13342 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 47 / Friday, March 10, 1995 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service

Special Research Grants Program,

Water Quality for Fiscal Year 1995;

Solicitation of Applications

Applications are invited for

competitive grant awards under the

Special Research Grants Program, Water

Quality for Fiscal Year 1995.

Authority and Funding

The authority for this program is

contained in section 2(c)(1)(A) of the

Act of August 4, 1965, Public Law No.

89–106, as amended by the Food,

Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade

Act of 1990, Public Law No. 101–624 (7

U.S.C. 450i(c)(1)(A)). This program is

administered by the Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service (CSREES) of the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA). (The

CSREES was established by Section

251(d)(1) of Public Law 103–354, the

Federal Crop Insurance Reform and

Department of Agriculture

Reorganization Act of 1994, and the

functions of the Cooperative State

Research Service were transferred to the

CSREES by Section 2.b(7) of the

Secretary of Agriculture’s Memorandum

1010–1, dated October 20, 1994.) Under

this program, and subject to the

availability of funds, the Secretary may

award grants for periods not to exceed

five years, for the support of research

projects to further the program

discussed below. Proposals may be

submitted by State agricultural

experiment stations, all colleges and

universities, other research institutions

and organizations, Federal agencies,

private organizations or corporations,

and individuals. Proposals from

scientists at non-United States

organizations will not be considered for

support.

Funds will be awarded on a

competitive basis to support water

quality research within the scope of the

program. A total of approximately

$1,000,000 will be available for this

program in Fiscal Year 1995. Funding

requested for each proposal submitted

in Fiscal Year 1995 shall not exceed

$500,000 for a period of one year. Two

proposals are expected to be funded in

Fiscal Year 1995. Under this program,

the maximum total funding that may be

requested over a funding period of five

years shall not exceed $2,000,000 per

proposal. Funding for years two through

five will depend upon the availability of

funds and progress toward the

objectives.

Pursuant to Section 712 of Public Law

103–330, (the Agriculture, Rural

Development, Food and Drug

Administration, and Related Agencies

Appropriations Act, 1995), funds

available in Fiscal Year 1995 to pay

indirect costs on research grants

awarded competitively by CSREES may

not exceed 14 per centum of the total

Federal funds provided under each

award.

In addition, pursuant to Section

719(b) of Public Law No. 103–330, in

case any equipment or products may be

authorized to be purchased with funds

provided under this program, entities

receiving such funds are encouraged to

use such funds to purchase only

American-made equipment or products.

Applicable Regulations

Regulations applicable to this

program include the following: (a) the

administrative provisions governing the

Special Research Grants Program, 7 CFR

part 3400, as amended (56 FR 58146,

November 15, 1991) which set forth

procedures to be followed when

submitting grant proposals, rules

governing the evaluation of proposals

and the awarding of grants, and

regulations relating to the post-award

administration of grant projects; (b) the

USDA Uniform Federal Assistance

Regulations, 7 CFR part 3015; (c) the

USDA Uniform Administrative

Requirements for Grants and

Cooperative Agreements to State and

Local Governments, 7 CFR part 3016; (d)

the Audits of Institutions of Higher

Education and Other Nonprofit

Institutions, 7 CFR part 3051 (58 FR

41410, August 3, 1993); (e) the

Governmentwide Debarment and

Supervision (Nonprocurement) and

Governmentwide Requirements for

Drug-Free Workplace (Grants), 7 CFR

part 3017, as amended; and (f) New

Restrictions on Lobbying, 7 CFR part

3018.

Program Description

Program-related questions should be

directed to either of the following:

Dr. Maurice L. Horton

Dr. Berlie L. Schmidt

Phone No. (202) 401–4504

Fax No. (202) 401–1706

The scope of research includes

developing principles to better

understand the processes and

interactions occurring in soil and crop

management systems involving the use

of certain pesticides, fertilizers and

wastes which may impact water quality.

The research should have a holistic

point of view including products to be

developed and a plan for transfer of new

technology.

The focus of the Fiscal Year 1995

research is to develop new and

innovative agricultural management

strategies for use by farmers and public

officials to reduce or prevent pollution

of water sources. The research must

address water quality problems at the

landscape—watershed scale. Traditional

small plot research is not excluded but

must be integrated into an overall

project where direct evidence is

obtained at the watershed scale. The

proposed strategies for reducing

pollution should be developed in

partnership with Federal, State and

local agencies, universities, private

industry, public interest groups or other

stakeholders. Economic and

environmental impacts upon water

quality are to be considered. The final

product of the research should be

agricultural management systems that

will be effective in reducing pollution

on a watershed scale, economical to

implement, sustainable, acceptable to

producers, and in compliance with

policy guidelines.

In the water quality program, the term

‘‘AGRICULTURE’’ encompasses the

production of food, feed, fiber, and

industrial crops, trees and livestock, and

includes rural residences and rural

communities, forests and wooded areas.

Proposals on health risk problems are

excluded.

Format for Research Grant Proposals

The administrative provisions

governing the Special Research Grants

Program, 7 CFR part 3400, set forth

instructions for the preparation of grant

proposals. The following proposal

format requirements are in addition to

or deviate from those contained in 7

CFR part 3400.4(c). In accordance with

7 CFR part 3400.4(c), to the extent that

any of the following additional

requirements are inconsistent or in

conflict with the instructions at 7 CFR

part 3400.4(c), the provisions of this

solicitation shall apply.

The sections of the proposal shall be

assembled in the following order: (1)

Application for Funding, (2) Title of

Project, (3) Abstract, (4) Key Words, (5)

Justification, (6) Objectives, (7)

Procedures, (8) Research Timetable, (9)

Literature Review, (10) Current

Research, (11) Facilities and Equipment,

(12) Collaborative Arrangements, (13)

Curriculum Vitae of Investigators, (14),

Budget, (15) Assurance Statements(s), if

applicable, (16) Current and Pending

Support, and (17) NEPA statement.

Items (2) through (9) are limited to 25

pages, including any figures or tables.

The curriculum vitae should be limited

to a presentation of academic and

research credentials, e.g., educational,
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 47 / Friday, March 10, 1995 / Notices 13343

employment and professional history,

and honors and awards. Unless

pertinent to the project, do not include

meetings attended, seminars given, or

personal data such as birth date, marital

status, or community activities. The

vitae shall be no more than 2 pages each

in length, excluding publications

listings. A chronological list of all

relevant publications in referred

journals during the past five years,

including those in press, must be

provided for each professional project

member for whom a curriculum vitae is

provided. Also list those non-referred

technical publications that have

relevance to the proposed project.

Authors should be listed in the same

order as they appear on each paper

cited, along with the title and complete

reference.

Application for Funding. Attach a

completed and signed Application for

Funding, Form CSRS–661, to the front

of the proposal. The original copy of

Form CSRS–661, must contain pen-andink signatures of the principal

investigator(s) and the authorized

organizational representative. Form

CSRS–661 and other required forms and

certifications are contained in the

Application Kit.

Type and Paper Size. Type should be

no smaller than 12 characters per inch

(12 pitch or 10 point), single-spaced on

one side of 8 1⁄2′′×11′′ paper with

margins of one inch or greater. Total

length of the proposal text shall not

exceed 25 pages as stated above.

Reduction by photocopying or other

means for the purpose of meeting abovestated page limits is not permitted.

Attachment of appendices is not

permitted. Proposals which do not fall

within the guidelines of this solicitation

will be eliminated from the competition

and will be returned to the applicant, as

stated in Section 3400.14(a) of the

Administrative Provisions governing the

Special Research Grants Program.

Abstract and Key Words. The body of

the proposal should be prefaced by an

abstract and key words which are used

to classify the proposal.

Abstract. Include factual, concise, and

clear statements of proposed research as

phrases or sentences. Limit the length of

the abstract to about one-half page.

Key Words. Select two double words

or four single words that describe the

research emphasis, such as water

quality, conservation tillage, nitrates,

tillage, models, or contaminants.

Justification. Describe the water

quality problems, or potential problems,

including: where they occur; relevance

to site-specific, watershed, regional,

State, and national size scales. The

expected application or use of resulting

information should be explained; for

example: value to the economy,

methods of chemical analyses, need for

specific model, basis of

recommendations, understanding of

processes, or relevancy to a specific

water quality research program.

Multi-Institutions/Organizations.

Multi-disciplinary and multi-institution

collaboration is required. Collaborators

must demonstrate significant

contributions to the planning and

conduct of the research. Collaborators or

cooperative arrangements may include

universities, other research

organizations, or federal or state

agencies such as the Agricultural

Research Service, Natural Resources

Conservation Service, Cooperative State

Research Education, and Extension

Service (except Natural Resources and

the Environment, which will be the unit

within CSREES awarding the special

grant), State Agricultural or Natural

Resource Agencies, Economic Research

Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and the

Environmental Protection Agency.

Projects such as Hydrologic Unit Areas,

Management Systems Evaluation Areas

(MSEA), Demonstration Sites,

Farmstead Assessment, and Area

Studies provide excellent opportunities

for collaboration. Evidence, such as

letters of intent, should be provided to

assure peer reviewers that the

collaborators involved have agreed to

render their service.

Budget, Form CSRS–55. A copy of

Form CSRS–55, along with instructions

for completing it, is included in the

Application Kit. Applicants should note

the special instructions shown below

when completing Form CSRS–55.

Item D., ‘‘Nonexpendable

Equipment.’’ Requested items of

equipment must be itemized (by

description and cost) on a separate sheet

of paper attached to Form CSRS–55, or

in the body of the proposal. The need

for all requested equipment must be

fully justified in the proposal.

Item F., ‘‘Travel.’’ The type and extent

of travel and its relationship to project

objectives should be described and

justified. It should be noted that the

terms and conditions of any grant

awarded under this program will

require Principal Investigators, as

defined at 7 CFR 3400.2(c), to

participate in at least one annual

regional or national research reporting,

evaluation, and planning workshop or

conference, for the purpose of interstate,

interagency, and interdisciplinary

coordination in this water quality

program. Funds may be requested under

this budget category for these workshop/

conference costs.

Item I., ‘‘All Other Direct Costs.’’

Subawards are to be shown on each

budget sheet of the primary budget.

Subawardee budgets should be provided

on separate forms in the same detail.

Item K., ‘‘Indirect Costs.’’ The

recovery of indirect costs under this

program may not exceed the lesser of

the grantee institution’s official

negotiated indirect cost rate or the

equivalent of 14% of total Federal funds

awarded. This limitation also applies to

the recovery of indirect costs by any

subawardee or subcontractor, and

should be reflected in the subrecipient

budget.

Compliance With the National

Environmental Policy Act

As outlined in 7 CFR part 3407 (the

CSREES regulations implementing the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969), environmental data for any

proposed project is to be provided to

CSREES so that CSREES may determine

whether any further action is needed.

The applicant shall review the following

categorical exclusions and determine if

the proposed project may fall within

one of the categories.

(1) Department of Agriculture

Categorical Exclusions (7 CFR 1b.3)

(i) Policy development, planning and

implementation which are related to

routine activities such as personnel,

organizational changes, or similar

administrative functions;

(ii) Activities which deal solely with

the functions of programs, such as

program budget proposals,

disbursements, and transfer or

reprogramming of funds;

(iii) Inventories, research activities,

and studies, such as resource

inventories and routine data collection

when such actions are clearly limited in

context and intensity;

(iv) Educational and informational

programs and activities;

(v) Civil and criminal law

enforcement and investigative activities;

(vi) Activities which are advisory and

consultative to other agencies and

public and private entities; and

(vii) Activities related to trade

representation and market development

activities abroad.

(2) CSREES Categorical Exclusions (7

CFR 3407.6(a)(2))

Based on previous experience, the

following categories of CSREES actions

are excluded because they have been

found to have limited scope and

intensity and to have no significant

individual or cumulative impacts on the

quality of the human environment:
13344 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 47 / Friday, March 10, 1995 / Notices

(i) The following categories of

research programs or projects of limited

size and magnitude or with only shortterm effects on the environment:

(A) Research conducted within any

laboratory, greenhouse, or other

contained facility where research

practices and safeguards prevent

environmental impacts;

(B) Surveys, inventories, and similar

studies that have limited context and

minimal intensity in terms of changes in

the environment; and

(C) Testing outside of the laboratory,

such as in small isolated field plots,

which involves the routine use of

familiar chemicals or biological

materials.

(ii) Routine renovation, rehabilitation,

or revitalization of physical facilities,

including the acquisition and

installation of equipment, where such

activity is limited in scope and

intensity.

In order for CSREES to determine

whether any further action is needed

with respect to NEPA, pertinent

information regarding the possible

environmental impacts of a particular

project is necessary; therefore, Form

CSRS–1234, ‘‘NEPA Exclusions Form’’

(copy enclosed), must be included in

the proposal indicating whether the

applicant is of the opinion that the

project falls within a categorical

exclusion and the reasons therefor. If it

is the applicant’s opinion that the

proposed project falls within the

categorical exclusions, the specific

exclusion must be identified. The

information submitted shall be

identified in the Table of Contents as

NEPA Considerations and Form CSRS–

1234 and supporting documentation

shall be place after the Form CSRS–661,

‘‘Application for Funding,’’ in the

proposal.

Even though the applicant considers

that a proposed project may fall within

a categorical exclusion, CSREES may

determine that an Environmental

Assessment or an Environmental Impact

Statement is necessary for a proposed

project if substantial controversy on

environmental grounds exists or if other

extraordinary conditions or

circumstances are present that may

cause such activity to have a significant

environmental effect.

Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated by a peer

review group of qualified scientists

selected in accord with Section 3400.11

of the administrative provisions

governing the Special Research Grants

Program. Pursuant to 7 CFR part

3400.5(a), the following selection

criteria for proposals will be used in

lieu of those which appear in Section

3400.15 of the administrative

provisions:

Selection Criteria—Maximum Score

Overall Scientific and Technical

Quality—40

—Creative and innovative scientific

approach

—Clear, concise, and achievable

objectives

—Technical soundness of procedures

—Feasibility of attaining objectives

—Applicability to watershed scale

systems

Justification, Review of Literature and

Current Research—15

—Importance of the problem

—Relevance of proposed research to

solution of the problem

—Literature focused on specific

research approach and objective

Budget, Resources, and Personnel—15

—Necessary facilities, resources, and

personnel available

—Funds contributed by other

agencies

—Budget appropriate for proposed

research

—Demonstrated scientific capability

of investigators

Collarboration—20

—Evidence of significant

contributions by collaborators

—Evidence and justification of multidisciplinary and/or multiinstitutional and multi-agency

collaboration

Application of Research Results—10

—Planned application and

implementation of research results

—Extension, transferability, and

publication of results

—Potential for results to enhance

agricultural sustainability

Total—100

How To Obtain Application Materials

Copies of this solicitation, the

Application Kit, and the administrative

provisions governing this program, 7

CFR Part 3400, may be obtained by

writing to the address or calling the

telephone number which follows:

Proposal Services Branch; Awards

Management Division; Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture;

Ag Box 2245; Washington, DC 20250–

2245; Telephone: (202) 401–5048.

These materials may also be requested

via Internet by sending a message with

your name, mailing address (not e-mail)

and phone number to

psb@morrill.esusda.gov. which states

that you want a copy of the application

materials for the Fiscal Year 1995

Special Research Grants Program, Water

Quality. The materials will then be

mailed to you (not e-mailed) as quickly

as possible.

Applicants should note that separate

but complementary programs in water

resources assessment and protection,

soils and soil biology, and agricultural

systems exist within the CSREES

National Research Initiative Competitive

Grants Program. For further information

on that program, contact the Proposal

Services Branch at the address listed

above. Proposals should be submitted to

the most appropriate program—

submission of duplicate proposals or

proposals with substantial overlap to

both programs is discouraged.

What To Submit

An original and twelve copies of each

proposal, prepared in accordance with

the instructions found above, must be

submitted. This number of copies is

necessary to permit thorough, objective

peer evaluation of all proposals received

before funding decisions are made.

All copies of a proposal must be

mailed in one package and each copy

must be stapled securely in the upper

left-hand corner. Every effort should be

made to ensure that the proposal

contains all pertinent information when

initially submitted.

One copy of each proposal not

selected for funding will be retained for

a period of one year. The remaining

copies will be destroyed.

Where and When To Submit

Applications

To be considered for funding during

Fiscal Year 1995, proposals must be

submitted by April 28, 1995.

Proposals submitted through the

regular mail must be postmarked by

April 28, 1995, and should be sent to

the following address: Proposal Services

Branch; Awards Management Division;

Cooperative State Research, Education,

and Extension Service; U.S. Department

of Agriculture; Ag Box 2245;

Washington, D.C. 20250–2245. The

telephone number is: (202) 401–5048.

Hand-delivered proposals must be

submitted to an express mail or courier

service by April 28, 1995, or brought to

the following address by 4:30 p.m. on

April 28, 1995: Proposal Services

Branch; Awards Management Division;

Cooperative State Research, Education,

and Extension Service; U.S. Department

of Agriculture; Room 303, Aerospace

Center; 901 D Street, S.W.; Washington,

D.C. 20024. The telephone number is:

(202) 401–5048.

Supplementary Information

The Special Research Grants Program

is listed in the Catalog of Federal

Domestic Assistance under No. 10.200.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 47 / Friday, March 10, 1995 / Notices 13345

For reasons set forth in the final Rulerelated Notice to 7 CFR part 3015,

subpart V (48 FR 29115, June 24, 1983),

this program is excluded from the scope

of Executive Order 12372, which

requires intergovernmental consultation

with State and local officials.

Under the provisions of the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (44

U.S.C. 3504(h)), the collection of

information requirements contained in

this Notice have been approved under

OMB Document No. 0524–0022.

Done at Washington, DC, this 6th day of

March 1995.

K. Jane Coulter,

Acting Administrator, Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension Service.

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[FR Doc. 95–5991 Filed 3–9–95; 8:45 am]

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