[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 341-343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-31300]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 0912181433-91433-01; I.D. GF001]


FY 2010-FY 2011 Broad Agency Announcement

AGENCY: Office of Finance and Administration (NFAPO), Office of Finance 
and Administration (NFA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of funding availability.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) 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 for Fiscal 
Year 2010, Fiscal Year 2011 and Fiscal Year 2012. 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.

DATES: NOAA will accept full applications until to 5 p.m. Eastern 
Daylight Time September 30, 2011. Applications received after this time 
will not be reviewed or considered for funding.

ADDRESSES: Electronic application packages are strongly encouraged and 
are available through grants.gov and can be searched for using Funding 
Opportunity Number NOAA-NFA-NFAPO-2010-2002272. Grants.gov requires 
applicants to register with the system prior to submitting an 
application. This registration process can take several weeks and 
involves multiple steps. In order to allow sufficient time for this 
process, you should register as soon as you decide to apply even if you 
are not ready to submit your proposal. For those 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): Daniel Namur, 301-713-
1364,. Hqtr. Route: F/MB2 Bldg: SSMC3, Rm: 14358, 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): Sam Contorno, 301-713-3557, 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 Broad Agency 
Announcement (BAA) 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 for Fiscal Year 2010, Fiscal Year 2011 
and Fiscal Year 2012.
    As an agency with responsibilities for maintaining and improving 
the viability of marine and coastal ecosystems, for delivering valuable 
weather, climate, and water information and services, for understanding 
the science and consequences of climate change, and for supporting the 
global commerce and transportation upon which we all depend, NOAA must 
remain current and responsive in an ever-changing world. We do this in 
concert with our partners and stakeholders in Federal, State, and local 
governments and private organizations, applying a systematic approach 
that links our strategic goals through multi-year plans to the daily 
activities of our employees. Every year we are committed to re-
evaluating our progress and priorities, looking for efficiencies, and 
taking advantage of new opportunities to improve our information, 
products, and services. In furtherance of this objective, NOAA issues 
this BAA for extramural research, innovative projects, and sponsorships 
(e.g., conferences, newsletters etc.) that address one or more of the 
following five mission goal descriptions contained in the NOAA 
Strategic Plan:
    1. Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean 
Resources through an Ecosystem Approach to Management;
    2. Understand Climate Variability and Change to Enhance Society's 
Ability to Plan and Respond;
    3. Serve Society's Needs for Weather and Water Information;
    4. Support the Nation's Commerce with Information for Safe, 
Efficient, and Environmentally Sound Transportation; and
    5. Provide Critical Support for NOAA's Mission.
    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. As a result, funding for 
potential projects in this notice is contingent upon the availability 
of Fiscal Year 2010, Fiscal Year 2011 and Fiscal Year 2012 
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.
    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: 11.481, 
Educational Partnership Program.

    Funding Availability: There are no funds specifically appropriated 
by

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Congress for this BAA. Funding for potential projects in this notice is 
contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2010, Fiscal Year 2011 
and Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations. Applicants are hereby given notice 
that funds have not yet been appropriated for any proposed activities 
in this notice.
    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 for full applications to this 
funding opportunity are summarized below. Further information about the 
evaluation criteria and selection factors can be found in the full 
funding opportunity announcement.

Evaluation Criteria for Projects

A. Evaluation Criteria

    NOAA has standardized evaluation criteria for all competitive 
assistance announcements. The criteria for this BAA are listed below. 
Applicants are required to adhere to all the noted submission 
requirements and to provide a demonstrable link and/or to emphasize the 
manner in which study objectives results will serve to support NOAA's 
mission goals/priorities. 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 of 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 applicant's proposed methods for 
monitoring, measuring, and evaluating the success or failure of the 
project, i.e., what are they? Are they appropriate?
    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 the cost 
is reasonable, allowable, allocable and necessary, and 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 Nation's 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 
http://www.Grants.gov to find recent competitive announcements) or 
duplicates an existing nondiscretionary project announced or awarded in 
FY08, FY09, FY10 or FY11 (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, and will not receive further 
review. NOAA will evaluate proposal(s) that pass this initial review 
and 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

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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 FY2010 or FY2011 may be 
considered for funding from FY2012 funds but may be required to 
revalidate the terms of the original application or resubmit in the 
next BAA cycle if one is published for FY2012. 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.
    Selection Factors for Projects: Not Applicable.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by State and local 
governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.'' Any applicant 
submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 
on the SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact 
(SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and 
comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and 
phone numbers of participating SPOC's are listed in the Office of 
Management and Budget's home page at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
    Limitation of Liability: In no event will NOAA or the Department of 
Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if these 
programs 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 Web site: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including our NOAA 
Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6.pdf, and the Council on Environmental Quality implementation 
regulations, http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/toc_ceq.htm. 
Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under the 
description of 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 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.
    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: December 29, 2009.
Tammy Journet,
Deputy Director, Acquisition and Grants Office, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-31300 Filed 1-4-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-12-P