[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 193 (Monday, October 6, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52174-52176]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26420]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard
[CGD 97-065]


National Boating Safety Activities: Funding for National 
Nonprofit Public Service Organizations

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard seeks applications for grants and cooperative 
agreements from national nongovernmental, nonprofit, public service 
organizations. These grants and cooperative agreements would be used to 
fund projects on various subjects promoting boating safety on the 
national level. This notice provides information about the grant and 
cooperative agreement application process and some of the subjects that 
the Coast Guard would like to see studied.

DATES: Application packages may be obtained on or after October 1, 
1997. Proposals for the fiscal year 1998 grant cycle must be received 
before 4:30 p.m. eastern time December 31, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Application packages may be obtained by calling the Coast 
Guard Infoline 800-368-5647. Submit proposals to: Commandant (G-OPB-
1g), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street SW., Room 3100, 
Washington, DC 20593-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Betty Alley, Office of Boating Safety, U.S. Coast Guard (G-OPB-1g/
room 3100), 2100 Second Street, SW, Washington, DC 20593-0001; 202-267-
0954. You may obtain a copy of this notice by calling the U.S. Coast 
Guard Infoline at 800-368-5647, or read it on the Office of Boating 
Safety Web Site at URL address www.uscgboating.org/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title 26, United States Code, section 9504, 
establishes the Boat Safety Account of the Aquatic Resources Trust 
Fund. From this trust fund, the majority of funds are allocated to the 
States, and up to 5% of these funds may be distributed by the Coast 
Guard for grants and cooperative agreements to national, nonprofit, 
public service organizations for national boating safety activities. It 
is anticipated that $2,750,000 will be available for fiscal year 1998. 
Twenty-two awards totaling $2,250,000 were made in fiscal year 1997 
ranging from $9,000 to $426,409. Nothing in this announcement should be 
construed as committing the Coast Guard to dividing available funds 
among qualified applicants or awarding any specified amount.

[[Page 52175]]

    It is anticipated that several awards will be made by the Director 
of Operations Policy, U.S. Coast Guard. Applicants must be national, 
nongovernmental, nonprofit, public service organizations and must 
establish that their activities are, in fact, national in scope. An 
application package may be obtained by writing or calling the point of 
contact listed in ADDRESSES on or after October 1, 1997. The 
application package contains all necessary forms, an explanation of how 
the grant program is administered, and a checklist for submitting a 
grant application. Specific information on organization eligibility, 
proposal requirements, award procedures, and financial administration 
procedures may be obtained by contacting the person listed in FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Some areas of continuing and particular interest for grant funding 
include the following:
    1. Develop and Conduct a National Annual Safe Boating Campaign. The 
Coast Guard seeks a grantee to develop and conduct the 1999 year-round 
National Annual Safe Boating Campaign that targets specific boater 
marker segments and recreational boating safety topics. This year-round 
campaign must support the organizational objectives of the Recreational 
Boating Safety Program to save lives, reduce the number of boating 
accidents and associated health care costs, as well as support the 
nationwide grassroots activity of the many volunteer groups who 
coordinate local media events, education programs, and public awareness 
activities. Products must include, but are not limited to: situation 
analysis, post campaign component evaluation processes, measures of 
effectiveness, marketing strategy, distribution plan, and final report. 
All print, audio and video material must be designed to emphasize 
multiple year-round boating safety and accident prevention messages. 
Highlights of the calendar year 1999 national campaign will be special 
select materials and activities to support National Safe Boating Week 
and other selected national boating safety events. The major focus of 
the campaign will be to affect the behavior of all boaters to increase 
wearing of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) (with special emphasis on 
use by children) and the dangers of boating while under the influence 
(BUI) of alcohol or drugs. An established portion of allocated grant 
funds must support a National Boating Accident Reporting Awareness 
Program that is designed to reach all boaters with a message on the 
importance of reporting all boating accidents. It must also include a 
component devoted to propeller injury prevention awareness with a 
special emphasis on rental operations involving propeller driven craft. 
Efforts will also be coordinated, year-round, with other national 
transportation safety activities and special media events, in 
particular those which focus on the prevention of operating a boat 
under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Point of Contact: Ms. Jo 
Calkin, 202-267-0994.
    2. Evaluation of the National Safe Boating Campaign. The Coast 
Guard seeks a grantee to conduct an objective and systematic evaluation 
of the National Safe Boating Campaign. This evaluation is to determine 
the effectiveness of the campaign in modifying on the water behavior, 
and thus meeting the objectives of the Recreational Boating Safety 
Program to save lives, reduce the number of boating accidents and 
associated health care costs. (Grantees or partners of grantees of 
previous National Safe Boating Campaigns will not be considered.) Point 
of Contact: Ms. Jo Calkin, 202-267-0994.
    3. Develop and Conduct a National Recreational Boating Safety 
Outreach and Awareness Conference. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to 
plan, implement, and conduct a National Recreational Boating Safety 
Outreach and Awareness Conference. This conference must support the 
organizational objectives of the Recreational Boating Safety Program to 
save lives, reduce the number of boating accidents, and lower 
associated health care costs. The conference should be scheduled to be 
conducted during the spring of 1999 and be held concurrent or 
consecutively with additional major national recreational and/or 
boating safety and aquatic symposiums. The design of the conference 
should enhance the awareness and development of paid and volunteer 
professionals; national, state, and local boating safety program 
organization leaders; waterway managers and industry specialists. It 
should provide a unifying link between local/regional programs and 
those on the national level. The conference should be a collaborative 
effort of national organizations interested in the betterment of 
boating and aquatic safety and should include, but not be limited to, 
plenary sessions, hands-on workshops, and the distribution of a post 
conference report (publication) describing the activities of the 
conference. Products should include, but are not limited to, evaluation 
processes, measures of effectiveness, marketing strategy, and final 
report. Point of Contact: Ms. Jo Calkin, 202-267-0994.
    4. National Boating Survey. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to 
conduct a comprehensive national boating survey. This survey would 
update information collected in surveys conducted in 1973, 1976 and 
1989. The purpose of these surveys was to obtain statistical estimates 
of recreational boats, boating households, boaters, boating exposures, 
practices, and activities. The best way to assess a boater's risk on 
the water, as well as the effectiveness of boating safety program 
activities in minimizing that risk, is to qualify exposure factors * * 
* who is boating, in what types of boats, where, how often, how long, 
doing what activities, etc., and relate those factors to accident data. 
The nationwide boating survey is to be of sufficient sample size to 
provide various exposure data by State. Point of Contact: Mr. Bruce 
Schmidt, 202-267-0955.
    5. Information Resources Management: Recreational Boating Safety 
(RBS) Exposure Data Capture Project. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to 
complete a comprehensive RBS Exposure Data Capture Project to identify 
organizations who routinely collect recreational boating exposure data 
measured in passenger hours. The grantee will use the results from a 
fiscal year 1995 grant project which identified exposure data elements 
and their sources. The objectives of the project are twofold. The first 
objective is to create a national database of all sources who routinely 
collect recreational boating exposure data on a continuous basis. The 
database will contain all exposure data elements and their attributes 
to include: participant demographics, the locality, type and duration 
of boating activity, the frequency and methodology of data collection, 
data storage formats, and information that provides access to the data. 
The second objective is to determine the feasibility of collating and 
using data from the identified sources to develop valid national 
estimates of recreational boating exposure. Point of Contact: Mr. Bruce 
Schmidt, 202-267-0955.
    6. National Definition of Drowning. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee 
to conduct literature and reference research and develop a position 
paper (with resource references) on a National Definition of drowning. 
This research is to include canvassing leading Federal and medical 
authorities. The result will be a recommendation for a nationally 
recognized medical definition. Point of Contact: CW02 Tim Duff, 202-
267-1263.
    7. Safety Considerations for Individuals with Special Needs. The

[[Page 52176]]

Coast Guard seeks grantees to conduct a National study on boating 
safety concerns and specific interventions for Special Needs Groups. 
Applicants would provide recommendations to improve the aquatic safety/
boating safety for those segments of the population that are mentally 
and/or physically impaired. Point of Contact: CWO2 Tim Duff, 202-267-
1263.
    8. State/Federal/Boating Organizations Cooperative Partnering 
Efforts. The Coast Guard seeks grantees to provide programs to 
encourage greater participation and uniformity in boating safety 
efforts. Applicants would provide a forum to encourage greater 
uniformity of boating laws and regulations, reciprocity among 
jurisdictions, and closer cooperation and assistance in developing, 
administering, and enforcing Federal and state laws and regulations 
pertaining to boating safety. Point of Contact: Ms. Sandy Brown, 202-
267-6010.
    9. Develop and Conduct Technical Seminars on Boating Safety 
Standards and Compliance. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to develop, 
provide instructional materials for, and conduct training courses 
nationwide for compliance with recreational boating Federal safety 
standards. Point of Contact: Mr. Gary Larimer, 202-267-0986.
    10. Investigate Deficiencies of Recreational Boat Flotation Foam. 
The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to study deficiencies in flotation 
foams used for recreational boats. In particular, grantee should 
explore new foam spraying agents and techniques in light of recent 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations governing 
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Point of Contact: Mr. Gary Larimer, 202-
267-0986.
    11. Develop and Conduct Boating Accident Seminars. The Coast Guard 
seeks a grantee to develop, provide instructional material, and conduct 
training courses nationwide for boating accident investigators, 
including three courses at the Coast Guard Reserve Training Center in 
Yorktown, Virginia. Point of Contact: Mr. Gary Larimer, 202-267-0986.
    12. National Estimate of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) Wear 
Rate. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to develop a statistically valid, 
empirically developed national estimate of wear rates of PFDs by 
recreational boaters. This will provide the Coast Guard with a baseline 
against which to measure the effectiveness of its public relations and 
boating education efforts, and will assist in PFD wearability 
improvement efforts. Point of Contact: LCDR Rick Sparacino, 202-267-
0976.
    13. Conduct a Research Study on Personal Flotation Device (PFD) 
Conspicuity. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to identify and 
investigate past and current research into factors that contribute to 
the conspicuity of objects in the water with the goal of increasing the 
conspicuity of personal flotation devices when the wearer is in the 
water. Point of Contact: Mr. Rick Gipe, 202-267-0985.
    14. Voluntary Standards Development Support. The Coast Guard seeks 
a grantee to carry out a program to encourage active public 
participation in the development of technically sound voluntary boating 
safety standards. Point of Contact: Mr. Peter Eikenberry, 202-267-6984.
    15. Improvement of Navigation Light Visibility and Glare 
Minization. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to investigate the safety 
aspects of navigation light lens size for lights constructed in 
accordance with the Navigation Rule specifications. Grantee shall 
determine the minimum lens size necessary to effect a safe level of 
navigation light discernment when viewed, especially at close range, 
against a background of lights and inclement weather. Point of Contact; 
Mr. Randolph J. Doubt, 202-267-6810.
    16. Recreational Boating Electronic Accident Reporting System. The 
Coast Guard seeks a grantee to develop an electronic means of 
submitting recreational boating accident report data from the public. 
Point of Contact: Mr. Phil Cappel, 202-267-0988.
    17. Human Factors and Risk Management in Recreational Boating 
Applications. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to identify and 
characterize the human factors and risk involved with the recreational 
boating experience, including operator controlled factors, boat 
characteristics, safety equipment, operating environment, and operator 
safety awareness. Grantee shall identify resources/interventions to 
eliminate/mitigate risk factors. Grantee shall specifically identify 
the risk involved with recreational boat characteristics of speed, 
accelerations (both lateral and vertical), and stability, and develop/
validate risk matrices identifying appropriate interventions to reduce/
eliminate risk. Point of Contact: Mr. Phil Cappel, 202-267-0988.
    18. Off-Throttle Steering of Jet-pump Propelled Craft. The Coast 
Guard seeks a grantee to identify available and emerging technology/
methodology in the area of off-throttle steering of jet-pump propelled 
craft and conduct testing on those items/methods that are determined to 
be the most effective. Point of Contact: Mr. Gary Larimer, 202-267-
0986.
    19. Development and Validation of Personal Flotation Device (PFD) 
Computer Simulation Model. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to work with 
the Coast Guard Research and Development Program in the further 
development of an articulated total body mannequin and the use of the 
mannequin to validate a computer simulation model for rough water 
testing of PFDs. Point of Contact: Mr. Rick Gipe, 202-267-0985.
    The above list includes items of specific interest to the Coast 
Guard, however, potential applicants should not be constrained by the 
list. Any initiative which can help to reduce deaths, injuries or 
damage among recreational boaters is welcomed. One area you should 
focus on is PARTNERSHIP. Explore other sources, linkages, in-kind 
contributions, cost sharing, and partnering with other organizations or 
corporations. A more detailed discussion of specific projects of 
interest to the Coast Guard may be obtained by contacting the Coast 
Guard Infoline at 800-368-5647 and requesting a copy of a specific 
proposal. Proposals addressing other boating safety concerns are 
encouraged. The Boating Safety Financial Assistance Program is listed 
in section 20.005 of the Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog.

    Dated: October 1, 1997.
 James D. Hull,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Director of Operations Policy.
[FR Doc. 97-26420 Filed 10-3-97; 8:45 am]
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