[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 181 (Friday, September 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56442-56444]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-23503]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE173


Notice of Availability of Community-Based Restoration Program 
Guidelines

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Community-based Restoration Program 
Guidelines; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is seeking 
comment on revised guidelines for the Community-based Restoration 
Program (Program). Since guidelines were first issued in 2000, the 
Program has not only evolved alongside the field of habitat restoration 
but has been designed to more effectively support sustainable fisheries 
and contribute to the recovery and conservation of protected resources. 
These goals are aligned with NMFS' core mandates, the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act and Endangered Species Act. The 
Program has built a strong foundation of technical and financial 
assistance capabilities that enables NOAA to proactively identify and 
develop priority habitat restoration projects, build community-based 
partnerships to leverage resources, and implement technically sound 
restoration actions that have maximum impact on coastal and marine 
species and the ecosystems on which they depend. This document replaces 
previous guidelines and describes the Program's goals and scope of 
implementation for FY 2016 and beyond. This is not a solicitation of 
project proposals.

DATES: Comments are due October 19, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Additional information about the Program is available at: 
http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/restoration/programs/crp.html. Interested 
parties that wish to send comments may send an email to 
[email protected]. Interested parties that wish to send comments 
through regular mail may use the following mailing address: NOAA 
Restoration Center (F/HC3), ATTN: CRP Guidelines, 1315 East West 
Highway, RM 14853, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tisa Shostik at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    NMFS started the Community-based Restoration Program (Program) in 
1996 to provide technical and financial assistance to support the 
implementation of community-driven habitat restoration. The Program 
collaborates with partners to restore coastal wetlands, coral reef, 
shellfish, estuarine, and riverine habitat to benefit coastal and 
marine species under NMFS jurisdiction. Restoration implemented under 
the Program include projects such as dam removal and fish passage 
projects, hydrologic reconnection projects, shellfish and coral reef 
restoration projects. To date, the Program has implemented more than 
1,700 habitat restoration projects in 37 states. It has restored more 
than 55,000 acres of habitat and opened 2,500 miles of rivers and 
streams.
    The Program is housed within the NMFS Office of Habitat 
Conservation's Restoration Center and was authorized in the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 
2006. Prior guidelines for the Program were provided at 65 FR 16890, 
March 30, 2000, and then revised at 73 FR 55816, September 26, 2008. 
Since the guidelines were last updated in 2008, base funding for the 
Program has

[[Page 56443]]

remained relatively level, with the exception of several specific 
initiatives such as the Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants 
funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the 
Open Rivers Initiative (2007-2010).

Program Guidelines

a. Purpose of These Guidelines

    These guidelines provide information to the public and partnering 
organizations regarding the Program's scope and focus. The guidelines 
describe the broad range of the Program's activities and influence 
including, but not limited to, technical and financial assistance 
capabilities that are managed in a manner to most effectively advance 
the goals established under NMFS' core mandates. Previous published 
guidelines included more information on financial assistance mechanisms 
and procedures. These discussions have been removed from these updated 
guidelines in order to focus on the Program's goals, scope, and 
capabilities, rather than administrative process.

b. Program Overview

    NMFS' primary goals under its core mandates include ensuring the 
productivity and sustainability of fisheries and recovering and 
conserving protected resources. Healthy ecosystems and the availability 
of habitat are critical to these resources and therefore restoring 
coastal, marine, and riverine habitat is an essential element of NMFS' 
strategy to achieve its primary goals. To support this strategy, the 
Program provides technical and financial assistance to identify, 
develop, implement, and evaluate community-driven habitat restoration 
projects that yield the greatest benefit to the resources under NMFS' 
jurisdiction. Program staff leads coordination efforts across NOAA and 
other Federal and non-Federal partners to identify shared habitat 
priorities and focus resource investments to increase the impact of 
habitat conservation and restoration actions. The Program's restoration 
specialists, including fish biologists, ecologists, and engineers, 
located throughout the country, provide comprehensive expertise to 
facilitate effective habitat restoration. To support project 
implementation through financial assistance, the Program primarily 
establishes cooperative agreement funding awards with non-Federal 
partners. Competitive solicitations are issued as Federal funding 
announcements on Grants.gov. Non-Federal partners may include non-
governmental organizations, tribes, states, and local government 
agencies and communities.
    Habitat restoration projects implemented through the Program are 
developed in partnership with the communities in which they are based 
and reflect the needs and interests of local stakeholders. As 
restoration is conducted using a collaborative, ecosystem approach, 
projects such as dam removal, floodplain reconnection, and coastal 
wetland restoration often result in multiple benefits beyond the 
Program's primary goals. These benefits may include increased coastal 
resiliency, improved infrastructure, enhanced public safety, increased 
recreational opportunities, and strengthened coastal economies. The 
Program also fosters natural resource stewardship and local community 
engagement by supporting outreach, education, or volunteer 
opportunities as restoration project components.

c. Program Activities and Priorities

    The Program will continue to support projects featuring all aspects 
of coastal habitat restoration, conservation, and protection that 
recover threatened and endangered species listed under the Endangered 
Species Act, sustain or help rebuild fish stocks managed under the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, or benefit 
other coastal and marine species with a connection to NMFS management. 
Within this broad authority, the Program is focusing its efforts to 
more effectively achieve NMFS' species recovery and fisheries 
sustainability goals, as well as demonstrate the results and multiple 
benefits of the Program's investments. Focused and coordinated 
approaches are critical because funding for coastal habitat restoration 
remains insufficient to fully address the needs of all habitat-limited 
coastal and marine species. To help set priorities and inform strategic 
decisions on where and how the Program targets its efforts, Program 
staff coordinates across NOAA and develops key partnerships with other 
Federal agencies, tribes, states, counties, local communities, and 
other non-governmental organizations. This leadership and collaboration 
helps set shared priorities and goals, and increases the impact of the 
Program's coastal restoration funding by leveraging resources and 
coordinating investments from multiple habitat restoration and 
conservation organizations and programs involved in habitat 
conservation and restoration.
    To execute the Program's targeted habitat restoration goals, the 
Program may focus its technical assistance and funding on specific 
geographic areas, habitats, restoration techniques, actions identified 
in protected species recovery plans or fishery management plans, or 
where NOAA and partner resources are aligned to yield a greater 
collective impact. The Program will provide restoration project funding 
to non-Federal partners through open, competitive solicitations 
announced through Federal Funding Opportunities (FFOs). The Program's 
targeted goals and priorities will be explicitly outlined within each 
FFO and applications will be evaluated on how well the proposed 
activity meets those priorities. Funding may be provided through 
cooperative agreements for restoration planning and feasibility 
studies, engineering and design, implementation and construction, and 
monitoring and evaluation efforts.
    In addition to providing funds for restoration projects, the 
Program provides leadership and technical expertise to foster the 
development and implementation of habitat restoration actions that 
support the recovery of protected species and sustainability of 
fisheries. To most effectively meet these core mandate goals, Program 
staff proactively identifies restoration opportunities, coordinates 
with other entities to help drive investments towards the highest 
priorities, and develops solutions to overcome obstacles to restoration 
success. Program staff provides technical expertise to ensure that 
restoration partners have the necessary support to successfully carry 
out complex habitat restoration activities such as dam removals and 
large-scale hydrologic reconnection projects. The technical assistance 
that Program staff provides to restoration project partners includes 
guidance on project feasibility assessments, engineering and design, 
project implementation oversight, regulatory compliance, and monitoring 
planning. The Program also accelerates the delivery of resources and 
implementation of restoration by streamlining permitting and 
environmental compliance processes when possible through the 
development and use of programmatic approaches. These core technical 
and financial assistance capabilities enable the Program to efficiently 
support the implementation of other targeted habitat conservation and 
restoration initiatives within NOAA.
    As the practice of habitat restoration has developed, the Program 
has contributed to its advancement through targeted implementation and 
effectiveness monitoring and technology

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transfer. Monitoring carried out by the Program has supported science-
based decision making and led to improvements in the design and 
implementation of habitat restoration projects. To evaluate the 
effectiveness of restoration actions in a cost-effective way, the 
Program is establishing consistent processes for monitoring and 
evaluating the performance of individual and collective restoration 
actions. The Program collects and reports this information in a manner 
that will inform future projects and investments, and ultimately 
improve the performance of the Program. The Program also facilitates 
increased public access to monitoring and evaluation data by 
implementing NOAA's Data Sharing Policy for Grants and Cooperative 
Agreements issued in 2012 which requires that all NOAA grantees share 
data produced under NOAA grants and cooperative agreements. Program 
staff works with cooperative agreement recipients to develop a data 
sharing plan as part of their cooperative agreement award narrative.

d. Funding Sources, Mechanisms, and Eligible Participants

    As described in the prior sections, providing financial assistance 
is a tool that the Program uses to accomplish habitat restoration, 
complemented by the Program's leadership, coordination, and technical 
assistance capabilities. Financial assistance is provided competitively 
through FFO announcements and awarded and managed following the 
Department of Commerce Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual and 2 
CFR part 200. The Program primarily establishes cooperative agreement 
awards with selected applicants based on a competitive, technical 
review process to maximize opportunities for public access to Program 
resources. In limited circumstances, contracts may also be awarded. All 
domestic applicants other than individuals may apply for financial 
assistance. Activities that constitute legally required mitigation or 
are required by federal, state, or local law or court order are not 
part of the Program.

e. Reporting

    The Program uses a specific reporting format that has received 
Paperwork Reduction Act clearance. The progress report format assists 
recipients of Program funding in tracking their progress towards self-
defined milestones and performance measures. Progress reports may also 
include monitoring and evaluation results. The Program-specific form 
also helps the Program populate a project tracking database, which 
supports agency-wide performance measure reporting and provides public 
information through the Restoration Atlas at www.habitat.noaa.gov/restoration/restorationatlas.

f. Regulatory Compliance

    The Program assists its restoration partners and financial 
assistance recipients in completing their regulatory compliance 
responsibilities when possible, and may serve as lead agency for 
consultation and analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, 
Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and other 
applicable federal laws and regulations. The Program takes a 
programmatic approach to regulatory compliance when available. A 
current list of programmatic compliance documents that may be used to 
fulfill regulatory compliance responsibilities can be found at http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/funding/applicantresources.html.

    Dated: September 14, 2015.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-23503 Filed 9-17-15; 8:45 am]
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