral Reef 
Management, in partnership with NOAA, WCPA, and the Australian 
Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), a guide to conducting socioeconomic 
assessments of reef user groups.
    As follow-up, the GCRMN, WCPA-Marine and NOAA are working with 
ICLARM, the University of West Indies and other partners in the regions 
to develop socioeconomic monitoring programs specific to Southeast Asia 
and the Wider Caribbean. These regional programs include three key 
phases: (1) development of SocMon, i.e., standardized, simple 
socioeconomic monitoring guidelines for each region; (2) socioeconomic 
training workshops for reef managers to learn how to conduct SocMon, 
specifically how to establish socioeconomic monitoring programs at 
their sites; and, (3) establishment of socioeconomic monitoring 
programs at participants' coral reef management programs.
    Under this project category, IPO will fund phase three - the 
establishment of socioeconomic monitoring programs at coral reef sites 
in Southeast Asia and the Wider Caribbean. Proposals for such work in 
the Wider Caribbean must utilize the SocMon-Wider Caribbean Guidelines; 
and similarly, proposals for work in Southeast Asia must utilize the 
SocMon-Southeast Asia Guidelines. For the purpose of this project 
category, Southeast Asia shall be defined as Brunei, Cambodia, 
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and 
Vietnam. Both sets of Guidelines can be found at http://ipo.nos.noaa.gov/coralgrants.html.

B. Eligibility Criteria

    Eligible applicants include all international, governmental, and 
non-governmental organizations, including the Federated States of 
Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands. Eligibility is also contingent upon whether activities 
undertaken with respect to the application would be consistent with any 
applicable conditions or restrictions imposed by the U.S. governments. 
Specific guidance for each International program project category is 
noted below:
    1. Projects proposed under ``Promote Watershed Management in Wider 
Caribbean Island Nations'' must include:
    a. Activities that support the implementation of the annexes of The 
Protocol concerning Pollution from Land Based Sources and Activities to 
the Cartagena Convention (for details, refer to http://ipo.nos.noaa.gov/coralgrants.html);
    b. A letter of support from the government agency responsible for 
planning and development;
    c. A project site which includes near shore fringing reef system 
(with description of project site uniqueness) that is impacted by 
agricultural runoff or intensive land-based development associated with 
tourism sector activities;
    d. Evidence of local stakeholder support, for example, agricultural 
businesses, NGOs, tourism sector, and port facilities;
    e. Demonstration of local or national potential for developing 
enforceable policies and mechanisms for long term watershed management; 
and,

[[Page 2524]]

    f. Evidence of potential organizational capacity to promote 
coordination of governmental agencies and stakeholder involvement.
    2. Projects proposed under ``Enhance Management Effectiveness of 
Marine Protected Areas'' must:
    a. Incorporate the approach being developed by the WCPA-Marine/WWF 
International MPA Management Effectiveness Initiative. The approach can 
be found in the working draft of How is Your MPA Doing? Guidebook for 
Evaluating Effectiveness of MPA's posted at http://ipo.nos.noaa.gov/mgmteffect/guidebook.html.
    In order to be selected, project sites must:
    b. Have a management program in place, including a management plan, 
on-site staff, and infrastructure to carry out effectiveness 
assessments;
    c. Be able to implement the guidebook to conduct a comprehensive 
assessment including use of indicators from each of the biophysical, 
socioeconomic and governance categories;
    d. Demonstrate the intent to incorporate the assessment of 
indicators into management planning and review process; and,
    e. Include a letter of support from the MPA managing authority or 
site supervisor, that also demonstrates the involvement of the 
authority/supervisor in the project if the agency is not proposing the 
work.
    3. Projects proposed under ``Encourage Regional Approaches to 
Further Marine Reserves in the Wider Caribbean and Southeast Asia'' 
must:
    a. Follow the themes of the Caribbean Regional Coordination Plan 
and the Southeast Asia Regional Action Plan posted at http://ipo.nos.noaa.gov/coralgrants.html;
    b. Benefit sites in two or more countries in the region;
    c. Involve managers from the reserves; and,
    d. Include letters of support from the marine reserve management 
authorities from all sites that are involved in the project.
    4. Projects proposed under ``Promote Socio-Economic Monitoring in 
Coral Reef Management'' must:
    a. Demonstrate a link with an existing or planned marine resource 
management program (e.g., MPA, fisheries management, or coastal 
management program) with clearly defined socioeconomic goals as 
suggested in the SocMon Guidelines (e.g., improve livelihood, increase 
environmental awareness);
    b. Include a letter of support from the marine resource management 
authority;
    c. Describe the plan for socioeconomic monitoring, including 
preparatory activities, data collection and analysis and long-term 
monitoring after the first assessment. For Southeast Asia sites, the 
plan should reflect the variables and methods in the SocMon-Southeast 
Asia Guidelines. For the Wider Caribbean sites, the plan should reflect 
the variables and methods in SocMon-Caribbean Guidelines. Both SocMon-
Caribbean and Southeast Asia Guidelines can be found at http://ipo.nos.noaa.gov/coralgrants.html.;
    d. Include a social scientist that will be actively engaged in the 
socioeconomic monitoring, planning, data collection, and analysis 
either from staff or elsewhere (e.g., local university);
    e. Demonstrate involvement of coral management staff in the 
proposed monitoring even if personnel not engaged in site-management 
are overseeing the monitoring; and,
    f. Explain how the assessment team will translate the socioeconomic 
data into useful information for coral reef managers and decision 
makers (e.g., making written management recommendations to policy 
makers or managers, and presenting results and recommendations to 
management staff and other stakeholders).

C. Funding Availability and Mechanisms

1. Funding Availability
    Approximately $300,000 will be available in FY 2003 to support 
grants and cooperative agreements under this program. Approximately 
$75,000 will be allocated to each of the four project categories listed 
below, with the following award ranges:
    a. Watershed Management: Up to $75,000
    b. Management Effectiveness: $20,000 - $40,000
    c. Marine Reserves: $25,000 - $40,000
    d. Socio-economic Monitoring: $15,000 - $25,000
    Applications with requests of over $40,000 will not be accepted, 
except for the Watershed Management category. Funding will be subject 
to the availability of federal appropriations. Support in out-years 
after FY 2003 is contingent upon the availability of funds and any new 
guidance published in the Federal Register.
2. Funding Mechanism
    Grants and cooperative agreements will be reviewed by the NOS 
International Program Office. Applicants may submit applications 
covering a 12-to 18-month period with an anticipated start date of 
October 1, 2003.

D. Matching Funds

    The requirements for matching funds under section VIII(3) of the 
Guidance are applicable to Funding Availability under this program. 
Specific information to be submitted in regard to matching funds can be 
found in the Application Content and Format Section below.

E. Application Content and Format

1. Application Content
    The four International program categories are priorities of the 
National Action Plan. Applicants may submit applications covering a 12-
to 18-month period and must meet all applicable DOC grant requirements. 
Initial applications may be submitted by email, fax (301-713-4389), or 
express air courier and must be received by NOAA on or before the date 
established in the DATES section above. Federal financial assistance 
forms SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, CD-511, CD-512, and if applicable CD-
346 and/or SF-LLL are not required until the applicant is notified and 
invited to submit a final application. One original and two signed 
complete hard copies of the jurisdiction's final application, including 
federal forms, must be received by NOAA on or before the due date 
established in the DATES section above.
2. Application Format
    Each application must clearly describe the proposed work in 20 
pages or less, including letters of support and attachments. Font size 
should be 12 point. Applications should not be bound or stapled, but 
can be bundled, for example, by rubber bands or binder clips. All 
applications, letters of support and attachments must be written in the 
English Language. Each application must include the following elements 
(a-d):
    a. A cover sheet with the following information:
    (1) Project Title;
    (2) Applicant organization: nonprofit, university, government, 
etc.;
    (3) Principal investigator or contact responsible for conducting 
the project;
    (4) Contact information including address, phone number, fax and 
email;
    (5) Program Category (i.e., International Coral Reef Conservation) 
and the appropriate International grant program project category from 
the following choices: Watershed Management, Management Effectiveness, 
Marine Reserves, or Socioeconomic Monitoring;
    (6) Geographic location of project (countries and sites);

[[Page 2525]]

    (7) Grant Request and matching funds; and,
    (8) One paragraph project summary.
    b. A description of the qualifications of the individual(s) who 
will conduct the project
    c. Project Description which must address the specific project 
category eligibility criteria described in Part B. Eligibility Criteria 
above and also include:
    (1) Project need;
    (2) Objectives;
    (3) Implementation strategy;
    (4) Identification of how project fits into applicant (and site) 
strategy for management;
    (5) Project products and outcomes;
    (6) Partner justification and roles;
    (7) A methodology to evaluate the success of the project;
    (8) A Summary Budget that includes a detailed breakdown of costs by 
category and a description of the amount of matching funds available to 
the applicant, as described in section VIII(3) of this Guidance. 
Intended sources of matching funds and whether they have been secured 
must be stated in the application. The application must also state 
whether the project has been submitted for funding consideration 
elsewhere. Applicants whose applications are recommended for funding 
will be required to submit with the final application, letter(s) of 
commitment to fund from the organization(s) providing matching funds; 
and,
    (9) Task timetable with interim benchmarks linked to clearly 
defined work projects.
    d. Evidence of support for the project from the local management 
authority where the work is conducted at specific sites must indicate 
that the project supports local management objectives. In those cases 
where training is proposed, indication that participants will apply 
these techniques at their local sites is requested. Please include 
evidence of coordination with relevant national and regional project 
partners, including a list of agencies consulted in developing the 
proposal and assurances that any necessary permits will be secured 
prior to the use of U.S. Federal funds.

F. Application Evaluation and Selection Criteria

1. Evaluation Criteria
    IPO will provide for a merit-based peer review and standardized 
documentation of that review for proposals that meet the eligibility 
requirements. Each application will be reviewed by a minimum of three 
individuals with knowledge of the subject of the proposal. Each 
reviewer will submit a separate and individual review and reviewers 
will not provide a consensus opinion. The identities of the peer 
reviewers will be kept anonymous to the degree permitted by law. Peer 
reviewers will apply the following equally weighted evaluation 
criteria:
    a. Documented need for the proposed coral reef activity in the 
jurisdiction;
    b. Demonstrated coordination with applicable ongoing national and 
regional reef management activities;
    c. Technical merit of the proposed activity;
    d. Ability of the work to be completed for the funding and timing 
proposed; and,
    e. Evidence presented of the capacity of the applicant to conduct 
the proposed work, including past performance on similar projects or 
programs involving coral reef ecosystems.
    NOAA may also request and consider written comments on proposed 
projects from agencies with jurisdiction over coral reef ecosystems in 
the area where the project is to be conducted, as described in Section 
X(1) of the Guidelines. Under the international grant program, NOAA 
will request and consider written comments on the proposal from 
relevant U.S. government agencies such as the Agency for International 
Development and Department of the Interior; foreign governments and 
their coral management agencies; and other international entities as 
necessary. Each entity will be provided 21 days to review and comment 
on subject proposals. Comments submitted will be part of the public 
record.
2. Selection Criteria
    IPO will then review the applications, consistent with the equally 
weighted criteria listed in Section X(3) of the Guidelines, taking into 
consideration comments received from peer, agency, and jurisdiction 
reviewers. Based on these reviews, IPO will rank order the 
applications, and provide preliminary funding recommendations, and 
summary comments on each selected proposal to each applicant. These 
comments will include input from peer reviewers, agencies, 
jurisdictions, and IPO, and are intended to be used in the applicant's 
development of the final proposal.
    Upon receipt of the final application, complete with the requisite 
Federal forms, IPO will review the complete package and make final 
funding recommendations based on the incorporation of, and response to, 
comments that were returned to the applicant. IPO will submit these 
funding recommendations to the NOAA review panel for final review, 
pursuant to Section X(4) of the Guidelines to ensure that the Coral 
Reef Conservation Act requirements for geographic funding distribution 
and consistency with the overall program goals outlined in the 
Strategy.

G. Program Authority

    Specific authority for this program is found in 16 U.S.C. 6403. 
Grants and cooperative agreements will be reviewed and awarded by the 
NOS International Program Office under title, Habitat Conservation, 
CFDA: 11.463.

VIII. General Information for All Applicants

A. Indirect Costs

    The budget may include an amount for indirect costs if the 
applicant has an established indirect cost rate with the Federal 
government. Indirect costs are essentially overhead costs for basic 
operational functions (e.g., lights, rent, water, insurance) that are 
incurred for common or joint objectives and, therefore, cannot be 
identified specifically within a particular project. For this 
solicitation, the Federal share of the indirect costs awarded will not 
exceed the lesser of either the indirect costs the applicant would be 
entitled to if the negotiated Federal indirect cost rate were used or 
25 percent of the Federal direct costs proposed. For those situations 
in which the use of the applicant's indirect cost rate would result in 
indirect costs greater than 25 percent of the Federal direct costs 
proposed, the difference may be counted as part of the non-Federal 
share. A copy of the current, approved negotiated indirect cost 
agreement with the Federal Government should be included with the 
application. If the applicant does not have a current negotiated rate 
and plans to seek reimbursement for indirect costs, documentation 
necessary to establish a rate must be submitted within 90 days of 
receiving an award.

B. Performance and Financial Reports

    Recipients receiving funding will be required to submit semiannual 
performance reports and copies of all products that are developed under 
the award. The specific information, products, or data contained in the 
performance report can be determined by the NOAA office responsible for 
the program and applicant in pre-award negotiations or, the recipient 
will submit performance reports according to the Department of 
Commerce, Financial

[[Page 2526]]

Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions. Performance report will be 
submitted to the NOAA office responsible for the program.
    Unless otherwise authorized, semi-annual financial reports will be 
submitted in accordance with the Department of Commerce, Financial 
Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions t the Grants Officer at NOAA 
GMD.

C. Matching Funds

    For ease of reference, the matching funds requirements described in 
section VIII of the Guidelines have been included here. With the 
exception of section VI. Projects to Improve or Amend Coral Reef 
Fishery Management Plans, all other program areas are subject to the 
matching fund requirements stated here, pursuant to section VIII of the 
Guidelines.
    As per section 6403(b)(1) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 
2000, Federal funds for any coral conservation project funded under 
this Program may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the 
projects. The matching funds may comprise a variety of public and 
provide sources and can include in-kind contributions and other non-
cash support. NOAA strongly encourages applicants to leverage as much 
investment as possible. Federal funds may not be considered as matching 
funds.
    As per section 6403(b)(2) of the Conservation Act, the NOAA 
Administrator may waive all or part of the matching requirement if the 
Administrator determines that the project meets the following two 
requirements;
    1. No reasonable means are available through which an applicant can 
meet the matching requirement, and
    2. The probable benefit of such project outweighs the public 
interest in such matching requirement.
    Applicants must specify in their proposal the source and may be 
asked to provide letters of commitment to confirm stated contributions. 
In the case of a waiver request, the applicant must provide a detailed 
justification explaining the need for the waiver including attempts to 
obtain sources of matching funds, how the benefit of the project 
outweighs the public interest in providing match and any other 
extenuating circumstances preventing the availability of match.
    Notwithstanding any other provisions herein, and in accordance with 
48 U.S.C. 1469a(d), the Program shall waive any requirement for local 
matching funds for any project under $200,000 (including in-kind 
contribution) to the governments of Insular Areas, defined as the 
jurisdictions of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands.

D. General Information

    If an application is selected for funding, NOAA has no obligation 
to provide any additional prospective funding in connection with that 
award in subsequent years. Any subsequent proposal to continue work on 
an existing project must be submitted to the competitive process for 
consideration and will not receive preferential treatment. Renewal of 
an award to increase funding or to extend the period of performance is 
at the total discretion of NOAA.
    Unsuccessful applications will be destroyed and not returned to the 
applicant.
    The recipients must comply with Executive Order 12906 regarding any 
and all geospatial data collected or produced under grants or 
cooperative agreements. This includes documenting all geospatial data 
in accordance with the Federal Geographic Data Committee Content 
Standard for digital geospatial data.

Classification

    This Program will be added to the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance under the Coastal Zone Management Act (11.419), Financial 
Assistance for National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (11.426), and 
Habitat Conservation (11.463). The Program uses only the existing NOAA 
Federal financial assistance awards package requirements per 15 CFR 
parts 14 and 24.
    The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification of Requirements 
for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register 
Notice of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 49917), as amended by the Federal 
Register notice published on October 30, 2002 (67 FR 66109), is 
applicable to solicitation. The program will determine National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance on a project by project 
basis.

Executive Order 12866

    This action has been determined to be ``not significant'' for 
purposes of Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review.''

Executive Order 12372

    Applications under this program are subject to Executive Order 
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''

Paperwork Reduction Act

    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, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., unless that 
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control 
number. Forms SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, and SF-LLL and CD-346 have been 
approved by OMB under the respective control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-
0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046 and 0605-0001, respectively.
    This notice also contains a collection-of-information requirement 
subject the Paperwork Reduction Act and which has been approved by OMB 
under control number 0648-0448. The public reporting burden is 
estimated to average one hour per response for comments on a proposed 
project from each agency with jurisdiction over coral reef ecosystems 
in the area where the project is to be conducted and one hour per 
response for a request for a waiver of matching funds. This estimate 
includes 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 this 
burden estimate, or any other aspect of these data collections, 
including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the NOAA Office of 
Response and Restoration, N/ORR, National Ocean Service, 1305 East-West 
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
    Notice and Comment are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2), or 
any other law, for rules relating to public property, loans, grants, 
benefits or contract. Because notice and comment are not required, a 
regulatory flexibility analysis is not required and has not been 
prepared for this notice 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.

    Dated: January 13, 2003.
Jamison S. Hawkins,
Acting Assistant Administrator for National Ocean Service.
[FR Doc. 03-1153 Filed 1-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODES 3510-JE-S and 3510-22-S