FY 2015 Regional Coastal Resilience Grants Program, 28226-28229 [2015-11956]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
28226
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 2015 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico;
Southeast Data, Assessment, and
Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 42 assessment
webinars for Gulf of Mexico Red
Grouper.
AGENCY:
The SEDAR 42 assessment of
Gulf of Mexico Red Grouper will consist
of a series of webinars. This notice is for
a webinar associated with the
Assessment portion of the SEDAR
process. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
DATES: The final assessment webinar for
SEDAR 42 will be held on Thursday,
June 4, 2015, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
eastern time.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held
via webinar. The webinar is open to the
public. Those interested in participating
should contact Julie A. Neer at SEDAR
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT)
to request an invitation providing
webinar access information. Please
request webinar invitations at least 24
hours in advance of each webinar.
SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place
Drive, Suite 201, N. Charleston, SC
29405.
SUMMARY:
Julie
A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator; phone:
(843) 571–4366; email: julie.neer@
safmc.net.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The Gulf
of Mexico, South Atlantic, and
Caribbean Fishery Management
Councils, in conjunction with NOAA
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf
States Marine Fisheries Commissions,
have implemented the Southeast Data,
Assessment and Review (SEDAR)
process, a multi-step method for
determining the status of fish stocks in
the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multistep process including: (1) Data
Workshop; and (2) a series of
assessment webinars; and (3) Review
Workshop. The product of the Data
Workshop is a report which compiles
and evaluates potential datasets and
recommends which datasets are
appropriate for assessment analyses.
The product of the Assessment Webinar
Process is a report which compiles and
evaluates potential datasets and
recommends which datasets are
appropriate for assessment analyses;
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:52 May 15, 2015
Jkt 235001
and describes the fisheries, evaluates
the status of the stock, estimates
biological benchmarks, projects future
population conditions, and recommends
research and monitoring needs. The
assessment is independently peer
reviewed at the Review Workshop. The
product of the Review Workshop is a
Summary documenting panel opinions
regarding the strengths and weaknesses
of the stock assessment and input data.
Participants for SEDAR Workshops are
appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South
Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery
Management Councils and NOAA
Fisheries Southeast Regional Office,
Highly Migratory Species Management
Division, and Southeast Fisheries
Science Center. Participants include:
Data collectors and database managers;
stock assessment scientists, biologists,
and researchers; constituency
representatives including fishermen,
environmentalists, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs);
international experts; and staff of
Councils, Commissions, and state and
federal agencies.
The items of discussion in the
Assessment Process webinars are as
follows:
1. Using datasets and initial
assessment analysis recommended from
the Data Workshop, panelists will
employ assessment models to evaluate
stock status, estimate population
benchmarks and management criteria,
and project future conditions.
2. Panelists will recommend the most
appropriate methods and configurations
for determining stock status and
estimating population parameters.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Action will
be restricted to those issues specifically
identified in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice
that require emergency action under
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, provided the public has been
notified of the intent to take final action
to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
The meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to the
Council office (see ADDRESSES) at least
10 business days prior to the meeting.
Note: The times and sequence
specified in this agenda are subject to
change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Dated: May 13, 2015.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–11952 Filed 5–15–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
FY 2015 Regional Coastal Resilience
Grants Program
National Ocean Service (NOS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
AGENCY:
The purpose of this notice is
to announce the policies and
application procedures for the FY 2015
Regional Coastal Resilience Grants
Program. Awards made under this
program will support eligible entities as
they develop or implement 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.
Funds will be available to support
activities that: (1) Identify and address
priority data, information, and capacity
gaps; (2) develop tools, as needed, to
inform sound, science-based decisions,
which support regional efforts to plan
for a resilient ocean and coastal
economy; (3) acquire and integrate
socioeconomic information with
physical and biological information to
improve the assessment of risk and
vulnerability for planning and decision
making; (4) understand how hazards
and changing ocean conditions affect
coastal economies, including existing
and emerging sectors that depend on the
ocean and coasts; (5) develop the
information and approaches needed for
improved risk communication, and the
necessary tools, technical assistance and
training tailored toward enhanced
resilience to weather events, climate
hazards, and changing ocean conditions;
(6) evaluate the costs, benefits, and
tradeoffs of systems-based development
or redevelopment approaches that
incorporate both natural defenses and
hard structural solutions; or (7) support
the development of sustainable
recovery, redevelopment, and
adaptation plans and implement
programs and projects that incentivize
rebuilding and development approaches
which reduce risk and increase
resilience.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\18MYN1.SGM
18MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 2015 / Notices
See the full FY 2015 Regional Coastal
Resilience 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 Coastal
Ecosystem Resiliency Grants program, is
being administered by NOAA’s National
Marine Fisheries Service to implement
projects that use a proactive approach to
improve or restore coastal habitat to
strengthen the resilience of
communities, protected resources and
fisheries.
Applications must be
postmarked, provided to a delivery
service, or received by www.Grants.gov
by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 24,
2015. See also Section IV.C and F of the
Regional Coastal Resilience Grants FFO.
ADDRESSES: Application packages for
proposals are available through the
apply function on Grants.gov by
searching for Funding Opportunity
Number NOAA–NOS–OCM–2015–
2004324. If an applicant does not have
Internet access, application packages
shall be requested from Lisa Warr, 1305
East-West Hwy, N/OCM6, Silver Spring,
MD 20910; or contact her at 301–563–
1153 or via email to Lisa.S.Warr@
noaa.gov.
DATES:
For
administrative or technical questions
regarding this announcement, contact
Lisa Warr, Office for Coastal
Management, 1305 East-West Hwy, N/
OCM6, Silver Spring, MD 20910; or
contact her at 301–563–1153 or via
email to Lisa.S.Warr@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Statutory Authority: Coastal Zone
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1456c), Section
310 (‘‘Technical Assistance’’).
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA): 11.473
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Program Description
As noted above, the purpose of this
notice is to announce the policies and
application procedures for the FY 2015
Regional Coastal Resilience Grants
Program. Awards made under this
program will support eligible entities as
they develop or implement 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. Successful
applicants will develop proposals that
plan or implement actions that mitigate
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:52 May 15, 2015
Jkt 235001
the impacts of these environmental
drivers on overall resilience, including
economic and environmental resilience.
Proposals submitted in response to
this announcement shall employ a
regional approach that results in
improved ability of multiple coastal
jurisdictions to prepare for, absorb
impacts of, recover from, and/or adapt
to adverse events and changing
environmental, economic, and social
conditions. Proposals should
demonstrate coordinated effort of
multiple jurisdictions (e.g., states, tribes,
territories, counties, municipalities,
regional organizations, etc.) and/or state
or local managed areas within a
specified geographic region and involve
the appropriate range of partners and
stakeholders to ensure project success.
Collaborative projects that leverage
NOAA supported programs, products,
partnerships or services and support
federal, tribal, state, regional, county or
local plans and partnerships are
preferred. Also preferred are proposals
that leverage other Administration
priorities and other federal resilience
investments.
Projects/proposals are expected to:
• Result in increased resilience of
coastal communities through regional
activities that reduce current and
potential future risk associated with
extreme weather events, climate
hazards, and changing ocean conditions;
increase capacity to recover from
adverse events; and/or increase capacity
to effectively adapt to adverse events;
• employ a regional approach that
engages appropriate stakeholders and
demonstrates collaboration and
leveraging of resources;
• result in increased access to and/or
understanding of information for
decision makers regarding current and
future environmental, economic, and
social conditions and/or increased
capacity to incorporate this type of
information into decision/rule making
across the project area.
Priority will be given to projects that:
• Focus on resilience strategies that
address land and ocean use,
development, resource management,
resource protection, hazard mitigation,
pre-disaster recovery, or other similar
plans. This includes the creation of new
tools, training, workshops, or other
resources that build capacity of decision
makers or practitioners;
• leverage available resources (such
as programs, plans, partnerships, tools
and trainings across government,
industry, and NGOs) and/or leverage
Federal funding with direct or in-kind
match from non-Federal sources;
• evaluate project results using clear
measure(s) of success and monitor
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
28227
longer-term effectiveness of employed
strategies where appropriate. The
collection of additional data or
information for monitoring effectiveness
is eligible; however, only for the
duration of the award’s period of
performance. If data collection is
proposed, applicants are encouraged to
plan for longer-term data management
needs in coordination with NOAA.
The funding instrument for awards
may be a grant or cooperative
agreement. In the case of a cooperative
agreement, NOAA will have substantial
involvement in the project. If NOAA is
proposed as a partner in a cooperative
agreement, the applicant must clearly
identify this funding instrument in the
proposal summary and cover sheet and
clearly articulate the roles and
responsibilities of NOAA and each
partner in implementing the project.
Section IV.B. of the FFO describes the
complete standard NOAA financial
assistance application package and
suggested information to include in the
proposal.
This competition is one of two
competitions being administered by
NOAA to build coastal resilience. The
companion competition, Coastal
Ecosystem Resilience Grants, is being
administered by NOAA’s National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to
improve the resiliency of ocean and
coastal ecosystems. The FFO for this
program can also be found on
www.Grants.gov.
Funding Availability
Total anticipated funding for all
awards is up to $5,000,000 for FY 2015.
NOAA anticipates funding
approximately 5–10 awards. The
maximum amount that may be
requested for the Federal share of each
proposal is $1,000,000 and the
minimum that may be requested is
$500,000. The amount of funding per
project will depend on the size,
location, and type of project. There is no
limit on the number of proposals from
any geographic area or jurisdiction. The
exact amount of funds for each award
will be determined in pre-award
negotiations between the applicant and
NOAA representatives. Applicants must
be in good standing with all existing
NOAA grants in order to receive funds.
Proposals not funded in the current
fiscal period may be considered for
funding in another fiscal period without
NOAA repeating the competitive
process outlined in this announcement.
Eligibility
Eligible funding applicants are:
Regional organizations (see Section III.C
of the FFO for explanation), nonprofit
E:\FR\FM\18MYN1.SGM
18MYN1
28228
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 2015 / Notices
organizations, private (for-profit)
entities, institutions of higher
education, and state, territorial, tribal,
and local governments as defined at 2
CFR 200.64, which includes counties,
municipalities, and cities. The funding
applicants must conduct projects
benefiting coastal communities in one
or more of the following U.S. states and
territories: Alabama, Alaska, American
Samoa, California, Connecticut,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam,
Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, Northern Mariana
Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Virgin Islands
(U.S.), Washington, and Wisconsin.
Applications from individuals, federal
agencies, or employees of federal
agencies will not be considered, but
these entities may serve as collaborative
project partners. If federal agencies are
collaborators, applicants must provide
detail on the expected level of federal
engagement in the application. The lead
applicant on any proposal will be
responsible for ensuring that allocated
funds are used for the purposes of, and
in a manner consistent with, this
program, including any funds awarded
to an eligible sub-awardee.
Cost Sharing Requirements
Federal funds awarded under this
program must be matched with nonFederal funds (through cash or in-kind
services) at a 2:1 ratio of Federal to nonFederal contributions.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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–NOS–OCM–2015–
2004324)
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 the most competitive.
1. Importance and/or relevance and
applicability of proposed project to the
program goals (35 points): This
ascertains whether there is intrinsic
value in the proposed work and/or
relevance to NOAA, federal, regional,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:52 May 15, 2015
Jkt 235001
state, tribal, or local activities. Projects/
proposals will be evaluated according to
the degree to which they:
• Support activities that are likely to
reduce current and potential future risk
to regions, communities, and existing
and emerging sectors associated with
extreme weather events, climate
hazards, and changing ocean conditions;
increase capacity to recover from
adverse events; or increase capacity to
effectively adapt to adverse events (10
points);
• employ a regional approach that
engages a range of stakeholders and
demonstrates collaboration and
leveraging of resources, as evidenced by
letters of collaboration from partners
and community members (10 points);
• improve access to and/or
understanding of information for
decision makers regarding current and
future environmental, economic, and
social conditions and improve capacity
to incorporate this information into
planning and decision/rule making
across the project area (10 points);
• support other NOAA and
Administration priorities (5 points).
2. Technical and scientific merit (20
points): 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. For this
competition, projects/proposals will be
evaluated according to the degree to
which:
• The approach is fully described and
the stated goals and objectives are
technically sound, safe for the public,
and use the appropriate methods and
personnel, including any methods to
evaluate results and monitor
effectiveness, and methods outlined in
the Data Sharing Plan (7 points);
• the project supports strategies
called for or developed by regional,
federal, state, tribal or local entities
including but not limited to land and
ocean use, development, resource
management, resource protection/
restoration, hazard mitigation, predisaster recovery, or other similar plans
(8 points); and
• the project leverages available
resources, such as programs, plans,
partnerships, tools and trainings within
NOAA and across government, industry,
and NGOs (5 points).
3. Overall qualifications of the
funding applicants (20 points): This
criterion ascertains whether the funding
applicant possesses the necessary
education, experience, training,
facilities, and administrative resources
to accomplish the project. For this
competition, projects/proposals will be
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
evaluated according to the degree to
which:
• An applicant demonstrates the
capacity (e.g. staffing, resources,
expertise and authority) and experience
in successfully completing similar
projects (12 points); and
• the project involves the appropriate
partners to execute the project, as well
as the key personnel from other agencies
and institutions partnering on the
project with the experience, expertise
and/or networks needed to capitalize on
available expertise (8 points).
4. Project costs (15 points). This
criterion evaluates the budget to
determine if it is realistic and
commensurate with the project needs
and time-frame. For this competition,
projects/proposals will be evaluated
according to the degree to which:
• The budget request is reasonable,
the applicant justifies the costs
requested, and the requested funds for
salaries and fringe benefits are for those
personnel directly involved in
implementing the proposed project and/
or are directly related to specific
products or outcomes of the proposed
project (6 points);
• the project optimizes the cost
effectiveness of the project to leverage
Federal resources through strategic
partnerships with collaborating
institutions, agencies, or other entities
(5 points); and,
• indirect costs are based on the
indirect cost rate negotiated and
approved by the applicant’s cognizant
agency for indirect costs and that other
administrative costs have been
minimized to the extent possible (4
points).
5. Outreach and Education (10
points): This criterion assesses whether
the project provides a focused and
effective education and/or outreach
strategy regarding the NOAA’s mission
to understand and protect the Nation’s
natural resources. For this competition,
this strategy should describe approaches
for communicating with various
audiences and employ best practices for
risk communication. Projects/proposals
will be evaluated according to the
degree to which:
• Engagement: The proposal
demonstrates that the public and project
stakeholders will be engaged in
development of the desired project
outcomes (8 points); and
• Outreach: The proposal
demonstrates that information generated
by the project will reach its target
audience and have a positive impact in
the project area(s), including improved
risk communication. (2 points).
E:\FR\FM\18MYN1.SGM
18MYN1
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 2015 / Notices
Review and Selection Process
Screening, review, and selection
procedures will take place in three
steps: (1) An initial screening by
competition program staff within
NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management;
(2) a merit review; and (3) final selection
by the Selecting Official (i.e., Director of
the Office for Coastal Management or
the Director’s designee). The merit
review step will involve at least three
reviewers per application. The Selecting
Official will make the final decision
regarding which applications will be
funded based on the numerical ranking
of the applications, the evaluations by
the merit reviewers, and the selection
factors set in Section V.C. of the FFO.
(1) Initial Screening. The initial
screening will ensure that application
packages have all required forms and
application elements and meet all of the
eligibility criteria. Applications that
pass this initial screening will be
submitted for merit review. (2) Merit
Review. Eligible applications for this
competition will be evaluated in
accordance with the criteria and weights
described in this solicitation by at least
three independent peer reviewers
through an independent peer mail
review and/or an independent peer
panel. (3) Final Selection. The
competition program staff will create a
ranking of the proposals to be
recommended for funding using the
average merit review or panel review
scores, if a panel review is conducted.
The Selecting Official shall award in the
rank order unless the proposal is
justified to be selected out of rank order
based upon one or more of the following
factors: (1) Availability of funding; (2)
balance/distribution of funds: (a)
Geographically, (b) by type of
institutions, (c) by type of partners, (d)
by research areas, or (e) by project types;
(3) whether the project duplicates other
projects funded or considered for
funding by NOAA or other agencies; (4)
program priorities and policy factors as
described 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; (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
Grants Officer. The Selecting Official or
designee may negotiate the funding
level of the proposal.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications under the FFO are
subject to Executive Order 12372,
‘‘Intergovernmental Review of
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:52 May 15, 2015
Jkt 235001
Programs.’’ For states that participate in
this process, it is the state agency’s
responsibility to contact their state’s
Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find
out about and comply with the state’s
process under Executive Order 12372.
To assist the applicant, the names and
addresses of the SPOCs are listed on the
Office of Management and Budget’s Web
site 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 (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). Applicants may also
be requested to assist NOAA in drafting
of an environmental assessment, if
NOAA determines an assessment is
required, or 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. 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.
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
28229
Paperwork Reduction Act
The FFO contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The
use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B,
and SF–LLL and CD–346 has been
approved by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) under the respective
control numbers 0348–0043, 0348–0044,
0348–0040, 0348–0046, and 0605–0001.
Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, no person is required to, nor shall
a person be subject to a penalty for
failure to comply with, a collection of
information subject to the requirements
of the PRA unless that collection of
information displays a currently valid
OMB control number.
Executive Order 12866
This notice has been determined to be
not significant for purposes of Executive
Order 12866.
Executive Order 13132
It has been determined that this notice
does not contain policies with
federalism implications as that term is
defined in Executive Order 13132.
Dated: May 13, 3015.
Christopher C. Cartwright,
Associate Assistant Administrator for
Management and CFO/CAO, Ocean Services
and Coastal Zone Management, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015–11956 Filed 5–15–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XD815
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Seabird
Monitoring and Research in Glacier
Bay National Park, Alaska, 2015
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of an incidental
harassment authorization.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA) regulations, we, NMFS, hereby
give notification that the National
Marine Fisheries Service has issued an
Incidental Harassment Authorization
(IHA) to Glacier Bay National Park
(Glacier Bay NP), to take marine
mammals, by Level B harassment,
incidental to conducting seabird
monitoring and research activities in
Alaska, May through September, 2015.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\18MYN1.SGM
18MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 95 (Monday, May 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28226-28229]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11956]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
FY 2015 Regional Coastal Resilience Grants Program
AGENCY: National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce the policies and
application procedures for the FY 2015 Regional Coastal Resilience
Grants Program. Awards made under this program will support eligible
entities as they develop or implement 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.
Funds will be available to support activities that: (1) Identify
and address priority data, information, and capacity gaps; (2) develop
tools, as needed, to inform sound, science-based decisions, which
support regional efforts to plan for a resilient ocean and coastal
economy; (3) acquire and integrate socioeconomic information with
physical and biological information to improve the assessment of risk
and vulnerability for planning and decision making; (4) understand how
hazards and changing ocean conditions affect coastal economies,
including existing and emerging sectors that depend on the ocean and
coasts; (5) develop the information and approaches needed for improved
risk communication, and the necessary tools, technical assistance and
training tailored toward enhanced resilience to weather events, climate
hazards, and changing ocean conditions; (6) evaluate the costs,
benefits, and tradeoffs of systems-based development or redevelopment
approaches that incorporate both natural defenses and hard structural
solutions; or (7) support the development of sustainable recovery,
redevelopment, and adaptation plans and implement programs and projects
that incentivize rebuilding and development approaches which reduce
risk and increase resilience.
[[Page 28227]]
See the full FY 2015 Regional Coastal Resilience 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 Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency
Grants program, is being administered by NOAA's National Marine
Fisheries Service to implement projects that use a proactive approach
to improve or restore coastal habitat to strengthen the resilience of
communities, protected resources and fisheries.
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 24,
2015. See also Section IV.C and F of the Regional Coastal Resilience
Grants FFO.
ADDRESSES: Application packages for proposals are available through the
apply function on Grants.gov by searching for Funding Opportunity
Number NOAA-NOS-OCM-2015-2004324. If an applicant does not have
Internet access, application packages shall be requested from Lisa
Warr, 1305 East-West Hwy, N/OCM6, Silver Spring, MD 20910; or contact
her at 301-563-1153 or via email to Lisa.S.Warr@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For administrative or technical
questions regarding this announcement, contact Lisa Warr, Office for
Coastal Management, 1305 East-West Hwy, N/OCM6, Silver Spring, MD
20910; or contact her at 301-563-1153 or via email to
Lisa.S.Warr@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Statutory Authority: Coastal Zone Management Act (16 U.S.C.
1456c), Section 310 (``Technical Assistance'').
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 11.473
Program Description
As noted above, the purpose of this notice is to announce the
policies and application procedures for the FY 2015 Regional Coastal
Resilience Grants Program. Awards made under this program will support
eligible entities as they develop or implement 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. Successful applicants will develop proposals
that plan or implement actions that mitigate the impacts of these
environmental drivers on overall resilience, including economic and
environmental resilience.
Proposals submitted in response to this announcement shall employ a
regional approach that results in improved ability of multiple coastal
jurisdictions to prepare for, absorb impacts of, recover from, and/or
adapt to adverse events and changing environmental, economic, and
social conditions. Proposals should demonstrate coordinated effort of
multiple jurisdictions (e.g., states, tribes, territories, counties,
municipalities, regional organizations, etc.) and/or state or local
managed areas within a specified geographic region and involve the
appropriate range of partners and stakeholders to ensure project
success. Collaborative projects that leverage NOAA supported programs,
products, partnerships or services and support federal, tribal, state,
regional, county or local plans and partnerships are preferred. Also
preferred are proposals that leverage other Administration priorities
and other federal resilience investments.
Projects/proposals are expected to:
Result in increased resilience of coastal communities
through regional activities that reduce current and potential future
risk associated with extreme weather events, climate hazards, and
changing ocean conditions; increase capacity to recover from adverse
events; and/or increase capacity to effectively adapt to adverse
events;
employ a regional approach that engages appropriate
stakeholders and demonstrates collaboration and leveraging of
resources;
result in increased access to and/or understanding of
information for decision makers regarding current and future
environmental, economic, and social conditions and/or increased
capacity to incorporate this type of information into decision/rule
making across the project area.
Priority will be given to projects that:
Focus on resilience strategies that address land and ocean
use, development, resource management, resource protection, hazard
mitigation, pre-disaster recovery, or other similar plans. This
includes the creation of new tools, training, workshops, or other
resources that build capacity of decision makers or practitioners;
leverage available resources (such as programs, plans,
partnerships, tools and trainings across government, industry, and
NGOs) and/or leverage Federal funding with direct or in-kind match from
non-Federal sources;
evaluate project results using clear measure(s) of success
and monitor longer-term effectiveness of employed strategies where
appropriate. The collection of additional data or information for
monitoring effectiveness is eligible; however, only for the duration of
the award's period of performance. If data collection is proposed,
applicants are encouraged to plan for longer-term data management needs
in coordination with NOAA.
The funding instrument for awards may be a grant or cooperative
agreement. In the case of a cooperative agreement, NOAA will have
substantial involvement in the project. If NOAA is proposed as a
partner in a cooperative agreement, the applicant must clearly identify
this funding instrument in the proposal summary and cover sheet and
clearly articulate the roles and responsibilities of NOAA and each
partner in implementing the project.
Section IV.B. of the FFO describes the complete standard NOAA
financial assistance application package and suggested information to
include in the proposal.
This competition is one of two competitions being administered by
NOAA to build coastal resilience. The companion competition, Coastal
Ecosystem Resilience Grants, is being administered by NOAA's National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to improve the resiliency of ocean and
coastal ecosystems. The FFO for this program can also be found on
www.Grants.gov.
Funding Availability
Total anticipated funding for all awards is up to $5,000,000 for FY
2015. NOAA anticipates funding approximately 5-10 awards. The maximum
amount that may be requested for the Federal share of each proposal is
$1,000,000 and the minimum that may be requested is $500,000. The
amount of funding per project will depend on the size, location, and
type of project. There is no limit on the number of proposals from any
geographic area or jurisdiction. The exact amount of funds for each
award will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the
applicant and NOAA representatives. Applicants must be in good standing
with all existing NOAA grants in order to receive funds. Proposals not
funded in the current fiscal period may be considered for funding in
another fiscal period without NOAA repeating the competitive process
outlined in this announcement.
Eligibility
Eligible funding applicants are: Regional organizations (see
Section III.C of the FFO for explanation), nonprofit
[[Page 28228]]
organizations, private (for-profit) entities, institutions of higher
education, and state, territorial, tribal, and local governments as
defined at 2 CFR 200.64, which includes counties, municipalities, and
cities. The funding applicants must conduct projects benefiting coastal
communities in one or more of the following U.S. states and
territories: Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, California, Connecticut,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Northern Mariana
Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Virgin Islands (U.S.), Washington, and
Wisconsin. Applications from individuals, federal agencies, or
employees of federal agencies will not be considered, but these
entities may serve as collaborative project partners. If federal
agencies are collaborators, applicants must provide detail on the
expected level of federal engagement in the application. The lead
applicant on any proposal will be responsible for ensuring that
allocated funds are used for the purposes of, and in a manner
consistent with, this program, including any funds awarded to an
eligible sub-awardee.
Cost Sharing Requirements
Federal funds awarded under this program must be matched with non-
Federal funds (through cash or in-kind services) at a 2:1 ratio of
Federal to non-Federal contributions.
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-NOS-OCM-2015-2004324)
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 the most competitive.
1. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed
project to the program goals (35 points): This ascertains whether there
is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA,
federal, regional, state, tribal, or local activities. Projects/
proposals will be evaluated according to the degree to which they:
Support activities that are likely to reduce current and
potential future risk to regions, communities, and existing and
emerging sectors associated with extreme weather events, climate
hazards, and changing ocean conditions; increase capacity to recover
from adverse events; or increase capacity to effectively adapt to
adverse events (10 points);
employ a regional approach that engages a range of
stakeholders and demonstrates collaboration and leveraging of
resources, as evidenced by letters of collaboration from partners and
community members (10 points);
improve access to and/or understanding of information for
decision makers regarding current and future environmental, economic,
and social conditions and improve capacity to incorporate this
information into planning and decision/rule making across the project
area (10 points);
support other NOAA and Administration priorities (5
points).
2. Technical and scientific merit (20 points): 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. For this competition, projects/proposals will be
evaluated according to the degree to which:
The approach is fully described and the stated goals and
objectives are technically sound, safe for the public, and use the
appropriate methods and personnel, including any methods to evaluate
results and monitor effectiveness, and methods outlined in the Data
Sharing Plan (7 points);
the project supports strategies called for or developed by
regional, federal, state, tribal or local entities including but not
limited to land and ocean use, development, resource management,
resource protection/restoration, hazard mitigation, pre-disaster
recovery, or other similar plans (8 points); and
the project leverages available resources, such as
programs, plans, partnerships, tools and trainings within NOAA and
across government, industry, and NGOs (5 points).
3. Overall qualifications of the funding applicants (20 points):
This criterion ascertains whether the funding applicant possesses the
necessary education, experience, training, facilities, and
administrative resources to accomplish the project. For this
competition, projects/proposals will be evaluated according to the
degree to which:
An applicant demonstrates the capacity (e.g. staffing,
resources, expertise and authority) and experience in successfully
completing similar projects (12 points); and
the project involves the appropriate partners to execute
the project, as well as the key personnel from other agencies and
institutions partnering on the project with the experience, expertise
and/or networks needed to capitalize on available expertise (8 points).
4. Project costs (15 points). This criterion evaluates the budget
to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs
and time-frame. For this competition, projects/proposals will be
evaluated according to the degree to which:
The budget request is reasonable, the applicant justifies
the costs requested, and the requested funds for salaries and fringe
benefits are for those personnel directly involved in implementing the
proposed project and/or are directly related to specific products or
outcomes of the proposed project (6 points);
the project optimizes the cost effectiveness of the
project to leverage Federal resources through strategic partnerships
with collaborating institutions, agencies, or other entities (5
points); and,
indirect costs are based on the indirect cost rate
negotiated and approved by the applicant's cognizant agency for
indirect costs and that other administrative costs have been minimized
to the extent possible (4 points).
5. Outreach and Education (10 points): This criterion assesses
whether the project provides a focused and effective education and/or
outreach strategy regarding the NOAA's mission to understand and
protect the Nation's natural resources. For this competition, this
strategy should describe approaches for communicating with various
audiences and employ best practices for risk communication. Projects/
proposals will be evaluated according to the degree to which:
Engagement: The proposal demonstrates that the public and
project stakeholders will be engaged in development of the desired
project outcomes (8 points); and
Outreach: The proposal demonstrates that information
generated by the project will reach its target audience and have a
positive impact in the project area(s), including improved risk
communication. (2 points).
[[Page 28229]]
Review and Selection Process
Screening, review, and selection procedures will take place in
three steps: (1) An initial screening by competition program staff
within NOAA's Office for Coastal Management; (2) a merit review; and
(3) final selection by the Selecting Official (i.e., Director of the
Office for Coastal Management or the Director's designee). The merit
review step will involve at least three reviewers per application. The
Selecting Official will make the final decision regarding which
applications will be funded based on the numerical ranking of the
applications, the evaluations by the merit reviewers, and the selection
factors set in Section V.C. of the FFO. (1) Initial Screening. The
initial screening will ensure that application packages have all
required forms and application elements and meet all of the eligibility
criteria. Applications that pass this initial screening will be
submitted for merit review. (2) Merit Review. Eligible applications for
this competition will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria and
weights described in this solicitation by at least three independent
peer reviewers through an independent peer mail review and/or an
independent peer panel. (3) Final Selection. The competition program
staff will create a ranking of the proposals to be recommended for
funding using the average merit review or panel review scores, if a
panel review is conducted. The Selecting Official shall award in the
rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank
order based upon one or more of the following factors: (1) Availability
of funding; (2) balance/distribution of funds: (a) Geographically, (b)
by type of institutions, (c) by type of partners, (d) by research
areas, or (e) by project types; (3) whether the project duplicates
other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA or other
agencies; (4) program priorities and policy factors as described 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;
(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 Grants Officer. The Selecting Official
or designee may negotiate the funding level of the proposal.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications under the FFO are subject to Executive Order 12372,
``Intergovernmental Review of Programs.'' For states that participate
in this process, it is the state agency's responsibility to contact
their state's Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about and
comply with the state's process under Executive Order 12372. To assist
the applicant, the names and addresses of the SPOCs are listed on the
Office of Management and Budget's Web site 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
(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). Applicants may also be requested to assist NOAA in drafting
of an environmental assessment, if NOAA determines an assessment is
required, or 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. 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
The FFO contains collection-of-information requirements subject to
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A,
424B, and SF-LLL and CD-346 has been approved by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) under the respective control numbers 0348-
0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046, and 0605-0001. Notwithstanding
any other provision of law, no person is required to, nor shall a
person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection
of information subject to the requirements of the PRA unless that
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
Executive Order 12866
This notice has been determined to be not significant for purposes
of Executive Order 12866.
Executive Order 13132
It has been determined that this notice does not contain policies
with federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order
13132.
Dated: May 13, 3015.
Christopher C. Cartwright,
Associate Assistant Administrator for Management and CFO/CAO, Ocean
Services and Coastal Zone Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-11956 Filed 5-15-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
