John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program; Main Hawaiian Islands, 34061-34064 [E6-9205]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 13, 2006 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[Docket No. 030602141–6145–39; I.D.
060506A]
John H. Prescott Marine Mammal
Rescue Assistance Grant Program;
Main Hawaiian Islands
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of
financial assistance.
SUMMARY: The John H. Prescott Marine
Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant
Program (Prescott Grant Program)
provides funding to eligible marine
mammal stranding network participants
to fund the recovery or treatment (i.e.,
rescue and rehabilitation) of stranded
marine mammals, data collection from
living or dead stranded marine
mammals for scientific research
regarding marine mammal health, and
facility operations directly related to the
recovery or treatment of stranded
marine mammals and collection of data
from living or dead stranded marine
mammals. The Prescott Grant Program
is administered through the NMFS
Marine Mammal Health and Stranding
Response Program (MMHSRP). As
stranding services have become
unavailable in the crucial geographic
area of the main Hawaiian Islands, the
Prescott Grant Program is making this
special announcement to inform the
public of the availability of funding up
to $200,000 for marine mammal
stranding response and rehabilitation
activities in this area. The annual
competitive cycle of the Prescott Grant
Program will be announced separately.
DATES: Applications must be submitted
no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on June 27,
2006. Applications received after that
time will not be considered for funding.
ADDRESSES: Applications should be
submitted via www.grants.gov. If
www.grants.gov cannot reasonably be
used, applications must be postmarked,
or provided to a delivery service and
documented with a receipt, by June 27,
2006, and mailed to: NOAA Fisheries,
Office of Protected Resources, Prescott
Grant Program (F/PR2), 1315 East West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910–
3282. ATTN: Prescott Hawaii. No
facsimile or electronic mail applications
will be accepted. Electronic Access to
the full funding announcement for this
program is available via the Grants.gov
Web site: https://www.grants.gov. The
announcement will also be available at
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:40 Jun 12, 2006
Jkt 208001
34061
the Program Web site: https://
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/prescott/
or by contacting the program official
identified below. All application
requirements contained in the full
funding announcement must be adhered
to in submitted proposals.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sarah Wilkin, (301) 713–2322, or by email at sarah.wilkin@noaa.gov
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
medical attention, or is in waters under
the jurisdiction of the United States but
is unable to return to its natural habitat
under its own power or without
assistance. The Prescott Grant Program
is administered through the Marine
Mammal Health and Stranding
Response Program (MMHSRP) of the
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS).
Background
Information on marine mammal
stranding response and rehabilitation
projects funded to date under the
Prescott Grant Program can be found on
the World Wide Web at: https://
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/prescott.
As has been the case since October 1,
2004, applicants can access the full
funding announcement and download
and submit electronic grant applications
for NOAA Financial Assistance at the
Grants.gov Web site: https://
www.grants.gov. Applicants responding
to this soliciation are strongly
encouraged to submit applications
through the Grants.gov web site (see
ADDRESSESS).
The Marine Mammal Rescue
Assistance Act of 2000 amended the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA) to establish the John H.
Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue
Assistance Grant Program (16 U.S.C.
1421f–1). An annual competition is
conducted for stranding network
organizations nationwide. Stranding
response services have become
unavailable in the crucial geographic
area of the main Hawaiian Islands. For
this reason, the Prescott Grant Program
is making this special announcement of
the availability of funds for stranding
response in the main Hawaiian Islands
outside of the annual competitive cycle,
which will be announced separately.
This document describes how to submit
proposals for funding under this special
announcement of the Prescott Grant
Program and how we will determine
which proposals will be funded.
The Prescott Grant Program is
conducted by the Secretary of
Commerce to provide Federal assistance
to eligible stranding network
participants (see section I.E. of this
document) for (A) basic needs of
organizations for response, treatment,
and data collection from living and dead
stranded marine mammals, (B) scientific
research objectives designed to answer
questions about marine mammal
strandings, health, or rehabilitation
techniques utilizing data from living
and dead stranded marine mammals,
and (C) facility operations directly
related to the recovery, treatment, and
data collection from living and dead
stranded marine mammals and
investigation of scientific research
objectives designed to answer questions
about marine mammal strandings,
health, or rehabilitation techniques
utilizing data from living and dead
stranded marine mammals. For
purposes of this document, a stranded
marine mammal is a marine mammal in
the wild that is (1) dead and on a beach,
shore, or in waters under the
jurisdiction of the United States or (2)
is live and on a beach or shore of the
United States and unable to return to
the water, is in apparent need of
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Electronic Access
Initiative Priorities
For this solicitation, all applications
must fall within one of the following
two priorities. The priorities are not
listed in any particular order and each
is of equal importance. Note that the
purpose of the priority list is to guide
applicants in application development
by identifying those applications that
will best compete during this grant
cycle for these limited funds, and to
provide technical reviewers with
guidance for their evaluations. Details of
the priorities are as follows:
1. Enhance network operations to
respond to, transport, sample, necropsy,
analyze, and dispose of dead stranded
marine mammals, including the
collection, reporting and sharing of
quality Level A, B, and C data, while
protecting human health. This may
include purchase of supplies and
equipment or salary support for
veterinary and staffing needs. Specific
concerns are: (1) To conduct thorough
necropsies to enhance the ability to
detect human-interaction and humaninduced injuries and mortalities (e.g.
entanglements, hookings and gear
interaction, and boat strikes); (2) to
diagnose and investigate marine
mammal disease; and (3) training for
network members and members of the
general public.
2. Enhance network operations to
respond to, rescue, transport, treat,
rehabilitate, and humanely euthanize,
when necessary, live stranded marine
E:\FR\FM\13JNN1.SGM
13JNN1
34062
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 13, 2006 / Notices
mammals that are sick or injured, while
protecting human health.
These Program priorities pertain only
to species that are under the authority
of the Department of Commerce
(cetaceans and pinnipeds, except
walrus) as stated in the MMPA.
Additionally, proposals for stranding
response and rehabilitation of Hawaiian
monk seals will not be accepted under
this competition. No Prescott funds
under this competition will go towards
basic scientific research on nonstranded marine mammals (i.e., wild
population studies). In addition, no
projects involving construction of new
facilities for the rescue and
rehabilitation of stranded marine
mammals will be considered; however,
construction projects in established
facilities (i.e., those that involve buildouts, alterations, upgrades and
renovations) would be appropriate for
Category C projects.
NOAA will consider funding more
than one project under a single award;
however, all projects should be
sufficiently developed as per the
guidelines and information
requirements listed in this document for
an application to be competitive, and all
projects should be able to be completed
within the award period specified
below.
Applicants are advised to review the
Interim Policies and Best Practices for
Marine Mammal Stranding Response,
Rehabilitation and Release (available on
our Web site at: https://
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/eis.htm)
before submitting their proposed
projects.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Funding Availability
Funding of up to $200,000 is expected
to be available for stranding response in
the main Hawaiian Islands. The
maximum Federal award for each grant
cannot exceed $100,000, as stated in the
legislative language (16 U.S.C. 1421f–1).
NOAA does not guarantee that sufficient
funds will be available to make awards
for all proposals. Publication of this
document does not obligate NOAA to
award any specific project or obligate all
or any parts of any available funds.
There is no limit on the number of
proposals that may be submitted by the
same stranding network participant
during this competition, nor is there any
limit on the number of proposals that
may be funded to a single institution;
however, only $200,000 is expected to
be available at this time. Applicants
with current or previous Prescott
funding may apply and receive funds
under this competition in addition to
any active or future awards, including
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:40 Jun 12, 2006
Jkt 208001
the FY 2007 Prescott competition
(announced separately).
Authority
The Marine Mammal Rescue
Assistance Act of 2000 amended the
MMPA to establish the John H. Prescott
Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance
Grant Program (16 U.S.C. 1421f–1).
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
11.439, Marine Mammal Data
Program.
Eligibility
There are 3 categories of eligible
stranding network participants that may
apply for funds under this Program: (1)
Stranding Agreement or Letter of
Agreement (SA/LOA) holders; (2)
researchers; and, (3) state, local, or tribal
government employees.
In this competition, applicants
without an organizational history within
the stranding network may be
considered, provided that the Principal
Investigator and Co-Investigators
demonstrate the appropriate experience
to carry out the proposed activities.
Award recipients should be participants
in the Hawaiian Islands Marine
Mammal Response Network as SA/LOA
holders, researchers, or 109(h)
responders (government employees) at
the time the award is made, unless
extenuating circumstances exist.
Guidance regarding eligibility status is
available from the Full Funding
Opportunity posted on Grants.gov or
from Program staff (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
The Department of Commerce/
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (DOC/NOAA) is
strongly committed to broadening the
participation of historically black
colleges and universities, Hispanicserving institutions, tribal colleges and
universities, and institutions that work
in under served areas. The Prescott
Grant Program encourages proposals
from or involving any of the above
institutions.
Cost Sharing Requirements
All proposals submitted must provide
a minimum non-Federal cost share of 25
percent of the total budget (i.e., .25 x
total project costs > total non-Federal
share), as stated in the legislative
language (16 U.S.C. 1421f–1). For
assistance in calculating the required
match, please use the cost-share
calculator on our Web site at: https://
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/prescott/
proposals/costshare.htm.
Match to NOAA funds can come from
a variety of public and private sources
and can include in-kind goods and
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
services and volunteer labor. Federal
funds are not considered matching
funds. Applicants are permitted to
combine contributions from multiple
non-Federal partners in order to meet
the 25–percent match expected, as long
as such contributions are not being used
to match any other funds.
Applicants whose proposals are
selected for funding will be bound by
the percentage of cost-sharing reflected
in the award document signed by the
NOAA Grants Officer. Successful
applicants should be prepared to
carefully document matching
contributions, including the overall
number of volunteers and in-kind
participation hours devoted to stranding
response. Match must be applied to the
project during the award period.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications under this initiative are
subject to the provisions of Executive
Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review
of Federal Programs. Applicants are
required to complete item 16 on SF–424
regarding clearance by the State Single
Point of Contact (SPOC) established as
a result of the Executive Order. To find
out about and comply with a State’s
process under Executive Order 12372,
the names, addresses and phone
numbers of participating SPOC’s are
available on the Internet at: https://
www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/
spoc.html.
Evaluation and Selection Criteria and
Procedures
Peer reviewers will assign scores to
proposals ranging from 0 to 100 points
in each of the five standard NOAA
evaluation criteria. Scores will be
weighted as specified:
1. Importance and Applicability of
Proposal (weight 40 percent)
This criterion ascertains whether
there is intrinsic value in the proposed
work and/or relevance to NOAA,
Federal, regional, state or local
activities.
2. Technical/Scientific Merit (weight
30 percent)
This criterion assesses whether the
approach is technically sound and/or
innovative, if the methods are
appropriate, and whether there are clear
project goals and objectives.
3. Overall Qualifications of
Applicants (weight 10 percent)
This criterion ascertains whether the
applicant possesses the necessary
education, experience, demonstrated
commitment, training, facilities, and
administrative resources to accomplish
the project.
4. Project Costs (weight 10 percent)
E:\FR\FM\13JNN1.SGM
13JNN1
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 13, 2006 / Notices
This criterion evaluates the project’s
budget to determine if it is realistic and
commensurate with the project needs
and time-frame.
5. Outreach and Education (weight 10
percent)
NOAA assesses whether the project
provides a focused and effective
education and outreach strategy
regarding NOAA’s mission to protect
the Nation’s natural resources.
Further explanation of the evaluation
criteria and their specific application to
this competition can be found in the
Full Funding Opportunity available at
grants.gov.
Applications will be initially screened
by NOAA staff to determine if they are
eligible, complete and in accordance
with instructions detailed in the
standard NOAA Grants Application
Package. Proposals that pass the initial
screening will undergo a technical and
merit review, ranking, and selection
process.
Applications will be evaluated by at
least three individual peer reviewers
from outside of the state of Hawaii,
according to the criteria and weights
described in this solicitation. No
consensus advice will be provided by
the peer reviewers. The proposals will
be rated, and reviewer comments and
composite project scores and a rank
order will be presented to the merit
review panel, which will consist of the
NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Marine
Mammal Response Coordinator, the
National Stranding Coordinator, the
Prescott Grant Manager, and other
MMHSRP staff as appropriate. The merit
review will use the peer review
comments and application materials in
making recommendations regarding
equitable distribution of funds among
regions, in ranking all proposals
recommended for funding, and in
justifying any discrepancies between the
peer reviewers’ comments and the merit
reviewers’ recommendations.
The merit review will prepare a
recommendation to the Selecting
Official, the Director of the Office of
Protected Resources. The Selecting
Official will select the proposals to be
recommended to the Grants
Management Division (GMD) for
funding and will determine the amount
of funds available for each approved
proposal. The proposals shall be
recommended in rank order unless the
proposal is justified to be selected out
of rank order based upon one or more
of the following factors:
1. The availability of funding;
2. The balance/distribution of funds:
(a) Geographically, (b) by type of
institutions, (c) by type of partners, (d)
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:28 Jun 12, 2006
Jkt 208001
by research areas, and (e) by project
types;
3. Duplication of other projects
funded or considered for funding by
NOAA and/or other Federal agencies;
4. Initiative priorities and policy
factors as set out in the Full Funding
Opportunity available on grants.gov;
5. The applicant’s prior award
performance;
6. Partnerships and/or participation of
targeted groups; and
7. Adequacy of information necessary
for NOAA staff to make a NEPA
determination and draft necessary
documentation before funding
recommendations are acted upon by
GMD.
Hence, awards may not necessarily be
made to the highest scoring proposals.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified
that their proposal was not among those
recommended for funding. Unsuccessful
applications submitted in hard copy
will be kept on file for at least one year
and then destroyed.
Every effort will be made to award
these grants as quickly as possible, in
order to minimize the lapse in stranding
network coverage in the state of Hawai’i.
NOAA suggests reasonable start dates of
summer or fall 2006.
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 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 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
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
34063
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.
Applicants will also be required to
cooperate with NOAA in identifying
and implementing feasible measures to
reduce or avoid any identified adverse
environmental impacts of their
proposal. 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.
Limitation of Liability
In no event will NOAA or the
Department of Commerce be responsible
for proposal preparation costs if this
initiative fails to receive funding or is
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. Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal
laws, agency policies, regulations and
procedures applicable to Federal
financial assistance awards.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This notification involves collectionof-information requirements subject to
the Paperwork Reduction Act. 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 OMB control
numbers 0348–0043, 0348–0044, 0348–
0040, 0348–0046 and 0605–0001
respectively. 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
It has been determined that this notice
is 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.
E:\FR\FM\13JNN1.SGM
13JNN1
34064
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 13, 2006 / 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 of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory
flexibility analysis has not been
prepared.
Dated: June 7, 2006.
William T. Hogarth,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6–9205 Filed 6–12–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[I.D. 051806G]
Marine Mammals and Endangered
Species; National Marine Fisheries
Service File No. 31–1741; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service File No. MA081663
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA);
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS),
Interior.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application
for amendment.
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that
the Wildlife Conservation Society
(WCS), 2300 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY
10460 (Dr. Howard C. Rosenbaum,
Principal Investigator) has requested an
amendment to scientific research Permit
No. 31–1741/MA081663.
DATES: Written or telefaxed comments
must be received on or before July 13,
2006.
ADDRESSES: The application request and
related documents are available for
review upon written request or by
appointment in the following office(s):
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Division of Management Authority,
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 700,
Arlington, VA 22203; phone (800) 358–
2104; fax (703) 358–2281; and
Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:28 Jun 12, 2006
Jkt 208001
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone
(301) 713–2289; fax (301) 427–2521.
Written comments or requests for a
public hearing on this application
should be mailed to the Chief, Branch
of Permits, Division of Management
Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room
700, Arlington, VA 22203. Those
individuals requesting a hearing should
set forth the specific reasons why a
hearing on this particular request would
be appropriate.
Comments may also be submitted by
facsimile at (703) 358–2281, provided
the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy
submitted by mail and postmarked no
later than the closing date of the
comment period.
Comments may also be submitted by
e-mail. The mailbox address for
providing e-mail comments is
managementauthority@fws.gov; include
in the subject line of the e-mail
comment the following document
identifier: File No. 31–1741/MA081663.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Monica Farris, Division of Management
Authority, US Fish and Wildlife
Service, (703) 358–2104.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
subject permit amendment is requested
under the authority of the Marine
Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as
amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et
seq.) and the regulations governing the
taking and importing of marine
mammals (50 CFR parts 18).
The WCS Conservation Genetics
Program, a collaboration between WCS
and the American Museum of Natural
History, maintains one of the largest
collections of marine mammal tissues
and specimens in the world. WCS
wishes to amend their current permit to
obtain, import and export/re-export
specimens and materials from polar
bears (Ursus maritimus), including shed
hair, feces, and DNA and tissue samples
from the wild, tissue banks, and
collaborators. Such tissues would be
obtained by co-investigators or other
named individuals and institutions
working under their own permits.
Export of specimens or tissues,
irrespective of their source, would be
made on temporary loan basis only to
bona fide institutions for the sole
purpose of exhibit or scientific research.
The permit would be amended for the
remainder of the 5–year period of the
currently authorized permit.
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial
determination has been made that the
activities proposed are categorically
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of
this notice in the Federal Register, FWS
is forwarding copies of this application
to the Marine Mammal Commission and
its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
Dated: June 7, 2006.
Charlie R. Chandler,
Chief, Branch of Permits, Division of
Management Authority, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
Dated: June 7, 2006.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6–9208 Filed 6–12–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 050406A]
Small Takes of Marine Mammals
Incidental to Specified Activities;
Movement of Barges through the
Beaufort Sea between West Dock and
Cape Simpson or Point Lonely, Alaska
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of application
and proposed incidental harassment
authorization; request for comments.
SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request
to authorize FEX L.P. (FEX), a
subsidiary of Talisman Energy, Inc. to
take small numbers of marine mammals
by harassment incidental to conducting
a barging operation within the U.S.
Beaufort Sea. Under the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS
is requesting comments on its proposal
to authorize FEX to incidentally take, by
harassment, small numbers of bowhead
whales, beluga whales, ringed seals,
bearded seals, and spotted seals in the
above mentioned area between
approximately July 1 and November 30,
2006.
DATES: Comments and information must
be received no later than July 13, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the
application should be addressed to P.
Michael Payne, Chief, Permits,
Conservation and Education Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD
20910–3225, or by telephoning the
E:\FR\FM\13JNN1.SGM
13JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34061-34064]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9205]
[[Page 34061]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 030602141-6145-39; I.D. 060506A]
John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program;
Main Hawaiian Islands
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of financial assistance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant
Program (Prescott Grant Program) provides funding to eligible marine
mammal stranding network participants to fund the recovery or treatment
(i.e., rescue and rehabilitation) of stranded marine mammals, data
collection from living or dead stranded marine mammals for scientific
research regarding marine mammal health, and facility operations
directly related to the recovery or treatment of stranded marine
mammals and collection of data from living or dead stranded marine
mammals. The Prescott Grant Program is administered through the NMFS
Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP). As
stranding services have become unavailable in the crucial geographic
area of the main Hawaiian Islands, the Prescott Grant Program is making
this special announcement to inform the public of the availability of
funding up to $200,000 for marine mammal stranding response and
rehabilitation activities in this area. The annual competitive cycle of
the Prescott Grant Program will be announced separately.
DATES: Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on
June 27, 2006. Applications received after that time will not be
considered for funding.
ADDRESSES: Applications should be submitted via www.grants.gov. If
www.grants.gov cannot reasonably be used, applications must be
postmarked, or provided to a delivery service and documented with a
receipt, by June 27, 2006, and mailed to: NOAA Fisheries, Office of
Protected Resources, Prescott Grant Program (F/PR2), 1315 East West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282. ATTN: Prescott Hawaii. No
facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Electronic
Access to the full funding announcement for this program is available
via the Grants.gov Web site: https://www.grants.gov. The announcement
will also be available at the Program Web site: https://
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/prescott/ or by contacting the program
official identified below. All application requirements contained in
the full funding announcement must be adhered to in submitted
proposals.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Wilkin, (301) 713-2322, or by e-
mail at sarah.wilkin@noaa.gov
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Act of 2000 amended the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to establish the John H. Prescott Marine
Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program (16 U.S.C. 1421f-1). An annual
competition is conducted for stranding network organizations
nationwide. Stranding response services have become unavailable in the
crucial geographic area of the main Hawaiian Islands. For this reason,
the Prescott Grant Program is making this special announcement of the
availability of funds for stranding response in the main Hawaiian
Islands outside of the annual competitive cycle, which will be
announced separately. This document describes how to submit proposals
for funding under this special announcement of the Prescott Grant
Program and how we will determine which proposals will be funded.
The Prescott Grant Program is conducted by the Secretary of
Commerce to provide Federal assistance to eligible stranding network
participants (see section I.E. of this document) for (A) basic needs of
organizations for response, treatment, and data collection from living
and dead stranded marine mammals, (B) scientific research objectives
designed to answer questions about marine mammal strandings, health, or
rehabilitation techniques utilizing data from living and dead stranded
marine mammals, and (C) facility operations directly related to the
recovery, treatment, and data collection from living and dead stranded
marine mammals and investigation of scientific research objectives
designed to answer questions about marine mammal strandings, health, or
rehabilitation techniques utilizing data from living and dead stranded
marine mammals. For purposes of this document, a stranded marine mammal
is a marine mammal in the wild that is (1) dead and on a beach, shore,
or in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States or (2) is live
and on a beach or shore of the United States and unable to return to
the water, is in apparent need of medical attention, or is in waters
under the jurisdiction of the United States but is unable to return to
its natural habitat under its own power or without assistance. The
Prescott Grant Program is administered through the Marine Mammal Health
and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP) of the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS).
Electronic Access
Information on marine mammal stranding response and rehabilitation
projects funded to date under the Prescott Grant Program can be found
on the World Wide Web at: https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/prescott.
As has been the case since October 1, 2004, applicants can access the
full funding announcement and download and submit electronic grant
applications for NOAA Financial Assistance at the Grants.gov Web site:
https://www.grants.gov. Applicants responding to this soliciation are
strongly encouraged to submit applications through the Grants.gov web
site (see ADDRESSESS).
Initiative Priorities
For this solicitation, all applications must fall within one of the
following two priorities. The priorities are not listed in any
particular order and each is of equal importance. Note that the purpose
of the priority list is to guide applicants in application development
by identifying those applications that will best compete during this
grant cycle for these limited funds, and to provide technical reviewers
with guidance for their evaluations. Details of the priorities are as
follows:
1. Enhance network operations to respond to, transport, sample,
necropsy, analyze, and dispose of dead stranded marine mammals,
including the collection, reporting and sharing of quality Level A, B,
and C data, while protecting human health. This may include purchase of
supplies and equipment or salary support for veterinary and staffing
needs. Specific concerns are: (1) To conduct thorough necropsies to
enhance the ability to detect human-interaction and human-induced
injuries and mortalities (e.g. entanglements, hookings and gear
interaction, and boat strikes); (2) to diagnose and investigate marine
mammal disease; and (3) training for network members and members of the
general public.
2. Enhance network operations to respond to, rescue, transport,
treat, rehabilitate, and humanely euthanize, when necessary, live
stranded marine
[[Page 34062]]
mammals that are sick or injured, while protecting human health.
These Program priorities pertain only to species that are under the
authority of the Department of Commerce (cetaceans and pinnipeds,
except walrus) as stated in the MMPA. Additionally, proposals for
stranding response and rehabilitation of Hawaiian monk seals will not
be accepted under this competition. No Prescott funds under this
competition will go towards basic scientific research on non-stranded
marine mammals (i.e., wild population studies). In addition, no
projects involving construction of new facilities for the rescue and
rehabilitation of stranded marine mammals will be considered; however,
construction projects in established facilities (i.e., those that
involve build-outs, alterations, upgrades and renovations) would be
appropriate for Category C projects.
NOAA will consider funding more than one project under a single
award; however, all projects should be sufficiently developed as per
the guidelines and information requirements listed in this document for
an application to be competitive, and all projects should be able to be
completed within the award period specified below.
Applicants are advised to review the Interim Policies and Best
Practices for Marine Mammal Stranding Response, Rehabilitation and
Release (available on our Web site at: https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/
health/eis.htm) before submitting their proposed projects.
Funding Availability
Funding of up to $200,000 is expected to be available for stranding
response in the main Hawaiian Islands. The maximum Federal award for
each grant cannot exceed $100,000, as stated in the legislative
language (16 U.S.C. 1421f-1). NOAA does not guarantee that sufficient
funds will be available to make awards for all proposals. Publication
of this document does not obligate NOAA to award any specific project
or obligate all or any parts of any available funds.
There is no limit on the number of proposals that may be submitted
by the same stranding network participant during this competition, nor
is there any limit on the number of proposals that may be funded to a
single institution; however, only $200,000 is expected to be available
at this time. Applicants with current or previous Prescott funding may
apply and receive funds under this competition in addition to any
active or future awards, including the FY 2007 Prescott competition
(announced separately).
Authority
The Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Act of 2000 amended the MMPA to
establish the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant
Program (16 U.S.C. 1421f-1).
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
11.439, Marine Mammal Data Program.
Eligibility
There are 3 categories of eligible stranding network participants
that may apply for funds under this Program: (1) Stranding Agreement or
Letter of Agreement (SA/LOA) holders; (2) researchers; and, (3) state,
local, or tribal government employees.
In this competition, applicants without an organizational history
within the stranding network may be considered, provided that the
Principal Investigator and Co-Investigators demonstrate the appropriate
experience to carry out the proposed activities. Award recipients
should be participants in the Hawaiian Islands Marine Mammal Response
Network as SA/LOA holders, researchers, or 109(h) responders
(government employees) at the time the award is made, unless
extenuating circumstances exist. Guidance regarding eligibility status
is available from the Full Funding Opportunity posted on Grants.gov or
from Program staff (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (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. The Prescott Grant
Program encourages proposals from or involving any of the above
institutions.
Cost Sharing Requirements
All proposals submitted must provide a minimum non-Federal cost
share of 25 percent of the total budget (i.e., .25 x total project
costs > total non-Federal share), as stated in the legislative language
(16 U.S.C. 1421f-1). For assistance in calculating the required match,
please use the cost-share calculator on our Web site at: https://
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/prescott/proposals/costshare.htm.
Match to NOAA funds can come from a variety of public and private
sources and can include in-kind goods and services and volunteer labor.
Federal funds are not considered matching funds. Applicants are
permitted to combine contributions from multiple non-Federal partners
in order to meet the 25-percent match expected, as long as such
contributions are not being used to match any other funds.
Applicants whose proposals are selected for funding will be bound
by the percentage of cost-sharing reflected in the award document
signed by the NOAA Grants Officer. Successful applicants should be
prepared to carefully document matching contributions, including the
overall number of volunteers and in-kind participation hours devoted to
stranding response. Match must be applied to the project during the
award period.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications under this initiative are subject to the provisions of
Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.
Applicants are required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding
clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a
result of the Executive Order. To find out about and comply with a
State's process under Executive Order 12372, the names, addresses and
phone numbers of participating SPOC's are available on the Internet at:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
Evaluation and Selection Criteria and Procedures
Peer reviewers will assign scores to proposals ranging from 0 to
100 points in each of the five standard NOAA evaluation criteria.
Scores will be weighted as specified:
1. Importance and Applicability of Proposal (weight 40 percent)
This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the
proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, Federal, regional, state or
local activities.
2. Technical/Scientific Merit (weight 30 percent)
This criterion assesses whether the approach is technically sound
and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, and whether there
are clear project goals and objectives.
3. Overall Qualifications of Applicants (weight 10 percent)
This criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the
necessary education, experience, demonstrated commitment, training,
facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project.
4. Project Costs (weight 10 percent)
[[Page 34063]]
This criterion evaluates the project's budget to determine if it is
realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-frame.
5. Outreach and Education (weight 10 percent)
NOAA assesses whether the project provides a focused and effective
education and outreach strategy regarding NOAA's mission to protect the
Nation's natural resources.
Further explanation of the evaluation criteria and their specific
application to this competition can be found in the Full Funding
Opportunity available at grants.gov.
Applications will be initially screened by NOAA staff to determine
if they are eligible, complete and in accordance with instructions
detailed in the standard NOAA Grants Application Package. Proposals
that pass the initial screening will undergo a technical and merit
review, ranking, and selection process.
Applications will be evaluated by at least three individual peer
reviewers from outside of the state of Hawaii, according to the
criteria and weights described in this solicitation. No consensus
advice will be provided by the peer reviewers. The proposals will be
rated, and reviewer comments and composite project scores and a rank
order will be presented to the merit review panel, which will consist
of the NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Marine Mammal Response
Coordinator, the National Stranding Coordinator, the Prescott Grant
Manager, and other MMHSRP staff as appropriate. The merit review will
use the peer review comments and application materials in making
recommendations regarding equitable distribution of funds among
regions, in ranking all proposals recommended for funding, and in
justifying any discrepancies between the peer reviewers' comments and
the merit reviewers' recommendations.
The merit review will prepare a recommendation to the Selecting
Official, the Director of the Office of Protected Resources. The
Selecting Official will select the proposals to be recommended to the
Grants Management Division (GMD) for funding and will determine the
amount of funds available for each approved proposal. The proposals
shall be recommended in rank order unless the proposal is justified to
be selected out of rank order based upon one or more of the following
factors:
1. The availability of funding;
2. The balance/distribution of funds: (a) Geographically, (b) by
type of institutions, (c) by type of partners, (d) by research areas,
and (e) by project types;
3. Duplication of other projects funded or considered for funding
by NOAA and/or other Federal agencies;
4. Initiative priorities and policy factors as set out in the Full
Funding Opportunity available on grants.gov;
5. The applicant's prior award performance;
6. Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups; and
7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a NEPA
determination and draft necessary documentation before funding
recommendations are acted upon by GMD.
Hence, awards may not necessarily be made to the highest scoring
proposals. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified that their proposal
was not among those recommended for funding. Unsuccessful applications
submitted in hard copy will be kept on file for at least one year and
then destroyed.
Every effort will be made to award these grants as quickly as
possible, in order to minimize the lapse in stranding network coverage
in the state of Hawai'i. NOAA suggests reasonable start dates of summer
or fall 2006.
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 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 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 non-indigenous species, impacts to endangered and
threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef
systems).
In addition to providing specific information that will serve as
the basis for any required impact analyses, applicants may also be
requested to assist NOAA in drafting of an environmental assessment, if
NOAA determines 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 of their proposal. 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.
Limitation of Liability
In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible
for proposal preparation costs if this initiative fails to receive
funding or is 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. Recipients and sub-recipients are
subject to all Federal laws, agency policies, regulations and
procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This notification involves collection-of-information requirements
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. 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 OMB control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-
0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046 and 0605-0001 respectively. 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
It has been determined that this notice is 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.
[[Page 34064]]
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.)
are inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not
been prepared.
Dated: June 7, 2006.
William T. Hogarth,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. E6-9205 Filed 6-12-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
