07-1997. Availability of Grants Funds for Fiscal Year 2007

AGENCY:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

NOAA publishes this notice to change the funding amounts, year of funds, the approximate range of awards that will be made, and the earliest start dates of awards for the solicitation “FR 2007 Regional Integrated Ocean Observing System Development,” which was originally announced in the Federal Register on December 27, 2006. This notice applies to only those applicants who have already submitted letters of intent and who have been invited to submit full proposals.

DATES:

Proposals must be submitted through Grants.gov no later than 5 p.m., Eastern Time, April 17, 2007.

ADDRESSES:

Full proposal application packages should be submitted through Grants.gov APPLY. The standard NOAA funding application package is available at http://www.grants.gov.

If an applicant does not have Internet access, the applicant must submit through surface mail one set of originals (signed) and two copies of the proposals and related forms to the Coastal Services Center. No e-mail or fax copies will be accepted. Any U.S. Postal Service correspondence should be sent to the attention of James Lewis Free, NOAA Coastal Services Center, 2234 South Hobson Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina, 29405-2413.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For administrative issues, contact James Lewis Free at 843-740-1185 (phone) or e-mail him at [e-mail]. Technical questions on the IOOS announcement should be directed to the following people according to the focus area in question: RCOOS Development, Geno Olmi by telephone at 843-740-1230 (phone) or e-mail him at [e-mail]; IOOS Applications and Product Development, Dave Eslinger by telephone [phone], or by e-mail [e-mail]; and Data Management and Communications, Jim Boyd by telephone [phone], or by e-mail [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

NOAA publishes this notice to change the funding amounts, year of funds, the approximate range of awards that will be made, and the earliest start dates of awards for the solicitation “FY 2007 Regional Integrated Ocean Observing System Development” announced in the Federal Register on December 27, 2006 (71 FR 77733). NOAA modifies the years of funding available to include FY 2008 funds, increases the approximate range of awards that will be made, and moves up the earliest start dates of awards for the NOAA Coastal Services Center Announcement of Opportunity, FY 2007 to more fully explain what funds will be used, how many awards might be made, and when awards may start. This notice applies to applicants who submitted letters of intent and who have been invited to submit full proposals. All other requirements for this solicitation remain the same.

Limitation of Liability

In no even will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if this program is cancelled because of other agency priorities.

Publication of this announcement does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. Applicants are hereby given notice that funding for the Fiscal Year 2007 and 2008 program is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2007 and 2008 appropriations.

Universal Identifier

Applicants should be aware they are required to provide a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number during the application process. See the October 30, 2002 Federal Register, (67, FR 66177) for additional information. Organizations can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or via the Internet at http://www.dunandbradstreet.com.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for applicant projects or proposals which are seeking NOAA federal funding opportunities. Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the following NOAA NEPA Web site: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/​,, including our NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/​NAO216_​6_​TOC.pdf,, and the Council on Environmental Quality implementation regulations, http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/​nepa/​regs/​ceq/​toc_​ceq.htm. Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under their description of their program activities, applicants are required to provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist (e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to endangered and threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef systems). In addition to providing specific information that will serve as the basis for any required impact analyses, applicants may also be requested to assist NOAA in drafting of an environmental assessment, if NOAA determines an assessment is required. Applicants will also be required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. The failure to do so shall be grounds for not selecting an application. In some cases if additional information is required after an application is selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit additional environmental compliance information sufficient to enable NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on the environment. The Department of Commerce Preaward Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register notice of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 49917), as amended by the Federal Register notice published on October 30, 2002 (67 FR 66109), are applicable to this solicitation.

Paperwork Reduction Act

This document contains collection-of-information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, SF-LLL, and CD-346 has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the respective control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046, and 0605-0001. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Executive Order 12866

This notice has been determined to be not significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

It has been determined that this notice does not contain policies with Federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.

Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act

Prior notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required by the Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules concerning public property, loans, grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). Because notice and opportunity for comment are not required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been prepared.

Dated: April 12, 2007.

Nicholas Schmidt,

Deputy Director, Coastal Services Center.