Program for Professional Development of Educators in Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences, 26075-26078 [E7-8715]
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26075
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 88 / Tuesday, May 8, 2007 / Notices
inaccurate copying, duplication, or the
like, and any other similar type of
unintentional error which the Secretary
considers ministerial.’’ With respect to
preliminary determinations, 19 CFR
351.224(e) provides that the Department
‘‘will analyze any comments received
and, if appropriate, correct any
significant ministerial error by
amending the preliminary
determination. . . .’’ A significant
ministerial error is defined as an error,
the correction of which, singly or in
combination with other errors, would
result in (1) a change of at least five
absolute percentage points in, but not
less than 25 percent of, the
countervailable subsidy rate calculated
Amended Preliminary Determination
Because the combined errors alleged
by Hansol regarding the countervailable
Producer/Exporter
Original Subsidy Rate
EN Paper .............................................................................................................
Hansol ..................................................................................................................
Kyesung (and its affiliate Namhan) .....................................................................
Moorim (and its affiliate Moorim SP) ...................................................................
All Others Rate ....................................................................................................
The collection of bonds or cash
deposits and suspension of liquidation
will be revised accordingly and parties
will be notified of this determination, in
accordance with section 703(d) and (f)
of the Act. Specifically, since the
amended preliminary determination is
negative, we are directing U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (‘‘CBP’’) to
terminate suspension of liquidation of
all entries of the subject merchandise
from Korea.
cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
International Trade Commission
Notification
In accordance with section 703(f) of
the Act, we have notified the
International Trade Commission (‘‘ITC’’)
of our amended preliminary
determination. If our final
determination is affirmative, the ITC
will make its final determination as to
whether the domestic industry in the
United States is materially injured, or
threatened with material injury, by
reason of imports of CFS paper, or sales
(or the likelihood of sales) for
importation, of the subject merchandise
within 75 days of our final
determination.
This determination is issued and
published in accordance with sections
703(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19
CFR 351.224(e).
subsidy rate calculation for Hansol were
significant, we have amended the
preliminary countervailing duty rate
calculations for Hansol. See
Memorandum to Stephen J. Claeys,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import
Administration, from the Team, AD/
CVD Operations, Office 3, regarding
Allegations of Ministerial Errors in the
Calculations for the Preliminary
Determination, dated April 30, 2007.1 In
addition, we have amended the ‘‘All
Others’’ rate applicable to companies
that were not individually investigated.
As a result of corrections of ministerial
errors, the countervailable subsidy rates
are as follows:
in the original (erroneous) preliminary
determination; or (2) a difference
between a countervailable subsidy rate
of zero (or de minimis) and a
countervailable subsidy rate of greater
than de minimis or vice versa. See 19
CFR 351.224(g). We have determined
that the preliminary determination
contained ‘‘significant’’ ministerial
errors with respect to Hansol. As a
result, the Department is publishing this
amendment to its preliminary
determination pursuant to 19 CFR
351.224(e).
0.08
1.76
0.59
0.04
1.76
Dated: April 30, 2007.
David M. Spooner,
Assistant Secretaryfor Import Administration.
[FR Doc. E7–8792 Filed 5–7–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[Docket No. 070426092–7092–01; I.D.
043007B]
Program for Professional Development
of Educators in Atmospheric and
Ocean Sciences
Office of Education (OED),
Office of the Undersecretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
(USEC), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NOAA’s Office of Education
(OED) is requesting applications to
establish an institutional award for the
purpose of supporting a professional
development program for pre-service
and in-service educators that is
designed to support NOAA’s mission by
improving their knowledge of
atmospheric and ocean sciences. The
successful project will be national in
scale with implementation on a local
level. The project will include distance-
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learning and face-to-face components
and allow teachers to earn graduatelevel credit-hours from an accredited
university in the United States. The
project will involve NOAA scientists
and other members of the scientific
community. The successful project will
build upon existing professional
development courses; employ vetted
classroom instructional materials; use
web-based technology as a means to
deliver cutting-edge scientific content
directly to their target audience; and
enhance teachers’ ability to extract
information from the web. It is
anticipated that the final
recommendation for funding under this
announcement will be made by June 30,
2007, and that the project funded under
this announcement will have a start date
no earlier than September 15, 2007.
DATES: The application must be received
by 5 p.m., EDT June 7, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Full applications must be
submitted either through Grants.gov or
as a paper application to: ATTN: Grants
Competition Manager, NOAA Office of
Education, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Ave, NW.,
HCHB Room 6863, Washington, DC
20230. 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,
FedEx, UPS)
1 This public document is available on the public
record in the Department’s Central Records Unit
(room B-099).
VerDate Aug<31>2005
Amended Subsidy Rate
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 88 / Tuesday, May 8, 2007 / Notices
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sarah Schoedinger at
sarah.schoedinger@noaa.gov, telephone
704–370–3528 or Alyssa Gundersen at
Alyssa.Gundersen@noaa.gov, telephone
202–482–3739.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NOAA’s
Office of Education (OED) is requesting
applications to establish an institutional
award for the purpose of supporting an
ongoing professional development
program in the fields of atmospheric
and ocean sciences for pre-service and
in-service educators. The intent of this
award is to establish and maintain a
long-term partnership between NOAA
and the recipient organization. The
goals of this project must meet OED’s
long-term goals and objectives common
to the programmatic needs of both
parties by employing the relevant
strategies articulated in the NOAA
Education Plan (https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/
NOAA_Ed_Plan.pdf).
Proposed projects should include
components designed to improve
teachers’ understanding of the Earth
System through ocean and/or
atmospheric studies, incorporate
existing NOAA data and educational
materials, and include realistic and
relevant inquiry-based learning
experiences using on-line data products.
Proposed projects should address one or
more of the goals articulated in the
NOAA Education Plan, build upon
existing professional development
programs, involve partnerships among
academic institutions and professional
scientific organizations, and have an
evaluation that both monitors the
quality of the experience for the
participants and also the impact of the
program on the participants. Projects
should be designed to generate and
sustain a network of educators that
allows for rapid, but sustainable
program growth during the project
period. Projects should also ensure that
the content learned in the professional
development courses is implemented in
the classroom.
The successful project will:
—Include distance-learning and face-toface components;
—Allow teachers to earn graduate-level
credit-hours from an accredited
university in the United States;
—Involve NOAA scientists and other
members of the scientific community;
—Build upon existing professional
development courses;
—Employ vetted classroom
instructional materials;
—Use web-based technology as a means
to deliver cutting-edge scientific
content directly to their target
audience; and
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15:36 May 07, 2007
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—Enhance teachers’ ability to extract
information from the web.
It is anticipated that the final
recommendation for funding under this
announcement will be made by June 30,
2007, and that the project funded under
this announcement will have a start date
no earlier than September 15, 2007.
Electronic Access
The full text of the full funding
opportunity announcement for this OED
program can be accessed via the
Grants.gov web site. That
announcement will also be available at
the NOAA Web site: https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html
or by contacting the program officials
identified under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. Applicants must
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.
CFDA: 11.469, Congressionally
Identified Awards and Projects.
Funding Availability: NOAA
anticipates the availability, contingent
upon appropriations, of approximately
$3,000,000 of Federal financial
assistance total over the five year period
of FY 2007 to FY 2011 for an
institutional award that will support
professional development of educators
related to improving their knowledge of
atmospheric and ocean sciences.
Approximately $600,000 will be
available annually for the five year
award period. Only one award in the
form of a grant or cooperative agreement
will be made. NOAA will only consider
projects that have a duration of 5 years.
The total Federal amount for all years
that may be requested from NOAA for
the direct and indirect costs of the
proposed project shall not exceed
$600,000 annually. The minimum
Federal amount that must be requested
from NOAA per year for the direct and
indirect costs is $300,000. Applications
requesting Federal support from NOAA
of less than $300,000 total or more than
$600,000 annually for 5 years will not
be considered for funding.
The amount of funding available
through this announcement will be
dependent upon the final
appropriations for FY 2007 through FY
2011. Publication of this notice does not
oblige the Department of Commerce/
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (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 approved by an authorized
NOAA Grants Officer, the applicant
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would do so solely at one’s own risk of
such costs not being included under the
award. The exact amount of funds that
may be awarded will be determined in
pre-award negotiations between the
applicant and NOAA representatives.
Eligibility: Eligible applicants are
institutions of higher education, other
nonprofits, and state, local and Indian
tribal governments in the United States.
For-profit organizations, individuals not
affiliated with an eligible organization,
foreign institutions, foreign
organizations and foreign government
agencies are not eligible to apply.
Federal agencies are not eligible to
receive Federal assistance under this
announcement, but may be project
partners.
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.
Institutions may submit only one
application to this funding opportunity.
Cost Sharing Requirements: There are
no cost-sharing requirements.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures:
The general evaluation criteria and
selection factors that apply to
applications to this funding opportunity
are summarized below. Further
information about the evaluation criteria
and selection factors can be found in the
full funding opportunity announcement.
Evaluation Criteria for Projects:
1. Importance and/or relevance and
applicability of proposed project to the
program goals: This 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: This
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:
This ascertains whether the applicant
possesses the necessary education,
experience, training, facilities, and
administrative resources to accomplish
the project.
4. Project costs: The Budget is
evaluated to determine if it is realistic
and commensurate with the project
needs and time-frame.
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 88 / Tuesday, May 8, 2007 / Notices
5. Outreach and education: NOAA
assesses whether this project provides a
focused and effective education and
outreach strategy regarding NOAA’s
mission to protect the Nation’s natural
resources.
Review and Selection Process
Upon receipt of an application by
NOAA, an initial administrative review
will be conducted to determine
compliance with requirements and
completeness of the application. All
applications that meet the minimum
eligibility requirements and that are
ascertained to be complete will be
evaluated and scored by independent
reviewers. The reviews will be
conducted by a panel of individuals,
who may be government or nongovernment representatives, each
having relevant expertise. The reviewers
will score each proposal using the
evaluation criteria and relative weights
provided above. The individual
reviewers’ ratings will be averaged for
each application to establish rank order.
No consensus advice will be given by
the review panel. The Program Officer
will neither vote nor score applications
as part of the review panel nor
participate in discussion of the merits of
any proposal.
The Program Officer will make his/
her recommendations for funding based
on rank order and the selection factors
listed below to the Selecting Official for
the final funding decision.
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Selection Factors for Projects
The panel review ratings shall
establish the rank order that the
Selecting Official will use for final
recommendation to the NOAA Grants
Officer. 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
for NOAA staff to make a NEPA
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15:36 May 07, 2007
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determination and draft necessary
documentation before recommendations
for funding are made to the Grants
Officer.
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 proposal 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.
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
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26077
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-ofinformation 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.
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26078
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 88 / Tuesday, May 8, 2007 / Notices
Dated: May 2, 2007.
Daniel Clever,
Deputy Director, NOAA Acquisitions and
Grants, U.S. Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. E7–8715 Filed 5–7–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–12–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[Docket No. 070419090–7090–01; I.D.
050107B ]
Program for Technology-based
Experiential Learning in Science for
Grades 4–9 Students and Teachers
Office of Education (OED),
Office of the Undersecretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
(USEC), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NOAA’s Office of Education
(OED) is requesting applications for a
technology-based science experiential
learning program to impact 4th through
9th grade students and teachers. One
award will be made for a project five
years in duration. The successful project
will draw heavily on NOAA marine
scientific resources as well as an
existing set of vetted educational
products. The project should feature
print materials for students and
teachers, multimedia products, out-ofthe classroom activities and incorporate
on-line elements such as live chat,
podcasts or computer simulations to
provide students with access to
scientists and promote inquiry-based
learning. A successful applicant will
have extensive partnerships with
NOAA, as well as other Federal, local,
and private organizations. It is
anticipated that final recommendations
for funding under this announcement
will be made by June 30, 2007, and that
projects funded under this
announcement will have a start date no
earlier than September 15, 2007.
DATES: The deadline for applications is
5 p.m., EDT June 7, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Full applications must be
submitted either through Grants.gov or
as a paper application to: ATTN: Grants
Competition Manager, NOAA Office of
Education, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Ave, NW.,
HCHB Room 6863, Washington, DC
20230. 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
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:36 May 07, 2007
Jkt 211001
methods (e.g., Airborne Express, DHL,
Fed Ex, UPS).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sarah Schoedinger at
sarah.schoedinger@noaa.gov, telephone
704–370–3528 or Alyssa Gundersen at
alyssa.gundersen@noaa.gov, telephone
202–482–3739.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NOAA’s
Office of Education (OED) is requesting
applications for a technology-based
science experiential learning program,
with interdisciplinary connections to
math and other disciplines, for 4th
through 9th grade students and teachers.
The successful project will draw heavily
on NOAA scientific research, personnel,
facilities and educational resources to
reach classroom students and their
teachers in the United States. The
project should feature print materials for
students and teachers, multimedia
products, out-of-the classroom activities
and incorporate on-line elements such
as live chat, podcasts or computer
simulations to provide students with
access to scientists and promote
inquiry-based learning. The project
should provide an online platform that
allows teachers to create customized
lesson plans based on the proposed
curriculum, to develop assessments
aligned to their local standards, to create
reports on the use and impact of each
program element. Additionally, the
project will allow teachers both onsite
and online to earn graduate-level credithours from an accredited university in
the United States. All projects shall
employ the strategies articulated in the
NOAA Education Plan (https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/
NOAA_Ed_Plan.pdf).
A successful applicant will have
extensive partnerships with NOAA, as
well as other Federal, local, and private
organizations. The applicant or project
partners should be highly experienced
in developing and employing
telepresence technology and delivering
programming to the scientific and
educational communities as well as the
general public.
It is anticipated that final
recommendations for funding under this
announcement will be made by June 30,
2007, and that projects funded under
this announcement will have a start date
no earlier than September 15, 2007.
Electronic Access
The full text of the full funding
opportunity announcement for this OED
program can be accessed via the
Grants.gov web site. That
announcement will also be available at
the NOAA Web site: https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
or by contacting the program officials
identified under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. Applicants must
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.
CFDA: 11.469, Congressionally
Identified Awards and Projects.
Funding Availability
NOAA anticipates the availability,
contingent upon appropriations, of
approximately $2,000,000 of Federal
financial assistance in FY 2007 for a
technology-based experiential learning
program for 4th through 9th grade
students and teachers. One award in the
form of a grant will be made. NOAA
will only consider projects that have a
duration of 5 years. The total Federal
amount for all years that may be
requested from NOAA for the direct and
indirect costs of the proposed project
shall not exceed $12,500,000 for 5 years.
Applications requesting Federal support
from NOAA of less than $1,000,000 total
or more than $12,500,000 total will not
be considered for funding through this
announcement.
The amount of funding available
through this announcement will be
dependent upon the final
appropriations for FY 2007 through FY
2011. Publication of this notice does not
oblige the Department of Commerce/
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (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 their own risk of
such costs not being included under the
award. The exact amount of funds that
may be awarded will be determined in
pre-award negotiations between the
applicant and NOAA representatives.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are institutions of
higher education, other nonprofits, and
state, local and Indian tribal
governments in the United States. Forprofit organizations, individuals not
affiliated with an eligible organization,
foreign institutions, foreign
organizations and foreign government
agencies are not eligible to apply.
Federal agencies are not eligible to
receive Federal assistance under this
announcement, but may be project
partners.
The Department of Commerce/
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (DOC/NOAA) is
E:\FR\FM\08MYN1.SGM
08MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 8, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26075-26078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-8715]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 070426092-7092-01; I.D. 043007B]
Program for Professional Development of Educators in Atmospheric
and Ocean Sciences
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 of funding availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NOAA's Office of Education (OED) is requesting applications to
establish an institutional award for the purpose of supporting a
professional development program for pre-service and in-service
educators that is designed to support NOAA's mission by improving their
knowledge of atmospheric and ocean sciences. The successful project
will be national in scale with implementation on a local level. The
project will include distance-learning and face-to-face components and
allow teachers to earn graduate-level credit-hours from an accredited
university in the United States. The project will involve NOAA
scientists and other members of the scientific community. The
successful project will build upon existing professional development
courses; employ vetted classroom instructional materials; use web-based
technology as a means to deliver cutting-edge scientific content
directly to their target audience; and enhance teachers' ability to
extract information from the web. It is anticipated that the final
recommendation for funding under this announcement will be made by June
30, 2007, and that the project funded under this announcement will have
a start date no earlier than September 15, 2007.
DATES: The application must be received by 5 p.m., EDT June 7, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Full applications must be submitted either through
Grants.gov or as a paper application to: ATTN: Grants Competition
Manager, NOAA Office of Education, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401
Constitution Ave, NW., HCHB Room 6863, Washington, DC 20230. 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,
FedEx, UPS)
[[Page 26076]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Schoedinger at
sarah.schoedinger@noaa.gov, telephone 704-370-3528 or Alyssa Gundersen
at Alyssa.Gundersen@noaa.gov, telephone 202-482-3739.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NOAA's Office of Education (OED) is
requesting applications to establish an institutional award for the
purpose of supporting an ongoing professional development program in
the fields of atmospheric and ocean sciences for pre-service and in-
service educators. The intent of this award is to establish and
maintain a long-term partnership between NOAA and the recipient
organization. The goals of this project must meet OED's long-term goals
and objectives common to the programmatic needs of both parties by
employing the relevant strategies articulated in the NOAA Education
Plan (https://www.oesd.noaa.gov/NOAA_Ed_Plan.pdf).
Proposed projects should include components designed to improve
teachers' understanding of the Earth System through ocean and/or
atmospheric studies, incorporate existing NOAA data and educational
materials, and include realistic and relevant inquiry-based learning
experiences using on-line data products. Proposed projects should
address one or more of the goals articulated in the NOAA Education
Plan, build upon existing professional development programs, involve
partnerships among academic institutions and professional scientific
organizations, and have an evaluation that both monitors the quality of
the experience for the participants and also the impact of the program
on the participants. Projects should be designed to generate and
sustain a network of educators that allows for rapid, but sustainable
program growth during the project period. Projects should also ensure
that the content learned in the professional development courses is
implemented in the classroom.
The successful project will:
--Include distance-learning and face-to-face components;
--Allow teachers to earn graduate-level credit-hours from an accredited
university in the United States;
--Involve NOAA scientists and other members of the scientific
community;
--Build upon existing professional development courses;
--Employ vetted classroom instructional materials;
--Use web-based technology as a means to deliver cutting-edge
scientific content directly to their target audience; and
--Enhance teachers' ability to extract information from the web.
It is anticipated that the final recommendation for funding under
this announcement will be made by June 30, 2007, and that the project
funded under this announcement will have a start date no earlier than
September 15, 2007.
Electronic Access
The full text of the full funding opportunity announcement for this
OED program can be accessed via the Grants.gov web site. That
announcement will also be available at the NOAA Web site: https://
www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html or by contacting the program
officials identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Applicants
must 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.
CFDA: 11.469, Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects.
Funding Availability: NOAA anticipates the availability, contingent
upon appropriations, of approximately $3,000,000 of Federal financial
assistance total over the five year period of FY 2007 to FY 2011 for an
institutional award that will support professional development of
educators related to improving their knowledge of atmospheric and ocean
sciences. Approximately $600,000 will be available annually for the
five year award period. Only one award in the form of a grant or
cooperative agreement will be made. NOAA will only consider projects
that have a duration of 5 years. The total Federal amount for all years
that may be requested from NOAA for the direct and indirect costs of
the proposed project shall not exceed $600,000 annually. The minimum
Federal amount that must be requested from NOAA per year for the direct
and indirect costs is $300,000. Applications requesting Federal support
from NOAA of less than $300,000 total or more than $600,000 annually
for 5 years will not be considered for funding.
The amount of funding available through this announcement will be
dependent upon the final appropriations for FY 2007 through FY 2011.
Publication of this notice does not oblige the Department of Commerce/
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (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 approved 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. The
exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-
award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives.
Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher
education, other nonprofits, and state, local and Indian tribal
governments in the United States. For-profit organizations, individuals
not affiliated with an eligible organization, foreign institutions,
foreign organizations and foreign government agencies are not eligible
to apply. Federal agencies are not eligible to receive Federal
assistance under this announcement, but may be project partners.
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.
Institutions may submit only one application to this funding
opportunity.
Cost Sharing Requirements: There are no cost-sharing requirements.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures: The general evaluation
criteria and selection factors that apply to applications to this
funding opportunity are summarized below. Further information about the
evaluation criteria and selection factors can be found in the full
funding opportunity announcement.
Evaluation Criteria for Projects:
1. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed
project to the program goals: This 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: This 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: This ascertains whether
the applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, training,
facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project.
4. Project costs: The Budget is evaluated to determine if it is
realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-frame.
[[Page 26077]]
5. Outreach and education: NOAA assesses whether this project
provides a focused and effective education and outreach strategy
regarding NOAA's mission to protect the Nation's natural resources.
Review and Selection Process
Upon receipt of an application by NOAA, an initial administrative
review will be conducted to determine compliance with requirements and
completeness of the application. All applications that meet the minimum
eligibility requirements and that are ascertained to be complete will
be evaluated and scored by independent reviewers. The reviews will be
conducted by a panel of individuals, who may be government or non-
government representatives, each having relevant expertise. The
reviewers will score each proposal using the evaluation criteria and
relative weights provided above. The individual reviewers' ratings will
be averaged for each application to establish rank order. No consensus
advice will be given by the review panel. The Program Officer will
neither vote nor score applications as part of the review panel nor
participate in discussion of the merits of any proposal.
The Program Officer will make his/her recommendations for funding
based on rank order and the selection factors listed below to the
Selecting Official for the final funding decision.
Selection Factors for Projects
The panel review ratings shall establish the rank order that the
Selecting Official will use for final recommendation to the NOAA Grants
Officer. 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 for NOAA staff to make a NEPA
determination and draft necessary documentation before recommendations
for funding are made to the Grants Officer.
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 proposal 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 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 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.
[[Page 26078]]
Dated: May 2, 2007.
Daniel Clever,
Deputy Director, NOAA Acquisitions and Grants, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
[FR Doc. E7-8715 Filed 5-7-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-12-P
