[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 93 (Wednesday, May 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25890-25894]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11975]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

[Program Announcement 03059]


Cooperative Agreement for a Research Program on Exposure-Dose 
Reconstruction Notice of Availability of Funds

    Application Deadline: June 30, 2003.

A. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under section 104(i)(1)(E) of the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
(CERCLA) of 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and 
Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 9604(i)(1)(E)) and 
section 3019 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as 
amended (Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984) (42 U.S.C. 
6939a(b) and (c)). The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 
93.161.

B. Purpose

    The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) 
announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for a 
cooperative agreement research program for exposure-dose 
reconstruction. This program addresses the ``Healthy People 2010'' 
focus area of Environmental Health.
    The purpose of the program is to develop and evaluate methods to 
reconstruct, estimate, predict, and evaluate exposures to widely 
varying contaminant concentrations, exposure frequencies, and exposure 
durations, with widely varying emission characteristics that can be 
found at National Priorities List (NPL) sites, Resource Conservation 
and Recovery

[[Page 25891]]

Act (RCRA) facilities, and other sites or facilities where a hazardous 
substance has been released into the environment. The program will 
advance the development, evaluation, application, and maintenance of 
computational methodologies and decision support systems for estimating 
exposure-dose relations from contaminated environmental media and 
hazardous substances.
    A critical aspect of assessing human health effects associated with 
hazardous waste sites is the evaluation of past, current, and future 
human exposures to hazardous substances. In order to accurately and 
meaningfully evaluate such exposures, more sensitive, media specific, 
and integrated methods must be developed through a program of research 
coordinated across multiple relevant, intra-related environmental, 
geochemical, and biomedical disciplines. No human subjects are 
involved.
    Hazardous waste sites present a number of unique circumstances and 
problems for ATSDR's public health assessment process. Chief among 
these is the widespread occurrence of a number of hazardous chemicals 
and mixed hazardous chemical compounds. In addition, some of the more 
complex hazardous waste sites may contain multiple waste disposal areas 
within a single site. Thus, the health assessor may be confronted with 
the need to evaluate exposures to widely varying contaminant 
concentrations, exposure frequencies, and exposure durations, with 
widely varying geochemical and toxicological characteristics. More 
novel, reliable, and expedient exposure-dose assessment methods must be 
developed in order to adequately address site-specific issues.
    Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with the 
following performance goal for ATSDR: evaluate the human health risk 
from toxic sites and releases.

C. Eligible Applicants

    Applications may be submitted by:
    [sbull] State and local governments or their bona fide agents (this 
includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, 
American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic 
of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau).
    [sbull] Political subdivisions of states (in consultation with 
states), which may include state universities, state colleges, and 
state research institutions.

    Note: Title 2 of the United States Code section 1611 states that 
an organization described in section 501c(4) of the Internal Revenue 
Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive 
Federal funds constituting an award, grant or loan.

D. Funding

Availability of Funds

    Approximately $300,000 is available in FY 2003 to fund one award. 
It is expected that the award will begin on or about September 15, 
2003, and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project 
period of up to 5 years. Funding estimates may change.
    Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports 
and the availability of funds.

Use of Funds

    Funds may be expended for reasonable program purposes, such as 
personnel, travel, supplies and services. Funds for contractual 
services may be requested. However, the awardee, as the direct and 
primary recipient of ATSDR cooperative agreement funds, must perform a 
substantive role in carrying out project activities and not merely 
serve as a conduit for an award to another party or provide funds to an 
ineligible party. If contractors are proposed, justification must be 
provided along with the following: (1) Name of contractor; (2) method 
of selection; (3) period of performance; (4) detailed budget; (5) 
justification for use of contractor; and (6) assurance of non-conflict 
of interest.
    Equipment may be purchased with cooperative agreement funds. 
However, the equipment proposed should be appropriate and reasonable 
for the activity to be conducted. The applicant, as part of the 
application process, should provide: (1) A justification for the need 
to acquire the equipment; (2) the description of the equipment; (3) the 
intended use of the equipment; and (4) the advantages/disadvantages of 
purchase versus lease of the equipment (if applicable). Requests for 
equipment purchases will be reviewed and approved only under the 
following conditions: (1) ATSDR retains the right to request return of 
all equipment purchased (in operable condition) with cooperative 
agreement funds at the conclusion of the project period, and (2) 
equipment purchased must be compatible with CDC/ATSDR hardware.

Recipient Financial Participation

    Matching funds are not required for this program.

E. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for the activities under 1. Recipient 
Activities, and ATSDR will be responsible for the activities listed 
under 2. ATSDR Activities.

1. Recipient Activities

    a. Identify, pursue, and enhance where appropriate, emerging 
technical advances in exposure-dose reconstruction to encompass 
reconstruction of exposure histories and determination of biologically 
effective doses. These advances should include, but are not limited to, 
assessment of methods such as: (1) Environmental multi-media exposure 
(including such pathways as groundwater, surface water, air, soil, and 
biota); (2) assessment of exposure and dose through bioavailability, 
accumulation, and transformation; (3) delivery of past, current, or 
potential future exposure and related dose through water-distribution 
systems; (4) kinetic networks; (5) genetic algorithms; (6) dose 
reconstruction; and (7) spatial analysis techniques integrated with (1) 
through (6) above, as a means to bridge the gap between the release of 
hazardous substances into the environment, potential dose (exposure), 
and resulting health effects.
    b. Reconstruct exposure and potential dose histories and determine 
potential for future exposure resulting from hazardous substances in 
the environment for populations in the environs around hazardous waste 
sites by use of methodology driven environmental assessment tools. 
These tools must include, at a minimum, simulators such as: (a) 
Analytical contaminant transport analysis system (ACTS); (b) steady 
flow in layered aquifer media and spatial analysis interface (SLAM-
GIS); (c) contaminant transport in layered aquifer media and spatial 
analysis interface (CLAM-GIS); and (d) water distribution system 
network hydraulic and water-quality simulators integrated with spatial 
analysis interface and progressive optimality genetic algorithm (POGA) 
optimization. These tools must be compatible with the desktop computing 
devices and operating systems currently in use by the agency and its 
exposure-dose reconstruction computational laboratory. The generalized 
description of the theory of these assessment tools can be found in the 
public domain literature.
    c. Identify, characterize, and integrate uncertainty analysis 
techniques, such as

[[Page 25892]]

Monte Carlo simulation into environmental assessment simulator tools, 
so that environmental exposures and health-based risk assessment 
analyses can be conducted. This combined deterministic-probabilistic 
computational methodology must include a user-friendly interface and 
should not rely on third-party or proprietary software programs or 
licensing to accomplish this task.
    d. Serve as a leading technical resource that provides information 
and assists in developing methodologies and setting the standard for 
use of methods for incorporating fuzzy system mathematics and modeling 
in the area of exposure assessment and exposure-dose reconstruction.
    e. Provide technical consultation and assistance in the development 
of a user friendly decision support system that considers, but is not 
limited to, the following:
    (1) Site characterization and exposure scenario data.
    (2) Environmental-media fate and transport computations.
    (3) Exposure-route analysis and computations.
    (4) Chemical-compound intake and exposure-dose computations.
    (5) Probability distributions and uncertainty analyses.
    (6) Spatial analysis computations and a geographic information 
systems interface.
    (7) Access to the decision support system by means of desktop 
computational devices available throughout the agency and in its 
exposure-dose reconstruction computational laboratory.
    f. Provide technical consultation and assistance in applying 
innovative and emerging exposure-dose reconstruction methodologies and 
computational analyses, described above, to areas characterized by 
contaminated environmental media that may pose potential health risks 
to the public.
    g. Provide information on development of methodologies related to 
exposure-dose reconstruction by submitting, as progress warrants, 
manuscripts to symposia, conferences, and peer-reviewed scientific 
journals on the developments and methodology describing aspects of the 
research on exposure-dose reconstruction.
    h. Organize and conduct workshops, conferences, or symposia to 
publicize and promote benefits of methodologies developed and to 
transfer technology as part of the research program on exposure-dose 
reconstruction.
    i. When the project is completed, recipient will summarize 
activities in a written report that includes the methodology describing 
the exposure-dose reconstruction process as applied to the public 
health assessment process.

2. ATSDR Activities

    a. Collaborate with and assist in the development of plausible 
exposure-dose methodologies, relations, and criteria for the selection 
and application of computational tools, and define appropriate 
assumptions.
    b. Serve as a direct conduit for accessing environmental and 
exposure data and hazardous waste site information that would be of 
value to recipient organization to test and validate the acceptability 
of the environmental assessment simulator tools developed as part of 
the exposure-dose reconstruction research program.
    c. Collaborate with and assist recipient organization with 
benchmarking, testing, and evaluation of methodology driven exposure-
dose reconstruction assessment computational tools by providing 
recipient organization with results derived from application of 
methodology driven exposure-dose reconstruction assessment 
computational tools when applied to hazardous waste sites.
    d. Collaborate with and assist recipient with identifying and 
pursuing emerging disciplines related to advances in assessment of 
exposure to hazardous chemicals and mixed wastes typically associated 
with hazardous waste sites.
    e. Provide technical assistance to recipient organization to extend 
the appropriate use of novel exposure characterization and dose 
relations protocols to hazard characterization and communication 
efforts.
    f. Assist recipient organization in communicating information on 
development of methodologies related to exposure-dose reconstruction by 
submitting, as progress warrants, manuscripts to symposia, conferences, 
and peer-reviewed scientific journals on the developments and 
methodology describing aspects of the research on exposure-dose 
reconstruction.
    g. Assist in the development and dissemination of advances in the 
areas of exposure-dose reconstruction methodologies to all relevant 
scientific and technical groups and communities including state and 
local governments and the public.
    h. Assist in the planning, organization, and conduct of workshops, 
conferences, or symposia to publicize and promote benefits of 
methodologies developed; and assist with the transfer of technology, as 
part of the research program on exposure-dose reconstruction.
    i. Collaborate with recipient to summarize program activities in a 
written report that includes the methodology describing the exposure-
dose reconstruction process as applied to the public health assessment 
process.

F. Content

Applications

    The Program Announcement title and number must appear in the 
application. Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the 
application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria 
listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program 
plan. The narrative should be no more than 50 pages, single spaced, 
printed on one side, with one inch margins, and unreduced 12-point 
font.
    The narrative should consist of, at a minimum, a Plan, Objectives, 
Methods, Evaluation and Budget. The objectives must include a project 
schedule for the entire five-year project. (See evaluation criteria 
1.d.) The application must include a 200-word or less abstract of the 
proposal. The application pages must be clearly numbered, and a 
complete index to the application and its appendices must be included.

G. Submission and Deadline

Application Forms

    Submit the signed original and two copies of PHS 398 (OMB number 
0925-0001). Adhere to the instructions on the Errata Instruction Sheet 
(posted on the CDC web site) for PHS 398. Forms are available at the 
following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.
    If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have 
difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC 
Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section 
(PGO-TIM) at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to you.

Submission Date, Time, and Address

    The application must be received by 4 p.m. Eastern Time on June 30, 
2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management-PA 
03059, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine 
Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146.
    Applications may not be submitted electronically.

[[Page 25893]]

CDC Acknowledgement of Application Receipt

    A postcard will be mailed by PGO-TIM, notifying you that CDC has 
received your application.

Deadline

    Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they 
are received before 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. Any 
applicant who sends their application by the United States Postal 
Service or commercial delivery services must ensure that the carrier 
will be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the closing 
date and time. If an application is received after closing due to (1) 
carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a guarantee 
for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant weather 
delays or natural disasters, CDC will, upon receipt of proper 
documentation, consider the application as having been received by the 
deadline.
    Any application that does not meet the above criteria will not be 
eligible for competition, and will be discarded. The applicant will be 
notified of their failure to meet the submission requirements.

H. Evaluation Criteria

Application

    Applicants are required to provide measures of effectiveness that 
will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various identified 
objectives of the cooperative agreement. Measures of effectiveness must 
relate to the performance goals stated in the purpose section of this 
announcement. Measures must be objective and quantitative and must 
measure the intended outcome. These measures of effectiveness must be 
submitted with the application and will be an element of evaluation.
    An independent review group appointed by ATSDR will evaluate each 
application against the following criteria:
1. Scientific and Technical Review Criteria of Application
    a. Methods (45 percent total). The extent to which the applicant's 
proposal fully and adequately addresses: (1) Experience in methods of 
reconstruction of exposure histories through the identification and 
pursuit of technical advances such as environmental multi-media 
exposure, kinetic networks, progressive optimality genetic algorithm 
(POGA) optimization and water-distribution system operations, 
uncertainty analysis, fuzzy mathematics, dose reconstruction, and 
spatial analysis techniques (20 percent); (2) the familiarity, 
qualifications, knowledge, and experience of the principal investigator 
in his/her ability to utilize and apply methodology driven 
environmental assessment tools to reconstruct exposure histories (10 
percent); (3) the ability of the principal investigator to modify these 
tools in order to meet the program objective as described in the 
Purpose section of this announcement (5 percent); and (4) the 
demonstrated ability of the principal investigator to integrate the 
aforementioned computational tools into existing computational tools 
and platforms so as to develop, maintain, or enhance a decision support 
system in order to support ATSDR's public health assessment process (10 
percent).
    b. Evaluation (25 percent total). The extent to which the applicant 
has fully and adequately described how it will demonstrate its 
effectiveness in meeting all objectives in the evaluation of its work 
plan, including: (1) The qualifications, experience, and commitment of 
the principal investigator, and his/her ability to devote adequate time 
and effort to provide effective leadership (10 percent); (2) the 
competence of associate investigators to accomplish the proposed study, 
their commitment, and the time they will devote to the project (5 
percent); and (3) the adequacy and commitment of institutional 
resources to administer the program and the adequacy of facilities, 
such as the availability of a multimedia environmental simulations 
laboratory, as they impact on performance of the proposed project (10 
percent).
    c. Proposed Plan (20 percent total). The extent to which the 
applicant's proposal fully and adequately addresses: (1) the 
development and implementation of methods designed to characterize 
exposure-dose relations associated with hazardous waste sites (10 
percent); and (2) the applicant's experience and past performance in 
assisting ATSDR in methods development, conducting exposure 
assessments, and exposure-dose reconstruction analyses (10 percent).
    d. Objectives (10 percent total). The extent to which the 
applicant's proposal fully and adequately addresses: (1) the proposed 
project schedule, including clearly established and obtainable project 
objectives for which progress toward attainment can and will be 
measured: (5 percent); and (2) experience and past performance in 
meeting project objectives (5 percent).
    e. Program Budget (Reviewed, but not scored). The extent to which 
the budget is reasonable, clearly justified, and consistent with the 
intended use of cooperative agreement funds. If applicant's proposed 
budget exceeds the availability of funds, their application will be 
funded at the level of availability of funds.
    f. Performance goals (Reviewed, but not scored). The extent to 
which the applicant's proposal adequately addresses the following 
performance goal for ATSDR: evaluate the human health risk from toxic 
sites and releases.
2. Continuation Awards Within the Project Period Will Be Made on the 
Basis of the Following Criteria
    a. Satisfactory progress has been made in meeting project 
objectives.
    b. Objectives for the new budget period are realistic, specific, 
and measurable.
    c. Proposed changes in described long-term objectives, methods of 
operation, need for cooperative agreement support, and/or evaluation 
procedures will lead to achievement of project objectives.
    d. The budget request is clearly justified and consistent with the 
intended use of cooperative agreement funds.

I. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with original plus two copies of:
    1. Interim progress report, no less than 90 days before the end of 
the budget period. The progress report will serve as your non-competing 
continuation application, and must contain the following elements:
    a. Current Budget Period Activities Objectives.
    b. Current Budget Period Financial Progress.
    c. New Budget Period Program Proposed Activity Objectives.
    d. Detailed Line-Item Budget and Justification.
    e. Additional Requested Information.
    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period.
    3. Final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days 
after the end of the project period.
    Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in 
the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of this 
announcement.

Additional Requirements

    The following additional requirements are applicable to this 
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I of the 
program announcement, as posted on the CDC website.


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AR-9 Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-11 Healthy People 2010
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
AR-19 Third Party Agreements--ATSDR
AR-22 Research Integrity

    Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements, the necessary applications, and 
associated forms can be found on the CDC web site, Internet address: 
http://www.cdc.gov. Click on ``Funding'' then ``Grants and Cooperative 
Agreements''.
    For general questions about this announcement, contact: Technical 
Information Management, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 
Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2700.
    For business management and budget assistance, contact: Edna Green, 
Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 
30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2743, E-mail address: [email protected].
    For business management and budget assistance in the territories, 
contact: Julie Grace, Contract Specialist, CDC Procurement and Grants 
Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-
488-2782, E-mail: [email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: Morris L. Maslia, P.E., 
Project Officer, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1825 
Century Boulevard, Room 3094, Mail Stop E-32, Atlanta, Georgia 30345, 
Telephone number: (404) 498-0415, E-mail address: [email protected].

    Dated: May 8, 2003.
Sandra R. Manning,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-11975 Filed 5-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-70-P