FY 15 Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants Program, 27898-27901 [2015-11769]
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27898
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 94 / Friday, May 15, 2015 / Notices
published soon that provides additional
information on how to make written
comments.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council; telephone: (302)
526–5255. The Council’s Web site,
www.mafmc.org (see ‘‘Upcoming
Events’’) also has details on the meeting
locations and background materials. A
scoping informational document and
presentation recording will be posted to
https://www.mafmc.org/actions/bluelinetilefish no later than May 26, 2015.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There will
be five scoping meetings with the
following dates/times/locations:
1. Monday, June 1, 2015, 6 p.m., Hyatt
Place Long Island/East End, 451 E. Main
St., Riverhead, NY 11901; telephone:
(631) 208–0002.
2. Tuesday, June 2, 2015, 6 p.m.,
Congress Hall Hotel, 251 Beach Ave.,
Cape May, NJ 08204; telephone: (888)
944–1816.
3. Tuesday, June 16, 2015, 6 p.m.,
Dare County Administration Building,
Commissioners Meeting Room, 954
Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo, NC
27954; telephone: (252) 475–5700.
4. Wednesday, June 17, 2015, 6 p.m.,
Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, 3001
Atlantic Ave., Virginia Beach, VA
23451; telephone: (757) 213–3000.
5. Thursday, June 18, 2015, 5 p.m.,
Ocean City Chamber of Commerce,
Eunice Q. Sorin Visitor & Conference
Center, 12320 Ocean Gateway, Ocean
City, MD 21842; telephone: (410) 213–
0552.
The South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council (SAFMC) manages
blueline tilefish south of Virginia, but
there is currently (as of May 11, 2015)
no management of blueline tilefish in
Federal waters north of North Carolina.
Virginia and Maryland have instituted
regulations for state waters, but catches
in any Federal waters north of North
Carolina may be landed from Delaware
north without restriction. Blueline
tilefish are susceptible to overfishing
due to their biology (relatively longlived, sedentary, slow growing, and late
maturing) so the Council is considering
developing management measures.
These potential measures could be
considered via an amendment to the
Council’s golden tilefish FMP, or a new
FMP for blueline tilefish and/or other
deep-water fish such as sand tilefish,
snowy grouper, and black-bellied
rosefish. Management measures could
include a definition of the management
unit, as well as acceptable biological
catches, annual catch limits, trip limits,
essential fish habitat, etc.
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For waters north of North Carolina, in
response to recent catch increases the
Council has already requested that
NMFS take emergency action to
implement a 300 pound (whole weight)
commercial trip limit and a seven fish
per-person recreational possession limit.
This request was the result of a February
25, 2015 Council Meeting, the details of
which may be found at: https://www.
mafmc.org/briefing/2015/february-2014blueline-tilefish-webinar-meeting. These
emergency measures are intended to
prevent depletion of blueline tilefish off
the Mid-Atlantic on an interim basis (for
a maximum of 360 days) while the
Council develops long-term
management measures through the
normal rulemaking process. NMFS has
not decided whether and/or how to
respond to the Council’s request.
Through the SAFMC’s Amendment 32
(https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_
fisheries/s_atl/sg/2014/am32/), NMFS
implemented a 112 pound (whole
weight) commercial trip limit and a one
fish per boat per trip recreational trip
limit (with a limited season) for the
South Atlantic management unit that
extends to waters off the North
Carolina/Virginia border. The SAFMC
has also requested that the Amendment
32 limits be extended north for all
Federal waters off the U.S. East Coast
via an emergency rule. The outcome of
the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council’s and SAFMC’s emergency
requests was not known at the time this
notice was submitted. However, because
any emergency rule can only be in effect
for a maximum of 360 days, the Council
is moving ahead with scoping for an
amendment to develop long-term
management and conservation measures
for blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic
through the normal rule-making
process.
This is the first and best opportunity
for members of the public to raise
concerns related to the scope of issues
that will be considered in the
Amendment. The Council needs your
input both to identify management
issues and develop effective
alternatives. Your comments early in the
amendment development process will
help us address issues of public concern
in a thorough and appropriate manner.
Comment topics could include the
scope of issues in the amendment,
concerns and potential alternatives
related to blueline tilefish management,
and the appropriate level of
environmental analysis. Comments can
be made during the scoping hearings as
detailed above or in writing once the
official NOI publishes. After scoping,
the Council plans to develop a range of
management alternatives to be
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considered and prepare a draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
and/or other appropriate environmental
analyses. These analyses will consider
the impacts of the management
alternatives being considered. Following
a review of any comments on the draft
analyses, the Council will then choose
preferred management measures for
submission with a Final EIS or
Environmental Assessment to the
Secretary of Commerce for publishing of
a proposed and then final rule, both of
which have additional comment
periods.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aid
should be directed to M. Jan Saunders,
(302) 526–5251, at least 5 days prior to
the meeting date.
Dated: May 12, 2015.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–11759 Filed 5–14–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XD895
FY 15 Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency
Grants Program
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
AGENCY:
The principal objective of the
National Marine Fisheries Service’s
(NMFS) Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency
Grants Program is to implement projects
that use a proactive approach to
improve or restore coastal habitat to: (1)
Strengthen the resilience of our marine
or coastal ecosystems to decrease the
vulnerability of communities to extreme
weather; and (2) support sustainable
fisheries and contribute to the recovery
of protected resources. See the full
Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants
Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO),
located on Grants.gov as described in
the ADDRESSES section, for a complete
description of program goals and how
applications will be evaluated. Note that
this funding opportunity is one of two
competitions being administered by
NOAA to build coastal resilience. The
companion competition, the Regional
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 94 / Friday, May 15, 2015 / Notices
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Coastal Resilience Grants Program, is
being administered by NOAA’s National
Ocean Service to support
implementation of actions that directly
build resilience of U.S. coastal
communities using regional approaches.
The Regional Coastal Resilience Grants
FFO is expected to be posted in May
2015, and may be found on
www.Grants.gov.
DATES: Applications must be
postmarked, provided to a delivery
service, or received by www.Grants.gov
by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 2,
2015. Use of a delivery service must be
documented with a receipt. No facsimile
or electronic mail applications will be
accepted. In addition, applicants are
advised that they must provide approval
from the State Governor as evidenced by
a letter or other form of documented
correspondence for the proposed project
by July 31, 2015. Before awards are
made, NOAA will verify that
correspondence from the State Governor
has been received. See also Section III.C
of the Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency
Grants FFO.
ADDRESSES: Complete application
packages, including required Federal
forms and instructions, can be found on
www.Grants.gov by searching for
Funding Opportunity Number NOAA–
NMFS–HCPO–2015–2004410. If a
prospective applicant is having
difficulty downloading the application
forms from www.Grants.gov, contact
www.Grants.gov Customer Support at 1–
800–518–4726 or support@Grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information, contact Melanie
Gange at (301) 427–8664, or by email at
Melanie.Gange@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Statutory Authority: Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act 16 U.S.C. 661, as
amended by the Reorganization Plan
No. 4 of 1970; Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Reauthorization Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C.
1891a; and Endangered Species Act, 16
U.S.C. 1535.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA): 11.463.
Program Description
As noted above, the principal
objective of the Coastal Ecosystem
Resiliency Grants Program is to
implement projects that use a proactive
approach to improve or restore coastal
habitat to: (1) Strengthen the resilience
of our marine and coastal ecosystems to
decrease the vulnerability of
communities to extreme weather; and
(2) support sustainable fisheries and
contribute to the recovery of protected
resources. Applications should
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demonstrate how the proposed project
will enhance the resiliency of marine
and coastal ecosystems to the impacts of
extreme weather and changing
environmental conditions thereby
increasing community resilience and
providing habitat to threatened and
endangered species listed under the
Endangered Species Act (hereafter,
Listed Species), fish stocks managed
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(hereafter, Managed Species), or other
marine and coastal species with a nexus
to NMFS management (such as through
the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative Management Act, Atlantic
Striped Bass Conservation Act, Marine
Mammal Protection Act, Coral Reef
Conservation Act, or NMFS Species of
Concern). Successful applications will
(1) identify an issue limiting the
resiliency of marine or coastal
ecosystems to extreme weather events or
changing environmental conditions at
the proposed project site; (2) identify
the proposed project’s outcome goal(s)
and describe in detail the actions and
on-the-ground restoration to be
undertaken to enhance resiliency and
reduce risk and; (3) describe the
measurable impact on the ecosystem,
target species, and surrounding coastal
communities to benefit from the
proposed habitat restoration project.
Applications selected for funding
through this solicitation will primarily
be funded through cooperative
agreements.
Section IV.B. of the FFO describes the
suggested information to include in the
application narrative. Supplemental
Guidance regarding application writing,
a checklist to submit a complete
application, and FAQs about this
solicitation and the Regional Coastal
Resilience Grants Program being
administered by NOAA’s National
Ocean Service can be found at
www.restoration.noaa.gov/
partnerresources and
www.habitat.noaa.gov/funding/
coastalresiliency.html, respectively.
Prospective applicants are strongly
encouraged to contact NOAA
Restoration Center staff before
submitting an application to discuss
their NOAA Coastal Ecosystem
Resiliency project ideas with respect to
technical merit and NOAA’s objectives.
NOAA will make every effort to respond
to prospective applicants on a first
come, first served basis. These
discussions will not include review of
draft proposals or site visits during the
application period.
This funding opportunity is one of
two FFOs being administered by NOAA
to build coastal resilience. The
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companion competition, Regional
Coastal Resilience Grants Program, is
being administered by NOAA’s National
Ocean Service to undertake activities
that build resilience of coastal regions,
communities, and economic sectors to
the negative impacts from extreme
weather events, climate hazards, and
changing ocean conditions. The
Regional Coastal Resilience Grants FFO
is expected to be posted in May of 2015
and may be found on www.grants.gov.
Funding Availability
Total anticipated funding for all
awards is up to $4 million, subject to
the availability of appropriations.
NOAA anticipates typical awards will
range from $500,000 to $1 million.
NOAA will not accept applications
requesting less than $200,000 or more
than $2 million in Federal funds from
NOAA under this solicitation and the
exact amount of funds that may be
awarded will be determined in preaward negotiations between the
applicant and NOAA. Any funds
provided to successful applicants will
be at the discretion of the NOAA Office
of Habitat Conservation and the NOAA
Grants Management Division (GMD). In
no event will NOAA or the Department
of Commerce be responsible for
application preparation costs if
programs fail to receive funding or are
cancelled because of other agency
priorities. Publication of this notice
does not oblige NOAA to award any
specific project or to obligate any
available funds and there is no
guarantee that sufficient funds will be
available to make awards for all topranked applications. The number of
awards to be made as a result of this
solicitation will depend on the number
of eligible applications received, the
amount of funds requested for coastal
ecosystem resiliency projects, and the
merit and ranking of the applications.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are institutions of
higher education, non-profits,
commercial (for profit) organizations,
U.S. territories, and state, local and
Native American tribal governments.
Applications from individuals, Federal
agencies, or employees of federal
agencies will not be considered.
Individuals and Federal agencies are
strongly encouraged to work with states,
non-governmental organizations,
municipal and county governments, and
others that are eligible to apply. In
addition, NOAA will only award funds
to projects that receive and demonstrate
approval of the State’s Governor to
implement the proposed project as
evidenced by a letter or other form of
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 94 / Friday, May 15, 2015 / Notices
documented correspondence by July 31,
2015. Funds awarded under this
program must be matched with nonfederal funds (cash or in-kind services)
at a 2:1 ratio of Federal-to-non-federal
contributions. Applications selected for
funding will be bound by the percentage
of cost sharing reflected in the award
document signed by the NOAA Grants
Officer.
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Evaluation and Selection Procedures
The general evaluation criteria and
selection factors that apply to full
applications to this funding opportunity
are summarized below. Further
information about the evaluation criteria
and selection factors can be found in the
full FFO announcement in
www.Grants.gov (Funding Opportunity
Number NOAA–NMFS–HCPO–2015–
2004410).
Evaluation Criteria
Reviewers will assign scores to
applications ranging from 0 to 100
points based on the following five
standard NOAA evaluation criteria and
respective weights specified below.
Applications that best address these
criteria will be most competitive.
1. Importance and Applicability (35
points): This criterion ascertains
whether there is intrinsic value in the
proposed work and/or relevance to
NOAA, federal, regional, state or local
activities.
2. Technical/Scientific Merit (25
points): This criterion assesses whether
the project activity or approach is
technically sound, if the methods are
appropriate, and whether there are clear
goals and objectives.
3. Overall Qualifications of Applicant
(10 points): This criterion ascertains
whether the applicant possesses the
necessary education, experience,
training, facilities, and administrative
resources to support the proposed
award.
4. Project Costs (20 points): This
criterion evaluates the budget to
determine if it is realistic and
commensurate with the project’s needs
and time-frame.
5. Outreach and Education (10
points): NOAA assesses whether the
award can deliver a focused and
effective education and outreach
strategy regarding NOAA’s mission to
protect the Nation’s natural resources.
Review and Selection Process
Applications will undergo an initial
administrative review to determine if
they are eligible and complete, per
Section III of the full FFO posted at
www.Grants.gov. Eligible applications
will undergo a technical review,
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ranking, and selection process by three
or more merit reviewers to determine
how well they meet the program
priorities and evaluation criteria of this
solicitation and the mission and goals of
NOAA. After the technical review, a
panel may meet to make final
recommendations to the Selecting
Official (SO) regarding which
applications best meet the program
objectives and priorities (see Sections
I.A. and I.B. of the full FFO). The SO
anticipates recommending applications
for funding in rank order unless an
application is justified to be selected out
of rank order based upon one or more
of the following selection factors: (1)
Availability of funding; (2) Balance/
distribution of funds: (a) By geographic
area, (b) by type of institutions, (c) by
type of partners, (d) by research areas;
or (e) by project types; (3) Whether the
project duplicates other projects funded
or considered for funding by NOAA or
other federal agencies; (4) Program
priorities and policy factors set out in
section I.A. and I.B. of the FFO; (5) An
applicant’s prior award performance; (6)
Partnerships and/or participation of
targeted groups; and (7) Adequacy of
information necessary for NOAA staff to
make a NEPA determination and draft
necessary documentation before
recommendations for funding are made
to the NOAA GMD. Hence, awards may
not necessarily be made to the highestscored applications. In addition, as
noted above, applicants must provide
NOAA with documentation of approval
from the State Governor for the
proposed project by July 31, 2015 in
order to receive an award. Unsuccessful
applicants will be notified that their
application was not among those
recommended for funding. Unsuccessful
applications submitted in hard copy
will be kept on file in accordance with
NOAA records requirements and then
destroyed.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications submitted under the
FFO are subject to the provisions of
Executive Order 12372,
‘‘Intergovernmental Review of
Programs.’’ Any applicant submitting an
application for funding is required to
complete item 16 on Form SF–424
regarding clearance by the State Single
Point of Contact (SPOC). To find out
about and comply with a State’s process
under Executive Order 12372, the
names, addresses and phone numbers of
participating SPOC’s are listed on the
Office of Management and Budget’s
home page at: https://www.whitehouse.
gov/omb/grants_spoc.
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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
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.
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. Applicants may
also be requested to assist NOAA in
drafting of an environmental
assessment, or in identifying and
implementing feasible measures to
reduce or avoid any identified adverse
environmental impacts of their
proposal. The failure to do so shall be
grounds for not selecting an application.
Further details regarding NOAA’s
compliance with NEPA can be found in
the full Federal Funding Opportunity.
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, 2014 (79 FR 78390) 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.
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 94 / Friday, May 15, 2015 / Notices
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
implications as that term is defined in
Executive Order 13132.
Administrative Procedure Act/
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Prior notices 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.
Frederick C. Sutter,
Director, Office of Habitat Conservation,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–11769 Filed 5–14–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XD870
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Shallow
Geohazard Survey in the Beaufort Sea,
Alaska
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; proposed incidental
harassment authorization; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS received an
application from Hilcorp Alaska, LLC.
(Hilcorp) for an Incidental Harassment
Authorization (IHA) to take marine
mammals, by harassment, incidental to
shallow geohazard survey in the
Beaufort Sea, Alaska. Pursuant to the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments
on its proposal to issue an IHA to
Hilcorp to take, by Level B harassment
only, 6 species of marine mammals
during the specified activity.
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SUMMARY:
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Comments and information must
be received no later than June 15, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the
application should be addressed to Jolie
Harrison, Chief, Permits and
Conservation Division, Office of
Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. The
mailbox address for providing email
comments is ITP.Guan@noaa.gov.
NMFS is not responsible for email
comments sent to addresses other than
the one provided here. Comments sent
via email, including all attachments,
must not exceed a 10-megabyte file size.
Instructions: All comments received
are a part of the public record and will
generally be posted to https://www.nmfs.
noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental.htm
without change. All Personal Identifying
Information (for example, name,
address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by
the commenter may be publicly
accessible. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise
sensitive or protected information.
A copy of the application, which
contains several attachments, including
Hilcorp’s marine mammal mitigation
and monitoring plan (4MP), used in this
document may be obtained by writing to
the address specified above, telephoning
the contact listed below (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT), or
visiting the Internet at: https://www.
nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/
incidental.htm. Documents cited in this
notice may also be viewed, by
appointment, during regular business
hours, at the aforementioned address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shane Guan, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DATES:
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Background
Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct
the Secretary of Commerce to allow,
upon request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking of small numbers of
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who
engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region if certain findings
are made and either regulations are
issued or, if the taking is limited to
harassment, a notice of a proposed
authorization is provided to the public
for review.
An authorization for incidental
takings shall be granted if NMFS finds
that the taking will have a negligible
impact on the species or stock(s), will
not have an unmitigable adverse impact
on the availability of the species or
stock(s) for subsistence uses (where
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relevant), and if the permissible
methods of taking and requirements
pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring
and reporting of such takings are set
forth. NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible
impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as ‘‘an
impact resulting from the specified
activity that cannot be reasonably
expected to, and is not reasonably likely
to, adversely affect the species or stock
through effects on annual rates of
recruitment or survival.’’
Except with respect to certain
activities not pertinent here, the MMPA
defines ‘‘harassment’’ as: Any act of
pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i)
has the potential to injure a marine
mammal or marine mammal stock in the
wild [Level A harassment]; or (ii) has
the potential to disturb a marine
mammal or marine mammal stock in the
wild by causing disruption of behavioral
patterns, including, but not limited to,
migration, breathing, nursing, breeding,
feeding, or sheltering [Level B
harassment].
Summary of Request
On December 1, 2014, NMFS received
an application from Hilcorp for the
taking of marine mammals incidental to
shallow geohazard surveys in the
Beaufort Sea. After receiving NMFS
comments, Hilcorp submitted a revised
IHA application on January 5, 2015. In
addition, Hilcorp submitted a 4MP on
January 21, 2015. NMFS determined
that the application was adequate and
complete on February 9, 2015.
The proposed activity would occur
between July 1 and September 30, 2015.
The actual survey is expected to be
complete in 45 days, including weather
and equipment downtime. Underwater
noises generated from the sonar used for
the survey are likely to result Level B
harassment of individuals of 6 species
of marine mammals.
Description of the Specified Activity
Overview
Hilcorp plans to conduct a shallow
geohazard survey and Strudel Scour
survey with a transition zone
component on state lands, and in
federal and state waters of Foggy Island
Bay in the Beaufort Sea during the open
water season of 2015. The scope of this
request is limited to the activities that
will be conducted during the 2015 open
water evaluation of the proposed Liberty
field development.
Dates and Duration
Hilcorp seeks incidental harassment
authorization for the period July 1 to
September 30, 2015. The survey is
expected to take approximately 45 days
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 94 (Friday, May 15, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27898-27901]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11769]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XD895
FY 15 Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants Program
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: The principal objective of the National Marine Fisheries
Service's (NMFS) Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants Program is to
implement projects that use a proactive approach to improve or restore
coastal habitat to: (1) Strengthen the resilience of our marine or
coastal ecosystems to decrease the vulnerability of communities to
extreme weather; and (2) support sustainable fisheries and contribute
to the recovery of protected resources. See the full Coastal Ecosystem
Resiliency Grants Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO), located on
Grants.gov as described in the ADDRESSES section, for a complete
description of program goals and how applications will be evaluated.
Note that this funding opportunity is one of two competitions being
administered by NOAA to build coastal resilience. The companion
competition, the Regional
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Coastal Resilience Grants Program, is being administered by NOAA's
National Ocean Service to support implementation of actions that
directly build resilience of U.S. coastal communities using regional
approaches. The Regional Coastal Resilience Grants FFO is expected to
be posted in May 2015, and may be found on www.Grants.gov.
DATES: Applications must be postmarked, provided to a delivery service,
or received by www.Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 2,
2015. Use of a delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No
facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. In
addition, applicants are advised that they must provide approval from
the State Governor as evidenced by a letter or other form of documented
correspondence for the proposed project by July 31, 2015. Before awards
are made, NOAA will verify that correspondence from the State Governor
has been received. See also Section III.C of the Coastal Ecosystem
Resiliency Grants FFO.
ADDRESSES: Complete application packages, including required Federal
forms and instructions, can be found on www.Grants.gov by searching for
Funding Opportunity Number NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2015-2004410. If a
prospective applicant is having difficulty downloading the application
forms from www.Grants.gov, contact www.Grants.gov Customer Support at
1-800-518-4726 or Grants.gov">support@Grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact
Melanie Gange at (301) 427-8664, or by email at Melanie.Gange@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Statutory Authority: Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act 16 U.S.C.
661, as amended by the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970; Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of
2006, 16 U.S.C. 1891a; and Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1535.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 11.463.
Program Description
As noted above, the principal objective of the Coastal Ecosystem
Resiliency Grants Program is to implement projects that use a proactive
approach to improve or restore coastal habitat to: (1) Strengthen the
resilience of our marine and coastal ecosystems to decrease the
vulnerability of communities to extreme weather; and (2) support
sustainable fisheries and contribute to the recovery of protected
resources. Applications should demonstrate how the proposed project
will enhance the resiliency of marine and coastal ecosystems to the
impacts of extreme weather and changing environmental conditions
thereby increasing community resilience and providing habitat to
threatened and endangered species listed under the Endangered Species
Act (hereafter, Listed Species), fish stocks managed under the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (hereafter,
Managed Species), or other marine and coastal species with a nexus to
NMFS management (such as through the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative Management Act, Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act,
Marine Mammal Protection Act, Coral Reef Conservation Act, or NMFS
Species of Concern). Successful applications will (1) identify an issue
limiting the resiliency of marine or coastal ecosystems to extreme
weather events or changing environmental conditions at the proposed
project site; (2) identify the proposed project's outcome goal(s) and
describe in detail the actions and on-the-ground restoration to be
undertaken to enhance resiliency and reduce risk and; (3) describe the
measurable impact on the ecosystem, target species, and surrounding
coastal communities to benefit from the proposed habitat restoration
project. Applications selected for funding through this solicitation
will primarily be funded through cooperative agreements.
Section IV.B. of the FFO describes the suggested information to
include in the application narrative. Supplemental Guidance regarding
application writing, a checklist to submit a complete application, and
FAQs about this solicitation and the Regional Coastal Resilience Grants
Program being administered by NOAA's National Ocean Service can be
found at www.restoration.noaa.gov/partnerresources and
www.habitat.noaa.gov/funding/coastalresiliency.html, respectively.
Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NOAA
Restoration Center staff before submitting an application to discuss
their NOAA Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency project ideas with respect to
technical merit and NOAA's objectives. NOAA will make every effort to
respond to prospective applicants on a first come, first served basis.
These discussions will not include review of draft proposals or site
visits during the application period.
This funding opportunity is one of two FFOs being administered by
NOAA to build coastal resilience. The companion competition, Regional
Coastal Resilience Grants Program, is being administered by NOAA's
National Ocean Service to undertake activities that build resilience of
coastal regions, communities, and economic sectors to the negative
impacts from extreme weather events, climate hazards, and changing
ocean conditions. The Regional Coastal Resilience Grants FFO is
expected to be posted in May of 2015 and may be found on
www.grants.gov.
Funding Availability
Total anticipated funding for all awards is up to $4 million,
subject to the availability of appropriations. NOAA anticipates typical
awards will range from $500,000 to $1 million. NOAA will not accept
applications requesting less than $200,000 or more than $2 million in
Federal funds from NOAA under this solicitation and the exact amount of
funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations
between the applicant and NOAA. Any funds provided to successful
applicants will be at the discretion of the NOAA Office of Habitat
Conservation and the NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD). In no event
will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for application
preparation costs if programs fail to receive funding or are cancelled
because of other agency priorities. Publication of this notice does not
oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available
funds and there is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available
to make awards for all top-ranked applications. The number of awards to
be made as a result of this solicitation will depend on the number of
eligible applications received, the amount of funds requested for
coastal ecosystem resiliency projects, and the merit and ranking of the
applications.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, non-
profits, commercial (for profit) organizations, U.S. territories, and
state, local and Native American tribal governments. Applications from
individuals, Federal agencies, or employees of federal agencies will
not be considered. Individuals and Federal agencies are strongly
encouraged to work with states, non-governmental organizations,
municipal and county governments, and others that are eligible to
apply. In addition, NOAA will only award funds to projects that receive
and demonstrate approval of the State's Governor to implement the
proposed project as evidenced by a letter or other form of
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documented correspondence by July 31, 2015. Funds awarded under this
program must be matched with non-federal funds (cash or in-kind
services) at a 2:1 ratio of Federal-to-non-federal contributions.
Applications selected for funding will be bound by the percentage of
cost sharing reflected in the award document signed by the NOAA Grants
Officer.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures
The general evaluation criteria and selection factors that apply to
full applications to this funding opportunity are summarized below.
Further information about the evaluation criteria and selection factors
can be found in the full FFO announcement in www.Grants.gov (Funding
Opportunity Number NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2015-2004410).
Evaluation Criteria
Reviewers will assign scores to applications ranging from 0 to 100
points based on the following five standard NOAA evaluation criteria
and respective weights specified below. Applications that best address
these criteria will be most competitive.
1. Importance and Applicability (35 points): This criterion
ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or
relevance to NOAA, federal, regional, state or local activities.
2. Technical/Scientific Merit (25 points): This criterion assesses
whether the project activity or approach is technically sound, if the
methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear goals and
objectives.
3. Overall Qualifications of Applicant (10 points): This criterion
ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary education,
experience, training, facilities, and administrative resources to
support the proposed award.
4. Project Costs (20 points): This criterion evaluates the budget
to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the project's
needs and time-frame.
5. Outreach and Education (10 points): NOAA assesses whether the
award can deliver a focused and effective education and outreach
strategy regarding NOAA's mission to protect the Nation's natural
resources.
Review and Selection Process
Applications will undergo an initial administrative review to
determine if they are eligible and complete, per Section III of the
full FFO posted at www.Grants.gov. Eligible applications will undergo a
technical review, ranking, and selection process by three or more merit
reviewers to determine how well they meet the program priorities and
evaluation criteria of this solicitation and the mission and goals of
NOAA. After the technical review, a panel may meet to make final
recommendations to the Selecting Official (SO) regarding which
applications best meet the program objectives and priorities (see
Sections I.A. and I.B. of the full FFO). The SO anticipates
recommending applications for funding in rank order unless an
application is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon
one or more of the following selection factors: (1) Availability of
funding; (2) Balance/distribution of funds: (a) By geographic area, (b)
by type of institutions, (c) by type of partners, (d) by research
areas; or (e) by project types; (3) Whether the project duplicates
other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA or other
federal agencies; (4) Program priorities and policy factors set out in
section I.A. and I.B. of the FFO; (5) An applicant's prior award
performance; (6) Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups;
and (7) Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a NEPA
determination and draft necessary documentation before recommendations
for funding are made to the NOAA GMD. Hence, awards may not necessarily
be made to the highest-scored applications. In addition, as noted
above, applicants must provide NOAA with documentation of approval from
the State Governor for the proposed project by July 31, 2015 in order
to receive an award. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified that
their application was not among those recommended for funding.
Unsuccessful applications submitted in hard copy will be kept on file
in accordance with NOAA records requirements and then destroyed.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications submitted under the FFO are subject to the provisions
of Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Programs.'' Any
applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete
item 16 on Form SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of
Contact (SPOC). To find out about and comply with a State's process
under Executive Order 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of
participating SPOC's are listed on the Office of Management and
Budget's home page at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc.
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
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.
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.
Applicants may also be requested to assist NOAA in drafting of an
environmental assessment, or in identifying and implementing feasible
measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental
impacts of their proposal. The failure to do so shall be grounds for
not selecting an application. Further details regarding NOAA's
compliance with NEPA can be found in the full Federal Funding
Opportunity.
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, 2014 (79 FR 78390) 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.
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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 implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.
Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act
Prior notices 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.
Frederick C. Sutter,
Director, Office of Habitat Conservation, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-11769 Filed 5-14-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
