Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices 13701

restored by relocating the channels to

their natural course, addition of woody

debris and rock structures, and

revegetation. These activities would

occur in approximately 5 miles of

stream.

Following the cooperative project

development process, the proposed

actions were scoped with the public in

the summer of 2000 including a direct

mailing to over 400 individuals in

August and a field trip in September.

Approximately 20 letters were received

in response to the original scoping, and

27 individual attended the field trip.

Based on the comments received, the

following issues with the proposed

action been identified: (1) Effects to the

aquatic environment; (2) Effects to old

and mature forest and dependent

species; (3) Use of timber harvest,

prescribed burning and herbicides as

forest management tools and; (4) Effects

to motorized recreation opportunities.

To address the issues identified

above, alternatives to the proposed

action have been developed. These

alternatives propose varying levels of

activities from those previously

described. Some alternatives would

require amendment of the Nez Perce

Forest Plan to allow vegetation

management within delineated old

growth (Management Area 20). Some of

the harvest proposed would exceed 40

acres in size and would require

approval from the Regional Forester

(Northern Region). Some of the

activities associated with road repair

and decommissioning and stream

channel restoration would require

permits from the Corps of Engineers to

authorize work within a stream’s high

water mark.

The decisions to be made in response

to this analysis include (1) Are

vegetation management activities

needed and if so where, when and how

would they be implemented? (2) What

transportation system is necessary in the

analysis area and how will it be

managed? (3) How will the roads

identified as excess be returned to forest

production? (4) Are the stream channel

restoration activities necessary and if so

where, when and how would they be

implemented? (5) What mitigation is

needed to assure forest management

activities are consistent with the Nez

Perce Forest Plan and environmental

law? (6) Is an amendment to the Nez

Perce Forest Plan necessary to

implement the proposed actions? (7)

What implementation and effectiveness

monitoring is needed?

The responsible official for this

project is the Nez Perce Forest

Supervisor. Comments to this notice

should be sent to the address and

contacts identified above and should be

submitted within 30 days of publication

of this notice in the Federal Register. A

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) is expected to be available in April

2001 and a Final EIS in July 2001.

Should an action alternative be selected,

implementation would be initiated in

2002. Implementation of any or all of

the actions authorized with this

decision may occur utilizing the

stewardship contracting authorities

granted in Section 347 of the 1999

Interior Appropriations Bill.

The comment period on the draft

environmental impact statement will be

45 days from the date the

Environmental Protection Agency

publishes the notice of availability in

the Federal Register.

The Forest Service believes it is

important to give reviewers notice at

this early stage of several court rulings

related to public participation in the

environmental review process. First,

reviewers of draft environmental impact

statements must structure their

participation in the environmental

review of the proposal so that it is

meaningful and alerts an agency to the

reviewer’s position and contentions.

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v.

NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also,

environmental objections that could be

raised at the draft environmental impact

statement stage but that are not raised

until after completion of the final

environmental impact statement may be

waived or dismissed by the courts.

Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490

F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980).

Because of these court rulings, it is very

important that those interested in this

proposed action participate by the close

of the 45-day comment period so that

substantive comments and objections

are made available to the Forest Service

at a time when it can meaningfully

consider them and respond to them in

the final environmental impact

statement.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on the draft environmental

impact statement should be as specific

as possible. It is also helpful if

comments refer to specific pages or

chapters of the draft statement.

Comments may also address the

adequacy of the draft environmental

impact statement or the merits of the

alternatives formulated and discussed in

the statement. (Reviewers may wish to

refer to the Council on Environmental

Quality Regulations for implementing

the procedural provisions of the

National Environmental Policy Act at 40

CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.).

Dated: February 27, 2001.

Michael J. Cook,

Acting Forest Supervisor, Nez Perce National

Forest.

[FR Doc. 01–5593 Filed 3–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[Docket No. 960223046–1049–06; I.D.

011801D]

RIN 0648–ZA09

Financial Assistance for Research and

Development Projects to Strengthen

and Develop the U.S. Fishing Industry

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation for

applications.

SUMMARY: NMFS (hereinafter ‘‘we’’ or

‘‘us’’) issues this document to describe

how to apply for funding under the

Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) Grant

Program and how we will determine

whether to fund a proposal.

Under the S-K Program, we provide

financial assistance for research and

development projects that address

various aspects of U.S. fisheries

(commercial or recreational), including,

but not limited to, harvesting,

processing, marketing, and associated

infrastructures.

DATES: We must receive your

application by the close of business May

7, 2001 in one of the offices listed in

section I.F. Applications Addresses of

this document. You must submit one

signed original and nine signed copies

of the completed application (including

supporting information). We will not

accept facsimile applications.

ADDRESSES: You can obtain an

application package from, and send

your completed application(s) to, the

NMFS Regional Administrator located

at any of the offices listed in section I.F.

Application Addresses of this

document. You may also obtain the

application package from the S-K Home

Page (see section I.G. Electronic Access

ADDRESSES). However, we cannot accept

completed applications electronically.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Alicia L. Jarboe, S-K Program Manager,

(301) 713–2358.

13702 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices

1For purposes of this document, a fishery is

defined as one or more stocks of fish, including

tuna, and shellfish that are identified as a unit

based on geographic, scientific, technical,

recreational and economic characteristics, and any

and all phases of fishing for such stocks. Examples

of a fishery are Alaskan groundfish, Pacific whiting,

New England whiting, and eastern oysters.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

We are soliciting applications for

Federal assistance pursuant to the

Saltonstall-Kennedy Act (S-K Act), as

amended (15 U.S.C. 713c–3). This

document describes how you can apply

for funding under the S-K Grant

Program, and how we will determine

which applications we will fund.

A. Background

The S-K Act established a fund

(known as the S-K fund) that the

Secretary of Commerce uses to provide

grants or cooperative agreements for

fisheries research and development

projects addressed to any aspect of U.S.

fisheries, including, but not limited to,

harvesting, processing, marketing, and

associated infrastructures. U.S.

fisheries1 include any fishery,

commercial or recreational, that is, or

may be engaged in, by citizens or

nationals of the United States, or

citizens of the Northern Mariana

Islands, the Republic of the Marshall

Islands, Republic of Palau, and the

Federated States of Micronesia.

The objectives of the S-K Grant

Program, and, therefore, the funding

priorities, have changed over the years

since the program began in 1980. The

program has evolved as Federal fishery

management laws and policies, and

research needs, have evolved in

response to changing circumstances.

The original focus of the program was

to develop underutilized fisheries

within the U.S. Exclusive Economic

Zone (EEZ, i.e., 3–200 miles (4.8–320

kilometers) off the coast). This focus

was driven in part by the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens

Act). The Magnuson-Stevens Act,

originally passed in 1976, directed us to

give the domestic fishing industry

priority access to the fishery resources

in the EEZ. In 1980, the American

Fisheries Promotion Act amended the SK Act to stimulate commercial and

recreational fishing efforts in

underutilized fisheries. The competitive

S-K Program initiated as a result

included fisheries development and

marketing as funding priorities.

In the following years, the efforts to

Americanize the fisheries were

successful to the point that most

nontraditional species were fully

developed and some traditional

fisheries became overfished. Therefore,

we changed the emphasis of the S-K

Program to address conservation and

management issues and aquaculture. In 1996, the Sustainable Fisheries Act

(SFA) (Public Law 104–297), was

enacted. The SFA amended the

Magnuson-Stevens Act and supported

further adjustment to the S-K Program to

address the current condition of

fisheries.

The Magnuson-Stevens Act, as

amended by the SFA, requires us to

undertake efforts to prevent overfishing,

rebuild overfished fisheries, insure

conservation, protect essential fish

habitats, and realize the full potential of

U.S. fishery resources. It further requires

that we take into account the

importance of fishery resources to

fishing communities; provide for the

sustained participation of such

communities; and, to the extent

possible, minimize the adverse

economic impacts of conservation and

management measures on such

communities. The Magnuson-Stevens

Act defines a ‘‘fishing community’’ as ‘‘a

community which is substantially

dependent on or substantially engaged

in the harvest or processing of fishery

resources to meet social and economic

needs, and includes fishing vessel

owners, operators, and crew and United

States fish processors that are based in

such community.’’ (16 U.S.C. 1802 (16)).

We have refocused the S-K Program to

address the needs of fishing

communities as defined by the

Magnuson-Stevens Act. The NOAA Strategic Plan, updated in

1998, has also shaped the S-K Program.

The Strategic Plan has three goals under

its Environmental Stewardship Mission:

Build Sustainable Fisheries (BSF),

Recover Protected Species, and Sustain

Healthy Coasts. The fisheries research

and development mission of the S-K

Program directly relates to the BSF goal.

There are three BSF objectives in the

Strategic Plan: 1. Eliminate and prevent overfishing

and overcapitalization. 2. Attain economic sustainability in

fishing communities. 3. Develop environmentally and

economically sound marine

aquaculture. For the FY 2001 S-K Grant Program

announced in this document, we have

attempted to address the most important

needs of fishing communities in terms

of the preceding BSF objectives. This

goal is reflected in the four funding

priorities listed in section II of this

document. Successful applications will

be those aimed at helping fishing

communities to resolve issues that affect

their ability to fish; make full use of

species currently under Federal

jurisdiction or explore the potential for

development of new sustainable

managed fisheries; and address the

socioeconomic impacts of overfishing

and overcapitalization.

The S-K Program is open to applicants

from a variety of sectors, including

industry, academia, and state and local

governments. We encourage

applications that involve collaboration

between industry and the other sectors

listed.

B. Changes from the Last Solicitation

Notice

We have changed some of the

conditions in this document from the

last S-K Grant Program solicitation

notice published on June 21, 1999 (64

FR 33050). For example, the scope of

the FY 2001 program announced in this

document is limited to marine species

under Federal jurisdiction. Therefore,

we encourage you to read the entire

document before preparing your

application.

C. Comments and Responses

We published a notice in the Federal

Register on February 25, 2000, (65 FR

10051) seeking comments on the

proposed scope and priorities for the FY

2001 S-K Program. We proposed

limiting the scope of the program to

marine species under Federal

management. Within the scope, we

proposed four priority areas for funding.

The proposed scope and priorities

covered the issues we deemed to be the

most important and the most

appropriate for the limited funds and

time frame of the S-K Program.

We received comments from one

individual, two industry associations, a

research institute, and an aquaculture

company by the deadline date. We have

combined similar comments here.

Comment 1: One individual called for

proper legal analysis and coordination

among Federal agencies on legal,

regulatory, and national security issues

as part of the proposed funding priority

on developing marine aquaculture in

the off-shore environment. In addition,

he recommended that we add specific

criteria to the notice (knowledge and

experience) for successful applicants to

address this priority area.

Response: We agree that applications

should address all relevant

considerations and should demonstrate

the knowledge and ability of the

investigator(s) to carry out the project,

as well as familiarity with related work.

However, these requirements are not

unique to the aquaculture priority, but

are evaluated for all applications in our

technical review process (see IV.B.1 of

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices 13703

this document). Appropriate subject

matter experts rate all applications,

regardless of their priority area, on

‘‘Project management and experience

and qualifications of personnel,’’ and

the other technical review criteria.

Therefore, we do not agree that we need

to revise the aquaculture priority to

include a criterion dealing with the

expertise of those applicants proposing

to address off-shore aquaculture.

Comment 2: A research laboratory

director and a seafood industry

association commented that we should

solicit proposals dealing with the

critical area of improved data for

fisheries management, including

biological data for stock assessments,

either as part of Priority A.,

Conservation Engineering, or as a

separate priority.

Response: We agree that better data

are essential to successful management

for sustainable fisheries. However, we

do not believe that the S-K Program is

the best means to conduct such work,

due to the limited funding and the short

term of S-K grants. Both NMFS and the

Regional Fishery Management Councils

(Councils) receive funds for stock

assessments and related activities under

their responsibilities for implementing

the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

Comment 3: An aquaculture company

and a shellfish industry group objected

to our proposal to limit the program

scope to federally managed species, and

the aquaculture priority to only the offshore marine environment, not landbased or near-shore aquaculture.

Response: In the past, we have

accepted applications that addressed

Great Lakes species and species under

state management plans as well as

federally managed species. While we

have funded many worthy projects on

non-federally managed species in the

past, current funding is inadequate to

cover every important and deserving

project.

However, we have modified the scope

somewhat. We recognize that species

that are not currently federally

managed, i.e., under Federal fishery

management plans (FMPs), may be

relevant to our fisheries management

mission. For example, such species

could present an opportunity to develop

a sustainable managed fishery to

substitute for an overfished fishery.

Therefore, the scope of the program for

FY 2001 has been changed to species

under Federal jurisdiction, i.e., in the

EEZ.

We have also modified the proposed

funding priority for aquaculture, in

response to the comments received and

in accordance with the NMFS research

plan for aquaculture. Although NOAA

and NMFS continue to support all

aspects of aquaculture development

through various efforts, marine

aquaculture remains the appropriate

focus for NMFS and the S-K Program.

While off-shore aquaculture

development is still a priority need, we

have added language to clarify that for

projects that address off-shore

aquaculture, the actual work does not

need to be conducted in the off-shore

environment. We have also added other

priority areas, including the need to

address environmental issues, develop

best management practices, and develop

effective enhancement strategies for

wild stocks of marine and anadromous

species.

As we stated in the notice of proposed

priorities, other programs of the U.S.

Department of Agriculture and NOAA’s

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric

Research address land-based and nearshore aquaculture operations. Another

possible source of assistance for

aquaculture is our Fisheries Finance

Program, which we have revised to

make loans to aquaculture ventures a

priority.

D. Funding

We expect to have approximately $3.8

million available for grant awards for

Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, which began on

October 1, 2000. However, we cannot

guarantee that sufficient funds will be

available to make awards for all

proposals deserving of funding.

In order to be funded under the S-K

Grant Program, applications must

propose activities that: address the

funding priorities listed in section II of

this document; are expected to produce

a direct benefit (e.g., tool, information,

service, or technology) to the fishing

community (as defined in section I.A. of

this document); and can be

accomplished within 18 months.

Acceptable research and development

activities include applied research,

demonstration projects, pilot or field

testing, or business plan development.

However, we will not fund projects that

primarily involve infrastructure

construction, port and harbor

development, or start-up or operational

costs for private business ventures.

Furthermore, if your proposed project

primarily involves data collection, we

will only consider it if it is directed to

a specific problem or need and has a

fixed duration. Data collection programs

of a continuing nature will not be

considered.

E. Eligibility

You are eligible to apply for a grant

or a cooperative agreement under the SK Grant Program if:

1. You are a citizen or national of the

United States;

2. You are a citizen of the Northern

Mariana Islands (NMI), being an

individual who qualifies as such under

section 8 of the Schedule on

Transitional Matters attached to the

constitution of the NMI;

3. You are a citizen of the Republic of

the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau,

or the Federated States of Micronesia; or

4. You represent an entity that is a

corporation, partnership, association, or

other non-Federal entity, non-profit or

otherwise (including Indian tribes), if

such entity is a citizen of the United

States or NMI, within the meaning of

section 2 of the Shipping Act, 1916, as

amended (46 U.S.C. app. 802).

We support cultural and gender

diversity in our programs and encourage

women and minority individuals and

groups to submit applications.

Furthermore, we recognize the interest

of the Secretaries of Commerce and

Interior in defining appropriate fisheries

policies and programs that meet the

needs of the U.S. insular areas, so we

also encourage applications from

individuals, government entities, and

businesses in U.S. insular areas.

We are strongly committed to

broadening the participation of Minority

Serving Institutions (MSIs), which

include Historically Black Colleges and

Universities, Hispanic Serving

Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and

Universities, in our programs. The DOC/

NOAA/NMFS vision, mission, and goals

are to achieve full participation by

MSIs, to advance the development of

human potential, strengthen the

Nation’s capacity to provide highquality education, and increase

opportunities for MSIs to participate in

and benefit from Federal financial

assistance programs. Therefore, we

encourage all applicants to include

meaningful participation of MSIs.

We encourage applications from

members of the fishing community, and

applications that involve fishing

community cooperation and

participation. We will consider the

extent of fishing community

involvement when evaluating the

potential benefit of funding a proposal.

You are not eligible to submit an

application under this program if you

are an employee of any Federal agency;

a Council; or an employee of a Council.

However, Council members who are not

Federal employees can submit an

application to the S-K Program.

Our employees (whether full-time,

part-time, or intermittent) are not

allowed to help you prepare your

application, except that S-K Program

staff may provide you with information

13704 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices

on program goals, funding priorities,

application procedures, and completion

of application forms. Since this is a

competitive program, NMFS and NOAA

employees will not provide assistance

in conceptualizing, developing, or

structuring proposals, or write letters of

support for a proposal.

Unsatisfactory performance under

prior Federal awards may result in your

application not being considered for

funding.

F. Duration and Terms of Funding

We will award grants or cooperative

agreements for a maximum period of 18

months.

We do not fund multi-year projects

under the S-K Program. If we select your

application for funding and you wish to

continue work on the project beyond the

funding period, you must submit

another proposal to the competitive

process for consideration, and you will

not receive preferential treatment.

If we select your application for

funding, we have 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 totally at

our discretion.

Even though we are publishing this

announcement, we are not required to

award any specific grant or cooperative

agreement, nor are we required to

obligate any part or the entire amount of

funds available.

G. Cost Sharing

We are requiring cost sharing in order

to leverage the limited funds available

for this program and to encourage

partnerships among government,

industry, and academia to address the

needs of fishing communities. You must

provide a minimum cost share of 10

percent of total project costs, but your

cost share must not exceed 50 percent

of total costs. (For example, if the

proposed total budget for your project is

$100,000, you must contribute at least

$10,000, but no more than $50,000,

toward the total costs. Accordingly, the

Federal share you apply for would range

from $50,000 to $90,000.) If your

application does not comply with these

cost share requirements, we will return

it to you and will not consider it for

funding.

The funds you provide as cost sharing

may include funds from private sources

or from state or local governments, or

the value of in-kind contributions. You

may not use Federal funds to meet the

cost sharing requirement except as

provided by Federal statute. In-kind

contributions are non-cash

contributions provided to you by nonFederal third parties. In-kind

contributions may include, but are not

limited to, personal services

volunteered to perform tasks in the

project, and permission to use, at no

cost, real or personal property owned by

others.

We will determine the

appropriateness of all cost sharing

proposals, including the valuation of inkind contributions, on the basis of

guidance provided in 15 CFR parts 14

and 24. In general, the value of in-kind

services or property you use to fulfill

your cost share will be the fair market

value of the services or property. Thus,

the value is equivalent to the cost for

you to obtain such services or property

if they had not been donated. You must

document the in-kind services or

property you will use to fulfill your cost

share.

If we decide to fund your application,

we will require you to account for the

total amount of cost share included in

the award document.

H. Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance

The S-K Grant Program is listed in the

‘‘Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance’’ under number 11.427,

Fisheries Development and Utilization

Research and Development Grants and

Cooperative Agreements Program.

I. Application Addresses

Northeast Region, NMFS, One

Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930;

(978) 281–9267.

Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721

Executive Center Drive, North, St.

Petersburg, FL 33702–2432, (727) 570–

5324.

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West

Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long

Beach, CA: 90802–4213, (562) 980–

4033.

Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand

Point Way, N.E., BIN C15700, Building

1, Seattle, WA 98115, (206) 526–6115.

Alaska Region, NMFS, P.0. Box

21668, Juneau, AK 99802 or Federal

Building, 709 West 9th Street, 4th Floor,

Juneau, AK 99801–1668, (907) 586–

7224.

J. Electronic Access Addresses

This solicitation and the application

package are available on the NMFS S-K

Home Page at:

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfweb/

skhome.html.

The 1998 updated Executive

Summary of the NOAA Strategic Plan is

available at: www.strategic.noaa.gov/

and the Magnuson-Stevens Act is

available at: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/

magact/.

The list of species that are currently

under Federal FMPs is in the

publication, Status of Fisheries of the

United States, available at:

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/reports.html.

II. Funding Priorities

Your proposal must address one of

the priorities listed here as they pertain

to species under Federal jurisdiction. If

you select more than one priority, you

should list first on your application the

priority that most closely reflects the

objectives of your proposal.

If we do not receive proposals that

adequately respond to the priorities

listed, we may use S-K funds to carry

out a national program of research and

development addressed to aspects of

U.S. fisheries pursuant to section 713c–

3(d) of the S-K Act, as amended.

The priorities are not listed in any

particular order and each is of equal

importance.

A. Conservation Engineering

Reduce or eliminate adverse

interactions between fishing operations

and nontargeted, protected, or

prohibited species, including the

inadvertent take, capture, or destruction

of such species. These include juvenile

or sublegal-sized fish and shellfish,

females of certain crabs, fish listed

under the Endangered Species Act

(ESA), marine turtles, seabirds, or

marine mammals.

Improve the survivability of fish

discarded or intentionally released and

of protected species released in fishing

operations.

Reduce or eliminate impacts of

fishing activity on essential fish habitat

(EFH) that adversely affect the

sustainability of the fishery.

B. Optimum Utilization of Harvested

Resources under Federal Jurisdiction

Reduce or eliminate factors such as

diseases, human health hazards, and

quality problems that limit the

marketability of fish under Federal

jurisdiction and their products in the

United States and abroad.

Increase public knowledge of the safe

handling and use of fish under Federal

jurisdiction and their products.

Develop usable products from

economic discards (defined in the

Magnuson-Stevens Act as ‘‘fish which

are the target of a fishery, but which are

not retained because they are of an

undesirable size, sex, or quality, or for

other economic reasons’’) and from

byproducts of processing of federally

managed species.

Develop fishing data to be presented

to the Council(s) to determine the

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices 13705

feasibility of a new sustainably managed

fishery.

C. Planning for Fishing Community

Transition

Help fishing communities to address

the socioeconomic effects of overfishing

and overcapitalized fisheries through

business, community, or state planning

activities, including business planning

for fishing capacity reduction. Activities

may complement, but should not

duplicate, programs available from other

Federal, state, or local agencies.

D. Marine Aquaculture

Advance the implementation of

marine aquaculture in the off-shore

environment (i.e., the EEZ) by

addressing technical aspects such as

systems engineering, environmental

compatibility, and culture technology.

Although you are not required to

conduct the actual work in the EEZ,

your application must demonstrate that

the project will contribute to the goal of

off-shore industry development.

Reduce or eliminate legal and social

barriers to off-shore aquaculture

development, e.g., legal constraints, use

conflicts, exclusionary mapping, and

appropriate institutional roles.

Address environmental issues for

marine aquaculture, e.g., measure and

reduce water quality and benthic

community impacts; evaluate and

reduce negative interactions between

aquaculture and wild stocks, protected

resources, and EFH; develop best

management practices with scientific

analysis and assessment of risk.

Develop effective enhancement

strategies for marine and anadromous

species to help in the recovery of wild

stocks.

III. How to Apply

You must follow the instructions in

this document in order to apply for a

grant or cooperative agreement under

the S-K Program. Your application must

be complete and must follow the format

described here. Your application should

not be bound in any manner and must

be printed on one side only. You must

submit one signed original and nine

signed copies of your application.

A. Cover Sheet

You must use Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) Standard Form 424

and 424B (4–92) as the cover sheet for

each project. (In order to complete item

16 of Standard Form 424, see section

V.A.5. of this document.)

B. Project Summary

You must complete NOAA Form 88–

204 (10–98), Project Summary, for each

project. You must list on the Project

Summary the specific priority to which

the application responds (see section II.

of this document).

C. Project Budget

You must submit a budget for each

project, using NOAA Form 88–205 (10–

98), Project Budget and associated

instructions. You must provide detailed

cost estimates showing total project

costs. Indicate the breakdown of costs

between Federal and non-Federal

shares, divided into cash and in-kind

contributions. To support the budget,

describe briefly the basis for estimating

the value of the cost sharing derived

from in-kind contributions. Specify

estimates of the direct costs in the

categories listed on the Project Budget

form.

You may also include in the budget

an amount for indirect costs if you have

an established indirect cost rate with the

Federal government. For this

solicitation, the total dollar amount of

the indirect costs you propose in your

application must not exceed the indirect

cost rate negotiated and approved by a

cognizant Federal agency prior to the

proposed effective date of the award, or

100 percent of the total proposed direct

costs dollar amount in the application,

whichever is less. The Federal share of

the indirect costs may not exceed 25

percent of the total proposed direct

costs. If you have an approved indirect

cost rate above 25 percent of the total

proposed direct cost, you may use the

amount above the 25-percent level up to

the 100-percent level as part of the nonFederal share. You must include a copy

of the current, approved, negotiated

indirect cost agreement with the Federal

government with your application.

We will not consider fees or profits as

allowable costs in your application.

The total costs of a project consist of

all allowable costs you incur, including

the value of in-kind contributions, in

accomplishing project objectives during

the life of the project. A project begins

on the effective date of an award

agreement between you and an

authorized representative of the U.S.

Government and ends on the date

specified in the award. Accordingly, we

cannot reimburse you for time that you

expend or costs that you incur in

developing a project or preparing the

application, or in any discussions or

negotiations you may have with us prior

to the award. We will not accept such

expenditures as part of your cost share.

D. Narrative Project Description

You must provide a narrative

description of your project that may be

up to 15 pages long. The narrative

should demonstrate your knowledge of

the need for the project, and show how

your proposal builds upon any past and

current work in the subject area, as well

as relevant work in related fields. You

should not assume that we already

know the relative merits of the project

you describe. You must describe your

project as follows:

1. Project goals and objectives.

Identify the specific priority listed

earlier in the solicitation to which the

proposed project responds. Identify the

problem/opportunity you intend to

address and describe its significance to

the fishing community. State what you

expect the project to accomplish.

If you are applying to continue a

project we previously funded under the

S-K Program, describe in detail your

progress to date and explain why you

need additional funding. We will

consider this information in evaluating

your current application.

2. Project impacts. Describe the

anticipated impacts of the project on the

fishing community in terms of reduced

bycatch, increased product yield, or

other measurable benefits. Describe how

you will make the results of the project

available to the public.

3. Evaluation of project. Specify the

criteria and procedures that you will use

to evaluate the relative success or failure

of a project in achieving its objectives.

4. Need for government financial

assistance. Explain why you need

government financial assistance for the

proposed work. List all other sources of

funding you have or are seeking for the

project.

5. Federal, state, and local

government activities and permits. List

any existing Federal, state, or local

government programs or activities that

this project would affect, including

activities requiring: certification under

state Coastal Zone Management Plans;

section 404 or section 10 permits issued

by the Corps of Engineers; experimental

fishing or other permits under FMPs;

environmental impact statements to

meet the requirements of the National

Environmental Policy Act; scientific

permits under the ESA and/or the

Marine Mammal Protection Act; or

Magnuson-Stevens Act EFH

consultation if the project may

adversely affect areas identified as EFH.

Describe the relationship between the

project and these FMPs or activities, and

list names and addresses of persons

providing this information. You can get

information on these activities from the

NMFS Regions (see Section I.F.,

Application ADDRESSES). If we select

your project for funding, you are

responsible for complying with all

applicable requirements.

13706 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices

6. Project statement of work. The

statement of work is an action plan of

activities you will conduct during the

period of the project. You must prepare

a detailed narrative, fully describing the

work you will perform to achieve the

project goals and objectives. The

narrative should respond to the

following questions:

(a) What is the project design? What

specific work, activities, procedures,

statistical design, or analytical methods

will you undertake?

(b) Who will be responsible for

carrying out the various activities?

(Highlight work that will be

subcontracted and provisions for

competitive subcontracting.)

(c) What are the major products and

how will project results be

disseminated? Describe products of the

project, such as a manual, video,

technique, or piece of equipment.

Indicate how project results will be

disseminated to potential users.

(d) What are the project milestones?

List milestones, describing the specific

activities and associated time lines to

conduct the scope of work. Describe the

time lines in increments (e.g., month 1,

month 2), rather than by specific dates.

Identify the individual(s) responsible for

the various specific activities.

This information is critical for us to

conduct a thorough review of your

application, so we encourage you to

provide sufficient detail.

7. Participation by persons or groups

other than the applicant. Describe how

government and non-government

entities, particularly members of fishing

communities, will participate in the

project, and the nature of their

participation. We will consider the

degree of participation by members of

the fishing community in determining

which applications to fund.

8. Project management. Describe how

the project will be organized and

managed. Identify the principal

investigator and other participants in

the project. If you do not identify the

principal investigator, we will return

your application without further

consideration. Include copies of any

agreements between you and the

participants describing the specific tasks

to be performed. Provide a statement no

more than two pages long of the

qualifications and experience (e.g.,

resume or curriculum vitae) of the

principal investigator(s) and any

consultants and/or subcontractors, and

indicate their level of involvement in

the project. If any portion of the project

will be conducted through consultants

and/or subcontracts, you must follow

procurement guidance in 15 CFR part

24, ‘‘Grants and Cooperative

Agreements to State and Local

Governments,’’ and 15 CFR part 14,

‘‘Uniform Administrative Requirements

for Grants and Agreements with

Institutions of Higher Education,

Hospitals, Other Non-Profit, and

Commercial Organizations.’’ If you

select a consultant and/or a

subcontractor prior to submitting an

application, indicate the process that

you used for selection.

E. Supporting Documentation

You should include any relevant

documents and additional information

(i.e., maps, background documents) that

will help us to understand the project

and the problem/opportunity you seek

to address.

IV. Screening, Evaluation, and

Selection Procedures

A. Initial Screening of Applications

When we receive applications at any

of the NMFS Regional Offices, we will

first screen them to ensure that they

were received by the deadline date (see

DATES); include OMB form 424 signed

and dated by an authorized

representative (see section III. A. of this

document); were submitted by an

eligible applicant (see section I.E. of this

document); provide for at least a 10-

percent cost share but not more than 50

percent (see section I.G. of this

document); involve an eligible activity

(see section I.D. of this document);

address one of the funding priorities for

species under Federal jurisdiction (see

section II.A.-D. of this document);

include a budget and a statement of

work including milestones (see sections

III.C. and III.D.6 of this document); and

identify the principal investigator (see

section III D.8. of this document). If your

application does not conform to these

requirements and the deadline for

submission has passed, we will return it

to you without further consideration.

We do not have to screen applications

before the submission deadline, nor do

we have to give you an opportunity to

correct any deficiencies that cause your

application to be rejected.

B. Evaluation of Proposed Projects

1. Technical Evaluation

After the initial screening, we will

solicit individual evaluations of each

project application from three or more

appropriate private and public sector

experts to determine the technical merit.

These reviewers will be required to

certify that they do not have a conflict

of interest concerning the application(s)

they are reviewing. They will assign

scores ranging from a minimum of 60

(poor) to a maximum of 100 (excellent)

to applications based on the following

criteria, with weights shown in

parentheses:

a. Soundness of project design/

conceptual approach. Applications will

be evaluated on the conceptual

approach; the likelihood of project

results in the time frame specified in the

application; whether there is sufficient

information to evaluate the project

technically; and, if so, the strengths

and/or weaknesses of the technical

design relative to securing productive

results. (50 percent)

b. Project management and

experience and qualifications of

personnel. The organization and

management of the project will be

evaluated. The project’s principal

investigator and other personnel,

including consultants and contractors

participating in the project, will be

evaluated in terms of related experience

and qualifications. Applications that

include consultants and contractors will

be reviewed to determine if your

involvement, as the primary applicant,

is necessary to the conduct of the

project and the accomplishment of its

objectives. (25 percent)

c. Project evaluation. The

effectiveness of your proposed methods

to monitor and evaluate the success or

failure of the project in terms of meeting

its original objectives will be examined.

(10 percent)

d. Project costs. The justification and

allocation of the budget in terms of the

work to be performed will be evaluated.

Unreasonably high or low project costs

will be taken into account. (15 percent)

Following the technical review, we

will determine the weighted score for

each individual review and average the

individual technical review scores to

determine the final technical score for

each application. Then, we will rank

applications in descending order by

their final technical scores and

determine a ‘‘cutoff’’ score that is based

on the amount of funds available for

grants. We will eliminate from further

consideration those applications that

scored below the cutoff.

2. Constituent Panel(s)

For those applications at or above the

cutoff technical evaluation score, we

will solicit individual comments and

evaluations from a panel or panels of

three or more representatives selected

by the Assistant Administrator for

Fisheries (AA), NOAA. Panel members

will be chosen from the fishing

industry, state government, nongovernment organizations, and others,

as appropriate. We will provide

panelists with a summary of the

technical evaluations, and, for

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices 13707

applications to continue a previously

funded project, information on progress

on the funded work to date.

Each panelist will evaluate the

applications in terms of the significance

of the problem or opportunity being

addressed, the degree to which the

project involves collaboration with

fishing community members and other

appropriate collaborators, proposed

means to disseminate project results,

and the merits of funding each project.

Each panelist will provide a rating from

0–4 (poor to excellent) for each project,

and provide comments if they wish.

Panel members will be required to

certify that they do not have a conflict

of interest and that they will maintain

confidentiality of the panel

deliberations.

Following the Constituent Panel

meeting, we will average the individual

ratings for each project. We will then

develop a ranking of projects based on

the individual ranks within each of the

priority areas.

C. Selection Procedures and Project

Funding

After projects have been evaluated

and ranked, we will use this

information, along with input from the

NMFS Regional Administrators (RAs)

and Office Directors (ODs), to develop

recommendations for project funding.

RAs/ODs will prepare a written

justification for any recommendations

for funding that fall outside the ranking

order, or for any cost adjustments.

The AA will review the funding

recommendations and comments of the

RAs/ODs and determine the projects to

be funded. In making the final

selections, the AA may consider costs,

geographical distribution, and

duplication with other federally funded

projects. Awards are not necessarily

made to the highest ranked applications.

We will notify you in writing whether

your application is selected or not.

Furthermore, if your application is not

selected, we will return it to you.

Successful applications will be

incorporated into the award document.

The exact amount of funds, the scope

of work, and terms and conditions of a

successful award will be determined in

preaward negotiations between you and

NOAA/NMFS representatives. The

funding instrument (grant or

cooperative agreement) will be

determined by NOAA Grants. You

should not initiate your project in

expectation of Federal funding until you

receive a grant award document signed

by an authorized NOAA official.

We will not award any Federal funds

to you or any subrecipients who have an

outstanding delinquent Federal debt or

fine until either:

a. The delinquent account is paid in

full,

b. A negotiated repayment schedule is

established and at least one payment is

received, or

c. Other arrangements satisfactory to

Commerce are made.

V. Administrative Requirements

A. Your Obligations as an Applicant

You must:

1. Meet all application requirements

and provide all information necessary

for the evaluation of the proposal(s),

including one signed original and nine

signed copies of the application.

2. Be available to respond to questions

during the review and evaluation of the

proposal(s).

3. Submit a completed Form CD-511,

‘‘Certification Regarding Debarment,

Suspension and Other Responsibility

Matters; Drug-Free Workplace

Requirements and Lobbying.’’ The

following explanations are provided:

a. Nonprocurement debarment and

suspension. Prospective participants (as

defined at 15 CFR 26.105) are subject to

15 CFR part 26, ‘‘Nonprocurement

Debarment and Suspension’’ and the

related section of the certification form

prescribed above applies;

b. Drug-free workplace. Grantees (as

defined at 15 CFR 26.605) are subject to

15 CFR part 26, subpart F,

‘‘Governmentwide Requirements for

Drug-Free Workplace (Grants),’’ and the

related section of the certification form

prescribed above applies;

c. Anti-lobbying. Persons (as defined

at 15 CFR 28.105) 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 applies to

applications for grants or cooperative

agreements for more than $100,000; and

d. Anti-lobbying disclosures. Any

applicant who 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.

4. If applicable, require applicants/

bidders for subgrants, contracts,

subcontracts, or other lower tier covered

transactions at any tier under the award

to submit 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 your use and should not be

sent to the Department of Commerce

(Commerce). You should send an SFLLL submitted by any tier recipient or

subrecipient to Commerce only if your

application is recommended for

funding. Instructions will be contained

in the award document. We will provide

you with all required forms.

5. Complete Item 16 on Standard

Form 424 (4-92) regarding clearance by

the State Point Of Contact (SPOC)

established as a result of Executive

Order 12372. You can get the list of

SPOCs from any of the NMFS offices

listed in this document or from the SK Home Page (see section I.G. Electronic

Access Addresses of this document). It

is also included in the ‘‘Catalog of

Federal Domestic Assistance.’’ You

must contact the SPOC, if your state has

one, to see if applications to the S-K

Program are subject to review. If SPOC

clearance is required, you are

responsible for getting that clearance in

time to submit your application to the

S-K Program by the deadline (see

DATES).

6. Complete Standard Form 424B (4-

92), ‘‘Assurances—Non-construction

Programs.’’ B. Your Obligations as a

Successful Applicant (Recipient) If you

are awarded a grant or cooperative

agreement for a project, you must:

1. Manage the day-to-day operations

of the project, be responsible for the

performance of all activities for which

funds are granted, and be responsible

for the satisfaction of all administrative

and managerial conditions imposed by

the award.

2. Keep records sufficient to

document any costs incurred under the

award, and allow access to these records

for audit and examination by the

Secretary of Commerce, the Comptroller

General of the United States, or their

authorized representatives; and, submit

financial status reports (SF 269) to

NOAA’s Grants Management Division in

accordance with the award conditions.

3. Submit semiannual project status

reports on the use of funds and progress

of the project to us within 30 days after

the end of each 6-month period. You

will submit these reports to the

individual identified as the NMFS

Program Officer in the funding

agreement.

4. Submit a final report within 90

days after completion of each project to

the NMFS Program Officer. The final

report must describe the project and

include an evaluation of the work you

performed and the results and benefits

in sufficient detail to enable us to assess

the success of the completed project.

We are committed to using available

technology to achieve the timely and

13708 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices

wide distribution of final reports to

those who would benefit from this

information. Therefore, you are required

to submit final reports in electronic

format, in accordance with the award

terms and conditions, for publication on

the NMFS S-K Home Page. You may

charge the costs associated with

preparing and transmitting your final

reports in electronic format to the grant

award. We will consider requests for

exemption from the electronic

submission requirement on a case-bycase basis.

We will provide you with OMBapproved formats for the semiannual

and final reports.

5. In addition to the final report in

section V.B.4. of this document, we

request that you submit any

publications printed with grant funds

(such as manuals, surveys, etc.) to the

NMFS Program Officer for

dissemination to the public. Submit

either three hard copies or an electronic

version of any such publications.

You are encouraged to the extent

feasible to purchase American-made

equipment and products with the

funding provided under this program.

Note, if you incur any costs prior to

receiving an award agreement signed by

an authorized NOAA official, you do so

solely at your own risk of not being

reimbursed by the Government.

Notwithstanding any verbal or written

assurance that you may have received,

Commerce has no obligation to cover

preaward costs.

C. Other Requirements

1. Federal Policies and Procedures

If you receive Federal funding, you

are subject to all Federal laws and

Federal and Commerce policies,

regulations, and procedures applicable

to financial assistance awards. You must

comply with general provisions that

apply to all recipients under Commerce

grant and cooperative agreement

programs.

2. Name Check Review

You may be subject to a name check

review process. We use name checks to

determine if you or any key individuals

named in your application have been

convicted of, or are presently facing,

criminal charges such as fraud, theft,

perjury, or other matters that

significantly reflect on your

management, honesty, or financial

integrity.

3. Financial Management Certification/

Preaward Accounting Survey

You may, at the discretion of the

NOAA Grants Officer, be required to

have your financial management

systems certified by an independent

public accountant as being in

compliance with Federal standards

specified in the applicable OMB

Circulars prior to execution of the

award. If you are a first-time applicant

for Federal grant funds, you may be

subject to a preaward accounting survey

by Commerce prior to execution of the

award.

4. False Statements

A false statement on the application is

grounds for denial or termination of

funds and grounds for possible

punishment by a fine or imprisonment

(18 U.S.C. 1001).

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.

Furthermore, 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 Executive

Order 12866.

Applications under this program are

subject to Executive Order 12372,

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs.’’

This document contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). 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.

NOAA-specific requirements have been

approved under OMB control number

0648–0135. These requirements and

their estimated response times are 1

hour for a project summary, 1 hour for

a budget form, 2.5 hours for a

semiannual report, and 13 hours for a

final report. These estimates 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 regarding these burden

estimates or any other aspect of this

collection of information, including

suggestions for reducing this burden, to

Alicia Jarboe, F/SF2, Room 13112, 1315

East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD

20910–3282.

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.

A solicitation for applications will

also appear in the ‘‘Commerce Business

Daily.’’

Dated: February 28, 2001.

William T. Hogarth,

Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–5560 Filed 3–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

[OMB Control Number 0704–0231]

Information Collection Requirements;

Defense Federal Acquisition

Regulation Supplement; Mortuary

Services Contracts

AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD).

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments regarding a proposed

extension of an approved information

collection requirement.

SUMMARY: In compliance with section

3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35), DoD announces the

proposed extension of a public

information collection requirement and

seeks public comment on the provisions

thereof. DoD invites comments on: (a)

Whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of DoD,

including whether the information will

have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of

the estimate of the burden of the

proposed information collection; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the

burden of the information collection on

respondents, including the use of

automated collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

The Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) has approved this information

collection requirement for use through

July 31, 2001. DoD proposes that OMB

extend its approval for use through July

31, 2004.

DATES: DoD will consider all comments

received by May 7, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Respondents may submit

comments directly on the World Wide

Web at http://emissary.acq.osd.mil/dar/

dfars.nsf/pubcomm. As an alternative,

respondents may e-mail comments to:

dfars@acq.osd.mil. Please cite OMB

Control Number 0704–0231 in the

subject line of e-mailed comments.

Respondents that cannot submit

comments using either of the above

methods may submit comments to: