2006 Monkfish Research Set-aside Program, 54028-54031 [05-18087]
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54028
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 176 / Tuesday, September 13, 2005 / Notices
and (5) if neither the exporter nor
producer is a firm covered in this
review or the original investigation, the
cash deposit rate for all other producers
or exporters of the subject merchandise
will continue to be 99.52 percent ad
valorem. This rate is the ‘‘all others’’
rate from the final determination in the
original investigation.
This notice also serves as a reminder
to parties subject to administrative
protective order (APO) of their
responsibility concerning the
disposition of proprietary information
disclosed under APO in accordance
with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely
written notification of return/
destruction of APO materials or
conversion to judicial protective order is
hereby requested. Failure to comply
with the regulations and the terms of an
APO is a sanctionable violation.
This administrative review and this
notice are issued and published in
accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and
777(i) of the Act.
Dated: September 6, 2005.
Joseph A. Spetrini,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Import
Administration.
Appendix I - Issues and Decision
Memorandum
I. ANALYSIS OF PROGRAMS
A. Programs Determined to Be Not
Used
1. Provision of Fertilizer and
Machinery
2. Provision of Credit
3. Tax Exemptions
4. Provision of Water and Irrigation
Equipment
5. Technical Support
6. Duty Refunds on Imported Raw or
Intermediate Materials Used in the
Production of Export Goods
7. Program to Improve Quality of
Exports of Dried Fruit
8. Iranian Export Guarantee Fund
9. GOI Grants and Loans to Pistachio
Farmers
10.Crop Insurance for Pistachios
II. TOTAL AD VALOREM RATE
III. ANALYSIS OF COMMENTS
Comment 1: Use of Adverse Facts
Available
[FR Doc. E5–4994 Filed 9–12–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
The Manufacturing Council: Meeting of
the Manufacturing Council
International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Manufacturing Council
will hold a full Council meeting to
discuss topics related to the state of
manufacturing. The Manufacturing
Council is a Secretarial Board at the
Department of Commerce, established to
ensure regular communication between
Government and the manufacturing
sector. This will be the fourth meeting
of The Manufacturing Council and will
include updates by the Council’s three
subcommittees. For information about
the Council, please visit the
Manufacturing Council Web site at:
https://www.manufacturing.gov/council.
DATES: September 27, 2005.
Time: 9:45 a.m.
ADDRESSES: Gateway Building, 200 NE.,
Water Street, Peoria, Illinois 61602. This
program is physically accessible to
people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be submitted no
later than September 19, 2005, to The
Manufacturing Council, Room 4043,
Washington, DC 20230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The
Manufacturing Council Executive
Secretariat, Room 4043, Washington, DC
20230 (Phone: 202–482–1369).
Interested parties are encouraged to visit
The Manufacturing Council Web site
(https://www.manufacturing.gov/council)
for the most up-to-date information
about the meeting and the Council.
Dated: September 8, 2005.
Sam Giller,
Executive Secretary, The Manufacturing
Council.
[FR Doc. 05–18162 Filed 9–12–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[Docket No. 050906238–5238–01; ID
090705E]
RIN 0648–ZB68
2006 Monkfish Research Set-aside
Program
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
AGENCY:
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Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; solicitation of proposals
for research activities.
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the
New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Councils (Councils) have
set aside 500 monkfish days-at-sea
(DAS) to be used for research endeavors
under a research set-aside (RSA)
program. NMFS is soliciting proposals
to utilize the DAS for research activities
concerning the monkfish fishery for
fishing year 2006 (May 1, 2006–April
30, 2007). Through the allocation of
research DAS, the Monkfish RSA
Program provides a mechanism to
reduce the cost for vessel owners to
participate in cooperative monkfish
research. The intent of this RSA
program is for fishing vessels to utilize
these research DAS to conduct monkfish
related research, rather than their
allocated monkfish DAS, thereby
eliminating any cost to the vessel
associated with using a monkfish DAS.
DATES: Applications must be received
on or before 5 p.m. eastern standard
time on October 13, 2005. Delays may
be experienced when registering with
Grants.gov near the end of a solicitation
period. Therefore, NOAA strongly
recommends that applicants do not wait
until the deadline date to begin the
application process through https://
www.grants.gov.
ADDRESSES: Electronic application
submissions must be transmitted on-line
through https://www.grants.gov.
Applications submitted through https://
www.grants.gov will be accompanied by
a date and time receipt indication on
them. If an applicant does not have
Internet access, hard copy proposals
will be accepted, and date recorded
when they are received in the program
office. Paper applications must be sent
to NMFS, Northeast Regional Office,
One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA
01930. Electronic or hard copies
received after the deadline will not be
considered, and hard copy applications
will be returned to the sender.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Information may be obtained from Paul
Howard, Executive Director, New
England Fishery Management Council
(NEFMC), by phone 978–465–0492, or
by fax 978–465–3116; Philip Haring,
Senior Fishery Analyst, NEFMC, by
phone 978–465–0492, or by email at
pharing@nefmc.org; or Allison Ferreira,
Fishery Policy Analyst, NMFS, by
phone 978–281–9103, by fax 978–281–
9135, or by e-mail at
allison.ferreira@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Electronic Access
Application information is available
at https://www.grants.gov. Electronic
copies of the Standard Forms for
submission of research proposals may
be found on the Internet in a PDF
(Portable Document Format) version at
https://www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/
appkit.shtml under the title ‘‘Grants
Management Division-Application Kit.’’
Applicants without Internet access can
contact Rich Maney, NMFS, Northeast
Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930, by phone 978–
281–9265, by fax 978–281–9117, or by
email at rich.maney@noaa.gov.
To apply for this NOAA Federal
funding opportunity, please go to https://
www.grants.gov, and use the following
funding opportunity ι NMFS-NERO–
2006–2000372.
Background
Landings from such research trips
may be sold to generate funds to help
defray research costs. No Federal funds
are provided for research under this
notification. Rather, projects funded
under the Monkfish RSA Program
would be provided with additional
opportunity to harvest monkfish, and
the catch sold to generate income to
offset research costs. Projects funded
under an RSA DAS award must enhance
the knowledge of the monkfish fishery
resource or contribute to the body of
information on which management
decisions are made. The Councils and
NMFS will give priority to funding
research proposals in the following
general subject areas: (1) Research
concerning monkfish bycatch and
discards; (2) research to minimize
bycatch and interactions with sea turtles
and other protected species; (3) research
to minimize impacts of monkfish fishery
on essential fish habitat (EFH), or other
sensitive habitats; (4) research to
establish an exempted monkfish trawl
fishery in the Northern Fishery
Management Area; (5) research on the
biology or population structure and
dynamics of monkfish; (6) tagging
studies; (7) mesh and gear selectivity
studies, including studies on gear
efficiency; and (8) cooperative stock
assessment surveys. Please note that the
research subject areas listed above are
not listed in order of priority.
Funding Availability
No Federal funds are provided for
research under this notification. Rather,
500 DAS (approximating 519 metric
tons of whole monkfish landings) will
be set aside for projects under the
Monkfish RSA Program. This will
provided additional opportunity to
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harvest monkfish, and to sell the
additional catch to generate income to
offset research costs. Projects funded
under an RSA DAS award must enhance
the knowledge of the monkfish fishery
resource or contribute to the body of
information on which management
decisions are made. The Federal
Government (i.e., NMFS) may issue an
Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP), if
needed, to provide special fishing
privileges in response to research
proposals selected under this program.
For example, vessels participating in an
approved research project may be
authorized by the Northeast Regional
Administrator, NMFS, to harvest
monkfish in excess of established
possession limits. Because this is the
first year of the Monkfish RSA Program,
information on the number of awards
issued in previous fishing years, and the
income generated from those awards, is
not available.
Funds generated from landings
harvested and sold under the Monkfish
RSA Program shall be used to cover the
cost of research activities, including
vessel costs. For example, the funds
may be used to pay for gear
modifications, monitoring equipment,
the salaries of research personnel, or
vessel operation costs. The Federal
Government shall not be liable for any
costs incurred in the conduct of the
project. Specifically, the Federal
Government is not liable for any costs
incurred by the researcher or vessel
owner should the sale of catch not fully
reimburse the researcher or vessel
owner for his/her expenses.
Statutory Authority
Issuing grants is consistent with
sections 303(b)(11), 402(e), and 404(c) of
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act, 16
U.S.C. 1853(b)(11), 16 U.S.C. 1881a(e),
and 16 U.S.C. 1881(c), respectively.
The ability to set aside monkfish DAS
for research purposes was established in
the final rule implementing Amendment
2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management
Plan (70 FR 21927, April 28, 2005), and
codified in the regulations at 50 CFR
648.92(c).
CFDA Number
In the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance, the program number is
11.454, and the program name is
Unallied Management Projects.
Eligibility
1. Eligible applicants include, but are
not limited to, institutions of higher
education, hospitals, other nonprofits,
commercial organizations, individuals,
state, local, and Native American tribal
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governments. Federal agencies and
institutions are not eligible to receive
Federal assistance under this notice.
Additionally, employees of any Federal
agency or Regional Fishery Management
Council (Council) are ineligible to
submit an application under this
program. However, Council members
who are not Federal employees may
submit an application.
2. DOC/NOAA supports cultural and
gender diversity and encourages women
and minority individuals and groups to
submit applications to the RSA
program. In addition, DOC/NOAA is
strongly committed to broadening the
participation of historically black
colleges and universities, Hispanic
serving institutions, tribal colleges and
universities, and institutions that work
in under served areas. DOC/NOAA
encourages proposals involving any of
the above institutions.
3. DOC/NOAA encourages
applications from members of the
fishing community and applications
that involve fishing community
cooperation and participation.
Cost Sharing Requirements
None required.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures
NMFS will solicit written technical
evaluations from the Council members
who make up the Monkfish Research
Set-Aside Committee (Committee) and
from up to three or more appropriate
private and public sector experts to
determine the technical merit of the
proposal and to provide a rank score of
the project based on the criteria
described in the Evaluation Criteria
section of this document. Following
completion of the technical evaluation,
NMFS will convene a review panel,
including the Committee and technical
experts, to review and individually
critique the scored proposals to enhance
NOAA’s understanding of the proposals.
Initial successful applicants may be
required, in consultation with NMFS, to
further refine/modify the study
methodology as a condition of project
approval. No consensus
recommendations will be made by the
Committee members, technical experts,
or by the review panel.
Evaluation Criteria
1. Importance and/or relevance of the
proposed project: This criterion
ascertains whether there is intrinsic
value in the proposed work and/or
relevance to NOAA, Federal, regional,
state or local activities. (25 points)
2. Technical/scientific merit: This
criterion assesses whether the approach
is technically sound and/or innovative,
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if the methods are appropriate, and
whether there are clear project goals and
objectives. (25 points)
3. Overall qualifications of the project:
This criterion assesses whether the
applicant, and team members, possess
the necessary education, experience,
training, facilities and administrative
resources to accomplish the project. (15
points)
4. Project costs: This criterion
evaluates the budget to determine if it
is realistic and commensurate with the
project needs and time frame. (25
points)
5. Outreach and education: This
criterion assesses whether the project
involves a focused and effective
education and outreach strategy
regarding NOAA’s mission to protect
the Nation’s natural resources. (10
points)
The merit review ratings shall provide
a rank order to the Selecting Official
(the Northeast Regional Administrator)
for final funding recommendations. A
program officer may first make
recommendations to the Selecting
Official applying the selection factors.
The Selecting Official shall award in the
rank order unless the proposal is
justified to be selected out of rank order
based upon one or more of the following
factors:
1. Availability of funding.
2. Balance/distribution of funds:
a. Geographically
b. By type of institutions
c. By type of partners
d. By research areas
e. By project types
3. Whether this project duplicates other
projects funded or considered for
funding by NOAA or other Federal
agencies.
4. Program priorities and policy factors.
5. Applicant’s prior award performance.
6. Partnerships and/or Participation of
targeted groups.
7. Adequacy of information necessary to
conduct a National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) analysis and
determination.
Key program policy factors (see item
4 above) to be considered by the
Selecting Official are: (1) the time of
year the research activities are to be
conducted; (2) the ability of the
proposal to meet the applicable
experimental fishing requirements; (3)
redundancy of research projects; and (4)
logistical concerns. Therefore, the
highest scoring projects may not
necessarily be selected for an award. All
approved research must be conducted in
accordance with provisions approved by
NOAA, and provided in an EFP issued
by NMFS. Unsuccessful applications
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will be returned to the submitter.
Successful applications will be
incorporated into the award document.
For proposals that request exemptions
from existing regulations (e.g.,
possession limits, closed areas, etc.), the
impacts of the proposed exemptions
must be analyzed. Any applicants who
request regulatory exemptions that
extend beyond the 500 DAS set-aside
implemented in Amendment 2 may be
required to adhere to the regulations
governing the issuance of an EFP by
NMFS. As appropriate, NMFS will
consult with the Councils and
successful applicants to secure the
information required for granting an
exemption if issuance of an EFP is
necessary for the research to be
conducted. No research or usage of
research DAS will be allowed until
NMFS notifies the applicant that the
applicant’s EFP request is approved.
NEPA Requirements
NOAA must analyze the potential
environmental impacts, as required by
NEPA, for applicant projects or
proposals which are seeking NOAA
Federal assistance opportunities,
including special fishing privileges.
Detailed information on NOAA
compliance with NEPA can be found at
the following NOAA NEPA website:
https://www.nepa.noaa.gov, including
our NOAA Administrative Order 216–6
for NEPA, https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/
NAO216l6lTOC.pdf, and the Council
on Environmental Quality
implementation regulations, https://
ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/
toclceq.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 nonindigenous species, impacts to
endangered and threatened species,
aquaculture projects, and impacts to
coral reef systems). The impacts of the
500 DAS set-aside were analyzed in the
Final Supplemental Impact Statement
prepared for Amendment 2. Therefore,
if the applicant does not request
additional regulatory exemptions
beyond the use of research DAS,
additional NEPA analysis may not be
required. However, if the research
proposal requests exemptions from
regulations that extend beyond the 500
DAS set-aside, applicants may be
required to provide additional specific
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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 such 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 associated with their proposed
research activity. The failure to do so
shall be grounds for the denial of an
application.
Pre-Award Notification Requirements
for Grants and Cooperative Agreements
The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements
contained in the Federal Register notice
of December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389), are
applicable to this solicitation.
Reporting Requirements
Recipients will be required to submit
the following financial and performance
(technical) reports. These reports are to
be submitted electronically unless the
recipient does not have Internet access,
in which case hard copy submissions
will be accepted. Financial Status
Reports (SF–269 and SF–272) are
required to be submitted to the Grants
Officer semi-annually. Performance or
progress reports are required to be
submitted to the NOAA Program Officer
semi-annually. The final report is due
90 days after the award expiration.
Universal Identifier
Applicants should be aware that they
are required to provide a Dun and
Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) number during the
application process. See the October 30,
2002 (67 FR 66177), Federal Register 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 (https://
www.dunandbradstreet.com).
Executive Order 12372
Applications under this program are
subject to Executive Order 12372
‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.’’
Limitation of Liability
Funding for programs listed in this
notice is contingent upon the
availability of Fishing Year 2005
Monkfish RSA DAS. In no event will
NOAA or DOC be responsible for
application preparation costs if these
programs fail to receive a DAS award or
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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. The Department of
Commerce Pre-Award Notification
Requirements for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements contained in
the Federal Register notice of December
30, 2004 (69 FR 78389), are applicable
to this solicitation.
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)
This document contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the
PRA. The use of Standard Forms 424,
424A, 424B, SF-LLL, 269, 272, 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, 0348–0039, 0348–0003, and 0605–
0001. Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, no person is required
to respond to, nor shall any 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 of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) do
not apply. Therefore, a regulatory
flexibility analysis has not been
prepared.
Dated: September 7, 2005.
James W. Balsiger,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05–18087 Filed 9–12–05; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 030805A]
Incidental Take of Marine Mammals
Incidental to Specified Activities;
Seismic Retrofit of the Richmond-San
Rafael Bridge, San Francisco Bay, CA
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of an
incidental harassment authorization.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with provisions
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), notification is hereby given
that an Incidental Harassment
Authorization (IHA) has been issued to
the California Department of
Transportation (CALTRANS) to take
small numbers of marine mammals, by
harassment, incidental to seismic
retrofit construction of the RichmondSan Rafael Bridge (the Bridge), San
Francisco Bay (SFB), CA.
DATES: This authorization is effective
from September 06, 2005 to September
06, 2006.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the application
may be obtained by writing to Stephen
L. Leathery, Chief, Permits,
Conservation and Education Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910
or by telephoning the contacts listed
here. Documents cited in this notice
may be viewed, by appointment, during
regular business hours, at this address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Layne Bolen, NMFS, (301) 713–2289,
ext. 117 or Monica DeAngelis, NMFS
Southwest Region, (562) 980–3232.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct
the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary)
to allow, upon request, the incidental,
but not intentional taking of marine
mammals by U.S. citizens who engage
in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region if certain findings
are made and regulations are issued.
An authorization may be granted if
the Secretary finds that the total taking
will have a negligible impact on the
species or stock(s), will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of the species or stock(s) for
subsistence uses, and that the
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54031
permissible methods of taking and
requirements pertaining to the
monitoring and reporting of such taking
are set forth. NMFS has defined
‘‘negligible impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103
as ‘‘an impact resulting from the
specified activity that cannot be
reasonably expected to, and is not
reasonably likely to, adversely affect the
species or stock through effects on
annual rates of recruitment or survival.’’
Subsection 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA
established an expedited process by
which citizens of the United States can
apply for an authorization to
incidentally take small numbers of
marine mammals by harassment. Except
for certain categories of actions not
pertinent here, the MMPA defines
‘‘harassment’’ as:
any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance
which (i) has the potential to injure a marine
mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild
[Level A harassment]; or (ii) has the potential
to disturb a marine mammal or marine
mammal stock in the wild by causing
disruption of behavioral patterns, including,
but not limited to, migration, breathing,
nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering
[Level B harassment].
Summary of Request
On December 16, 2004, NMFS
received a letter from CALTRANS
requesting reauthorization of an IHA
that was first issued to it on December
16, 1997 (62 FR 67045, December 23,
1997), was renewed on January 8, 2000
(65 FR 2375, January 14, 2000),
September 19, 2001 (66 FR 49165,
September 26, 2001), September 23,
2002 (67 FR 61323, September 30,
2002), and November 19, 2003 (68 FR
66076, November 25, 2003). The
authorization renewal request is for the
possible harassment of small numbers of
Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and
possibly some California sea lions
(Zalophus californianus), incidental to
seismic retrofit construction of the
Bridge.
The Bridge is being seismically
retrofitted to withstand a future severe
earthquake. Construction is scheduled
to extend through the year 2005. A
detailed description of the work
planned is contained in the Final
Natural Environmental Study/Biological
Assessment for the Richmond-San
Rafael Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project
(CALTRANS, 1996). As in the previous
IHAs, activities will include excavation
around pier bases, hydro-jet cleaning,
installation of steel casings around the
piers with a crane, installation of micropiles, and installation of precast
concrete jackets. Foundation
construction will require approximately
2 months per pier, with construction
occurring on more than one pier at a
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 13, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54028-54031]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-18087]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 050906238-5238-01; ID 090705E]
RIN 0648-ZB68
2006 Monkfish Research Set-aside Program
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; solicitation of proposals for research activities.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Councils (Councils) have set aside 500 monkfish days-at-sea
(DAS) to be used for research endeavors under a research set-aside
(RSA) program. NMFS is soliciting proposals to utilize the DAS for
research activities concerning the monkfish fishery for fishing year
2006 (May 1, 2006-April 30, 2007). Through the allocation of research
DAS, the Monkfish RSA Program provides a mechanism to reduce the cost
for vessel owners to participate in cooperative monkfish research. The
intent of this RSA program is for fishing vessels to utilize these
research DAS to conduct monkfish related research, rather than their
allocated monkfish DAS, thereby eliminating any cost to the vessel
associated with using a monkfish DAS.
DATES: Applications must be received on or before 5 p.m. eastern
standard time on October 13, 2005. Delays may be experienced when
registering with Grants.gov near the end of a solicitation period.
Therefore, NOAA strongly recommends that applicants do not wait until
the deadline date to begin the application process through https://
www.grants.gov.
ADDRESSES: Electronic application submissions must be transmitted on-
line through https://www.grants.gov. Applications submitted through
https://www.grants.gov will be accompanied by a date and time receipt
indication on them. If an applicant does not have Internet access, hard
copy proposals will be accepted, and date recorded when they are
received in the program office. Paper applications must be sent to
NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA
01930. Electronic or hard copies received after the deadline will not
be considered, and hard copy applications will be returned to the
sender.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information may be obtained from Paul
Howard, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council
(NEFMC), by phone 978-465-0492, or by fax 978-465-3116; Philip Haring,
Senior Fishery Analyst, NEFMC, by phone 978-465-0492, or by email at
pharing@nefmc.org; or Allison Ferreira, Fishery Policy Analyst, NMFS,
by phone 978-281-9103, by fax 978-281-9135, or by e-mail at
allison.ferreira@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 54029]]
Electronic Access
Application information is available at https://www.grants.gov.
Electronic copies of the Standard Forms for submission of research
proposals may be found on the Internet in a PDF (Portable Document
Format) version at https://www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/appkit.shtml under
the title ``Grants Management Division-Application Kit.'' Applicants
without Internet access can contact Rich Maney, NMFS, Northeast
Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930, by phone
978-281-9265, by fax 978-281-9117, or by email at rich.maney@noaa.gov.
To apply for this NOAA Federal funding opportunity, please go to
https://www.grants.gov, and use the following funding opportunity
NMFS-NERO-2006-2000372.
Background
Landings from such research trips may be sold to generate funds to
help defray research costs. No Federal funds are provided for research
under this notification. Rather, projects funded under the Monkfish RSA
Program would be provided with additional opportunity to harvest
monkfish, and the catch sold to generate income to offset research
costs. Projects funded under an RSA DAS award must enhance the
knowledge of the monkfish fishery resource or contribute to the body of
information on which management decisions are made. The Councils and
NMFS will give priority to funding research proposals in the following
general subject areas: (1) Research concerning monkfish bycatch and
discards; (2) research to minimize bycatch and interactions with sea
turtles and other protected species; (3) research to minimize impacts
of monkfish fishery on essential fish habitat (EFH), or other sensitive
habitats; (4) research to establish an exempted monkfish trawl fishery
in the Northern Fishery Management Area; (5) research on the biology or
population structure and dynamics of monkfish; (6) tagging studies; (7)
mesh and gear selectivity studies, including studies on gear
efficiency; and (8) cooperative stock assessment surveys. Please note
that the research subject areas listed above are not listed in order of
priority.
Funding Availability
No Federal funds are provided for research under this notification.
Rather, 500 DAS (approximating 519 metric tons of whole monkfish
landings) will be set aside for projects under the Monkfish RSA
Program. This will provided additional opportunity to harvest monkfish,
and to sell the additional catch to generate income to offset research
costs. Projects funded under an RSA DAS award must enhance the
knowledge of the monkfish fishery resource or contribute to the body of
information on which management decisions are made. The Federal
Government (i.e., NMFS) may issue an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP), if
needed, to provide special fishing privileges in response to research
proposals selected under this program. For example, vessels
participating in an approved research project may be authorized by the
Northeast Regional Administrator, NMFS, to harvest monkfish in excess
of established possession limits. Because this is the first year of the
Monkfish RSA Program, information on the number of awards issued in
previous fishing years, and the income generated from those awards, is
not available.
Funds generated from landings harvested and sold under the Monkfish
RSA Program shall be used to cover the cost of research activities,
including vessel costs. For example, the funds may be used to pay for
gear modifications, monitoring equipment, the salaries of research
personnel, or vessel operation costs. The Federal Government shall not
be liable for any costs incurred in the conduct of the project.
Specifically, the Federal Government is not liable for any costs
incurred by the researcher or vessel owner should the sale of catch not
fully reimburse the researcher or vessel owner for his/her expenses.
Statutory Authority
Issuing grants is consistent with sections 303(b)(11), 402(e), and
404(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act,
16 U.S.C. 1853(b)(11), 16 U.S.C. 1881a(e), and 16 U.S.C. 1881(c),
respectively.
The ability to set aside monkfish DAS for research purposes was
established in the final rule implementing Amendment 2 to the Monkfish
Fishery Management Plan (70 FR 21927, April 28, 2005), and codified in
the regulations at 50 CFR 648.92(c).
CFDA Number
In the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, the program number
is 11.454, and the program name is Unallied Management Projects.
Eligibility
1. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to,
institutions of higher education, hospitals, other nonprofits,
commercial organizations, individuals, state, local, and Native
American tribal governments. Federal agencies and institutions are not
eligible to receive Federal assistance under this notice. Additionally,
employees of any Federal agency or Regional Fishery Management Council
(Council) are ineligible to submit an application under this program.
However, Council members who are not Federal employees may submit an
application.
2. DOC/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages
women and minority individuals and groups to submit applications to the
RSA program. In addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening
the participation of historically black colleges and universities,
Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and
institutions that work in under served areas. DOC/NOAA encourages
proposals involving any of the above institutions.
3. DOC/NOAA encourages applications from members of the fishing
community and applications that involve fishing community cooperation
and participation.
Cost Sharing Requirements
None required.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures
NMFS will solicit written technical evaluations from the Council
members who make up the Monkfish Research Set-Aside Committee
(Committee) and from up to three or more appropriate private and public
sector experts to determine the technical merit of the proposal and to
provide a rank score of the project based on the criteria described in
the Evaluation Criteria section of this document. Following completion
of the technical evaluation, NMFS will convene a review panel,
including the Committee and technical experts, to review and
individually critique the scored proposals to enhance NOAA's
understanding of the proposals. Initial successful applicants may be
required, in consultation with NMFS, to further refine/modify the study
methodology as a condition of project approval. No consensus
recommendations will be made by the Committee members, technical
experts, or by the review panel.
Evaluation Criteria
1. Importance and/or relevance of the proposed project: This
criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed
work and/or relevance to NOAA, Federal, regional, state or local
activities. (25 points)
2. Technical/scientific merit: This criterion assesses whether the
approach is technically sound and/or innovative,
[[Page 54030]]
if the methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project
goals and objectives. (25 points)
3. Overall qualifications of the project: This criterion assesses
whether the applicant, and team members, possess the necessary
education, experience, training, facilities and administrative
resources to accomplish the project. (15 points)
4. Project costs: This criterion evaluates the budget to determine
if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time
frame. (25 points)
5. Outreach and education: This criterion assesses whether the
project involves a focused and effective education and outreach
strategy regarding NOAA's mission to protect the Nation's natural
resources. (10 points)
The merit review ratings shall provide a rank order to the
Selecting Official (the Northeast Regional Administrator) for final
funding recommendations. A program officer may first make
recommendations to the Selecting Official applying the selection
factors. The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless
the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon
one or more of the following factors:
1. Availability of funding.
2. Balance/distribution of funds:
a. Geographically
b. By type of institutions
c. By type of partners
d. By research areas
e. By project types
3. Whether this project duplicates other projects funded or considered
for funding by NOAA or other Federal agencies.
4. Program priorities and policy factors.
5. Applicant's prior award performance.
6. Partnerships and/or Participation of targeted groups.
7. Adequacy of information necessary to conduct a National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis and determination.
Key program policy factors (see item 4 above) to be considered by
the Selecting Official are: (1) the time of year the research
activities are to be conducted; (2) the ability of the proposal to meet
the applicable experimental fishing requirements; (3) redundancy of
research projects; and (4) logistical concerns. Therefore, the highest
scoring projects may not necessarily be selected for an award. All
approved research must be conducted in accordance with provisions
approved by NOAA, and provided in an EFP issued by NMFS. Unsuccessful
applications will be returned to the submitter. Successful applications
will be incorporated into the award document.
For proposals that request exemptions from existing regulations
(e.g., possession limits, closed areas, etc.), the impacts of the
proposed exemptions must be analyzed. Any applicants who request
regulatory exemptions that extend beyond the 500 DAS set-aside
implemented in Amendment 2 may be required to adhere to the regulations
governing the issuance of an EFP by NMFS. As appropriate, NMFS will
consult with the Councils and successful applicants to secure the
information required for granting an exemption if issuance of an EFP is
necessary for the research to be conducted. No research or usage of
research DAS will be allowed until NMFS notifies the applicant that the
applicant's EFP request is approved.
NEPA Requirements
NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required
by NEPA, for applicant projects or proposals which are seeking NOAA
Federal assistance opportunities, including special fishing privileges.
Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the
following NOAA NEPA website: https://www.nepa.noaa.gov, including our
NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/
NAO216_6_TOC.pdf, and the Council on Environmental Quality
implementation regulations, https://ceq.eh.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). The impacts
of the 500 DAS set-aside were analyzed in the Final Supplemental Impact
Statement prepared for Amendment 2. Therefore, if the applicant does
not request additional regulatory exemptions beyond the use of research
DAS, additional NEPA analysis may not be required. However, if the
research proposal requests exemptions from regulations that extend
beyond the 500 DAS set-aside, applicants may be required to provide
additional 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 such 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 associated with
their proposed research activity. The failure to do so shall be grounds
for the denial of an application.
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 December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389), are applicable to this
solicitation.
Reporting Requirements
Recipients will be required to submit the following financial and
performance (technical) reports. These reports are to be submitted
electronically unless the recipient does not have Internet access, in
which case hard copy submissions will be accepted. Financial Status
Reports (SF-269 and SF-272) are required to be submitted to the Grants
Officer semi-annually. Performance or progress reports are required to
be submitted to the NOAA Program Officer semi-annually. The final
report is due 90 days after the award expiration.
Universal Identifier
Applicants should be aware that they are required to provide a Dun
and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number during the
application process. See the October 30, 2002 (67 FR 66177), Federal
Register 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 (https://
www.dunandbradstreet.com).
Executive Order 12372
Applications under this program are subject to Executive Order
12372 ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
Limitation of Liability
Funding for programs listed in this notice is contingent upon the
availability of Fishing Year 2005 Monkfish RSA DAS. In no event will
NOAA or DOC be responsible for application preparation costs if these
programs fail to receive a DAS award or
[[Page 54031]]
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. The Department of Commerce Pre-Award
Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements
contained in the Federal Register notice of December 30, 2004 (69 FR
78389), are applicable to this solicitation.
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)
This document contains collection-of-information requirements
subject to the PRA. The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, SF-LLL,
269, 272, 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, 0348-0039, 0348-0003, and 0605-0001.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to
respond to, nor shall any 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 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.)
do not apply. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been
prepared.
Dated: September 7, 2005.
James W. Balsiger,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-18087 Filed 9-12-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
