Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 96 / Friday, May 18, 2007 / Notices 28029 

Dated: May 11, 2007. 

David M. Spooner, 

Assistant Secretary for Import 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E7–9638 Filed 5–17–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

[Docket No. 070510110–7111–01 

Market Development Cooperator 

Program (MDCP) 

AGENCY: International Trade 

Administration (ITA), Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

applications. 

SUMMARY: ITA is soliciting projects to 

strengthen U.S. competitiveness to be 

conducted by eligible entities for 

periods of up to three years. Project 

award periods normally begin between 

October 1, 2007 and January 1, 2008, but 

may begin as late as April 1, 2008. 

MDCP awards help to underwrite the 

start-up costs of new competitivenessstrengthening ventures that industry 

groups are often reluctant to undertake 

without federal support. MDCP aims to 

develop, maintain, and expand foreign 

markets for non-agricultural goods and 

services produced in the United States. 

DATES: Proposals must be received by 

ITA no later than 5 p.m. EDT, July 13, 

2007. A public meeting to discuss the 

competition will be held on June 6, 

2007, at 10 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: Proposals must be 

submitted to ITA, U.S. Department of 

Commerce, HCHB Rm. 3215; 

Washington, DC 20230, or via e-mail to 

Brad.Hess@mail.doc.gov. The full 

funding opportunity announcement and 

the application kit for this request for 

application are available at http:// 

www.trade.gov/mdcp, or by contacting 

Brad Hess at 202–482–2969. The public 

meeting will be held at the U.S. 

Department of Commerce, HCHB, 14th 

& Constitution, NW., Washington, DC in 

Room 1412. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Interested parties who are unable to 

access information via Internet or who 

have questions may contact Mr. Brad 

Hess by mail (see ADDRESSES, by phone 

at 202–482–2969, by fax at 202–482–

4462, or via Internet at 

Brad.Hess@mail.doc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Electronic 

Access: the full funding opportunity 

announcement for MDCP is available at 

http://www.trade.gov/mdcp. 

Funding Availability: Approximately 

$500,000 will be available through this 

announcement for fiscal year 2007. 

Awards are limited to $175,000 each. 

ITA anticipates making a minimum of 

three awards. Additional awards might 

be made depending on the amounts 

requested and the availability of funds. 

Statutory Authority: 15 USC 4723. 

CFDA: 11.112, Market Development 

Cooperator Program. 

Eligibility: Trade associations, state 

departments of trade and their regional 

associations, and non-profit industry 

organizations, including export 

multiplier organizations such as World 

Trade Centers, centers for international 

trade development and small business 

development centers are eligible to 

apply for an MDCP award. 

Cost Sharing Requirements: 

Applicants must contribute two dollars 

for every federal dollar received. At 

least 50% of the applicant’s cost share 

must be cash. The remaining percentage 

of the applicant’s cost share may be cash 

or in kind. 

Intergovernmental Review: 

Applications under this program are not 

subject to Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of federal 

programs.’’

Limitation of Liability: In no event 

will the Department of Commerce or 

ITA be responsible for proposal 

preparation costs if this program fails to 

receive funding or is cancelled because 

of other agency priorities. Publication of 

this announcement does not obligate the 

Department of Commerce or ITA to 

award funds for any specific project or 

to obligate any available funds. 

Evaluation and Selection Procedures: 

After receiving the applications, ITA 

will screen each one to determine the 

applicant’s eligibility to receive an 

award. After receiving all applications, 

a selection panel composed of at least 

three ITA managers will review the 

applications using the evaluation 

criteria below, score them, and forward 

a ranked funding recommendation to 

the Assistant Secretary for 

Manufacturing and Services. The 

evaluation criteria scores assigned by 

the panel determine which applications 

are recommended for funding. The 

Assistant Secretary makes the final 

selection of award winners, justifying 

any deviation from the selection panel’s 

ranked recommendations by application 

of the selection factors listed below. 

Evaluation Criteria: The selection 

panel reviews each eligible application 

based on five evaluation criteria. The 

evaluation criteria are listed below. 

(1) Potential to Strengthen 

Competitiveness (20%). This is the 

likelihood of a positive immediate or 

longer-term effect of the project on 

competitiveness as quantified in exports 

and foreign market share. 

(2) Performance Measures (20%). 

Applicants must provide quantifiable 

estimates of how the project will 

increase or enhance the U.S. industry’s 

competitiveness in the foreign 

market(s). 

(3) Partnership and Priorities (20%). 

This criterion indicates the degree to 

which the project initiates or enhances 

partnership with ITA and the degree to 

which the proposal furthers or is 

compatible with ITA’s priorities. 

(4) Creativity and Capacity (20%). 

Applicants demonstrate creativity, 

innovation, and realism in the project 

work plan as well as their institutional 

capacity to carry out the work plan. 

(5) Budget and Sustainability (20%). 

This criterion indicates the 

reasonableness and effectiveness of the 

itemized budget for project activities, 

the amount of the cash match that is 

readily available, and the probability 

that the project can be continued on a 

self-sustained basis after the completion 

of the award. 

The five criteria together constitute 

the application score. At 20 points per 

criterion, the total possible score is 100. 

Selection Factors: The Assistant 

Secretary may deviate from the selection 

panel’s ranked recommendation only 

based on the following factors: (1) The 

selection panel’s written assessments, 

(2) Degree to which applications satisfy 

ITA priorities, (3) Geographic 

distribution of the proposed awards, (4) 

Diversity of industry sectors and 

overseas markets covered by the 

proposed awards, (5) Diversity of project 

activities represented by the proposed 

awards, (6) Avoidance of redundancy 

and conflicts with the initiatives of 

other federal agencies, and (7) 

Availability of funds. 

The ITA priorities referred to under 

Evaluation Criteria (3) and Selection 

Factor (2) are listed below. ITA is 

interested in receiving proposals to 

promote U.S. exports that include, but 

are not limited to, projects that: (1) 

Improve the competitiveness of U.S. 

manufacturing and service industries by 

addressing impediments to innovation 

and reducing the cost of doing business 

in foreign countries; (2) Increase 

competitiveness of U.S. industries in 

large markets like China, India, and 

Brazil by addressing non-tariff barriers, 

especially those related to standards and 

intellectual property rights; (3) Help 

U.S. industry to capitalize on effective 

global supply chain management 

strategies; (4) Advance market-based 

approaches to energy, clean 


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28030 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 96 / Friday, May 18, 2007 / Notices 

development, and commercialization of 

nuclear and alternative energy 

technologies; (5) Facilitate ease of travel 

to the United States and promote U.S. 

higher education and training 

opportunities to non-U.S. entities; (6) 

Capitalize on trade opportunities 

resulting from trade agreements; (7) 

Increase overall export awareness and 

awareness of ITA programs and services 

among U.S. companies, by making 

small- and medium-size enterprises 

export-ready or by facilitating dealmaking; and (8) Support the 

Administration’s broader foreign policy 

objectives through competitivenessrelated initiatives. 

The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for 

Grants and Cooperative Agreements 

The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for 

Grants and Cooperative Agreements 

contained in the Federal Register notice 

of December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389) are 

applicable to this solicitation. 

Paperwork Reduction Art 

This document contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The 

use of Standard Forms 424 and 424A, 

424B, SF–LLL, and CD–436 has been 

approved by 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 respond to, 

nor shall any person be subject to a 

penalty for failure to comply with, a 

collection of information subject to the 

requirements of the PRA unless that 

collection of information displays a 

currently valid OMB control number. 

Executive Order 12866 

This notice has been determined to be 

not significant for purposes of Executive 

Order 12866. 

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism) 

It has been determined that this notice 

does not contain policies with 

Federalism implications as that term is 

defined in Executive Order 13132. 

Administrative Procedure Act/ 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

Prior notice and an opportunity for 

public comments are not required by the 

Administrative Procedure Act for rules 

concerning public property, grants, 

benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C. section 

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 of 

the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 

601 et seq) are inapplicable. Therefore, 

a regulatory flexibility analysis is not 

required and has not been prepared. 

Dated: May 14, 2007. 

Robert W. Pearson, 

Director, Office of Planning, Coordination and 

Management, Manufacturing and Services, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

[FR Doc. 07–2484 Filed 5–17–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DR–M 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

The President’s Export Council: 

Meeting of the President’s Export 

Council 

AGENCY: International Trade 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of an open meeting. 

SUMMARY: The President’s Export 

Council (PEC) will hold a full Council 

meeting to discuss topics related to 

export expansion. The meeting will 

include discussion of trade priorities 

and initiatives, PEC subcommittee 

activity, and proposed letters of 

recommendation to the President. The 

PEC was established on December 20, 

1973, and reconstituted May 4, 1979, to 

advise the President on matters relating 

to U.S. trade. It was most recently 

renewed by Executive Order 13316. 

DATES: June 7, 2007. 

Time: 3 p.m. (EDT). 

Location: Dirksen Senate Office 

Building, Room 628, First and C Streets, 

NW., Washington, DC 20510. Because of 

building security, all non-government 

attendees must pre-register. Please 

RSVP to the PEC Executive Secretariat 

no later than June 1, 2007, to J. Marc 

Chittum, President’s Export Council, 

Room 4043, 1401 Constitution Avenue, 

NW., Washington, DC 20230, telephone 

(202) 482–1124, or e-mail 

Marc.Chittum@mail.doc.gov. 

This program will be physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

Seating is limited and will be on a first 

come, first served basis. Requests for 

sign language interpretation, other 

auxiliary aids, or pre-registration, 

should be submitted no later than June 

1, 2007, to J. Marc Chittum, President’s 

Export Council, Room 4043, 1401 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 

DC 20230, telephone (202) 482–1124, or 

e-mail Marc.Chittum@mail.doc.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 

President’s Export Council Executive 

Secretariat, Room 4043, Washington, DC 

20230 (Phone: 202–482–1124), or visit 

the PEC Web site, http://www.trade.gov/ 

pec. 

Dated: May 14, 2007. 

J. Marc Chittum, 

Executive Secretary, President’s Export 

Council. 

[FR Doc. E7–9578 Filed 5–17–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Availability of Seats for the Gulf of the 

Farallones National Marine Sanctuary 

Advisory Council 

AGENCY: National Marine Sanctuary 

Program (NMSP), National Ocean 

Service (NOS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, 

Department of Commerce (DOC). 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

applications. 

SUMMARY: The Gulf of the Farallones 

National Marine Sanctuary (Sanctuary) 

is seeking applicants for the following 

vacant seats on its Sanctuary Advisory 

Council (council): Research Alternate. 

Applicants are chosen based upon their 

particular expertise and experience in 

relation to the seat for which they are 

applying; community and professional 

affiliations; philosophy regarding the 

protection and management of marine 

resources; and possibly the length of 

residence in the area affected by the 

sanctuary. Applicants who are chosen 

as members should expect to serve 2–3 

year terms, pursuant to the council’s 

Charter. 

DATES: Applications are due by July 15, 

2007. 

ADDRESSES: Application kits may be 

obtained from http:// 

www.farallones.noaa.gov/manage/ 

sac.html, or Kelley Higgason, 991 

Marine Dr., The Presidio, San Francisco, 

CA 94129. Completed applications 

should be sent to the same address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kelley Higgason, 991 Marine Dr., The 

Presidio, San Francisco, CA 94129, 415–

561–6622 ext. 202, 

kelley.higgason@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Sanctuary Advisory Council provides 

the Sanctuary Superintendent with 

advice on the management of the 

Sanctuary. Members provide advice to 

the Superintendent on issues affecting 

resource protection, the Sanctuary’s 

primary purpose. The Council, through 

its members, serve as liaisons to the 

community regarding Sanctuary issues 


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