Cooperative Institute: Eastern U.S. Continental Shelf Frontier Exploration, Research, and Technology Development, 38397-38400 [E8-15313]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 130 / Monday, July 7, 2008 / Notices
30, 2007. See Fresh Garlic from the
People’s Republic of China: Preliminary
Results of the 12th New Shipper
Reviews, 73 FR 24042 (May 1, 2008)
(‘‘Preliminary Results’’). The final
results for these new shipper reviews
are currently due no later than July 21,
2008, the next business day after 90
days from the date of issuance of the
preliminary results of review.1
Extension of Time Limit for the Final
Results
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Section 751(a)(2)(B)(iv) of the Tariff
Act of 1930, as amended (‘‘the Act’’),
and 19 CFR 351.214(i)(1) require the
Department to issue the preliminary
results of a new shipper review within
180 days after the date on which the
new shipper review was initiated and to
issue final results of a review within 90
days after the date on which the
preliminary results were issued. The
Department may, however, extend the
deadline for completion of the final
results of a new shipper review to 150
days if it determines that the case is
extraordinarily complicated. See section
751(a)(2)(B)(iv) of the Act, and 19 CFR
351.214(i)(2).
In order to allow parties additional
time to submit comments regarding the
Department’s Preliminary Results, and
the verifications associated with these
new shipper reviews, the Department
extended the deadline for the
submission of case and rebuttal briefs.
See Letter to All Interested Parties,
‘‘New Shipper Review of Fresh Garlic
from the People’s Republic of China:
Briefing Schedule Extension,’’ from
Catherine Bertrand, Program Manager,
Office 9, dated June 19, 2008. As a result
of this extension, and the
extraordinarily complicated issues
raised in these new shipper reviews,
including surrogate valuation,
intermediate input methodology and an
analysis of the bona fide nature of the
sales under review, it is not practicable
to complete these new shipper reviews
within the current time limit.
Accordingly, the Department is
extending the time limit for completion
of the final results of these reviews by
60 days (for a total of 150 days after the
issuance of the preliminary results) to
September 19, 2008, in accordance with
section 751(a)(2)(B)(iv) of the Act and 19
CFR 351.214(i)(2).
1 In the Preliminary Results we inadvertently
stated that the issuance of the final results would
be 90 days from the publication of the preliminary
results of review. However, in accordance with
Section 751(a)(2)(B)(iv) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as
amended (‘‘the Act’’), and 19 CFR 351.214(i)(1), the
date of issuance of the final results will be based
the date of issuance of the Preliminary Results.
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We are issuing and publishing this
notice in accordance with sections
751(a)(2)(B)(iv) and 777(i)(1) of the Act.
Dated: June 30, 2008.
Stephen J. Claeys,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import
Administration.
[FR Doc. E8–15309 Filed 7–3–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
[Docket No. 080605738–8739–01]
Cooperative Institute: Eastern U.S.
Continental Shelf Frontier Exploration,
Research, and Technology
Development
Cooperative Institutes Program
Office (CIPO), Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR) invites
applications for the establishment of a
cooperative institute (CI) that will:
Explore and research continental shelf
frontier ecosystems; advance the state of
knowledge of both shallow and deep
coral ecosystems under U.S.
jurisdiction; and develop, test and
evaluate advanced ocean technologies
and tools. This CI will facilitate a longterm collaborative environment between
NOAA and the recipient(s) within
which broad-based exploration,
research, technology development, and
education and outreach capabilities that
focus on NOAA’s priorities for the
living and non-living marine resources
within and beyond the eastern U.S.
Continental Shelf can be developed and
sustained. The CI may consist of one or
more research institutions with
expertise and capabilities in the NOAA
priority areas that contribute to the areas
of research described as research themes
listed below.
The CI should possess outstanding
capabilities to conduct ocean
exploration, research and technology
development in the three research
themes summarized below.
Additionally, the CI should possess the
ability to conduct outreach and
education activities in support of these
three research themes.
i. Develop advanced underwater
technologies. The CI will expand the
scope and efficiency of exploration and
research by developing, testing, and
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applying new and/or innovative uses of
existing technologies to ocean
exploration and research activities.
ii. Explore and research the frontier
regions of the eastern U.S. Continental
Shelf and beyond. The CI will focus on
the exploration and research of
ecosystems and habitats of economic,
hazardous, scientific or cultural
importance within and beyond the
eastern U.S. Continental Shelf as
defined by the NOAA Ocean
Exploration and Research program.
iii. Vulnerable Deep and Shallow
Coral Ecosystems. Priority activities will
include supporting ocean exploration
and research using advanced
underwater technologies and techniques
to improve the understanding of coral
and sponge ecosystems.
This announcement provides
requirements for the proposed CI and
includes details for the technical
program, evaluation criteria, and
competitive selection procedures.
Applicants should review NOAA’s CI
Policy and CI Interim Handbook (both
available at https://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci)
prior to preparing a proposal for this
announcement.
DATES: Proposals must be received by
OAR no later than October 6, 2008,
5 p.m., E.T. Proposals submitted after
that date will not be considered.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to
apply online (https://www.grants.gov),
but paper submissions are acceptable
only if Internet access is not available.
If a hard copy application is submitted,
the original and two unbound copies of
the proposal should be included. Paper
submissions should be sent to: NOAA,
OAR, 1315 East West Highway, Room
11326, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910,
Attn: Dr. John Cortinas. No e-mail or
facsimile proposal submissions will be
accepted.
ADDRESSES: Applications submitted in
response to this announcement should
be submitted through the Grants.gov
Web site. All application materials can
be found at the Grants.gov portal:
https://www.grants.gov.
Applicants without Internet access
may contact Dr. John Cortinas,
telephone (301) 734–1090, or send a
letter to Dr. John Cortinas, 1315 East
West Highway, Room 11326, Silver
Spring, Maryland 20910. Printed forms
from Grants.gov are not acceptable if
submitting an application in hard copy.
Grants.gov requires applicants to
register with the system prior to
submitting an application. This
registration process can take several
weeks, involving multiple steps. In
order to allow sufficient time for this
process, you should register as soon as
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you decide that you intend to apply,
even if you are not yet ready to submit
your proposal. If an applicant has
problems downloading the application
package from Grants.gov, contact
Grants.gov Customer Support at (800)
518–4726 or support@grants.gov. For
non-Windows computer systems, please
see https://www.grants.gov/MacSupport
for information on how to download
and submit an application through
Grants.gov.
Dr.
John Cortinas, 1315 East West Highway,
Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland
20910; telephone (301) 734–1090;
e-mail: John.Cortinas@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The
purpose of this announcement is to
invite the submission of proposals to
establish a CI for the eastern U.S.
Continental Shelf frontier exploration,
research, and technology development,
and to provide details on the
application, review, and selection
process. This CI will give NOAA the
benefit of working with complementary
capabilities at one or more research
institutions that contribute to NOAA’s
ocean exploration, research, and
technology priorities on the eastern U.S.
Continental Shelf.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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CI Concept/Program Background
A CI is a NOAA-supported, nonFederal organization that has
established an outstanding research
program in one or more areas that are
relevant to the NOAA mission ‘‘to
understand and predict changes in the
Earth’s environment and conserve and
manage coastal and marine resources to
meet our Nation’s economic, social, and
environmental needs.’’ CIs are
established at research institutions that
also have a strong education program
with established graduate degree
programs in NOAA-related sciences.
The CI provides significant coordination
of resources among all non-government
partners and promotes the involvement
of students and post-doctoral scientists
in NOAA-funded research. The CI
provides mutual benefits with value
provided by all parties.
NOAA establishes a new CI
competitively when it identifies a need
to sponsor a long-term (5–10 years)
collaborative partnership with one or
more outstanding non-Federal, nonprofit research institutions. For NOAA,
the purpose of this long-term
collaborative partnership is to promote
research, education, training, and
outreach aligned with NOAA’s mission;
to obtain research capabilities that do
not exist internally; and/or to expand
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research capacity in NOAA-related
sciences to:
• Conduct collaborative, long-term
research that involves NOAA scientists
and those at the research institution(s)
from one or more scientific disciplines
of interest to NOAA;
• Utilize the scientific, education,
and outreach expertise at the research
institution(s) that, depending on
NOAA’s research needs, may or may not
be located near a NOAA facility;
• Support student participation in
NOAA-related research studies; and
• Strengthen or expand NOAArelated research capabilities and
capacity at the research institution(s)
that complement and contribute to
NOAA’s ability to reach its mission
goals.
A CI will consist of one or more
research institutions that demonstrate
outstanding performance within one or
more established research programs in
NOAA-related sciences. These
institutions may include Minority
Serving Institutions and universities
with strong departments that can
contribute to the proposed activities of
the CI.
CIs conduct research under approved
scientific research themes (see Section
I.B of the full funding opportunity
announcement for a more detailed
description of research themes) and
Tasks (additional tasks can be proposed
by the CI):
i. Task I. Task I activities are related
to the management of the CI, as well as
general education and outreach
activities. This task also includes
support of postdoctoral and visiting
scientists conducting activities within
the research themes of the CI that are
approved by the CI Director, in
consultation with NOAA, and are
relevant to NOAA and the CI’s mission
goals.
ii. Task II. Task II activities usually
involve on-going direct collaboration
with NOAA scientists. This
collaboration typically is fostered by the
collocation of Federal and CI
employees.
iii. Task III. Task III activities require
minimal collaboration with NOAA
scientists and may include research
funded by other NOAA competitive
grant programs.
Electronic Access: The full text of the
full funding opportunity announcement
for this program can be accessed via the
Grants.gov Web site at https://
www.grants.gov. The announcement
will also be available by contacting the
program officials identified under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Applicants must comply with all
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requirements contained in the full
funding opportunity announcement.
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1540, 16
U.S.C. 753a, 16 U.S.C. 1884, 16 U.S.C. 6406,
and 33 U.S.C. 883d.
CFDA: 11.432, OAR Joint and
Cooperative Institutes.
Funding Availability: NOAA expects
that approximately $2.5M will be
available for the CI in the first year of
the award. The Task I budget should not
exceed $150,000. The final amount of
funding available for Task I will be
determined during the negotiation
phase of the award based on availability
of funding. Funding for subsequent
years is expected to be constant
throughout the period and will depend
on the quality of the research, the
satisfactory progress in achieving the
stated goals described in the proposal,
continued relevance to program
objectives, and the availability of
funding.
Eligibility: Eligibility is limited to
non-Federal public and private nonprofit universities, colleges and research
institutions that offer accredited
graduate level degree-granting programs
in NOAA-related sciences, as described
in the CI Interim Handbook located at
https://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci/.
Cost Sharing Requirements: To stress
the collaborative nature and investment
of a CI by both NOAA and the research
institution, cost sharing is required.
There is no minimum cost sharing
requirement; however, the amount of
cost sharing will be considered when
determining the level of the CI’s
commitment under NOAA’s standard
evaluation criteria for overall
qualifications of applicants. Acceptable
cost-sharing proposals include, but are
not limited to, offering a reduced
indirect cost rate against activities in
one or more Tasks, waiver of indirect
costs assessed against base funds and/or
Task I activities, waiver or reduction of
any costs associated with the use of
facilities at the CI, and full or partial
salary funding for the CI director,
administrative staff, graduate students,
visiting scientists, or postdoctoral
scientists.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures:
The general evaluation criteria and
selection factors that apply to full
applications to this funding opportunity
are summarized below. The evaluation
criteria for full applications will have
different weights and details. Further
information about the evaluation criteria
and selection factors can be found in the
full funding opportunity announcement.
Evaluation Criteria for Projects:
Proposals will be evaluated using the
standard NOAA evaluation criteria.
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Various questions under each criterion
are provided to ensure that the
applicant includes information that
NOAA will consider important during
the evaluation, in addition to any other
information provided by the applicant.
i. Importance and/or relevance and
applicability of proposed project to the
program goals (25 percent): This
criterion ascertains whether there is
intrinsic value in the proposed work
and/or relevance to NOAA, Federal,
regional, state, or local activities.
• Does the proposal include research
goals and projects that address the
critical issues identified in NOAA’s 5year Research Plan, NOAA’s Strategic
Plan, and the priorities described in the
program priorities (see Section I.B of the
full federal opportunity
announcement)?
• Is there a demonstrated
commitment (in terms of resources and
facilities) to enhance existing NOAA
and CI resources to foster a long-term
collaborative research environment/
culture?
ii. Technical/scientific merit (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.
• Does the project description include
a summary of clearly stated goals to be
achieved during the five year period
that reflect NOAA’s strategic plan and
goals?
• Does the project description include
innovative approaches to meeting the
undersea technology development,
exploration and research goals of the
proposal?
• Does the CI involve partnerships
with other universities or research
institutions, including Minority Serving
Institutions and universities with strong
departments that can contribute to the
proposed activities of the CI?
iii. Overall qualifications of
applicants (30 percent): This criterion
ascertains whether the applicant
possesses the necessary education,
experience, training, facilities, and
administrative resources to accomplish
the project.
• If the institution(s) and/or Principal
Investigators have received current or
recent NOAA funding, is there a
demonstrated record of outstanding
performance working with NOAA and/
or NOAA scientists on research
projects?
• Is there nationally and/or
internationally recognized expertise
within the appropriate disciplines
needed to conduct the collaborative/
interdisciplinary research described in
the proposal?
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• Is there a well-developed business
plan that includes fiscal and human
resource management, as well as
strategic planning and accountability?
• Are there any unique capabilities in
a mission-critical area of research for
NOAA?
• Does the CI possess the necessary
undersea technical expertise and
resources, and/or provide access to the
technical resources outlined in the
proposal?
• Has the applicant shown a
substantial investment to the NOAA
partnership, as demonstrated by the
amount of the cost sharing contribution?
iv. Project costs (5 percent): The
budget is evaluated to determine if it is
realistic and commensurate with the
project needs and time-frame.
v. Outreach and education (10
percent): 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.
• Is there a strong education program
with established graduate degree
programs in NOAA-related sciences that
also encourages student participation in
NOAA-related research studies?
Review and Selection Process: An
initial administrative review/screening
is conducted to determine compliance
with requirements/completeness. All
proposals will be evaluated and
individually ranked in accordance with
the assigned weights of the above-listed
evaluation criteria by an independent
peer review panel. At least three
experts, who may be Federal or nonFederal, will be used in this process. If
non-Federal experts participate in the
review process, each expert will submit
an individual review and there will be
no consensus opinion. The merit
reviewers’ ratings are used to produce a
rank order of the proposals. The
Selecting Official selects proposals after
considering the peer reviews and
selection factors listed below. In making
the final selections, the Selecting
Official will award in rank order unless
the proposal is justified to be selected
out of rank order based upon one or
more of the selection factors.
Selection Factors for Projects: The
merit review ratings shall provide a rank
order to the Selecting Official for final
funding recommendations. 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:
i. Availability of funding.
ii. Balance/distribution of funds:
a. Geographically.
b. By type of institutions.
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38399
c. By type of partners.
d. By research areas.
e. By project types.
iii. Whether this project duplicates
other projects funded or considered for
funding by NOAA or other Federal
agencies.
iv. Program priorities and policy
factors.
v. Applicant’s prior award
performance.
vi. Partnerships and/or participation
of targeted groups.
vii. Adequacy of information
necessary for NOAA staff to make a
National Environmental Policy Act
(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 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
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 130 / Monday, July 7, 2008 / Notices
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 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 February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696), 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 1286: 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.
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Therefore, a regulatory flexibility
analysis has not been prepared.
Dated: July 1, 2008.
Terry Bevels,
Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.
[FR Doc. E8–15313 Filed 7–3–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–KD–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Federal Consistency Appeal by
Broadwater Energy LLC and
Broadwater Pipeline LLC
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Appeal.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This announcement provides
notice that Broadwater Energy LLC and
Broadwater Pipeline LLC (collectively,
Broadwater), have filed an
administrative appeal with the
Department of Commerce (Department),
asking that the Department override an
objection by the New York State
Department of State (New York). New
York objects to Broadwater’s proposal to
construct and operate a floating
liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and
associated pipeline, that would be
located in the New York waters of Long
Island Sound.
ADDRESSES: Materials from the appeal
record will be available at the NOAA
Office of General Counsel for Ocean
Services, 1305 East-West Highway,
Room 6111, Silver Spring, MD 20910
and on the following Web site: https://
www.ogc.doc.gov/czma.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ted
Beuttler, Attorney-Advisor, NOAA
Office of the General Counsel, 301–713–
7383.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Notice of Appeal
On June 6, 2008, Broadwater filed
notice of an appeal with the
Department, pursuant to the Coastal
Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA),
16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq., and
implementing regulations found at 15
CFR Part 930, Subpart H. Broadwater
appealed an objection by New York to
Broadwater’s proposal to construct and
operate a floating LNG terminal and
associated pipeline, that would be
located in the New York waters of Long
Island Sound.
Under the CZMA, the Department
may override New York’s objection on
grounds that the project is consistent
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with the objectives or purposes of the
CZMA or otherwise necessary in the
interest of national security. To make
the determination that the proposed
activity is ‘‘consistent with the
objectives or purposes of the CZMA,’’
the Department must find that: (1) The
proposed activity furthers the national
interest as articulated in sections 302 or
303 of the CZMA, in a significant or
substantial manner; (2) the adverse
effects of the proposed activity do not
outweigh its contribution to the national
interest, when those effects are
considered separately or cumulatively;
and (3) no reasonable alternative is
available that would permit the activity
to be conducted in a manner consistent
with enforceable policies of the
applicable coastal management
program. 15 CFR 930.121.
II. Appeal Documents
NOAA intends to provide the public
with access to all publicly available
materials and related documents
comprising the appeal record during
business hours, at the NOAA Office of
General Counsel for Ocean Services. For
additional information about this
appeal, please contact Ted Beuttler,
301–713–7383.
Dated: July 2, 2008.
Joel La Bissonniere,
Assistant General Counsel for Ocean Services,
NOAA.
[Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog No.
11.419 Coastal Zone Management Program
Assistance.]
[FR Doc. E8–15468 Filed 7–3–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–08–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN: 0648–XI85
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council; Public Meetings
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Council’s
Scientific and Statistical Committee
(SSC) will hold a public meeting.
DATES: The meeting will be held on
Thursday, July 31, 2008, from 8 a.m. to
5 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Hilton Philadelphia Airport, 4509
Island Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19153;
telephone: (215) 365–4150.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 130 (Monday, July 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38397-38400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15313]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
[Docket No. 080605738-8739-01]
Cooperative Institute: Eastern U.S. Continental Shelf Frontier
Exploration, Research, and Technology Development
AGENCY: Cooperative Institutes Program Office (CIPO), Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) invites
applications for the establishment of a cooperative institute (CI) that
will: Explore and research continental shelf frontier ecosystems;
advance the state of knowledge of both shallow and deep coral
ecosystems under U.S. jurisdiction; and develop, test and evaluate
advanced ocean technologies and tools. This CI will facilitate a long-
term collaborative environment between NOAA and the recipient(s) within
which broad-based exploration, research, technology development, and
education and outreach capabilities that focus on NOAA's priorities for
the living and non-living marine resources within and beyond the
eastern U.S. Continental Shelf can be developed and sustained. The CI
may consist of one or more research institutions with expertise and
capabilities in the NOAA priority areas that contribute to the areas of
research described as research themes listed below.
The CI should possess outstanding capabilities to conduct ocean
exploration, research and technology development in the three research
themes summarized below. Additionally, the CI should possess the
ability to conduct outreach and education activities in support of
these three research themes.
i. Develop advanced underwater technologies. The CI will expand the
scope and efficiency of exploration and research by developing,
testing, and applying new and/or innovative uses of existing
technologies to ocean exploration and research activities.
ii. Explore and research the frontier regions of the eastern U.S.
Continental Shelf and beyond. The CI will focus on the exploration and
research of ecosystems and habitats of economic, hazardous, scientific
or cultural importance within and beyond the eastern U.S. Continental
Shelf as defined by the NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research program.
iii. Vulnerable Deep and Shallow Coral Ecosystems. Priority
activities will include supporting ocean exploration and research using
advanced underwater technologies and techniques to improve the
understanding of coral and sponge ecosystems.
This announcement provides requirements for the proposed CI and
includes details for the technical program, evaluation criteria, and
competitive selection procedures. Applicants should review NOAA's CI
Policy and CI Interim Handbook (both available at https://
www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci) prior to preparing a proposal for this
announcement.
DATES: Proposals must be received by OAR no later than October 6, 2008,
5 p.m., E.T. Proposals submitted after that date will not be
considered. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online (https://
www.grants.gov), but paper submissions are acceptable only if Internet
access is not available. If a hard copy application is submitted, the
original and two unbound copies of the proposal should be included.
Paper submissions should be sent to: NOAA, OAR, 1315 East West Highway,
Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, Attn: Dr. John Cortinas. No
e-mail or facsimile proposal submissions will be accepted.
ADDRESSES: Applications submitted in response to this announcement
should be submitted through the Grants.gov Web site. All application
materials can be found at the Grants.gov portal: https://www.grants.gov.
Applicants without Internet access may contact Dr. John Cortinas,
telephone (301) 734-1090, or send a letter to Dr. John Cortinas, 1315
East West Highway, Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Printed
forms from Grants.gov are not acceptable if submitting an application
in hard copy.
Grants.gov requires applicants to register with the system prior to
submitting an application. This registration process can take several
weeks, involving multiple steps. In order to allow sufficient time for
this process, you should register as soon as
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you decide that you intend to apply, even if you are not yet ready to
submit your proposal. If an applicant has problems downloading the
application package from Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Customer
Support at (800) 518-4726 or support@grants.gov. For non-Windows
computer systems, please see https://www.grants.gov/MacSupport for
information on how to download and submit an application through
Grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John Cortinas, 1315 East West
Highway, Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; telephone (301)
734-1090; e-mail: John.Cortinas@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this announcement is to
invite the submission of proposals to establish a CI for the eastern
U.S. Continental Shelf frontier exploration, research, and technology
development, and to provide details on the application, review, and
selection process. This CI will give NOAA the benefit of working with
complementary capabilities at one or more research institutions that
contribute to NOAA's ocean exploration, research, and technology
priorities on the eastern U.S. Continental Shelf.
CI Concept/Program Background
A CI is a NOAA-supported, non-Federal organization that has
established an outstanding research program in one or more areas that
are relevant to the NOAA mission ``to understand and predict changes in
the Earth's environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine
resources to meet our Nation's economic, social, and environmental
needs.'' CIs are established at research institutions that also have a
strong education program with established graduate degree programs in
NOAA-related sciences. The CI provides significant coordination of
resources among all non-government partners and promotes the
involvement of students and post-doctoral scientists in NOAA-funded
research. The CI provides mutual benefits with value provided by all
parties.
NOAA establishes a new CI competitively when it identifies a need
to sponsor a long-term (5-10 years) collaborative partnership with one
or more outstanding non-Federal, non-profit research institutions. For
NOAA, the purpose of this long-term collaborative partnership is to
promote research, education, training, and outreach aligned with NOAA's
mission; to obtain research capabilities that do not exist internally;
and/or to expand research capacity in NOAA-related sciences to:
Conduct collaborative, long-term research that involves
NOAA scientists and those at the research institution(s) from one or
more scientific disciplines of interest to NOAA;
Utilize the scientific, education, and outreach expertise
at the research institution(s) that, depending on NOAA's research
needs, may or may not be located near a NOAA facility;
Support student participation in NOAA-related research
studies; and
Strengthen or expand NOAA-related research capabilities
and capacity at the research institution(s) that complement and
contribute to NOAA's ability to reach its mission goals.
A CI will consist of one or more research institutions that
demonstrate outstanding performance within one or more established
research programs in NOAA-related sciences. These institutions may
include Minority Serving Institutions and universities with strong
departments that can contribute to the proposed activities of the CI.
CIs conduct research under approved scientific research themes (see
Section I.B of the full funding opportunity announcement for a more
detailed description of research themes) and Tasks (additional tasks
can be proposed by the CI):
i. Task I. Task I activities are related to the management of the
CI, as well as general education and outreach activities. This task
also includes support of postdoctoral and visiting scientists
conducting activities within the research themes of the CI that are
approved by the CI Director, in consultation with NOAA, and are
relevant to NOAA and the CI's mission goals.
ii. Task II. Task II activities usually involve on-going direct
collaboration with NOAA scientists. This collaboration typically is
fostered by the collocation of Federal and CI employees.
iii. Task III. Task III activities require minimal collaboration
with NOAA scientists and may include research funded by other NOAA
competitive grant programs.
Electronic Access: The full text of the full funding opportunity
announcement for this program can be accessed via the Grants.gov Web
site at https://www.grants.gov. The announcement will also be available
by contacting the program officials identified under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. Applicants must comply with all requirements
contained in the full funding opportunity announcement.
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1540, 16 U.S.C. 753a, 16 U.S.C.
1884, 16 U.S.C. 6406, and 33 U.S.C. 883d.
CFDA: 11.432, OAR Joint and Cooperative Institutes.
Funding Availability: NOAA expects that approximately $2.5M will be
available for the CI in the first year of the award. The Task I budget
should not exceed $150,000. The final amount of funding available for
Task I will be determined during the negotiation phase of the award
based on availability of funding. Funding for subsequent years is
expected to be constant throughout the period and will depend on the
quality of the research, the satisfactory progress in achieving the
stated goals described in the proposal, continued relevance to program
objectives, and the availability of funding.
Eligibility: Eligibility is limited to non-Federal public and
private non-profit universities, colleges and research institutions
that offer accredited graduate level degree-granting programs in NOAA-
related sciences, as described in the CI Interim Handbook located at
https://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci/.
Cost Sharing Requirements: To stress the collaborative nature and
investment of a CI by both NOAA and the research institution, cost
sharing is required. There is no minimum cost sharing requirement;
however, the amount of cost sharing will be considered when determining
the level of the CI's commitment under NOAA's standard evaluation
criteria for overall qualifications of applicants. Acceptable cost-
sharing proposals include, but are not limited to, offering a reduced
indirect cost rate against activities in one or more Tasks, waiver of
indirect costs assessed against base funds and/or Task I activities,
waiver or reduction of any costs associated with the use of facilities
at the CI, and full or partial salary funding for the CI director,
administrative staff, graduate students, visiting scientists, or
postdoctoral scientists.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures: The general evaluation
criteria and selection factors that apply to full applications to this
funding opportunity are summarized below. The evaluation criteria for
full applications will have different weights and details. Further
information about the evaluation criteria and selection factors can be
found in the full funding opportunity announcement.
Evaluation Criteria for Projects: Proposals will be evaluated using
the standard NOAA evaluation criteria.
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Various questions under each criterion are provided to ensure that the
applicant includes information that NOAA will consider important during
the evaluation, in addition to any other information provided by the
applicant.
i. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed
project to the program goals (25 percent): This criterion ascertains
whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance
to NOAA, Federal, regional, state, or local activities.
Does the proposal include research goals and projects that
address the critical issues identified in NOAA's 5-year Research Plan,
NOAA's Strategic Plan, and the priorities described in the program
priorities (see Section I.B of the full federal opportunity
announcement)?
Is there a demonstrated commitment (in terms of resources
and facilities) to enhance existing NOAA and CI resources to foster a
long-term collaborative research environment/culture?
ii. Technical/scientific merit (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.
Does the project description include a summary of clearly
stated goals to be achieved during the five year period that reflect
NOAA's strategic plan and goals?
Does the project description include innovative approaches
to meeting the undersea technology development, exploration and
research goals of the proposal?
Does the CI involve partnerships with other universities
or research institutions, including Minority Serving Institutions and
universities with strong departments that can contribute to the
proposed activities of the CI?
iii. Overall qualifications of applicants (30 percent): This
criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary
education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative
resources to accomplish the project.
If the institution(s) and/or Principal Investigators have
received current or recent NOAA funding, is there a demonstrated record
of outstanding performance working with NOAA and/or NOAA scientists on
research projects?
Is there nationally and/or internationally recognized
expertise within the appropriate disciplines needed to conduct the
collaborative/interdisciplinary research described in the proposal?
Is there a well-developed business plan that includes
fiscal and human resource management, as well as strategic planning and
accountability?
Are there any unique capabilities in a mission-critical
area of research for NOAA?
Does the CI possess the necessary undersea technical
expertise and resources, and/or provide access to the technical
resources outlined in the proposal?
Has the applicant shown a substantial investment to the
NOAA partnership, as demonstrated by the amount of the cost sharing
contribution?
iv. Project costs (5 percent): The budget is evaluated to determine
if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-
frame.
v. Outreach and education (10 percent): 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.
Is there a strong education program with established
graduate degree programs in NOAA-related sciences that also encourages
student participation in NOAA-related research studies?
Review and Selection Process: An initial administrative review/
screening is conducted to determine compliance with requirements/
completeness. All proposals will be evaluated and individually ranked
in accordance with the assigned weights of the above-listed evaluation
criteria by an independent peer review panel. At least three experts,
who may be Federal or non-Federal, will be used in this process. If
non-Federal experts participate in the review process, each expert will
submit an individual review and there will be no consensus opinion. The
merit reviewers' ratings are used to produce a rank order of the
proposals. The Selecting Official selects proposals after considering
the peer reviews and selection factors listed below. In making the
final selections, the Selecting Official will award in rank order
unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based
upon one or more of the selection factors.
Selection Factors for Projects: The merit review ratings shall
provide a rank order to the Selecting Official for final funding
recommendations. 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:
i. Availability of funding.
ii. Balance/distribution of funds:
a. Geographically.
b. By type of institutions.
c. By type of partners.
d. By research areas.
e. By project types.
iii. Whether this project duplicates other projects funded or
considered for funding by NOAA or other Federal agencies.
iv. Program priorities and policy factors.
v. Applicant's prior award performance.
vi. Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups.
vii. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a
National Environmental Policy Act (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
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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 February 11, 2008 (73 FR
7696), 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 1286: This notice has been determined to be not
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.
Executive Order 13132 (Federalism): It has been determined that
this notice does not contain policies with Federalism implications as
that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.
Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior
notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required by the
Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules concerning
public property, loans, grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C.
553(a)(2)). Because notice and opportunity for comment are not required
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements
for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been
prepared.
Dated: July 1, 2008.
Terry Bevels,
Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research.
[FR Doc. E8-15313 Filed 7-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KD-P
