[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 77 (Monday, April 21, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21318-21321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-8581]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 080415567-8568-01]


FY 2008 Broad Agency Announcement

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

ACTION: Notice of funding availability.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to request proposals for special 
projects and programs associated with the Agency's strategic plan and 
mission goals, as well as to provide the general public with 
information and guidelines on how NOAA will select proposals and 
administer discretionary Federal assistance under this BAA. This BAA is 
a mechanism to encourage research, education and outreach, innovative 
projects, or sponsorships that are not addressed through our 
competitive discretionary programs. It is not a mechanism for awarding 
Congressionally directed funds. Funding for potential projects in this 
notice is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2008 and 
Fiscal Year 2009 appropriations. Applicants are hereby given notice 
that funds have not yet been appropriated for any proposed activities 
in this notice. Publication of this announcement does not oblige NOAA 
to review an application beyond an initial administrative review, or to 
award any specific project, or to obligate any available funds.

DATES: Full applications can be submitted on a rolling basis starting 
April 22, 2008, up to 5 PM Eastern Daylight Time September 30, 2009. 
Applications received after this time will not be reviewed or 
considered for funding.

ADDRESSES: Applications are available through grants.gov, and can be 
searched for using Funding Opportunity Number NFA-NFA-2008-2001388. For 
those

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applicants without internet access, application forms can be acquired 
by contacting the individuals listed under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    National Environmental Satellite Data Information Service (NESDIS)
    Ingrid Guch
    301-763-8282
    Hqtr. Route: E/RA1
    Bldg: WWBG RM: 701
    5200 Auth RD
    Camp Springs MD 20746-4304

    National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
    JoAnna Grable
    301-713-1364
    Hqtr. Route: F/MB2
    Bldg: SSMC3 Rm: 14359
    1315 East-West Hwy
    Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282

    National Ocean Service (NOS)
    Jane Piercy
    301-713-3050
    Hqtr. Route: N/MB3
    Bldg: SSMC4 Rm: 13250
    1305 East-West Hwy
    Silver Spring MD 20910-3281

    National Weather Service (NWS)
    Youngnan Cohan
    301-713-0420
    NWS Hqtr Route: W/CFO2
    Bldg: SSMC2 Rm: 18394
    1325 East-West Hwy
    Silver Spring MD 20910

    Office of Atmospheric Research (OAR)
    Sharon Schroeder
    301-713-2474
    Hqrt. Route: R/OM61
    Bldg: SSMC3 Rm: 11464
    1315 East-West Hwy
    Silver Spring MD 20910-3282

    NOAA Office of Education (OED)
    Sarah Schoedinger
    704-370-3528
    Bldg: HCHB Room: 6863
    1401 Constitution Ave., NW
    Washington DC 20230-0001

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this notice is to request 
proposals for special projects and programs associated with the 
Agency's strategic plan and mission goals, as well as to provide the 
public with information and guidelines on how NOAA will select 
proposals and administer discretionary Federal assistance under this 
BAA. This BAA is a mechanism to encourage research, education and 
outreach, innovative projects, or sponsorships that are not normally 
funded through our competitive discretionary programs. It is not a 
mechanism to award Congressionally directed funds.
    ELECTRONIC ACCESS: The full text of the full funding opportunity 
announcement for this program can be accessed via the Grants.gov web 
site at http://www.grants.gov. The announcement will also be available 
by contacting the program officials identified under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT. Applicants must comply with all requirements 
contained in the full funding opportunity announcement.
    STATUTORY AUTHORITY: The specific program authority will vary 
depending on the nature of the proposed project. A list of the most 
prevalent assistance authorities are 15 U.S.C. 1540; 15 U.S.C. 2901 et 
seq.; 16 U.S.C. 661; 16 U.S.C. 1456c; 33 U.S.C. 883a-d; 33 U.S.C. 
893a(a); 33 U.S.C. 1442; 49 U.S.C. 44720(b).
    CFDA NUMBER: Multiple CFDA Numbers. The CFDA numbers can be found 
in the Full Funding Opportunity.
    FUNDING AVAILABILITY: There are no funds specifically appropriated 
by Congress for this BAA. Funding for potential projects in this notice 
is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2008, Fiscal Year 
2009 and Fiscal Year 2010 appropriations. Applicants are hereby given 
notice that funds have not yet been appropriated for any proposed 
activities in this notice. Publication of this announcement does not 
oblige NOAA to review an application beyond an initial administrative 
review, award any specific project, or obligate any available funds.
    ELIGIBILITY: Eligible applicants may be institutions of higher 
education, nonprofits, commercial organizations, international or 
foreign organizations or governments, individuals, state, local and 
Indian tribal governments. Eligibility also depends on the statutory 
authority that permits NOAA to fund the proposed activity. Refer to the 
CFDA in order to determine an applicant's eligibility.
    COST SHARING REQUIREMENTS: Cost sharing is not required unless it 
is determined that a project can only be funded under an authority that 
requires matching/cost sharing funds.
    EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURES: The general evaluation 
criteria and selection factors that apply to full applications to this 
funding opportunity are summarized below. The evaluation criteria for 
full applications will have different weights and details. Further 
information about the evaluation criteria and selection factors can be 
found in the full funding opportunity announcement.
    EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR PROJECTS: NOAA has standardized evaluation 
criteria for all competitive assistance announcements. The criteria for 
this BAA are listed below. Since proposals responding to this BAA may 
vary significantly in their activities/objectives, assigning a set 
weight for each evaluation criterion is not feasible but is based on a 
total possible score of 100. The Program Office and/or Selection 
Official will determine which of the following criteria and weights 
will be applied. Some proposals, for example sponsorships, may not be 
able to address all the criteria like technical/scientific merit. 
However, it is in your best interest to prepare a proposal that can be 
easily evaluated against these five criteria.
    1. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed 
project to the mission goals: This ascertains whether there is 
intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, federal, 
regional, state, or local activities: i.e., How does the proposed 
activity enhance NOAA's strategic plan and mission goals? Proposals 
should also address significance/possibilities of securing productive 
results, i.e., Does this study address an important problem?; If the 
aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be 
advanced?; What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or 
methods that drive this field?; What effect will the project have on 
improving public understanding of the role the ocean, coasts, and 
atmosphere in the global ecosystem? Proposals may also be scored for 
innovation, i.e., Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or 
methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project 
challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or 
technologies?
    2. Technical/scientific merit: This assesses whether the approach 
is technically sound and if the methods are appropriate, and whether 
there are clear project goals and objectives. Proposals should address 
the approach/soundness of design: i.e., Are the conceptual framework, 
design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, 
and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant 
acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics? 
This criterion should also address the applicants proposed methods for 
monitoring, measuring, and evaluating the success or failure of the 
project, i.e., What are they? Are they appropriate?

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    3. Overall qualifications of applicants: This ascertains whether 
the applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, training, 
facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project. If 
appropriate, proposals should also address the physical environment and 
collaboration, if any, i.e., Does the environment in which the work 
will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed 
experiments or activities take advantage of unique features of the 
intended environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements?
    4. Project costs: The Budget is evaluated to determine if it is 
realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-frame.
    5. Outreach and education: NOAA assesses whether this project 
provides a focused and effective education and outreach strategy 
regarding NOAA's mission to protect the Nations environmental 
resources. For example, how will the outcomes of the project be 
communicated to NOAA and the interested public to ensure it has met the 
project objectives over the short, medium or long term? Does the 
project address any of the goals or employ any of the strategies of the 
NOAA Education Plan (http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/NOAA_Ed_Plan.pdf)?
    REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS: Upon receipt of a full application by 
NOAA, an initial administrative review will be conducted to determine 
eligibility for award, compliance with requirements and completeness of 
the application. This review includes determining whether:
    1. Sufficient funds are available in the budget of the program 
office receiving the application to support the proposed project;
    2. Statutory authority exists to provide financial assistance for 
the project or organization;
    3. A complete application package has been submitted;
    4. The Project Description/Narrative is consistent with one or more 
of NOAA's mission goals; and,
    5. The proposal falls within the scope of an existing NOAA 
competitive announcement (Federal Register Notices can be found at 
www.Grants.gov to find recent competitive announcements) or duplicates 
an existing nondiscretionary project announced or awarded in FY08, FY09 
or FY10 (if it does, it cannot be funded under this announcement); and,
    6. The work in the proposal directly benefits NOAA (if it will, it 
should be supported by a procurement contract, not a financial 
assistance award which cannot be funded under this announcement, as 
provided in 31 U.S.C. 6303). Applications not passing this initial 
review will not be considered further for funding through this BAA. 
NOAA will evaluate proposal(s) that are eligible that comply with all 
the requirements, under this BAA individually (i.e., proposals will be 
not compared to each other). A merit review will be conducted by mail 
reviewers and/or peer panel reviewers. Each reviewer will individually 
evaluate the proposal(s) using the evaluation criteria provided above. 
A minimum of three merit reviewers per proposal is required. The 
reviewers may be any combination of Federal and/or non-federal 
personnel. The proposal(s) will be individually scored (i.e., a 
consensus is not reached) unless all reviewers are Federal employees. 
If all of the reviewers are Federal employees, the program officer has 
the discretion to authorize a score based on consensus. NOAA selects 
evaluators on the basis of their professional qualifications and 
expertise as related to the unique characteristics of the proposal. The 
NOAA Program Officer will assess the evaluations and make a fund or do-
not-fund recommendation to the Selecting Official based on the 
evaluations of the reviewers. Any application considered for funding 
may be required to address the issues raised in the evaluation of the 
proposal by the reviewers, Program Officer, Selecting Official, and/or 
Grants Officer before an award is issued. Applications not selected for 
funding in FY2008 or FY2009 may be considered for funding from FY2010 
funds but may be, in response to NOAA's request, required to revalidate 
the terms of the original application or resubmit in the next BAA cycle 
if one is published for FY2010. The Program Officer, Selecting Official 
and/or Grants Officer may negotiate the final funding level of the 
proposal with the intended applicant. The Selecting Official makes the 
final recommendation for award to the NOAA Grants Officer who is 
authorized to commit the Federal Government and obligate the funds.
    INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW: Applications submitted under this notice 
may be subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Federal Programs.'' Refer to the appropriate CFDA number listed on your 
application for the applicability of this E.O. to your proposal.
    LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: In no event will NOAA or the Department of 
Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if these 
proposed activities fail to receive funding or are 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.
    NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA): NOAA must analyze the 
potential environmental impacts, as required by the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for applicant projects or proposals 
which are seeking NOAA federal funding opportunities. Detailed 
information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the following 
NOAA NEPA website: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/ , including our NOAA 
Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6_TOC.pdf, and the Council on Environmental Quality implementation 
regulations, http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/toc_ceq.htm. 
Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under their 
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 non-indigenous 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 analyses, applicants may also be 
requested to assist NOAA in drafting of an environmental assessment, if 
NOAA determines an assessment is required. Applicants will also be 
required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying feasible measures to 
reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their 
proposal. The failure to do so shall be grounds for not selecting an 
application. In some cases if additional information is required after 
an application is selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer 
under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit 
additional environmental compliance information sufficient to enable 
NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on 
the environment.
    THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PRE-AWARD NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR 
GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS: The Department of Commerce Pre-Award 
Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements 
contained in the Federal Register notice of February 11, 2008 (73 FR 
7696), are applicable to this solicitation.

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    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: April 16, 2008.
Helen Hurcombe
Director, Acquisition and Grants Office, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-8581 Filed 4-18-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-12-S