[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14135-14138]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6544]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-ZC16
Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: NOAA announces the availability of Pacific Coastal Salmon
Recovery Funding (PCSRF), as authorized in the Northern Boundary and
Transboundary Rivers Restoration and Enhancement Fund and Southern
Boundary Restoration and Enhancement Fund, to support the restoration
and conservation of Pacific salmon and steelhead populations and their
habitat. The program makes funding available to the States of Alaska,
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Nevada and Federally-
recognized tribes of the Columbia River and Pacific Coast for projects
necessary for conservation of salmon and steelhead populations that are
listed as threatened or endangered, or identified by a State as at-risk
or to be so-listed; for maintaining populations necessary for exercise
of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing; or for
conservation of Pacific coastal salmon and steelhead habitat. This
announcement outlines the guidelines that will be used to distribute
funding to eligible entities.
DATES: Pre-Applications are not mandatory, but highly encouraged. They
must be received no later than April 23, 2010 if the applicant expects
to receive any feedback from NMFS on completeness of package and
initial determination of compliance with minimum requirements. Final
Applications should be submitted via www.grants.gov and must be
received no later than 11:59 p.m. PST on May 10, 2010. No facsimile or
electronic mail applications will be accepted. Paper
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applications must be postmarked by May 10, 2010. Any application
transmitted or postmarked, as the case may be, after the deadline will
be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding in
this competition. Applications submitted through Grants.gov will have a
date and time indication on them. Hard copy applications will be date
and time stamped when they are received.
Note: It may take Grants.gov up to two (2) business days to
validate or reject the application. Please keep this in mind in
developing your submission timeline.
ADDRESSES: All application materials can be found at the grants.gov
portal at http://www.grants.gov. If an applicant does not have internet
access, applications can be received from the following address:
Nicolle Hill, NMFS Northwest Region Building 1, 7600 Sand
Point Way, Seattle, WA 98115. NMFS' Internet website at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov contains additional information on PCSRF. For further
information on PCSRF, please contact Scott Rumsey, NMFS Northwest
Region PCSRF Program Coordinator at (503) 872-2791. Questions regarding
this announcement should be directed to Nicolle Hill, NMFS Northwest
Region PCSRF Federal Program Officer, at (206) 526-4358 or
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on PCSRF,
please contact Scott Rumsey, NMFS Northwest Region PCSRF Program
Coordinator, at (503) 872-2791. Questions regarding this announcement
should be directed to Nicolle Hill, NMFS Northwest Region PCSRF Federal
Program Officer, at (206) 526-4358 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PCSRF was established in Fiscal Year
2000 to address the need to protect, restore and conserve Pacific
Chinook, chum, coho, pink and sockeye salmon and steelhead, and their
habitat. Authorization of PCSRF was in response to the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) listings of Pacific salmon and steelhead in
Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California as well as the effects of the
harvest restrictions placed on Southeast Alaska fishers through the
1999 Pacific Salmon Treaty agreement between the United States and
Canada. The PCSRF supplements existing state, tribal and Federal
programs to foster development of Federal-state-tribal-local
partnerships in salmon recovery and conservation by providing grants to
the eligible states, tribal commissions, and tribes. Under this
solicitation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) seeks applications for
projects from individual eligible Indian tribes, eligible States, and
representative Tribal commissions so that it can allocate the FY 2010
Federal funds for PCSRF grants on a merit basis. An applicant can only
submit one application to the Federal Government for PCSRF program
funding. Application submissions, requesting any funding from both the
representative Tribal Commission and a Tribe represented by that
Commission will not be accepted.
Electronic Access
The full text of the full funding opportunity announcement for this
program can be accessed via the Grants.gov web site at http://www.grants.gov. The announcement will also be available by contacting
the program officials identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Applicants must comply with all requirements contained in the full
funding opportunity announcement.
Statutory Authority
16 U.S.C. 3645 (d)(2) and The Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2010, P.L. 111-117
CFDA
11.438, Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery - Pacific Salmon Treaty
Program
Funding Availability
Up to $80,000,000 may be available for fiscal year (FY) 2010 for
projects. There are no restrictions on minimum funding request, but
there is a limit of $30,000,000, on a maximum amount requested by any
recipient. Award periods may extend to a maximum of five years.
Eligibility
Eligible state applicants are the States of Alaska, Washington,
Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and California. Eligible tribal applicants are
any federally recognized Pacific Coastal or Columbia River tribes.
Cost Sharing Requirements
State applicants are required to match or document in-kind
contributions of at least 33% of received Federal funds. Indian tribes
are exempt from any cost share requirement. Matching funds consist of
PCSRF projects funded totally or partially by state appropriated funds;
PCSRF projects that are funded totally or partially by sub-recipient or
contractor funds; or PCSRF projects funded partially by other pre-
approved sources of Federal funding. In-kind contributions must be
applied directly to a PCSRF project in order to be considered match.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures
The general evaluation criteria and selection factors that apply to
full applications to this funding opportunity are summarized below.
Further information about the evaluation criteria and selection factors
can be found in the full funding opportunity announcement.
Evaluation Criteria for Projects
NOAA standardized the evaluation and selection process for its
competitive assistance programs. All proposals submitted in response to
this notice shall be evaluated and selected in accordance with the
process set out below. In considering the funding allocation for
projects and program applications, all proposals will be evaluated on
the following criteria with the maximum weighted values for each
category listed below for a total of 100 points maximum:
1. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed
project to the program goals [30 Points]: This ascertains whether there
is intrinsic value in the proposed work and its relevance to the PCSRF
authorized activities and program priorities. Proposals will be
evaluated based on how relevant and applicable their projects or
program missions are to the authorized activities and program
priorities listed at I.B. Successful applicants will be those that
demonstrate their proposal directly addresses the PCSRF authorized
activities and program priorities.
2. Technical/scientific merit [30 Points]: This assesses whether
the approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are
appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals and objectives.
Proposals will be evaluated on whether there is a technically sound
approach to manage and implement proposed projects; whether there is
sufficient information to evaluate the project or program technically;
and, if so, the strengths and/or weaknesses of the project or program
approach to securing productive results. Successful program and project
proposals will include:
a. A description of how the applicant organization will ensure that
funded projects are part of a larger program plan.
b. A description of the proposed methods used for monitoring,
measuring and evaluating the success or failure of the projects funded
by the program.
c. A quantified amount of dedicated funding to monitoring
activities, including salmon status and trend and habitat monitoring.
d. A description of how project details will be reported in order
to track
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performance including: information detailing the project reporting
mechanisms, the staffing resources that will be dedicated to reporting,
and the specific information that will be reported.
e. A description of how the organization will communicate results
of projects to target audiences. Successful program proposals (states
and tribal commissions) will describe the organization's selection
evaluation method and allocation and implementation process for
proposed projects; set forth selection priorities reflecting PCSRF
authorized activities and program priorities, detail decision processes
and allocation timelines; and describe how technical merit is defined
and determined and how project feasibility is evaluated. Successful
project proposals (tribes) will describe the specified approaches to
achieving the project objectives, including timelines, geographic areas
and methods.
3. Overall qualifications of applicants [15 Points]: This
ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary education,
experience, training, facilities, and administrative resources to
accomplish the project. The organization and its management will be
evaluated. The principal investigator and other personnel, including
subcontractors and consultants participating in the project or program
will be evaluated in terms of related experience and qualifications.
Successful applications will include the following:
a. Details about the organization's administrative resources,
credibility, financial stability, business management systems,
capability to comply with Federal requirements, history of strong
performance in the management of Federal funds, and knowledge and
demonstrated history of Federal cost principles compliance and sub-
recipient fiscal monitoring (if applicable).
b. Applicants should illustrate that their organization has the
appropriate management authority to implement actions identified in the
proposal.
c. Applicants should describe how they adhered to past reporting
requirements including reporting data into the PCSRF database, and how
they resolved database reporting issues, inconsistencies or missing
metrics, if applicable.
4. Project costs [25 Points]: Proposals will be evaluated on their
budget to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the
program or project needs and time-frame. Successful proposals will
include:
a. A needs statement which summarizes the extent, severity or
prevalence of funding needed in the serving geographical area to meet
the PCSRF program priorities. The needs statement should be supported
by evidence and described quantitatively (i.e. miles/acres of habitat
needing restoration; number or extent of ESA listed Pacific salmon or
Pacific salmon at risk; stocks important for tribal treaty fishing
rights or native subsistence fishing, etc.). The needs statement will
also address the recipients other source of funding for proposed
programs and projects.
b. A detailed budget by program or project level which also
itemizes the proposal level and overall level of administrative and
overhead costs.
c. A budget detail identifying a minimum of 10% proposed budget for
monitoring, either comprehensive project effectiveness monitoring or
status and trend monitoring, as part of a comprehensive program.
Individual project proposals should specify costs for monitoring
project-level implementation and effectiveness.
d. State applications must provide a budget detail which identifies
the minimum matching or in-kind requirements of 33% of Federal funds
requested.
5. Outreach and education [0 Points]: Outreach and education, as
defined in section IV.B.4.g. (States and Tribal Commissions) and
IV.B.4.f. (Tribes), will be evaluated under section V.A.2.e. Review and
Selection Process. Upon receipt of an application, an initial
administrative review will be conducted to determine compliance with
requirements and completeness of the application. The application will
need to meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for
funding:
1. Applicant is eligible to apply
2. Received application by deadline
3. Application is complete and includes all mandatory forms
4. Matching requirements are met (State Only)
5. Administrative programmatic costs are not exceeded (State and
Commissions Only) Individual evaluations comprised of at least three
(3) or more private and public experts will independently evaluate the
applications and score them using the evaluation criteria set forth
above. No consensus advice will be given. The reviewer' ratings will be
averaged to produce a rank order of the proposals. Technical reviewers
will be required to certify that they do not have a conflict of
interest and that they will maintain confidentiality of the
applications.
Panel Review: After the projects have been evaluated and ranked,
the Agency will solicit comments and input on funding recommendation
from a panel of at least three (3) Federal full-time employees
comprised of the NMFS Alaska Region, Northwest Region and Southwest
Region. The Agency will provide the panelists with a summary of the
technical review evaluations, and, the rank order of the proposals.
Selection Factors for Projects
The Assistant Administrator for NMFS will be the Selecting
Official. The Selecting Official will review the rank order, funding
recommendations and comments from the Panel Review Committee and
determine the recipients to be funded and how much funding shall be
awarded to each selected recipient. In making the final selections, the
Selecting Official will award in rank order unless the proposal is
justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one of the
selection factors below:
1. Availability of Funding
2. Balance/distribution of funds:
a. Geographically
b. By type of institutions
c. By type of partners
d. By research areas
e. By project types
3. Whether this project duplicates other projects funded or
considered for funding by NOAA or other Federal agencies
4. Program priorities and policy factors as set forth in the Full
Funding Opportunity Sections I.A. and B.
5. Applicant's prior award performance. (Accomplishments related to
PCSRF goals.)
6. Partnerships and/or Participation of targeted groups
Intergovernmental Review
Applications under this program from state or local governments are
subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental
Review of Federal Programs.''
Limitation of Liability
In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible
for proposal preparation costs if these programs fail to receive
funding or are 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.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required
by the National Environmental Policy Act
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(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 website: 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 Pre-Award Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements
The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register
notice of February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696), 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, and 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, nor shall a 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 for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.)
are inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not
been prepared.
Dated: March 18, 2010.
Gary C. Reisner,
Chief Financial Officer, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-6544 Filed 3-23-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S