Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 43 / Monday, March 5, 2001 / Notices 13301

Washington, DC 20503 (Attention:

NOAA Desk Officer). Notwithstanding

any other provision of the 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 Paperwork

Reduction Act, unless that collection of

information displays a currently valid

OMB Control Number.

Dated: February 23, 2001.

Louisa Koch,

Deputy Assistant Administrator, Oceanic and

Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration.

[FR Doc. 01–5264 Filed 3–2–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–KA–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[Docket No. 990125028–1050–02]

RIN 0648–ZA54

Aquatic Nuisance Species Research

and Outreach: Request for Proposals

for FY 2001

AGENCY: National Sea Grant College

Program, National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration,

Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is

to advise the public that the National

Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant)

is entertaining preliminary proposals

and subsequently full proposals for

innovative research and outreach

projects that address the problems of

Aquatic Nuisance Species in U.S.

coastal waters. In FY 2001 and 2002,

Sea Grant expects to make available

about $2,700,000 per year to support

projects to prevent and/or control

nonindigenous species invasions in all

U.S. marine waters, the Great Lakes, and

Lake Champlain; matching funds

equivalent to a minimum of 50% of the

Federal request must be provided.

Successful projects will be selected

through national competitions.

DATES: Preliminary proposals must be

submitted before 5 pm (local time) on

April 4, 2001. After evaluation at the

National Sea Grant Office (NSGO), some

proposers will be encouraged to prepare

full proposals, which must be submitted

before 5 pm (local time) on May 28,

2001. (See ADDRESSES for where to

submit preliminary and full proposals.)

ADDRESSES: Preliminary proposals and

full proposals from applicants in Sea

Grant states must be submitted through

the state Sea Grant Program. Preliminary

proposals and full proposals from

applicants outside Sea Grant states may

be submitted either through the nearest

Sea Grant Program or directly to the

Program Manager at the National Sea

Grant Office. The addresses of the Sea

Grant College Program directors may be

found on Sea Grant’s home page

(www.nsgo.seagrant.org/

SGDirectors.html) or may also be

obtained by contacting the Program

Manager at the National Sea Grant

Office (see below).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Leon M. Cammen, Aquatic Nuisance

Species Coordinator, National Sea Grant

College Program, R/SG, NOAA, 1315

East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD

20910, or Mary Robinson, Secretary,

National Sea Grant Office, 301–713–

2435; facsimile 301–713–0799.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Program Authority

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1121–1131.

Catalog of Federal Assistance

Number: 11.417, Sea Grant Support.

II. Program Description

Background

Nonindigenous species introductions

are increasing in frequency and causing

substantial damage to the Nation’s

environment and economy. Although

the most prominent of these has been

the zebra mussel, many other

nonindigenous species have been

introduced and have truly become a

nationwide problem that threatens

many aquatic ecosystems. While some

intentional introductions may have had

beneficial effects, there are many other

nonindigenous species already present

in U.S. waters, or with the potential to

invade, that may cause significant

damage to coastal resources and the

economies that depend upon them. In

response, the Nonindigenous Aquatic

Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of

1990 (16 U.S.C. 4701 et seq.) established

a framework for the Nation to address

the problems of aquatic nuisance

species invasions of coastal and Great

Lakes ecosystems.

Although problems such as the zebra

mussel and the sea lamprey within the

Great Lakes have received the most

attention, invasions of nonindigenous

species in coastal marine environments

are an increasing and serious threat. The

National Invasive Species Act of 1996

(16 U.S.C. 4711–4714) recognized this

by calling for Federal funding to support

aquatic nuisance species prevention and

control along the Nation’s marine coast.

Funding Availability and Priorities

The National Sea Grant College

Program encourages proposals that

address the following program area:

‘‘Research and Outreach to Prevent and

Control Aquatic Nuisance Species

Invasions.’’

An interagency Ad Hoc Committee on

Exotic Species in the Great Lakes has

prepared a report entitled, ‘‘Coordinated

Program of Research for Exotic Species

in the Great Lakes.’’ Although targeted

for the Great Lakes, the report provides

a useful framework for research and

outreach on any nonindigenous species

problems and is therefore being used to

structure this more general request for

proposals covering U.S. marine waters,

the Great Lakes, and Lake Champlain.

Research and outreach proposals are

requested that address one or more of

the following program areas:

(a) Biology and Life History: Basic

biological research into population

dynamics, genetics, physiology,

behavior, and parasites and diseases of

nonindigenous species with the

potential to lead to the development of

ecologically safe, effective, and

inexpensive control. Research on the

ecological and environmental tolerances

of nonindigenous species with the

potential for prediction of eventual

geographic and ecological impacts.

(b) Effects on Ecosystems: Research on

the impacts of nonindigenous species at

each stage of their life history with the

potential for helping natural resource

managers determine how to minimize

the impacts on established biota and

their habitats.

(c) Socio-Economic Analysis: Costs

and Benefits: Research on the potential

impacts of nonindigenous species on

human health in terms of spread of

disease, concentration of pollutants, and

contamination or purification of

drinking water sources. Economic

impact on sport, commercial and tribal

fisheries, the recreation and tourism

industry, the shipping and navigation

industry, and municipal and industrial

water users. Use of research results to

provide a scientific basis for developing

sound policy and environmental law,

and for public education and technology

transfer.

(d) Control and Mitigation: Research

into various types of control—

engineering (redesigning water intakes,

etc.), physical (scraping, filtering, etc.),

chemical (biocides, antifoulants, etc.),

biological (parasites, predators, etc.),

and physicochemical (heat, salinity, pH,

etc.)—to develop selective, effective

controls that minimize adverse

ecological/environmental impacts.

Outreach activities that will transfer

13302 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 43 / Monday, March 5, 2001 / Notices

these technologies to the appropriate

users.

(e) Preventing New Introductions:

Research and outreach into identifying

vectors of introduction, developing costeffective, realistic methods of

prevention, and transferring the

information to appropriate users. In

particular, research to develop workable

and effective methods to eliminate

ballast water discharge as a source of

nonindigenous species introductions

without imposing undue hardships on

the shipping industry.

(f) Reducing the Spread of Established

Populations: Research and outreach to

identify mechanisms for further

dispersal of individual established

species that will lead to the

development of safeguards and

protocols to prevent and/or slow the

spread of nonindigenous species to

uninfested areas, and transfer of that

information to appropriate users.

(g) Ballast Water Pathogens and

Public Health: Research to assess the

public health risks posed by pathogens

released in ballast waters discharges in

U.S. ports.

Potential investigators are encouraged

to review the list of recent and currently

funded Sea Grant projects related to

Aquatic Nuisance Species that is

available on Sea Grant’s Aquatic

Nuisance Species web page

(www.nsgo.seagrant.org/research/

nonindigenous/index.html). In addition,

regional priorities that were developed

by the Great Lakes, Western, and Gulf of

Mexico Regional Panels on Aquatic

Nuisance Species are also available on

the same web page and provide valuable

guidance on the major issues within

each of those coastal regions.

About $2,7000,000 is available from

the National Sea Grant College Program

to support these projects in FY 2001; an

additional $2,700,000 may be available

in FY 2002 depending on the overall

funding appropriation for the National

Sea Grant College Program. Of this

amount, 70% of the funds will be made

available to support research projects

and 30% for outreach activities. Any

two-year awards that are funded

annually must have scopes of work that

can be easily separated into annual

increments of meaningful work that

represent solid accomplishments if

prospective funding is not made

available to the applicant (i.e., the

scopes of work for each funding period

must produce identifiable and

meaningful results in and of

themselves); the second year of funding

is contingent upon availability of funds

and submission of an annual report

showing satisfactory progress. Projects

selected for funding will be limited to

$150,000 of federal contributions per

year and each proposal must include

additional matching funds equivalent to

at least 50% of the Federal funds

requested; for example, a proposal

requesting a total of $200,000 in Federal

support for two years would have to

include at least an additional $100,000

in matching funds.

III. Eligibility

Proposals may be submitted by

individuals; public or private

corporations, partnerships, or other

associations or entities (including

institutions of higher education,

institutes, or non-Federal laboratories),

or any State, political subdivision of a

State, or agency or officer thereof.

IV. Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation criteria for proposals

submitted in response to this

Announcement are:

(1) Impact of Proposed Project (65%):

The effect this activity will have on

reducing the impact of invasive species

on the environment and/or the

economy, or the need for this activity as

a necessary step toward such a

reduction in impact; and the degree to

which partners and potential users of

the results of the proposed activity have

been involved in planning the activity

and will be involved in the execution of

the activity as appropriate.

(2) Scientific or Professional Merit

(35%): Degree to which the activity will

advance the state of the science or

discipline through synthesis of existing

information and use and extension of

cutting edge as well as state-of-the-art

methods; degree to which new

approaches to solving problems and

exploiting opportunities in resource

management or development, or in

public outreach on such issues will be

employed; degree to which investigators

are qualified by education, training and/

or experience to execute the proposed

activity; and record of achievement with

previous funding.

V. Selection Procedures

Preliminary proposals will be

reviewed at the NSGO by a panel

composed of government, academic,

and industry experts. The panel will be

asked to assess each preliminary

proposal according to the evaluation

criteria listed above. The panel will

make individual recommendations to

the Director of the NSGO regarding

which preliminary proposals may be

suitable for further consideration. On

the basis of the panel’s

recommendations, the Director of the

NSGO will advise proposers whether or

not the submission of full proposals is

encouraged. Invitation to submit a full

proposal does not constitute an

indication that the proposal will be

funded. Interested parties who are not

invited to submit full proposals will not

be precluded from submitting full

proposals if they have submitted a

preliminary proposal in accordance

with the procedures described below.

Individual state Sea Grant programs

receiving proposals will conduct the

mail peer review of the proposed

projects in accordance with the

Evaluation Criteria listed above.

Complete proposals and copies of the

mail reviews will then be sent by the

state Sea Grant programs to the National

Sea Grant Office. The National Sea

Grant Office will conduct mail reviews

for proposals submitted directly to it by

applicants not in Sea Grant states. The

proposals will be ranked in accordance

with the assigned weights of the above

evaluation criteria by an independent

peer review panel consisting of

government, academic, and industry

experts. These panel members will

provide individual evaluations on each

proposal; thus there will be no

consensus advice. Their

recommendations and evaluations will

be considered by the National Sea Grant

Office in the final selection. Only those

proposals awarded a score of 50% or

greater by the panel will be eligible for

funding. For those proposals, the

National Sea Grant Office will: (a)

Ascertain which proposals best meet the

program priorities (stated in Section II),

and do not substantially duplicate other

projects that are currently funded or are

approved for funding by NOAA and

other federal agencies, hence, awards

may not necessarily be made to the

highest-scored proposals; (b) select the

proposals to be funded; (c) determine

which components of the selected

projects will be funded; (d) determine

the total duration of funding for each

proposal; and (e) determine the amount

of funds available for each proposal.

Investigators may be asked to modify

objectives, work plans, or budgets prior

to final approval of the award.

Subsequent grant administration

procedures will be in accordance with

current NOAA grants procedures. A

summary statement of the scientific

review by the peer panel will be

provided to each applicant.

VI. Instructions For Application

Timetable

April 4, 2001, 5 pm (local time)—

Preliminary proposals due at state Sea

Grant Program, or at NSGO if

application is being submitted by a non

Sea Grant College Program.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 43 / Monday, March 5, 2001 / Notices 13303

April 9, 2001, 5 pm (EST)—

Preliminary proposals received at state

Sea Grant Programs due at NSGO.

May 28, 2001, 5 pm (local time)—Full

proposals due at state Sea Grant

Program, or at NSGO if application is

being submitted by a non Sea Grant

College Program.

May 31, 2001, 5 pm (EST)—Full

proposals received at state Sea Grant

Programs due at NSGO.

October 1, 2001 (approximate)—

Funds awarded to selected recipients;

projects begin.

General Guidelines

Interested parties must submit

applications (preliminary or full

proposals) as follows. Applications

originating in a Sea Grant state must be

submitted to that state’s Sea Grant

Program, who will submit the final grant

application to the National Sea Grant

Office. Applications originating in a

state with no Sea Grant Program may be

submitted to the nearest state Sea Grant

Program who will then submit the final

grant application to the National Sea

Grant Office, or the application may be

submitted directly to the National Sea

Grant Office. Applications may be made

for a grant to support up to two-thirds

of the total budget. Projects can be for

a maximum of two years’ duration.

Awards will not exceed $150,000 of

Federal funds per year. Allocation of

matching funds, equal to at least half the

federal request, must be specified in the

budget; failure to provide adequate

matching funds will result in the

proposal being rejected without review.

The ideal proposal attacks a welldefined problem that is, or will be, a

significant societal issue. The

organization or people whose task it

will be to make related decisions, or

who will be able to make specific use

of the projects results, have been

identified and contacted by the

Principal Investigator(s). The project

demonstrates an understanding of what

constitutes necessary and sufficient

information for responsible decisionmaking or for applied use, and shows

how that information will be provided

by the proposed activity, or in concert

with other planned activities.

Research projects are expected to

have: a rigorous, hypothesis-based

scientific work plan, or a well-defined,

logical approach to address an

engineering problem; a strong rationale

for the proposed research; and a clear

and established relationship with the

ultimate users of the information.

Research undertaken jointly with

industry, business, or other agencies

with interest in the problem will be seen

as being meritorious. Their contribution

to the research may be in the form of

collaboration, in-kind services, or dollar

support. Projects that are solely

monitoring efforts are not appropriate

for funding.

What To Submit

Preliminary Proposal Guidelines

To prevent the expenditure of effort

that may not be successful, proposers

must first submit preliminary proposals.

Preliminary proposals must be single- or

double-spaced, typewritten in at least a

10-point font, and printed on metric A4

(210 mm × 297 mm) or 8 1⁄2′′ × 11′′

paper. The following information

should be included:

(1) Signed Title Page: The title page

should be signed by the Principal

Investigator and should clearly identify

the program area being addressed by

starting the project title with ‘‘Aquatic

Nuisance Species.’’ Principal

Investigators and collaborators should

be identified by affiliation and contact

information. The total amount of

Federal funds and matching funds being

requested should be listed, as well as

the source of the matching funds.

Preliminary proposals must include

matching funds equivalent to at least

50% of the Federal funds requested.

(2) A concise (2-page limit)

description of the project that addresses

the following questions: What

technology will be developed? How is it

important to the nation? What

fundamental work has been done that

allows advancement of this technology

to a more applied level? What are the

anticipated economic benefits?

Proposers should consult the Evaluation

Criteria for additional guidance in

preparing the preliminary proposals.

(3) Resumes (1-page limit) of the

Principal Investigators.

(4) Proposers are encouraged (but not

required) to include a separate page

suggesting reviewers that the proposers

believe are especially well-qualified to

review the proposal. Proposers may also

designate persons they would prefer not

review the proposal, indicating why.

These suggestions will be considered

during the review process.

The original and two copies of the

preliminary proposals must be

submitted to the nearest state Sea Grant

Program Director or to the NSGO

Program Manager (as explained in

‘‘General Guidelines’’) before 5 pm

(local time) on April 2, 2001.

Preliminary proposals received at the

state Sea Grant Program offices must be

forwarded by the Sea Grant Programs,

along with a cover letter, to Dr. Leo

Cammen, Program Manager, at the

address given above (FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT) so as to reach the

National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) on or

before 5 pm on April 6, 2001. No

institutional signatures or federal

government forms are needed while

submitting preliminary proposals.

Full Proposal Guidelines

All pages should be single- or doublespaced, typewritten in at least a 10-

point font, and printed on metric A4

(210 mm × 297 mm) or 81⁄2′′ x 11′′ paper.

Each full proposal should include the

items listed below. Brevity will assist

reviewers and program staff in dealing

effectively with proposals. Therefore,

the Project Description may not exceed

15 pages. Tables and visual materials,

including charts, graphs, maps,

photographs and other pictorial

presentations are included in the 15-

page limitation; literature citations are

not included in the 15-page limitation.

Conformance to the 15-page limitation

will be strictly enforced. All information

needed for review of the proposal

should be included in the main text; no

appendices are permitted.

(1) Signed Title Page: The title page

should be signed by the Principal

Investigator and the institutional

representative and should clearly

identify the program area being

addressed by starting the project title

with ‘‘Aquatic Nuisance Species.’’ The

Principal Investigator and institutional

representative should be identified by

full name, title, organization, telephone

number and address. The total amount

of Federal funds being requested should

be listed for each budget period.

(2) Project Summary: This

information is very important. Prior to

attending the peer review panel

meetings, some of the panelists may

read only the project summary.

Therefore, it is critical that the project

summary accurately describe the

research being proposed and convey all

essential elements of the research. The

project summary should include: 1.

Title: Use the exact title as it appears in

the rest of the application. 2.

Investigators: List the names and

affiliations of each investigator who will

significantly contribute to the project.

Start with the Principal Investigator. 3.

Funding request for each year of the

project, including matching funds if

appropriate. 4. Project Period: Start and

completion dates. Proposals should

request a start date of October 1, 2001,

or later. 5. Project Summary: This

should include the rationale for the

project, the scientific or technical

objectives and/or hypotheses to be

tested, and a brief summary of work to

be completed.

(3) Project Description (15-page limit):

13304 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 43 / Monday, March 5, 2001 / Notices

(a) Introduction/Background/

Justification: Subjects that the

investigator(s) may wish to include in

this section are: (i) current state of

knowledge; (ii) contributions that the

study will make to the particular

discipline or subject area; and (iii)

contributions the study will make

toward addressing the problem of

nonindigenous species.

(b) Research or Technical Plan: (i)

Objectives to be achieved, hypotheses to

be tested; (ii) Plan of work—discuss

how stated project objectives will be

achieved; and (iii) Role of project

personnel.

(c) Output: Describe the project

outputs that will enhance the Nation’s

ability to manage and control

nonindigenous species impacts.

(d) Coordination with other Program

Elements: Describe any coordination

with other agency programs or ongoing

research efforts. Describe any other

proposals that are essential to the

success of this proposal.

(e) Literature Cited: Should be

included here, but does not count

against the 15-page limit.

(4) Budget and Budget Justification:

There should be a separate budget for

each year of the project as well as a

cumulative annual budget for the entire

project. Applicants are encouraged to

use the Sea Grant Budget Form 90–4,

but may use their own form as long as

it provides the same information as the

Sea Grant form. Subcontracts should

have a separate budget page. Matching

funds must be indicated; failure to

provide required matching funds will

result in the proposal being rejected

without review. Applicants should

provide justification for all budget items

in sufficient detail to enable the

reviewers to evaluate the

appropriateness of the funding

requested. For all applications,

regardless of any approved indirect cost

rate applicable to the award, the

maximum dollar amount of allocable

indirect costs for which the Department

of Commerce will reimburse the

Recipient shall be the lesser of: (a) The

Federal share of the total allocable

indirect costs of the award based on the

negotiated rate with the cognizant

Federal agency as established by audit

or negotiation; or (b) The line item

amount for the Federal share of indirect

costs contained in the approved budget

of the award.

(5) Current and Pending Support:

Applicants must provide information on

all current and pending Federal support

for ongoing projects and proposals,

including subsequent funding in the

case of continuing grants. The proposed

project and all other projects or

activities using Federal assistance and

requiring a portion of time of the

principal investigator or other senior

personnel should be included. The

relationship between the proposed

project and these other projects should

be described, and the number of personmonths per year to be devoted to the

projects must be stated.

(6) Vitae (2 pages maximum per

investigator)

(7) Research Protocol (if appropriate):

Research activities funded under this

program must not accelerate the spread

of nonindigenous species to noninfested watersheds. Therefore,

investigators whose laboratories or

research study sites are in currently

uninfested areas must develop

procedures for handling the particular

nonindigenous species that will prevent

its release into the environment. As part

of the plan of action, the investigator

must detail how the proposed work will

be accomplished while safeguarding the

environment, and the research protocol

will be reviewed by an interagency

committee created under the

Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance

Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16

U.S.C. 4701 et seq.). Guidelines for

developing suitable protocols are

available through the World Wide Web

(www.nsgo.seagrant.org/research/

nonindigenous/RFP01.html) or from Dr.

Leon Cammen at the National Sea Grant

Office (phone: 301–713–2435 x136 or email: leon.cammen@noaa.gov).

Proposals lacking a suitable protocol

will not be eligible for funding.

(8) Standard Application Forms:

Applicants may obtain all required

application forms through the World

Wide Web at www.nsgo.seagrant.org/

research/rfp/index.html#3, from the

state Sea Grant Programs or from Dr.

Leon Cammen at the National Sea Grant

Office (phone: 301–713–2435 x136 or email: leon.cammen@noaa.gov). The

following forms must be included:

(a) Standard Forms 424, Application

for Federal Assistance and 424B,

Assurances—Non-Construction

Programs, (Rev 4–88). Applications

should clearly identify the program area

being addressed by starting the project

title with either as appropriate. Please

note that both the Principal Investigator

and an administrative contact should be

identified in Section 5 of the SF424. For

Section 10, applicants should enter

‘‘11.417’’ for the CFDA Number and

‘‘Sea Grant Support’’ for the title. The

form must contain the original signature

of an authorized representative of the

applying institution.

(b) Primary Applicant Certifications.

All primary applicants must submit a

completed Form CD–511,

‘‘Certifications Regarding Debarment,

Suspension and Other Responsibility

Matters; Drug-Free Workplace

Requirements and Lobbying,’’ and the

following explanations are hereby

provided:

(i) Nonprocurement Debarment and

Suspension. Prospective participants (as

defined at 15 CFR part 26, Section 105)

are subject to 15 CFR part 26,

‘‘Nonprocurement Debarment and

Suspension’’ and the related section of

the certification form prescribed above

applies;

(ii) Drug-Free Workplace. Grantees (as

defined at 15 CFR part 26, Section 605)

are subject to 15 CFR part 26, Subpart

F, ‘‘Government wide Requirements for

Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)’’ and the

related section of the certification form

prescribed above applies;

(iii) Anti-Lobbying. Persons (as

defined at 15 CFR part 28, section 105)

are subject to the lobbying provisions of

31 U.S.C. 1352, ‘‘Limitation on use of

appropriated funds to influence certain

Federal contracting and financial

transactions,’’ and the lobbying section

of the certification form prescribed

above applies to applications/bids for

grants, cooperative agreements, and

contracts for more than $100,000, and

loans and loan guarantees for more than

$150,000; and

(iv) Anti-Lobbying Disclosures. Any

applicant that has paid or will pay for

lobbying using any funds must submit

an SF–LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities,’’ as required under 15 CFR

part 28, Appendix B.

(c) Lower Tier Certifications.

Recipients shall require applicants/

bidders for subgrants, contracts,

subcontracts, or other lower tier covered

transactions at any tier under the award

to submit, if applicable, a completed

Form CD–512, ‘‘Certifications Regarding

Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility

and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier

Covered Transactions and Lobbying’’

and disclosure form, SF–LLL,

‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.’’

Form CD–512 is intended for the use of

recipients and should not be transmitted

to the Department of Commerce (DOC).

SF–LLL submitted by any tier recipient

or subrecipient should be submitted to

DOC in accordance with the

instructions contained in the award

document.

VII. How To Submit

Preliminary proposals and proposals

must be submitted to the state Sea Grant

Programs or to the NSGO according to

the schedule outlined above (see

ADDRESSES and ‘‘Timetable’’). Although

investigators are not required to submit

more than the original and two copies

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 43 / Monday, March 5, 2001 / Notices 13305

of either preproposals or full proposals,

the normal review process requires ten

copies. Investigtors are encouraged to

submit sufficient copies for the full

review process if they wish all

reviewers to receive color, unusually

sized (not 8.5 x 11′′), or otherwise

unusual materials submitted as part of

the proposal. Only the original and two

copies of the Federally required forms

are needed. The addresses of the Sea

Grant College Program directors may be

found on Sea Grant’s World Wide Web

home page (www.nsgo.seagrant.org/

SGDirectors.html) or may also be

obtained by contacting the Program

Manager, Dr. Leon M. Cammen, at the

National Sea Grant Office (phone: 301–

713–2435 x 136 or e-mail:

leon.cammen@noaa.gov). Preproposals

and proposals sent to the National Sea

Grant Office should be addressed to:

National Sea Grant office, R/SG, Attn:

Aquatic Nuisance Species Coordinator,

NOAA, Room 11841, 1315 East-West

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910

(phone 301–713–2435 for express mail

applications).

Applications received after the

deadline and applications that deviate

from the format described above will be

returned to the sender without review.

Facsimile transmissions and electronic

mail submission of full proposals will

not be accepted.

VIII. Other Requirements

(A) Federal Policies and Procedures—

Recipients and subrecipients are subject

to all Federal laws and Federal and

Department of Commerce (DOC)

policies, regulations, and procedures

applicable to Federal financial

assistance awards.

(B) Past Performance—Unsatisfactory

performance under prior Federal awards

may result in an application not being

considered for funding.

(C) Preaward Activities—If applicants

incur any costs prior to an award being

made, they do so solely at their own risk

of not being reimbursed by the

Government. Notwithstanding any

verbal or written assurance that may

have been received, there is no

obligation on the part of DOC to cover

preaward costs.

(D) No Obligation for Future

Funding—If an application is selected

for funding, DOC has no obligation to

provide any additional future funding in

connection with that award. Renewal of

an award to increase funding or extend

the period of performance is at the total

discretion of DOC.

(E) Delinquent Federal Debts—No

award of Federal funds shall be made to

an applicant who has an outstanding

delinquent Federal debt until either:

(1) The delinquent account is paid in

full.

(2) A negotiated repayment schedule

is established and at least one payment

is received, or

(3) Other arrangements satisfactory to

DOC are made.

(F) Name Check Review—All nonprofit and for-profit applicants are

subject to a name check review process.

Name checks are intended to reveal if

any key individuals associated with the

applicant have been convicted of or are

presently facing criminal charges such

as fraud, theft, perjury, or other matters

which significantly reflect on the

applicant’s management honesty or

financial integrity.

(G) False Statements—A false

statement on an application is grounds

for denial or termination of funds and

grounds for possible punishment by a

fine or imprisonment as provided in 18

U.S.C. 1001.

(H) Intergovernmental Review—

Applications for support from the

National Sea Grant College Program are

not subject to Executive Order 12372,

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs.’’

(I) Purchase of American-Made

Equipment and Products—Applicants

are hereby notified that they will be

encouraged to the greatest extent

practicable, to purchase American-made

equipment and products with funding

provided under this program.

Classification

Prior notice and an opportunity for

public comments are not required by the

Administrative Procedure Act or any

other law for this notice concerning

grants, benefits, and contracts.

Therefore, a regulatory flexibility

analysis is not required for purposes of

the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

This action has been determined to be

not significant for purposes of E.O.

12866.

This notice contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the

Paperwork Reduction Act. The Sea

Grant Project Summary Form and the

Sea Grant Budget Form have been

approved under Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) Control Number

0648–0362, with estimated times per

response of 20 and 15 minutes

respectively. The use of Standard Forms

424, 424B, and SF–LLL have been

approved by OMB under the respective

control numbers 0348–0043, 0348–0040,

and 0348–0046. The response time

estimates above include the time for

reviewing instructions, searching

existing data sources, gathering and

maintaining the data needed, and

completing and reviewing the collection

of information. Send comments on these

estimates or any other aspect of these

collections to National Sea Grant Office/

NOAA, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver

Spring, MD 20910 and to the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget,

Washington, DC 20503 (Attention:

NOAA Desk Officer). Notwithstanding

any other provision of the 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 Paperwork

Reduction Act, unless that collection of

information displays a currently valid

OMB Control Number.

Dated: February 28, 2001.

Louisa Koch,

Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of

Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

[FR Doc. 01–5265 Filed 3–2–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–KA–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 022301B]

Endangered Species; Permits

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of applications for five

scientific research/enhancement permits

(1293, 1295, 1296, 1297, 1298).

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the

following actions regarding permits for

takes of endangered and threatened

species for the purposes of scientific

research and/or enhancement: NMFS

has received five applications for

scientific research/enhancement permits

under the Endangered Species Act

(ESA): Brian Perleberg of Northern

Resource Consulting at Longview, WA

(NRC) (1293); Peter Dutton, Ph.D., of the

NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science

Center and Donna McDonald (1297), Dr.

R. Michael Laurs, of the NMFS -

Southwest Fisheries Science Center

(NMFS-SWFSC) (1296); Dr. Michael P.

Sissenwine of the NMFS - Northeast

Fisheries Science Center (NMFSNEFSC) (1295) and Ms. Melissa Salmon,

of Riverbanks Zoological Park (1298).

DATES: Comments or requests for a

public hearing on any of the new

applications or modification requests

must be received at the appropriate

address or fax number no later than 5