Assistance to Small Shipyards Grant Program, 9474-9475 [E9-4532]

Agencies

• Maritime Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9474-9475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-4532]



[[Page 9474]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration


Assistance to Small Shipyards Grant Program

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation, Office 
of Shipyards and Marine Technology.

ACTION: Notice of Small Shipyard Grant Program.

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    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 20.814.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean E. McKeever, Associate 
Administrator for Business and Workforce Development, Maritime 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590; phone: 
(202) 366-5737; fax: (202) 366-6988; or e-mail: jean.mckeever@dot.gov.
    Key Dates: The period for submitting grant applications, as 
mandated by statute, commenced on February 17, 2009 and will terminate 
on April 20, 2009. The applications must be received by the Maritime 
Administration by 5 p.m. EST on April 20, 2009. Applications received 
later than this time will not be considered. The Maritime Administrator 
intends to award grants no later than August 17, 2009.
    Funding Opportunity: Section 3508 of the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Pub. L. 110-417) and the 
section entitled ``Supplemental Grants for Assistance to Small 
Shipyards'' in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 2009, 
provide that the Maritime Administration shall establish an assistance 
program for small shipyards. Under this program, there is currently an 
aggregate of $98,000,000 available for grants for capital improvements, 
and related infrastructure improvements at qualified shipyard 
facilities that will be effective in fostering efficiency, competitive 
operations, and quality ship construction, repair, and reconfiguration. 
($2,000,000 of the $100,000,000 appropriated for the program is 
reserved for program administration.) Such grants may not be used to 
construct buildings or other physical facilities or to acquire land 
unless such use is specifically approved by the Administrator as being 
consistent with and supplemental to capital and related infrastructure 
improvements. Grant funds may also be used for maritime training 
programs to foster technical skills and operational productivity in 
communities whose economies are related to or dependent upon the 
maritime industry. However, grants for such training programs may only 
be awarded to ``Eligible Applicants'' as described below but training 
programs can be established through vendors to such applicants.
    Award Information: The Maritime Administration intends to award the 
full amount of the available funding through grants to the extent that 
there are worthy applications. No more than 25 percent of the funds 
available will be awarded to shipyard facilities that have more than 
600 production employees. The Maritime Administration will seek to 
obtain the maximum benefit from the available funding by awarding 
grants for as many of the most worthy projects as possible. The 
Maritime Administration may partially fund projects by selecting parts 
of the total project. The start date and period of performance for each 
award will depend on the specific project and must be agreed to by the 
Maritime Administration.
    Eligibility Information: 1. Eligible Applicants--the statutes 
referenced in ``Funding Opportunity'' above provide that shipyards can 
apply for grants. The shipyard facility for which a grant is sought 
must be in a single geographical location, located in or near a 
maritime community, and may not have more than 1200 production 
employees. 2. Other Considerations in Making Awards--In providing 
grants, the Administrator shall take into account (a) the economic 
circumstances and conditions of the maritime community near to which a 
shipyard facility is located; (b) projects that would be effective in 
fostering efficiency, competitive operations, and quality ship 
construction, repair, and reconfiguration; and (c) projects that would 
be effective in fostering employee skills and enhancing productivity.
    Matching Requirements: (1) Except as provided in item (2) below, 
Federal funds for any eligible project shall not exceed 75 percent of 
the total cost of such project. The remaining portion of the cost shall 
be paid in funds from or on behalf of the awardee. The applicant will 
be required to submit detailed financial statements and any necessary 
supporting documentation demonstrating how and when such matching 
requirement is proposed to be funded. (2) Exceptions--If the 
Administrator determines that a proposed project merits support and 
cannot be undertaken without a higher percentage of Federal financial 
assistance, the Administrator may award a grant for such project with a 
lesser matching requirement than is described in item (1). (3) Unless 
waived for good cause, the awardee's matching requirement must be paid 
prior to payment of any federal funds for the project.
    Application: An application should be filed on standard Form SF-424 
which can be found on the internet at Marad.dot.gov. Although the form 
is available electronically, we request that the application be filed 
in hard copy as indicated below due to the amount of information 
requested. A shipyard facility may include multiple projects in one 
application. In order to allow us to evaluate whether an applicant 
meets the statutory criteria, the application for a grant should also 
provide the following information as an addendum to Form SF-424:
    1. Unique identifier of entity's parent company (when applicable): 
Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS + 4 number) (when applicable).
    2. Shipyard company officer's certification as to shipyard's 
compliance with the following requirements: (a) The shipyard facility 
for which a grant is sought is located in a single geographical 
location in or near a maritime community and (b)(i) The shipyard 
facility has no more than 600 production employees, or (ii) The 
shipyard facility has more than 600 production employees, but less than 
1200 production employees.
    3. A comprehensive detailed description of the project.
    4. A description of the need for the project and an explanation of 
how the project will fulfill this need.
    5. An analysis demonstrating how the project will be effective in 
fostering efficiency, competitive operations, and quality ship 
construction, repair, or reconfiguration.
    6. A detailed itemization of the cost of the project together with 
supporting documentation, including vendor quotes and installation 
costs.
    7. Detailed methodology and timeline for implementing the project.
    8. A prioritized list of project elements and cost of each if 
funding for entire project is not available.
    9. Most recent CPA audited, reviewed or compiled financial 
statements.
    10. Detailed pro forma financial statements together with any 
supporting documentation demonstrating how and when such matching 
requirement is proposed to be funded.
    11. Shipyard company officer's certification that the grant 
recipient has the authority to carry out the proposed project.
    12. Any existing programs or arrangements that can be used to 
supplement or leverage the federal grant assistance.
    13. Information concerning the economic circumstances and 
conditions

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of the maritime community near to which the shipyard is located.
    14. Certification in accordance with the Department of 
Transportation's regulation restricting lobbying, 49 CFR part 20, that 
the applicant has not, and will not, make any prohibited payments out 
of the requested grant.
    Additional information may be requested as deemed necessary by the 
Maritime Administration in order to facilitate and complete its review 
of the application. If such information is not provided, the Maritime 
Administration may deem the application incomplete and cease processing 
it.
    Where to File Application: An original copy of the application 
together with seven additional copies shall be submitted to Jean E. 
McKeever, Associate Administrator for Business and Workforce 
Development, Room W21-318, Maritime Administration, 1200 New Jersey 
Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590.
    Evaluation of Applications: The Administrator will evaluate the 
applications on the basis of the economic information provided and in 
terms of how well the project for which a grant is requested would be 
effective in fostering efficiency, competitive operations, and quality 
ship construction, repair, and reconfiguration. The Administrator will 
award grants in his sole discretion in such amounts and under such 
conditions for those projects he determines will best further the 
statutory purposes of the small shipyard grant program.
    Conditions Attached To Awards: The grant agreement will set out the 
records to be maintained by the awardee which must be available for 
review and audit by the Administrator, as well as any other conditions 
and requirements. Please note that the awardee will be required to 
submit periodic reports to include, among other things, the number of 
direct, on-project jobs created or sustained by the award, and to the 
extent possible, the estimated indirect jobs created or sustained in 
the associated supplying industries, including the number of job-years 
created and the total increase in employment since the date of 
enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

(Authority: 46 U.S.C. 54101; 49 CFR 1.66)

    By Order of the Acting Deputy Maritime Administrator.

    Dated: February 26, 2009.
Leonard Sutter,
Secretary, Maritime Administration. .
 [FR Doc. E9-4532 Filed 3-3-09; 8:45 am]
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