[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 75 (Friday, April 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19190-19193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9634]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 030409079-3079-01; 040303A]
RIN 0648-ZB45


Coastal Services Center Financial Assistance for Coastal 
Observing System Projects

AGENCY: National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of federal assistance.

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SUMMARY: The NOAA Coastal Services Center is soliciting applications 
for federal assistance for the Director's Office in Coastal Observing 
System Support. This announcement provides guidelines which includes 
details for the evaluation criteria, and selection procedures. Selected 
recipients will enter into a grant with the Coastal Services Center.

DATES: Applications are due by 5 p.m., e.d.t., May 30, 2003. 
Applications received after that time will not be reviewed.

ADDRESSES: Send all proposals to NOAA Coastal Services Center, 2234 
South Hobson Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina 29405-2413, Attention 
Geno Olmi, Room 234A.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Administrative questions should be 
directed to Violet Legette, 843-740-1222 or [email protected]. 
Technical point of contact is Geno Olmi at 843-740-1230 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coastal Services Center is soliciting 
applications for federal assistance for Coastal Observing System 
Projects. Recipients will enter into a grant with the Coastal Services 
Center.
    All applicants are required to submit a NOAA Grants application 
package, budget narrative, curriculum Vitae for each principal 
investigator, and project proposal. The standard NOAA grants 
application package includes SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, CD-511, CD-512, 
SF-LLL and CD-346. These forms can be obtained from the NOAA grants Web 
site at http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/grants/pdf/. NOTE: CD-512 is a form 
that the recipient maintains. DO NOT submit this form to the Coastal 
Services Center. Also, SF-LLL should only be submitted as part of the 
grant application, if the recipient is reporting lobbying activities. 
If applicant is any of the following, a CD-346 is required to be 
submitted with

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grant application: sole proprietor, a partnership, a corporation, a 
joint venture and a non-profit organization. Other applicants are not 
required to submit a CD-346 with application.
    If recipients have difficulty downloading grant forms, please 
contact Violet Legette at 843-740-1222 for assistance.

Authority

    Statutory authority for this program is 16 U.S.C. 1456c.
    CFDA Number: 11.473 Coastal Services Center.

Project Description

    The Coastal Services Center seeks proposals for projects that 
enhance the organization, implementation, and application of regional 
coastal ocean observing systems. For the purposes of this announcement, 
coastal ocean observing systems are meant to include the sensors, 
personnel, and data management that obtain regular and sustained in-
situ and/or remote observations of the physical, chemical, and 
biological environment of Great Lakes, estuaries, and the near shore 
ocean of the United States. Total available funding under this 
announcement is expected to not exceed $750,000. The Coastal Services 
Center desires to fund two types of projects to benefit the development 
of regional coastal ocean observing systems: (1) projects that 
facilitate building partnerships and regional organizational structures 
for regional observing systems, and (2) regional pilot projects.
    For the first type of project, Regional Observation System 
Coordination, the Coastal Services Center seeks to fund projects that 
will engage stakeholders in a given region to develop collaborative 
partnerships (Regional Associations) among data collectors, data 
managers, and users of data and information from coastal ocean 
observing systems. Proposals should clearly articulate an approach to 
identify stakeholders, bring them together in a meaningful way, and 
develop plans for governance and communication, implementation, data 
management, and product development. The Coastal Services Center 
believes that it is important to engage end users in the design and 
implementation of observing systems to maximize the benefits to science 
and society. Of particular interest to the Coastal Services Center is 
the utility of such systems for management of coastal and ocean 
resources and for the benefit of coastal communities. Total available 
funding for this type of project is anticipated to be between $200,000 
to $350,000, subject to the availability of federal appropriations. The 
Coastal Services Center expects to award two to five grants of $20,000 
- $100,000 each under this announcement for Regional Observation System 
Coordination.
    The second type of proposal requested is to support implementation 
of a Regional Coastal Ocean Observation Pilot Project. Pilot project(s) 
should demonstrate inter-institutional collaboration within a region 
for sensor deployment, data management, and creation of information 
products from the data collected. Projects should emphasize regular and 
sustained in-situ and/or remote observations of the physical, chemical, 
and biological coastal ocean environment. The pilot project should 
demonstrate data documentation and management protocols that meet or 
exceed national standards (FGDC compliant) and ensure accuracy and 
interoperability with the developing Integrated Ocean Observing System 
(IOOS). The pilot project should have a defined set of users and create 
information products relevant to those users. The Coastal Services 
Center encourages proposals that demonstrate active involvement of 
public mission agencies. The Coastal Services Center also encourages 
proposals that develop or sustain observing systems under the auspices 
of an established or planned regional association with a defined 
governance structure. Total available funding for Regional Pilot 
Project(s)is anticipated to be between $250,000 to $500,000, subject to 
the availability of federal appropriations. The Coastal Services Center 
expects to award only one to two grants under this announcement.

Background

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a long-
standing responsibility to observe, assess and predict conditions in 
the Nation's oceans and atmosphere. NOAA has a number of operational 
programs that routinely and systematically measure environmental 
variables in the atmosphere, open and coastal ocean, estuaries, and the 
Great Lakes. In addition to its own operational programs, NOAA develops 
collaborative partnerships with states, universities and for profit and 
non-profit organizations to increase the scope of its environmental 
data collection.
    Congress has directed the interagency National Ocean Research 
Leadership Council to develop a plan by which the nation can achieve an 
Integrated Ocean Observing System. Responsibility for development of 
this plan has been given to the Ocean.US Office www.ocean.us. The 
Integrated Ocean Observing System is envisioned to consist of a 
``national backbone'' of federally-maintained observations integrated 
with ``regional'' systems that contribute to and benefit from the 
national backbone and also focus on interests of a local/regional 
nature. Integration of regional and national components into a national 
coastal observing system will rely on common data management standards 
that allow data integration to create products that benefit a broad 
community of users. While the fully mature IOOS is envisioned to be 
mostly operational in nature, the developmental stages are expected to 
include research, pilot, pre-operational and operational components.
    The Coastal Services Center has a strong interest in working with 
regional observing systems and partners to achieve integration into a 
national system. The Coastal Services Center is particularly interested 
in regional systems that provide timely and appropriate information to 
public mission agencies. Therefore, the Coastal Services Center 
anticipates offering grant funds to projects that help achieve these 
goals.

Project Proposals

    The applicant must submit one original and two copies of the 
proposal(s) by 5 p.m. (Eastern time) on May 30, 2003 to the attention 
of Geno Olmi, Room 234A at the NOAA Coastal Services Center, 2234 South 
Hobson Avenue, Charleston, SC 29405-2413. In addition to the 
proposal(s), the applicant must submit a complete NOAA grant 
application package (with signed originals). No e-mail or fax copies 
will be accepted. All project proposals must total no more than 20 
pages (double spaced, 12-point font, and exclusive of appendices). 
Appendices should be limited to materials that directly support the 
main body of the proposal (e.g., support letters, resumes, lists of 
data sources, maps). Letters of support may be mailed separately, but 
must be received by the 30 May 2003, deadline. All appendix material 
must be unbound. All proposals must include sections on the seven 
following topics:
    1. Background. Provide sufficient background information for 
reviewers to independently assess the significance of the proposed 
project. Summarize the problem to be addressed and the status of your 
ongoing efforts to address the problem.
    2. Benefits. Identify specific potential users of the information 
derived from this work and the benefits that will be achieved to those 
users as well as society as a whole. Describe how this

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information from this project will be delivered to those users.
    3. Goal(s) and Objective(s). Describe in the narrative the specific 
project goals and objectives to be achieved. Describe how these project 
goals support the broader goals of the Integrated Ocean Observing 
System.
    4. Project Description/Methodology. Provide a general work plan 
that identifies specific tasks to be accomplished, explains the 
technical approach (including quality control protocols) needed to 
accomplish the tasks, identifies the roles of partners and cooperators, 
and identifies potential obstacles to successful completion of the 
goals and objectives. Describe how potential users are involved in the 
planning and design process.
    5. Milestone Schedule. Display time lines for major tasks, target 
milestones for important intermediate and final products, and key 
project outcomes. The time period (period of performance) for the award 
may be 1-3 years, but funding is assured for only the first year.
    6. Project Budget. Provide a detailed budget description that 
follows the categories and formats in the NOAA grants package and a 
brief narrative justification of the budget.
    7. Resumes. Provide resumes of the Principal Investigator for the 
project and for other key personnel critical to the success of the 
project. Ensure that resumes address qualifications relevant to 
conducting the proposed work. Please limit to two pages for each.

Evaluation Criteria (with Weights) and Selection Process

    A review panel, composed of two NOAA and two non-NOAA reviewers, 
will be established to evaluate the proposals on the basis of the 
evaluation criteria listed below. The panelists will provide individual 
evaluations of proposals, thus there will be no consensus 
recommendation. All proposals reviewed will be ranked according to the 
average score and the selecting official (the Center's Director) will 
use those rankings as the basis for the final funding decisions. The 
selecting official may also consider the following program policy 
factors: geographic and institutional balance. Thus proposals with the 
highest scores may not necessarily be selected for award. Reviewers of 
the proposal will be asked to judge the merits of the proposal with 
respect to the following criteria:

1. Significance (25%):

    How well does the proposal demonstrate that the project will 
directly or indirectly address critical national, regional, state or 
local management needs? Are the goals and objectives clearly 
articulated and relevant tot he stated management or science need?

2. Approach (20%):

    Is the technical approach appropriate for the stated goals and 
objectives? Are the goals and objectives achievable within the proposed 
timeframe? Does the proposed approach follow a logical work plan with 
clearly defined and measurable milestones? Do the proposed approaches 
incorporate innovative or state of the art methodologies? Does the 
proposal explicitly address data management practices that meet or 
exceed FGDC standards and promote interoperability with other 
components of a national ocean observing system?

3. Project Management (10%):

    Does the proposal demonstrate institutional support for the 
project? Are the principal investigators and the organizational 
framework and personnel qualified to conduct a project of the nature 
and scope proposed?

4. Partnerships (15%):

    Does the proposed project engage external partners to make 
effective use of complimentary capabilities and competencies beneficial 
to this project? Is the user community clearly identified and are 
members of the identified user community engaged in the design and 
execution of the project or its products? Is duplication of effort 
reduced through strategic partnerships?

5. Application of Results (20%):

    Does the proposal demonstrate that it will significantly address 
relevant science and management issues? Does the proposal demonstrate 
that information generated by the project will reach its target 
audience and have a positive impact on the users ability to perform 
their responsibilities? Does the proposal include outreach and 
education components that will ensure the results are effectively 
applied to address the identified issues?

6. Cost Efficiency (10%):

    Does the proposal demonstrate that the budget is commensurate with 
project needs?

Selection Schedule

    Proposals will be reviewed once during the year. The following 
schedule lists the dates for the project selection and award process 
for grants: Proposal Deadline (with completed grant package) May 30, 
2003. The review process will take up to three months, and applicants 
will not be notified of the status of their application until the 
review process is completed. Earliest Approximate Grant Start Date 1 
October 2003. Note: All deadlines are for receipt by close of business 
(5 p.m. Eastern time) on the dates identified. Receipt of proposal and 
grant package (with original signatures) will be time stamped. 
Unsuccessful applications will be destroyed by the Program Manager and 
not returned to the applicant.

Funding Availability

    Total funding available for the Coastal Observing System Projects 
with the Director's Office is anticipated to be no more than $750,000 
and funding will be distributed among multiple Projects. The Coastal 
Services Center desires to fund two types of projects to benefit the 
development of regional coastal ocean observing systems: (1) projects 
that facilitate building partnerships and regional organizational 
structures for regional observing systems (estimated funding for this 
type of project is anticipated to be between $200,000 to $350,000 with 
two to five grants being awarded ranging from $20,000 to $100,000), and 
(2) regional pilot projects (estimated funding for this type of project 
is anticipated to be between $250,000 to $500,000 with only one or two 
grants being awarded). Publication of this document does not obligate 
NOAA to fund any specific grant or to award all or any parts of the 
available funds.

Cost Sharing

    There is no requirement for cost sharing in response to this 
program announcement.

Eligibility Criteria

    Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, non-
profit and for-profit organizations, foreign governments, organizations 
under the jurisdiction of foreign governments, international 
organizations, and state, local and Indian tribal governments. 
Organizations are encouraged to collaborate in development of multi-
institutional proposals, however, funding for such a proposal must be 
awarded to a single (lead) entity that then has responsibility for 
administration and execution of any subawards. Federal agencies or 
institutions are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this 
announcement, but may be project partners. Note: Federal agencies or 
institutions who are project partners must demonstrate that they have 
legal

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authority to receive funds from outside sources in excess of their 
appropriation.

General Information

    The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register 
notice of October 01, 2001 (66 FR 49917), as amended by the Federal 
Register notice published on October 30, 2002 (67 FR 66109), is 
applicable to this solicitation.
    Applications under this program are subject to Executive Order 
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
    It has been determined that this notice does not contain policies 
with Federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 
13132.
    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 action has been determined to be not significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866.
    Prior notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required 
by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) or any other law for this 
notice concerning grants, cooperative agreements, benefits, and 
contracts, 5 U.S.C. 533 (a) (2). Therefore, a regulatory flexibility 
analysis is not required for purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act 
(RFA), 5 U.S.C. 601 et. seq and has not been prepared.
    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 Paperwork 
Reduction Act, unless that collection displays a currently valid OMB 
control number. The use of the standard grants application package 
referred to in this notice involves collection-of-information 
requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. The use of 
Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, 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.

    Dated: April 14, 2003.
Jamison S. Hawkins,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone 
Management
[FR Doc. 03-9634 Filed 4-17-03; 8:45 am]
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