Science on a Sphere Installation Cooperative Agreements, 17081-17083 [E6-4868]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 65 / Wednesday, April 5, 2006 / Notices
respondent burden, invites the general
public and other Federal agencies to
take this opportunity to comment on
proposed and/or continuing information
collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted on or before June 5, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Diana Hynek, Departmental
Paperwork Clearance Officer,
Department of Commerce, Room 6625,
14th and Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20230 (or via the
Internet at dHynek@doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
instrument and instructions should be
directed to Becky Renko, 206–526–6110,
or at Becky.Renko@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This collection contains certain
reporting and recordkeeping
requirements for vessels in the Pacific
Coast Groundfish Fishery in the
Exclusive Economic Zone of the states
of Washington, Oregon, and California.
These requirements affect processing
vessels in the catcher processor, and
both processing vessels and catcher
boats in the mothership sector of the
Pacific whiting fishery. The information
collected is needed to monitor catch,
effort, and production for fishery
management purposes.
wwhite on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
II. Method of Collection
Forms are used for most requirements.
These may be submitted by computer or
by facsimile machine.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0648–0271.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
50.
Estimated Time Per Response: 13
minutes per day for a Daily Fishing and
Cumulative Production Log (DFCPL)
from a catcher vessel; 26 minutes per
day for a DFCPL from a catcherprocessor; 13 minutes per day for a
Daily Report of Fish Received and
Cumulative Production Log from a
mothership; 4 minutes per day for a
Weekly/Daily Production Report; 20
minutes for a Product Transfer/
Offloading Logbook; and 1 minute for a
Start or Stop Notification Report.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 1,070.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $9,590.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:10 Apr 04, 2006
Jkt 208001
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the
proposed collection of information; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval of this information collection;
they also will become a matter of public
record.
Dated: March 30, 2006.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E6–4883 Filed 4–4–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[Docket No. 060324085–6085–01; I.D.
032906F]
Science on a Sphere Installation
Cooperative Agreements
Office of Education (OEd),
Office of the Undersecretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
(USEC), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice and request for
proposals.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The NOAA Office of
Education (OEd) is issuing a request for
applications from informal education
institutions with interest in displaying
NOAA’s Science on a Sphere. Awards
will be made as one-year cooperative
agreements and will be issued in fiscal
year 2006 (FY06). Funded projects will
support informal education institutions
in incorporating this data visualization
technology and compatible
environmental data products into public
exhibits. The goal of this program is to
build environmental literacy among the
general public through increased use of
NOAA or NOAA-related data and data
products in informal education
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
17081
institutions. See NOAA’s Education
Plan for more details on this goal and
strategy: (https://www.oesd.noaa.gov/
NOAA_Ed_Plan.pdf). It is anticipated
that final recommendations for funding
under this announcement will be made
by June 30, 2006, and that projects
funded under this announcement will
have a start date no earlier than October
1, 2006.
The deadline for full
applications is 5 p.m., EDT May 5, 2006.
It is anticipated that final
recommendations for funding under this
announcement will be made by June 30,
2006, and that projects funded under
this announcement will have a start date
no earlier than October 1, 2006.
DATES:
Full applications should be
submitted through Grants.gov APPLY
(https://www.grants.gov). It is strongly
suggested that Grants.gov be accessed
using Internet Explorer for maximum
compatibility. Because registration with
Grants.gov can take up to three weeks,
it is strongly recommended that this
registration process is completed as
soon as possible. Also, even if an
applicant has registered with Grants.gov
previously, the applicant’s password
may have expired. It is recommended
that submission through Grants.gov be
attempted 2 days prior to the deadline
to avoid electronic submission errors.
See the Office of Education’s frequently
asked questions site https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/sos_faqs.html for
more details.
If an applicant does not have Internet
access, application kits must be
requested from Carrie McDougall,
completed, signed, and one hard copy
should be sent to Carrie McDougall,
DOC/NOAA Office of Education, 1401
Constitution Avenue NW., Room 6863,
Washington, DC 20230. If submitting a
hard copy, applicants are requested to
provide a CD–ROM of the application,
including scanned signed forms or
forms with electronic signatures.
Printed forms from Grants.gov
submitted in hard copy will not be
accepted. Please note: Hard copies
submitted via the U.S. Postal Service
can take up to 4 weeks to reach this
office; applicants are recommended to
send hard copies via expedited shipping
methods (e.g., Airborne Express, DHL,
Fed Ex, UPS). See the Office of
Education’s frequently asked questions
site https://www.oesd.noaa.gov/
sos_faqs.html for more details. This
announcement will also be available at:
https://www.oesd.noaa.gov/
funding_opps.html or by contacting the
program official identified in FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
ADDRESSES:
E:\FR\FM\05APN1.SGM
05APN1
17082
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 65 / Wednesday, April 5, 2006 / Notices
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Carrie McDougall, telephone 202–482–
0875; e-mail
carrie.mcdougall@noaa.gov.
The
NOAA Office of Education (OEd) is
issuing a request for applications from
informal education institutions with
interest in displaying NOAA’s Science
on a Sphere. Awards will be made as
one-year cooperative agreements and
will be issued in FY06. The goal of this
program is to build environmental
literacy among the general public
through increased use of NOAA data or
NOAA-related data and data products in
informal education institutions. See
NOAA’s Education Plan for more details
on this goal and strategy: (https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/
NOAA_Ed_Plan.pdf). It is anticipated
that final recommendations for funding
under this announcement will be made
by June 30, 2006, and that projects
funded under this announcement will
have a start date no earlier than October
1, 2006. NOAA’s Science on a Sphere
(SOS) is a complete data visualization
system consisting of a 68-inch diameter
opaque sphere onto which 4 video
projectors project seamless ‘‘movies’’ of
animated earth system dynamics or
other solar system objects. NOAA data
and NOAA-related data, models, and
near real-time whole-earth satellite
imagery are provided with the SOS
system. The current version of the
standard, turnkey system will be
provided to successful applicants. See
https://www.oesd.noaa.gov/sos_faqs.html
for more details. A detailed description
for each program priority is in the full
funding opportunity announcement that
can be accessed via the Grants.gov Web
site, the NOAA Web site at https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html,
or by contacting the program official
identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
wwhite on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
Electronic Access
The full text of the full funding
opportunity announcement for this OEd
program can be accessed via the
Grants.gov FIND Web site. That
announcement will also be available at
this NOAA Web site: https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html
or by contacting the program official
identified under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. Applicants must
read and comply with all requirements
contained in the full funding
opportunity announcement. This
Federal Register notice is available
through the NOAA Home page at:
https://www.noaa.gov/.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:10 Apr 04, 2006
Jkt 208001
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1540; Public
Law 109–108, Department of Commerce and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006.
CFDA: 11.469, Congressionally
Identified Awards and Projects.
Funding Availability
NOAA announces the availability of
approximately $200,000 of Federal
financial assistance in FY 2006 for
Science on a Sphere Installation
Cooperative Agreements.
Approximately 2 to 4 awards in the
form of cooperative agreements will be
made. NOAA will only consider
projects that have duration of one year.
The total Federal amount that may be
requested from NOAA shall not exceed
$100,000 including direct and indirect
costs. Applications requesting Federal
support from NOAA of more than
$100,000 in total costs will not be
considered for funding.
Publication of this notice does not
oblige DOC/NOAA to award any
specific project or to obligate any
available funds. If an applicant incurs
any costs prior to receiving an award
agreement signed by an authorized
NOAA Grants Officer, the applicant
would do so solely at one’s own risk of
such costs not being included under the
award.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are institutions of
higher education, other nonprofits,
commercial organizations, and state,
local and Indian tribal governments.
Federal agencies are not eligible to
receive Federal assistance under this
announcement, but may be project
partners. Among those eligible
applicants are K through 12 public and
independent schools and school
systems, and science centers and
museums. The Department of
Commerce/National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (DOC/
NOAA) is strongly committed to
increasing the participation of Minority
Serving Institutions (MSIs), i.e.,
Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, Hispanic-serving
institutions, Tribal colleges and
universities, Alaskan Native and Native
Hawaiian institutions, and institutions
that work in underserved communities.
Applications are encouraged that
involve any of the above institutions.
Cost Sharing Requirements
There are no cost-sharing
requirements.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures
NOAA published its agency-wide
solicitation entitled ’’Omnibus Notice
Announcing the Availability of Grant
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Funds for Fiscal Year 2006’’ for projects
for Fiscal Year 2006 in the Federal
Register on June 30, 2005 (70 FR 37766).
The evaluation criteria and selection
procedures for projects contained in that
omnibus notice are applicable to this
solicitation. Copies of the notice are
available on the Internet at: https://
www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/
funding.shtml. Further details on
evaluation and selection criteria can be
found in the full funding opportunity
announcement.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications under this program are
not subject to Executive Order 12372,
’’Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.’’
Limitation of Liability
In no event will NOAA or the
Department of Commerce be responsible
for application 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: 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 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
nonindigenous 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.
E:\FR\FM\05APN1.SGM
05APN1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 65 / Wednesday, April 5, 2006 / Notices
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 PreAward 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.
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.
wwhite on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
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
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:10 Apr 04, 2006
Jkt 208001
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory
flexibility analysis has not been
prepared.
Dated: March 30, 2006.
Helen Hurcombe,
Director, NOAA Acquisitions and Grants, U.S.
Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. E6–4868 Filed 4–4–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–KC–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
[No. DoD–2006–OS–0059]
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request
Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs,
DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In compliance with section
3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public
Affairs announces the proposed
extension of a public information
collection and seeks public comment on
the provisions thereof. Comments are
invited on: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the information collection on
respondents, including through the use
of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
DATES: Consideration will be given to all
comments by June 5, 2006.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by docket number and title,
by any of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Federal Docket Management
System Office, 1160 Defense Pentagon,
Washington, DC 20301–1160.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name and
docket number for this Federal Register
document. The general policy for
comments and other submissions from
members of the public is to make these
submissions available for public
viewing on the Internet at https://
www.regulations.gov as they are
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
17083
received without change, including any
personal identifiers or contact
information.
To
request more information on this
proposed information collection or to
obtain a copy of the proposal and
associated collection instruments,
please write to the Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public
Affairs, ATTN: CR&PL (Ms. Cynthia
Minnick), 1400 Defense, The Pentagon,
Washington, DC 20301–1400, or call the
Directorate for Programs and
Community Relations at (703) 695–
2113.
Title; Associated Form; and OMB
Number: Request for Armed Forces
Participation in Public Events (NonAviation), DD Form 2536 and Request
for Military Aerial Support, DD Form
2535; OMB Number 0704–0290.
Needs and Uses: This information
collection requirement is necessary to
evaluate the eligibility of events to
receive Armed Forces community
relations support and to determine
whether requested military assets are
available.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; State or local governments;
Federal agencies or employees; nonprofit institutions.
Annual Burden Hours: 5,547.
Number of Respondents: 43,000.
Responses Per Respondent: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 8
minutes.
Frequency: On occasion.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Summary of Information Collection
Respondents are individuals or
representatives of Federal and nonFederal government agencies,
community groups, non-profit
organizations, and civic organizations
requesting Armed Forces support for
patriotic events conducted in the
civilian domain. DD Forms 2535 and
2536 record the type of military support
requested, event data, and sponsoring
organization information. The
completed forms provide the Armed
Forces the minimum information
necessary to determine whether an
event is eligible for military
participation and whether the desired
support is permissible and/or available.
If the forms are not provided, the review
process is greatly increased because the
Armed Forces must make additional
written and telephonic inquiries with
the event sponsor. In addition, use of
the forms reduces the event sponsor’s
preparation time because the forms
provide a detailed outline of
information required, eliminate the
E:\FR\FM\05APN1.SGM
05APN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17081-17083]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4868]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 060324085-6085-01; I.D. 032906F]
Science on a Sphere Installation Cooperative Agreements
AGENCY: Office of Education (OEd), Office of the Undersecretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (USEC), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice and request for proposals.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The NOAA Office of Education (OEd) is issuing a request for
applications from informal education institutions with interest in
displaying NOAA's Science on a Sphere. Awards will be made as one-year
cooperative agreements and will be issued in fiscal year 2006 (FY06).
Funded projects will support informal education institutions in
incorporating this data visualization technology and compatible
environmental data products into public exhibits. The goal of this
program is to build environmental literacy among the general public
through increased use of NOAA or NOAA-related data and data products in
informal education institutions. See NOAA's Education Plan for more
details on this goal and strategy: (https://www.oesd.noaa.gov/NOAA_Ed_
Plan.pdf). It is anticipated that final recommendations for funding
under this announcement will be made by June 30, 2006, and that
projects funded under this announcement will have a start date no
earlier than October 1, 2006.
DATES: The deadline for full applications is 5 p.m., EDT May 5, 2006.
It is anticipated that final recommendations for funding under this
announcement will be made by June 30, 2006, and that projects funded
under this announcement will have a start date no earlier than October
1, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Full applications should be submitted through Grants.gov
APPLY (https://www.grants.gov). It is strongly suggested that Grants.gov
be accessed using Internet Explorer for maximum compatibility. Because
registration with Grants.gov can take up to three weeks, it is strongly
recommended that this registration process is completed as soon as
possible. Also, even if an applicant has registered with Grants.gov
previously, the applicant's password may have expired. It is
recommended that submission through Grants.gov be attempted 2 days
prior to the deadline to avoid electronic submission errors. See the
Office of Education's frequently asked questions site https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/sos_faqs.html for more details.
If an applicant does not have Internet access, application kits
must be requested from Carrie McDougall, completed, signed, and one
hard copy should be sent to Carrie McDougall, DOC/NOAA Office of
Education, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 6863, Washington, DC
20230. If submitting a hard copy, applicants are requested to provide a
CD-ROM of the application, including scanned signed forms or forms with
electronic signatures. Printed forms from Grants.gov submitted in hard
copy will not be accepted. Please note: Hard copies submitted via the
U.S. Postal Service can take up to 4 weeks to reach this office;
applicants are recommended to send hard copies via expedited shipping
methods (e.g., Airborne Express, DHL, Fed Ex, UPS). See the Office of
Education's frequently asked questions site https://www.oesd.noaa.gov/
sos_faqs.html for more details. This announcement will also be
available at: https://www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html or by
contacting the program official identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
[[Page 17082]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carrie McDougall, telephone 202-482-
0875; e-mail carrie.mcdougall@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NOAA Office of Education (OEd) is
issuing a request for applications from informal education institutions
with interest in displaying NOAA's Science on a Sphere. Awards will be
made as one-year cooperative agreements and will be issued in FY06. The
goal of this program is to build environmental literacy among the
general public through increased use of NOAA data or NOAA-related data
and data products in informal education institutions. See NOAA's
Education Plan for more details on this goal and strategy: (https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/NOAA_Ed_Plan.pdf). It is anticipated that final
recommendations for funding under this announcement will be made by
June 30, 2006, and that projects funded under this announcement will
have a start date no earlier than October 1, 2006. NOAA's Science on a
Sphere (SOS) is a complete data visualization system consisting of a
68-inch diameter opaque sphere onto which 4 video projectors project
seamless ``movies'' of animated earth system dynamics or other solar
system objects. NOAA data and NOAA-related data, models, and near real-
time whole-earth satellite imagery are provided with the SOS system.
The current version of the standard, turnkey system will be provided to
successful applicants. See https://www.oesd.noaa.gov/sos_faqs.html for
more details. A detailed description for each program priority is in
the full funding opportunity announcement that can be accessed via the
Grants.gov Web site, the NOAA Web site at https://www.oesd.noaa.gov/
funding_opps.html, or by contacting the program official identified in
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Electronic Access
The full text of the full funding opportunity announcement for this
OEd program can be accessed via the Grants.gov FIND Web site. That
announcement will also be available at this NOAA Web site: https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html or by contacting the program
official identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Applicants
must read and comply with all requirements contained in the full
funding opportunity announcement. This Federal Register notice is
available through the NOAA Home page at: https://www.noaa.gov/.
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1540; Public Law 109-108,
Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,
2006.
CFDA: 11.469, Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects.
Funding Availability
NOAA announces the availability of approximately $200,000 of
Federal financial assistance in FY 2006 for Science on a Sphere
Installation Cooperative Agreements. Approximately 2 to 4 awards in the
form of cooperative agreements will be made. NOAA will only consider
projects that have duration of one year. The total Federal amount that
may be requested from NOAA shall not exceed $100,000 including direct
and indirect costs. Applications requesting Federal support from NOAA
of more than $100,000 in total costs will not be considered for
funding.
Publication of this notice does not oblige DOC/NOAA to award any
specific project or to obligate any available funds. If an applicant
incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an
authorized NOAA Grants Officer, the applicant would do so solely at
one's own risk of such costs not being included under the award.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, other
nonprofits, commercial organizations, and state, local and Indian
tribal governments. Federal agencies are not eligible to receive
Federal assistance under this announcement, but may be project
partners. Among those eligible applicants are K through 12 public and
independent schools and school systems, and science centers and
museums. The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to increasing the
participation of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), i.e.,
Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving
institutions, Tribal colleges and universities, Alaskan Native and
Native Hawaiian institutions, and institutions that work in underserved
communities. Applications are encouraged that involve any of the above
institutions.
Cost Sharing Requirements
There are no cost-sharing requirements.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures
NOAA published its agency-wide solicitation entitled ''Omnibus
Notice Announcing the Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year
2006'' for projects for Fiscal Year 2006 in the Federal Register on
June 30, 2005 (70 FR 37766). The evaluation criteria and selection
procedures for projects contained in that omnibus notice are applicable
to this solicitation. Copies of the notice are available on the
Internet at: https://www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/funding.shtml. Further
details on evaluation and selection criteria can be found in the full
funding opportunity announcement.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order
12372, ''Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
Limitation of Liability
In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible
for application 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: 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
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 nonindigenous 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.
[[Page 17083]]
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 December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389), 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: March 30, 2006.
Helen Hurcombe,
Director, NOAA Acquisitions and Grants, U.S. Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. E6-4868 Filed 4-4-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KC-P