[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 214 (Friday, November 5, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64565-64566]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-24750]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 041014282-4282-01]


Hydrologic Research

AGENCY: National Weather Service (NWS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice and request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: This program represents a NOAA/NWS effort to create a cost-
effective continuum of basic and applied research through collaborative 
research between the Hydrology Laboratory of the NWS Office of 
Hydrologic Development and academic communities or other private or 
public agencies which have expertise in the hydrometeorologic, 
hydrologic, and hydraulic routing sciences. These activities will 
engage researchers and students in basic and applied research to 
improve the scientific understanding of river forecasting. Ultimately 
these efforts will improve the accuracy of forecasts and warnings of 
rivers and flash floods by applying scientific knowledge and 
information to NWS research methods and techniques, resulting in a 
benefit to the public. NOAA's program is designed to complement other 
agency contributions to that national effort. The Office of Hydrologic 
Development requests that interested organizations prepare a pre-
proposal, to be followed by a full-proposal. Pre-proposal submission is 
required in order to submit a full proposal.

DATES: Pre-proposals must be received by the NWS no later than 3 p.m., 
Eastern Standard Time, December 17, 2004. A notice of the review 
results will be sent, encouraging or discouraging full proposal 
submissions. The due date for the full proposal submission will be 
contained in the notice.

ADDRESSES: Pre-proposals may be submitted through electronic e-mail to 
[email protected]. Pre-proposals submitted in hard copy must be 
submitted by postal mail, commercial delivery service, or hand-delivery 
to Pedro Restrepo, NOAA/NWS; 1325 East-West Highway, Room 8346, phone 
number 301-713-0640, ext. 210; Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3283. Full 
proposals should be submitted through Grants.gov APPLY, however, full 
proposals may be submitted in hard copy and sent to Pedro Restrepo, 
NOAA/NWS; 1325 East-West Highway, Room 8346, phone number 301-713-0640, 
ext. 210; Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3283. The full text of the 
funding opportunity announcement for this NWS program can be accessed 
via the Grants.gov FIND Web site: http://www.grants.gov. This 
announcement will also be available at the NOAA Web site: http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/%7Eamd/SOLINDEX.HTML or by contacting the program 
official identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Pedro Restrepo by phone at 301-
713-0640 ext. 210, or fax to 301-713-0963, or via Internet at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This program represents a NOAA/NWS effort to 
create a cost-effective partnership through collaborative basic and 
applied research between the Hydrology Laboratory of the NWS Office of 
Hydrologic Development and academic communities or other private or 
public agencies which have expertise in the hydrometerologic, 
hydrologic, and hydraulic routing sciences. These activities will 
engage researchers and students in basic and applied research to 
improve the scientific understanding of river forecasting. Ultimately 
these efforts will improve the accuracy of forecasts and warnings of 
rivers and flash floods by applying scientific knowledge and 
information to NWS research methods and techniques, resulting in a 
benefit to the public. NOAA's program is designed to complement other 
agency contributions to that national effort. A detailed description 
for each program priority is in the funding opportunity announcement 
which can be accessed via the Grants.gov Web site, the NOAA Web site at 
http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/%7Eamd/SOLINDEX.HTML, or by contacting the 
program official identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Electronic Access

    The full text of the funding opportunity announcement for this NWS 
program can be accessed via the Grants.gov FIND Web site. This 
announcement will also be available at the NOAA Web site: http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/%7Eamd/SOLINDEX.HTML or by contacting the program 
official identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. This Federal 
Register notice is available through the NOAA home page at: http://www.noaa.gov/.
    Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 313.

CFDA

    11.462, Hydrologic Research.

Funding Availability

    Proposals shall be prepared assuming an annual budget of no more 
than $125,000. It is expected that approximately four awards will be 
made, depending on availability of funds. This program announcement is 
for projects to be conducted by research investigators for a 1-year, 2-
year, or 3-year period. When a proposal for a multi-year award is 
approved, funding will initially be provided for only the first year of 
the program.

Eligibility

    Eligible applicants are Federal agencies, institutions of higher 
education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, foreign 
governments, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign 
governments, and international organizations, state, local and Indian 
tribal governments. Applications from non-Federal and Federal 
applicants will be competed against each other. Proposals selected for 
funding from non-Federal applicants will be funded through a project 
grant or cooperative agreement under the terms of this notice. 
Proposals selected for funding from NOAA scientists shall be effected 
by an intra-agency fund transfer. Proposals selected for funding from a 
non-NOAA Federal agency will be funded through an inter-agency 
transfer. PLEASE NOTE: Before non-NOAA Federal applicants may be 
funded, they must demonstrate that they have legal

[[Page 64566]]

authority to receive funds from another Federal agency in excess of 
their appropriation. Because this announcement is not proposing to 
procure goods or services from applicants, the Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 
1535) is not an appropriate legal basis.

Cost Sharing Requirements

    None.

Evaluation and Selection Procedures

    NOAA published its agency-wide solicitation entitled ``Omnibus 
Notice Announcing the Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 
2005'' for projects and fellowships/scholarship/internships for Fiscal 
Year 2005 in the Federal Register on June 30, 2004 (69 FR 39417). The 
evaluation criteria and selection procedures for projects contained in 
that omnibus notice are applicable to this solicitation. Copies of the 
notice are available on the Internet at: http://www.ofa.noaa.gov%7Eamd/
SOLINDEX.HTML. A pre-proposal submission is required in order to submit 
a full proposal. The notice discouraging the submission of a full 
proposal does not preclude a full proposal submission.

Intergovernmental Review

    Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order 
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of federal programs.''

Limitation of Liability

    In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible 
for proposal preparation costs if this program is cancelled because of 
other agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not 
oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available 
funds. Applicants are hereby given notice that funding for the Fiscal 
Year 2005 program is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 
2005 appropriations.

Universal Identifier

    Applicants should be aware they are required to provide a Dun and 
Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number during the 
application process. See the October 30, 2002, Federal Register, (67 FR 
66177) for additional information. Organizations can receive a DUNS 
number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number 
request line at 1-866-705-5711 or via the Internet at http://www.dunandbradstreet.com.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

    NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required 
by NEPA, for applicant projects or proposals which are seeking NOAA 
Federal assistance. Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA 
can be found at the following Web site: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov 
including NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA at http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216l6lTOC.pdf, and the Council on Environmental 
Quality implementation regulations at http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/toclceq.htm. Consequently, as part of an applicant's package under 
the description of their program activities, applicants are required to 
provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, 
locations, sites, species, and habitat to be affected, possible 
construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist 
(e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, 
introduction of nonindigenous species, impacts to endangered and 
threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef 
systems). In addition to providing specific information that will serve 
as the basis for any required impact analysis, applicants may also be 
requested to assist NOAA in drafting an environmental assessment, if 
NOAA determines an assessment is required. Applicants will also be 
required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying and implementing 
feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse 
environmental impacts of their proposal. The failure to do so shall be 
grounds for the denial of an application.
    The Department of Commerce Preaward Notification 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), are 
applicable to this solicitation.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This document contains collection-of-information requirements 
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The use of Standard Forms 
424, 424A, 424B, and SF-LLL, and CD-346 has been approved by the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) under the respective control numbers 
0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046, and 0605-0001. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to, 
nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, 
a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA 
unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

Executive Order 12866

    This notice has been determined to be not significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866.

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

    It has been determined that this notice does not contain policies 
with Federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 
13132.

Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Prior notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required 
by the Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules 
concerning public property, loans, grants, benefits, and contracts (5 
U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). Because notice and opportunity for comment are not 
required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical 
requirements for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) 
are inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not 
been prepared.

    Dated: October 29, 2004.
David L. Johnson,
Assistant Administrator for Weather Services.
[FR Doc. 04-24750 Filed 11-4-04; 8:45 am]
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