[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16927-16928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06196]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Notice of Indirect Cost Rates for the Office of National Marine 
Sanctuaries for Fiscal Year 2010

AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean 
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice of indirect cost rates for the Office of National Marine 
Sanctuaries for fiscal year 2010.

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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) 
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) announces the 
establishment of new indirect cost rates for the recovery of indirect 
costs for its component organizations involved in natural resource 
damage and restoration activities for fiscal year (FY) 2010. NOAA 
provides the indirect cost rates for this fiscal year and the dates of 
implementation in this notice. The public can obtain more information 
on this rate from the address provided below in the ADDRESSES section.

DATES: These indirect cost rates are effective on March 25, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Vicki Wedell, phone 240-533-0650; email 
[email protected]; or 1305 East-West Highway, N/NMS, Silver Spring, 
MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vicki Wedell, phone 240-533-0650; 
email [email protected]; or 1305 East-West Highway, N/NMS, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Natural Resource Damage Assessment 
(NRDA) mission of ONMS is to restore injuries to sanctuary resources 
caused by the release of hazardous substances or oil under the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation

[[Page 16928]]

and Liability Act (CERCLA; 42 U.S.C., 9601 et seq.) or the Oil 
Pollution Action of 1990 (OPA; 33 U.S.C., 2701 et seq.), or physical 
injuries under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) (16 U.S.C. 
1431 et seq.). ONMS consists of the following component organizations: 
fourteen national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments, 
and the Office of General Counsel for Natural Resources (GCNR). NOAA 
published the GCNR rate for FY10 in the Federal Register on October 20, 
2011 (76 FR 65182). ONMS conducts NRDAs as a basis for recovering 
damages from responsible parties and uses the funds recovered to 
restore injured sanctuary resources.
    When addressing NRDA incidents, the costs of the damage assessment 
are recoverable from responsible parties who are potentially liable for 
an incident. Costs include direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are 
costs for activities that are clearly and readily attributable to a 
specific output. In the context of ONMS, outputs may be associated with 
damage assessment cases, or may be represented by other program 
products. In contrast, indirect costs reflect the costs for activities 
that collectively support ONMS's mission and operations. For example, 
indirect costs include general administrative support and traditional 
overheads. Although indirect costs may not be readily traced back to a 
specific direct activity, indirect costs may be allocated to direct 
activities using an indirect cost distribution rate.
    Consistent with standard Federal accounting requirements, ONMS is 
required to account for and report the full costs of its programs and 
activities. Further, ONMS is authorized by law to recover reasonable 
costs of damage assessment and restoration activities under CERCLA, OPA 
and the NMSA. Within the constraints of these laws, ONMS has the 
discretion to develop indirect cost rates subject to its requirements.

ONMS's Indirect Cost Effort

    In October 2002, NOAA contracted the public accounting firm Cotton 
and Company LLP to: (1) Evaluate the cost accounting system and 
allocation practices; (2) recommend the appropriate indirect cost 
allocation methodology; and (3) determine the indirect cost rates for 
the organizations that comprise ONMS. A subcontractor to Cotton and 
Company LLP, Empirical Concepts Incorporated (Empirical), calculated 
the ONMS indirect costs for fiscal year 2010.
    Empirical concluded that the cost accounting system and allocation 
practices of ONMS component organizations are consistent with Federal 
accounting requirements. Empirical also determined that the most 
appropriate indirect allocation method was the Direct Labor Cost Base 
for all ONMS component organizations. The Direct Labor Cost Base is 
computed by allocation total indirect costs over the sum of direct 
labor dollars plus the application of NOAA's leave surcharge and 
benefits rates to direct labor. Empirical further assessed that the 
indirect cost rates for the ONMS component organizations were fair and 
equitable. A report on Empirical's assessment and their determination 
can be obtained from the person identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.

ONMS Indirect Cost Rate and Policies

    ONMS will apply the indirect cost rate for FY2010 as recommended by 
Empirical for each of the ONMS component organizations as provided in 
the following table:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       Fiscal year 2010
             ONMS component organization                 indirect rate
                                                           (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (except for                  67.95
 Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary)............
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary..............               82.35
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ONMS will apply the FY2010 rates identified in this notice to all 
damage assessment and restoration case costs incurred from October 1, 
2010 until present, using the Direct Labor Cost base allocation 
methodology. For cases that have settled and for cost claims paid prior 
to the effective date of the fiscal year in question, ONMS will not re-
open any resolved matters for the purpose of applying the rates in this 
notice. For cases not settled and cost claims not paid prior to the 
effective date of the fiscal year in question, ONMS will calculate 
costs using the rates in this notice. ONMS will use the FY2010 rates 
for future fiscal years until year-specific rates are developed.

John Armor,
Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-06196 Filed 3-24-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P