[Federal Register: December 6, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 235)]
[Notices]
[Page 72652-72657]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06de02-46]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 03-13:
Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research Program
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) of
the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby
announces its interest in receiving applications for research grants in
the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) Program.
The goal of the NABIR program is to provide the fundamental science
that will serve as the basis for development of cost-effective
bioremediation and long-term stewardship of radionuclides and metals in
the subsurface at DOE sites. The focus of the program is on strategies
leading to long-term immobilization of contaminants in place to reduce
the risk to humans and the environment. Research should address
bioremediation of uranium, technetium, plutonium, chromium or mercury.
NABIR is focused on subsurface sediments below the zone of root
influence and includes both the vadose (unsaturated) zone and the
saturated zone (groundwater and sediments). Applications should
describe research projects in one or more of the following program
elements: Biogeochemistry, Biotransformation, Community Dynamics and
Microbial Ecology, Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Assessment,
and Bioremediation and its Societal Implications and Concerns. Studies
that integrate research from more than one NABIR element are strongly
encouraged.
DATES: Researchers are strongly encouraged (but not required) to submit
a preapplication for programmatic review. Preapplications will be
accepted on an ongoing basis, however, early submission of
preapplications is encouraged, to allow time for review for
programmatic relevance. A brief preapplication should consist of one or
two pages of narrative describing the research objectives and methods.
The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 4:30 p.m.,
E.S.T., March 11, 2003, to be accepted for merit review and to permit
timely consideration for awards late in Fiscal Year 2003 or in early
Fiscal Year 2004.
ADDRESSES: Preapplications referencing Program Notice 03-13 should be
sent by E-mail to anna.palmisano@science.doe.gov.
Formal applications in response to this solicitation are to be
electronically submitted by an authorized institutional business
official through DOE's Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS)
at: http://e-center.doe.gov/. IIPS provides for the posting of
solicitations and receipt of applications in a paperless environment
via the Internet. In order to submit applications through IIPS your
business official will need to register at the IIPS Web site. The
Office of Science will include attachments as part of this notice that
provide the appropriate forms in PDF fillable format that are to be
submitted through IIPS. Color images should be submitted in IIPS as a
separate file in PDF format and identified as such. These images should
be kept to a minimum due to the limitations of reproducing them. They
should be numbered and referred to in the body of the technical
scientific application as Color image 1, Color image 2, etc. Questions
regarding the operation of IIPS may be E-mailed to the IIPS Help Desk
at: HelpDesk@e-center.doe.gov or you may call the help desk at: (800)
683-0751. Further information on the use of IIPS by the Office of
Science is available at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html
.
If you are unable to submit an application through IIPS please
contact the Grants and Contracts Division, Office of Science at: (301)
903-5212 in order to gain assistance for submission through IIPS or to
receive special approval and instructions on how to submit printed
applications.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Anna Palmisano, Environmental
Remediation Sciences Division, SC-75/Germantown Building, Office of
Biological and Environmental Research, Office of Science, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC
20585-1290, telephone: (301) 903-9963, E-mail:
anna.palmisano@science.doe.gov, fax: (301) 903-8519. The full text of
Program Notice 03-13 is available via the Internet using the following
Web site address: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/ grants/grants.html.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
For more than 50 years, the U.S. created a vast network of more
than 113
[[Page 72653]]
facilities for research, development, testing and production of nuclear
weapons. As a result of these activities, subsurface contamination has
been identified at over 7,000 discrete sites across the U.S. Department
of Energy complex. With the end of the Cold War threat, the DOE has
shifted its emphasis to remediation, decommissioning, and
decontamination of contaminated groundwater, sediments, and structures
at its sites. DOE is currently responsible for remediating 1.7 trillion
gallons of contaminated groundwater and 40 million cubic meters of
contaminated soil. It is estimated that more than 60% of DOE facilities
have groundwater contaminated with metals or radionuclides. More than
50% of all DOE facilities have soils or sediments contaminated with
radionuclides and metals. While virtually all of the contaminants found
at industrial sites nationwide can also be found at DOE sites, many of
the metals and most of the radionuclides are unique to DOE sites. The
NABIR program aims: (1) To provide the fundamental knowledge that may
lead to new remediation technologies or strategies for radionuclides
and metals; and (2) to advance the understanding of the key
microbiological and geochemical processes that control the
effectiveness of in situ immobilization as a means of long term
stewardship, and how these processes impact contaminant transport.
While bioremediation of organic contaminants involves their
biotransformation to benign products such as carbon dioxide,
bioremediation of radionuclides and metals involves their removal from
the aqueous phase to reduce risk to humans and the environment.
Microorganisms can directly affect the solubility of radionuclides and
metals by changing their oxidation state to a reduced form that leads
to in situ immobilization. Or, microorganisms can indirectly immobilize
radionuclides and metals through the reduction of inorganic ions that
can, in turn, chemically reduce contaminants to less mobile forms. The
long term stability of these reduced contaminants is as yet unknown.
Currently, the fundamental knowledge that would allow cost-
effective deployment of in situ subsurface bioremediation of
radionuclides and metals is lacking. The focus of the NABIR program is
on radionuclides and metals that: (1) Pose the greatest potential risk
to humans and the environment at DOE sites; and (2) are amenable to for
immobilization by means of bioremediation. Thus, research is focused on
the radionuclides uranium, technetium and plutonium and the metals
chromium and mercury. Radioactive contaminants such as tritium and
cobalt are not a focus because of their relatively short half lives,
and strontium and cesium are not addressed because they are not readily
amenable to biotransformation. Research is focused on subsurface
sediments below the zone of root influence and includes both the vadose
(unsaturated) zone and the saturated zone (both groundwater and
sediments). NABIR research is oriented toward areas that have low
levels of widespread contamination; it is too costly to clean up those
situations with existing technologies. Uranium, technetium, and
chromium can be especially mobile in the subsurface under certain
conditions; they are risk-driving contaminants at some DOE sites. The
effects of co-contaminants such as nitrate, complexing agents (such as
EDTA) and chlorinated solvents (such as trichloroethylene and carbon
tetrachloride) on the behavior of radionuclides and metals in the
subsurface is also of interest to the NABIR program.
NABIR Program
The goal of the NABIR program is to provide the fundamental science
that will serve as the basis for development of cost-effective
bioremediation and long-term stewardship of radionuclides and metals in
the subsurface at DOE sites. The focus of the program is on strategies
leading to long-term immobilization in place of contaminants to reduce
the risk to humans and the environment. The NABIR program encompasses
both intrinsic bioremediation by naturally occurring microbial
communities, as well as accelerated bioremediation through the use of
biostimulation (addition of inorganic or organic nutrients). The NABIR
Program supports hypothesis-driven, basic research that is more
fundamental in nature than demonstration projects. Research on
phytoremediation will not be supported by this solicitation; a separate
solicitation for a Joint Interagency Program on Phytoremediation
Research can be found at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/Fr03-04.html
.
Naturally occurring subsurface microbes may be involved in
intrinsic bioremediation of radionuclides and metals by reduction and
immobilization, either directly or indirectly. However, these natural
processes typically occur at fairly slow rates, and there may be a need
to use biostimulation to enhance the rates. The primary focus of the
NABIR program is on biostimulation strategies, due to the ubiquity of
metal-reducers in nature. Immobilized radionuclides and metals are not
removed from the subsurface as may occur with excavation, pump and
treat, or biodegradation of organic contaminants. Immobilization is
focused on containment in vadose zone and groundwater plumes. As such,
it may be a strategy applied to prevent the discharge of deep or widely
distributed contaminants from the vadose zone to groundwater, or from
groundwater to a receiving water body (e.g., the Columbia River at
Hanford). In situ immobilization of contaminants is one approach to
long term stewardship, which is the post-closure responsibility of DOE
at its contaminated sites. Long term stewardship involves long-term
monitoring and other maintenance activities to ensure that residual in-
ground contaminants do not spread further. Therefore, an important
aspect to the NABIR program is to assess factors controlling the long-
term stability of the immobilized contaminants and to devise approaches
(biological/chemical) to maintain their immobilization through the
stewardship phase.
The NABIR program consists of four interrelated Science Elements
(Biogeochemistry, Biotransformation, Community Dynamics and Microbial
Ecology, and Biomolecular Science and Engineering). Innovative method
development for the Science Elements is supported under the Assessment
Element. The program also includes an element addressing ethical, legal
and societal issues called Bioremediation and its Societal Implications
and Concerns (BASIC). The NABIR program strongly encourages researchers
to integrate laboratory and field research at DOE or DOE-relevant
sites. More information on the NABIR program may be found at: http://www.lbl.gov/NABIR
.
The NABIR Field Research Center (FRC) and Other Field Research Sites
The NABIR FRC provides a site for investigators to conduct field-
scale research and to obtain DOE-relevant subsurface samples for
laboratory-based studies of bioremediation. The FRC is located on the
U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation in Oak Ridge,
Tennessee, and it is operated by the Environmental Sciences Division of
the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The contaminated and background
(uncontaminated control) areas are located in Bear Creek Valley (BCV)
within the Y-12 Plant area. See: http://www.esd.ornl.gov/nabirfrc for
more detailed information on the NABIR FRC.
The contaminated research site at the FRC is a 98-hectare plot
containing
[[Page 72654]]
uranium, nitrate, technetium, strontium, and cadmium in groundwater,
soils, and sediments. To a lesser extent, metals such as mercury,
copper, zinc, and lead, and organics such as acetone, methylene
chloride, tetrachloroethylene, and toluene are also present. The
contaminated area includes the commingled groundwater plumes that
originated from a combination of the S-3 Waste Disposal Ponds and the
Bone Yard/Burn Yard. Both the background and contaminated areas are
well-characterized and well-instrumented, and should be available for a
duration of five to ten years. The water table resides between 0 and 3
m below the surface and is readily accessible through multilevel
groundwater monitoring wells.
The initial focus of NABIR field research is on in situ
biostimulation experiments to promote immobilization of uranium.
Understanding natural and stimulated uranium biotransformation in the
presence of high nitrate and low pH in unconsolidated residuum and
fractured rock is one of the biggest challenges at the FRC at Oak
Ridge, and at other DOE sites. NABIR researchers conduct controlled,
field-scale hypothesis testing at the FRC. In addition, the FRC is
currently providing subsurface samples for 20 laboratory-based NABIR
projects. These projects span all NABIR Science Elements as well as the
cross-cutting Assessment and BASIC Elements. Site characterization
activities are ongoing and will result in a rich database for use by
NABIR researchers. The FRC is responsible for data management, systems
integration, and fundamental hydrological and geochemical modeling of
the contaminated and background sites. The FRC makes these data and
models accessible to all NABIR researchers.
While the FRC provides a major focus for the NABIR program, it is
recognized that other sites that represent the different
hydrogeological regimes found at DOE sites will also be valuable to
researchers. A large fraction of the national inventory of DOE wastes
resides in unconsolidated, porous media in relatively thick, vadose
zones and in groundwaters low in soluble organic carbon. For this
reason, NABIR investigators are encouraged to take advantage of
opportunities to collect and analyze samples from arid western
environments that typify the Hanford Reservation and Uranium Mill
Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) sites. For further information on
NABIR Field Research, please contact Mr. Paul Bayer (paul.bayer@
science.doe.gov), the NABIR Field Activities Manager.
NABIR investigators may want to take advantage of the capabilities
of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at the
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (http://www.emsl.pnl.gov). EMSL
provides users with unique and state-of-the-art resources including
facilities for high field magnetic resonance, high performance mass
spectrometry, interfacial and nanoscale science, molecular science
computing, and optical imaging and spectroscopy.
Current Request for Applications
Research projects that address the scientific aims of individual
NABIR elements including Biogeochemistry, Biotransformation, Community
Dynamics, Biomolecular Science and Engineering, as well as the cross
cutting elements Assessment and BASIC are solicited in this
announcement. Integrative, interdisciplinary studies that involve
research from more than one element are especially encouraged. The
focus is on field research, or laboratory studies that can be scaled to
the field, to provide supporting information for current or future
field research. The NABIR Field Research Center (FRC) provides an
opportunity for researchers to work at a DOE site in collaboration with
scientists from different research elements. Studies at the NABIR FRC
show that microbial reduction of radionuclides and metals is affected
by the presence of nitrate and low pH. Thus, research into microbial
mechanisms involved in the reduction of radionuclides and metals in
this type of subsurface environment is of special interest.
Biogeochemistry: The goal of this element is to understand the
fundamental biogeochemical reactions that would lead to long-term
immobilization of metal and radionuclide contaminants in the
subsurface. The focus is on reactions that govern the concentration,
chemical speciation, and distribution of metals and radionuclides
between the aqueous and solid phases. Biogeochemical reactions in
subsurface environments are influenced by a wide variety of factors,
including the availability of electron donors and acceptors, the nature
of the microbial community, the chemical species or form of
contaminant, the hydrogeology of the site, and the nature of the
environmental matrix. Often several competing redox reactions make the
prediction of the substrates, products, and kinetics difficult. The
biogeochemical reactions are further complicated by the sorption of
contaminants and reaction products to mineral surfaces, and the
presence of natural organic matter and co-contaminants. The research
challenge is to identify and prioritize the key biogeochemical
reactions that are needed to predict the rate and extent of reactions
that result in the immobilization of radionuclides and metals. New and
creative scientific approaches are sought that address the following
fundamental research questions:
[sbull] To increase immobilization of radionuclides and metals,
what are the principal biogeochemical reactions that govern the
concentration, chemical speciation, and distribution of metals and
radionuclides between the aqueous and solid phases (with an emphasis on
natural geological matrices)? What are the thermodynamic and kinetic
controls on these reactions? How do factors such as co-contaminants,
sorption processes, and terminal electron acceptors (e.g., nitrate,
iron, sulfate), influence these reactions?
[sbull] Under what conditions would the contaminants remobilize,
and what alterations to the environment would increase the long term
stability of metals and radionuclides in the subsurface?
[sbull] What influence do hydrological processes such as reactive
transport, advective/dispersive transport and colloidal transport have
on the biological availability, biotransformation, and movement of
radionuclides and metals?
Biotransformation: The goal of this element is to understand the
mechanisms of microbially mediated transformation of metals and
radionuclides in subsurface environments leading to in situ
immobilization and long term stability. Physiological studies of the
biotransformation of metals and radionuclides by subsurface
microorganisms will provide the knowledge base needed to understand
intrinsic bioremediation and to stimulate biotransformation in situ.
DOE subsurface sites encompass a range of redox environments where
contaminants such as uranium are present. One challenge is to
understand the impact of these environments on microbial physiological
processes involved in the biotransformation of radionuclides and metals
to an immobilized form. Knowledge of the metabolic pathways for
biotransformation of these contaminants by naturally occurring
microbial communities in vadose zones, saturated zones and the waste
plume is needed. A second challenge is to accelerate the rates of these
physiological processes in situ, in complex subsurface
[[Page 72655]]
environments. Biotransformation of metals and radionuclides in the
subsurface is poorly understood, and predictive models based on
laboratory studies have not always accurately simulated the observed
fate of metals and radionuclides in the field. It is important to
understand the kinetics of desirable metal and radionuclide
biotransformations and the physicochemical factors affecting those
kinetics in the field. Research is needed to address questions such as:
[sbull] What are the primary metabolic pathways for
biotransformation of radionuclides and/or metals by subsurface
microorganisms at DOE sites, such as the FRC? Physiological processes
studied at the laboratory scale will need to demonstrate how results
will be scaled to the field.
[sbull] How can metal reduction be harnessed or accelerated to
immobilize radionuclides and/or metals in the subsurface? Can in situ
production of organic acids, chelators, or extracellular polymers
affect contaminant mobility?
[sbull] What environmental controls affect microbial physiological
processes involved in radionuclide and metal biotransformations leading
to immobilization in vadose and saturated zones? What factors inhibit
these biotransformations in situ?
[sbull] How can we quantify in situ biotransformation kinetics so
that these parameters can be applied to numerical models of field scale
bioremediation?
Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology: The goal of this element
is to determine the potential for natural microbial communities to
immobilize radionuclides and metals. In particular, research focuses
on: (1) Understanding the structure and function of microbial
communities in the subsurface at DOE sites contaminated with metals and
radionuclides; and (2) identifying and optimizing the in situ growth of
microorganisms that transform radionuclides and metals. This research
will enhance our ability to predict the effectiveness of intrinsic
bioremediation and to optimize microbial community composition for in
situ immobilization of these contaminants. Diverse microbial
communities can be found in subsurface environments. These communities
represent an untapped catalytic potential for biotransformation of
radionuclides and metals. Most of these microbes, however, are as yet
uncultured using current methods. One challenge is to determine if
sufficient genotypic and/or phenotypic potential exists to support
natural and/or accelerated (biostimulated) bioremediation. Knowledge of
microbial community structure and function may ultimately provide the
ability to control or stimulate subsurface communities capable of
biotransformation of radionuclides and metals. A second challenge is to
optimize the community structure and activity for immobilization and
metals, and to determine the long term stability of bioremediative
communities. Research is needed to address questions such as:
[sbull] Is there sufficient biological activity and diversity in
subsurface environments to support natural and/or accelerated
bioremediation of metals and radionuclides?
[sbull] What are the effects of metal and radionuclide
contamination on microbial community structure and function,
particularly on populations that transform radionuclides and metals?
What are the effects of key physical, chemical and hydrological factors
on community structure and function, as it relates to immobilization of
metals and radionuclides?
[sbull] What is the role of consortial interactions in subsurface
environments contaminated with radionuclides and metals? Such
interactions might include competition for electron donors and
acceptors, or consortial interactions in the biotransformation of
metals and radionuclides.
[sbull] What is the potential importance of gene transfer in
natural microbial communities at subsurface sites contaminated with
radionuclides or metals?
Those studies that link structure to function of microbial
communities that immobilize metals and/or radionuclides at DOE sites
are especially encouraged.
Biomolecular Science and Engineering: Research in this element
provides a knowledge base, at the biomolecular level, of the processes
leading to the in situ immobilization of radionuclides and metals by
indigenous subsurface microorganisms. The primary goal of this element
is to understand the genetic, biochemical, and regulatory processes
that mediate biotransformation of these specific radionuclides and
metals, leading to their immobilization. Characterization of genes,
gene products, and genetic regulatory networks associated with these
biotransformations is key to this understanding. Detailed studies of
the enzymatic mechanisms for reduction of radionuclides and/or metals
are needed to increase our understanding of in situ processes and to
identify gene targets for better molecular assessment of radionuclide
and metal reduction. Secondary goals include: (1) Understanding
molecular mechanisms of resistance of subsurface microorganisms to
radionuclide and metal toxicity; (2) understanding, at a molecular
level, the processes of lateral transfer between microbes of genes
involved in biotransformation of these radionuclides and metals; (3)
developing novel technologies to provide insights into biomolecular
mechanisms of metal and radionuclide biotransformation; and (4)
developing approaches to manipulate pathways and enzyme systems that
mediate these biotransformations.
DOE subsurface sites encompass a wide range of environments with a
diversity of microbial communities and contaminants. One of the
challenges of the Biomolecular Science and Engineering Element is to
select microbes for studies that are active members of subsurface
microbial communities. A second challenge is to extrapolate laboratory
findings on pure cultures under laboratory conditions to complex in
situ environmental conditions. This extrapolation is especially
critical in studying gene expression, which may be modified by changes
in local cellular environments in the subsurface. A third challenge is
to take advantage of genomic and other data derived from the DOE
Microbial Genome Program (http://www.ornl.gov/microbialgenomes) on
subsurface microorganisms to increase our understanding of how genes
relevant to bioremediation are expressed in the environment. Research
is needed to address questions such as:
[sbull] How are genes regulated in subsurface microorganisms that
are responsible for biotransformation and immobilization of
radionuclides and metals? How are genes regulated in these
microorganisms to promote survival in the presence of potentially toxic
levels of these contaminants?
[sbull] What are the effects of key environmental parameters on
regulation and expression of genes involved in metal/radionuclide
reduction? For example, how do pH and co-contaminants such as nitrate
impact the biochemistry and gene expression and regulation of uranium
and technetium reduction?
[sbull] What are the basic biomolecular mechanisms of uranium and
technetium reduction and reoxidation in microorganisms, primarily those
indigenous to the subsurface? How can biomolecular processes be
manipulated to enhance the sustainability of immobilization of uranium,
technetium or chromium? Are there novel biomolecular mechanisms that
can be used to immobilize mercury or plutonium?
[sbull] What are the biomolecular mechanisms involved in lateral
transfer
[[Page 72656]]
of metal/radionlucide reduction genes in subsurface microbial
communities?
Applications should primarily focus on indigenous subsurface
microorganisms that can precipitate and immobilize these radionuclides
and metals. The ultimate goal of this element is to improve our ability
to predict and manipulate the activities of microbes in situ,
particularly in an in situ immobilization scenario.
Assessment: Assessment is a cross-cutting element with a goal to
develop innovative methods to assess processes and endpoints in support
of the NABIR Science Elements. Thus, assessment projects are being
sought that support the Science Elements of Biogeochemistry,
Biotransformation, Community Dynamics/Microbial Ecology, and
Biomolecular Science and Engineering. Methods may range from molecular
to field scale, but they should improve the understanding of in situ
bioremediation processes in subsurface environments contaminated with
radionuclides and metals. Priority will be given to research
applications that could lead to fieldable, cost-effective, real time
assessment techniques and/or instrumentation. NABIR will not fund
projects that examine endpoints relating to human health risks.
Research should address the development of innovative and effective
methods for assessing or quantifying:
[sbull] Biogeochemical or biotransformation processes and rates,
and microbial community structure and function relative to
bioremediation of metals and radionuclides.
[sbull] Bioremediation end points, in particular, the
concentration, speciation and stability of radionuclide and metal
contaminants.
Techniques must enable NABIR science and address specific science
needs of the program. The applicant should explain the potential impact
and contribution to the NABIR program, as well as the relevance and
potential usefulness of the innovation.
Bioremediation and its Societal Implications and Concerns (BASIC):
The objective of this element is to identify and explore societal
issues associated with NABIR. BASIC is designed to provide information
on issues that might influence the implementation of NABIR science and
to involve NABIR scientists in discussions about the societal
implication of their research. The BASIC program may also provide an
avenue to identify key issues and sensitivities involved in
bioremediation strategies, such as immobilization of metals and
radionuclides in situ as a means of long-term stewardship.
Major focus areas for BASIC research include (1) Identifying and
prioritizing societal and regulatory issues associated with
bioremediation of metals and radionuclides in subsurface environments,
particularly strategies that entail immobilization in place; (2)
fostering collaboration between NABIR scientists and site stakeholders
and (3) enhancing the understanding and communication of NABIR research
to stakeholder communities and others. Quantitative approaches and
integration with other NABIR program elements are strongly encouraged.
BASIC grants will not extend beyond two years beyond the award date.
All grant applications should provide a plan for evaluation of progress
or outcomes. Where a product (guidelines, recommendations, documents,
etc.) is the result, dissemination plans including timelines must be
discussed.
The NABIR program also encourages smaller grant applications (up to
$35,000 total costs) for innovative and exploratory activities within
the BASIC area. Such exploratory grants could be used to carry out
pilot investigative research on an issue consistent with any of the
above areas of BASIC research, support a sabbatical leave to organize
and hold a conference, or to initiate start-up studies that could
generate preliminary data for a subsequent grant application. Such
small grant applications must use the standard DOE application forms
procedures outlined below, but should have a narrative section no more
than five pages. These small grants, which will be peer reviewed, will
not extend beyond one year from the award date.
Integrative Studies
This solicitation especially encourages those studies that
integrate research from more than one NABIR research element through
laboratory and/or field research. This interdisciplinary research
should focus on achieving the primary goals of the NABIR program
through collaborative studies in which the experimental design
integrates two or more NABIR elements. Interdisciplinary teams may
include participation from two or more research areas that might
include: microbiology, geochemistry, hydrology, environmental
engineering, numerical modeling or other disciplines. Partnering with
specific field experiments may provide information for hypothesis
testing. Such integrative studies might include, for example:
[sbull] Employing numerical modeling to integrate information from
more than one element, such as Biogeochemistry, Biotransformation, and
Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology, to better predict in situ
immobilization of metals and radionuclides.
[sbull] Studies of the effects of key physical, geochemical and
hydrological parameters on the structure and function of subsurface
microbial communities engaged in metal/radionuclide biotransformation
and immobilization.
[sbull] Integration of new methods in the Assessment element with
actual application to studies of biotransformation or biogeochemistry
of radionuclide/metal reduction and precipitation.
[sbull] Linking chemical speciation of radionuclides and metals in
subsurface environments to the bioavailability of those contaminants to
microorganisms.
[sbull] Studies on the changes of subsurface microbial community
structure and function, and the effect on net rates of
biotransformation during biostimulation experiments.
[sbull] Partnership between any of the Science Elements and
research in BASIC.
Additional Information for Applications
It is anticipated that up to $3 million will be available for
multiple awards to be made in late Fiscal Year 2003 and early Fiscal
Year 2004 in the categories described above, contingent on availability
of appropriated funds. An additional sum, up to $3 million, will be
available for competition by DOE National Laboratories under a separate
solicitation (LAB 03-13). Applications for all elements except for
BASIC may request project support up to three years, with out-year
support contingent on availability of funds, progress of the research
and programmatic needs. Applications for BASIC may request support for
two years, or one year for exploratory activities. Annual budgets for
projects are expected to range from $100,000 to $300,000 total costs.
Annual budgets for integrative studies involving participants
representing more than one research element may range up to $450,000.
All applications should include letters of agreement to collaborate
from potential collaborators; these letters should specify the
contributions the collaborators intend to make if the application is
accepted and funded. DOE may encourage collaboration among prospective
investigators to promote joint applications or joint research projects
by using information obtained through the preliminary applications or
through other forms of communication.
[[Page 72657]]
Merit Review
Applications will be subjected to formal merit review (peer review)
and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria which
are listed in descending order of importance codified at 10 CFR
605.10(d):
1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project;
2. Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach;
3. Competency of Applicant's personnel and Adequacy of Proposed
Resources;
4. Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget.
For renewals, progress on previous NABIR funded research will be an
important criterion for evaluation. As part of the evaluation, program
policy factors also become a selection priority. Note, external peer
reviewers are selected with regard to both their scientific expertise
and the absence of conflict-of-interest issues. Federal and non-federal
reviewers will be used, and submission of an application constitutes
agreement that this is acceptable to the investigator(s) and the
submitting institution.
Submission Information
Information about the development, submission of applications,
eligibility, limitations, evaluation, the selection process, and other
policies and procedures may be found in 10 CFR part 605, and in the
Application Guide for the Office of Science Financial Assistance
Program. Electronic access to SC's Financial Assistance Application
Guide is possible via the World Wide Web at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.
DOE is under no obligation to pay for
any costs associated with the preparation or submission of applications
if an award is not made. In addition, for this notice, the research
description must be 20 pages or less, exclusive of attachments, and
must contain an abstract or summary of the proposed research (to
include the hypotheses being tested, the proposed experimental design,
and the names of all investigators and their affiliations). Applicants
who have had prior NABIR support must include a Progress Section with a
brief description of results and a list of publications derived from
that funding. Attachments should include short (2 pages) curriculum
vitae, QA/QC plan, a listing of all current and pending federal support
and letters of intent when collaborations are part of the proposed
research. Curriculum vitae should be submitted in a form similar to
that of NIH or NSF (two to three pages).
The Office of Science as part of its grant regulations requires at
10 CFR 605.11(b) that a recipient receiving a grant and performing
research involving recombinant DNA molecules and/or organisms and
viruses containing recombinant DNA molecules shall comply with the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) ``Guidelines for Research Involving
Recombinant DNA Molecules,'' which is available via the world wide web
at: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/odhsb/biosafe/nih/rdna-apr98.pdf, (59 FR
34496, July 5, 1994,) or such later revision of those guidelines as may
be published in the Federal Register.
Grantees must also comply with other federal and state laws and
regulations as appropriate; for example, the Toxic Substances Control
Act (TSCA) as it applies to genetically modified organisms. Although
compliance with NEPA is the responsibility of DOE, grantees proposing
to conduct field research are expected to provide information necessary
for the DOE to complete the NEPA review and documentation.
Additional information on the NABIR Program is available at the
following Web site: http://www.lbl.gov/NABIR/. For researchers who do
not have access to the world wide web, please contact Karen Carlson;
Environmental Sciences Division, SC-74/Germantown Building; U.S.
Department of Energy; 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20585-1290; phone: (301) 903-3338; fax: (301) 903-8519; E-mail:
karen.carlson@science.doe.gov; for hard copies of background material
mentioned in this solicitation.
(The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program
is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR Part
605).
Issued in Washington DC on December 2, 2002.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 02-30918 Filed 12-5-02; 8:45 am]
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