[Federal Register: November 5, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 214)]
[Notices]
[Page 64565-64566]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05no04-42]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 041014282-4282-01]
Hydrologic Research
AGENCY: National Weather Service (NWS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice and request for proposals.
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SUMMARY: This program represents a NOAA/NWS effort to create a cost-
effective continuum of basic and applied research through collaborative
research between the Hydrology Laboratory of the NWS Office of
Hydrologic Development and academic communities or other private or
public agencies which have expertise in the hydrometeorologic,
hydrologic, and hydraulic routing sciences. These activities will
engage researchers and students in basic and applied research to
improve the scientific understanding of river forecasting. Ultimately
these efforts will improve the accuracy of forecasts and warnings of
rivers and flash floods by applying scientific knowledge and
information to NWS research methods and techniques, resulting in a
benefit to the public. NOAA's program is designed to complement other
agency contributions to that national effort. The Office of Hydrologic
Development requests that interested organizations prepare a pre-
proposal, to be followed by a full-proposal. Pre-proposal submission is
required in order to submit a full proposal.
DATES: Pre-proposals must be received by the NWS no later than 3 p.m.,
Eastern Standard Time, December 17, 2004. A notice of the review
results will be sent, encouraging or discouraging full proposal
submissions. The due date for the full proposal submission will be
contained in the notice.
ADDRESSES: Pre-proposals may be submitted through electronic e-mail to
Pedro.Restrepo@noaa.gov. Pre-proposals submitted in hard copy must be
submitted by postal mail, commercial delivery service, or hand-delivery
to Pedro Restrepo, NOAA/NWS; 1325 East-West Highway, Room 8346, phone
number 301-713-0640, ext. 210; Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3283. Full
proposals should be submitted through Grants.gov APPLY, however, full
proposals may be submitted in hard copy and sent to Pedro Restrepo,
NOAA/NWS; 1325 East-West Highway, Room 8346, phone number 301-713-0640,
ext. 210; Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3283. The full text of the
funding opportunity announcement for this NWS program can be accessed
via the Grants.gov FIND Web site: http://www.grants.gov This announcement will also be available at the NOAA Web site: http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/%7Eamd/SOLINDEX.HTML.
or by contacting the program
official identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Pedro Restrepo by phone at 301-
713-0640 ext. 210, or fax to 301-713-0963, or via Internet at
Pedro.Restrepo@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This program represents a NOAA/NWS effort to
create a cost-effective partnership through collaborative basic and
applied research between the Hydrology Laboratory of the NWS Office of
Hydrologic Development and academic communities or other private or
public agencies which have expertise in the hydrometerologic,
hydrologic, and hydraulic routing sciences. These activities will
engage researchers and students in basic and applied research to
improve the scientific understanding of river forecasting. Ultimately
these efforts will improve the accuracy of forecasts and warnings of
rivers and flash floods by applying scientific knowledge and
information to NWS research methods and techniques, resulting in a
benefit to the public. NOAA's program is designed to complement other
agency contributions to that national effort. A detailed description
for each program priority is in the funding opportunity announcement
which can be accessed via the Grants.gov Web site, the NOAA Web site at
http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/%7Eamd/SOLINDEX.HTML, or by contacting the
program official identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Electronic Access
The full text of the funding opportunity announcement for this NWS
program can be accessed via the Grants.gov FIND Web site. This
announcement will also be available at the NOAA Web site: http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/%7Eamd/SOLINDEX.HTML
or by contacting the program
official identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. This Federal
Register notice is available through the NOAA home page at: http://www.noaa.gov/
.
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 313.
CFDA
11.462, Hydrologic Research.
Funding Availability
Proposals shall be prepared assuming an annual budget of no more
than $125,000. It is expected that approximately four awards will be
made, depending on availability of funds. This program announcement is
for projects to be conducted by research investigators for a 1-year, 2-
year, or 3-year period. When a proposal for a multi-year award is
approved, funding will initially be provided for only the first year of
the program.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are Federal agencies, institutions of higher
education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, foreign
governments, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign
governments, and international organizations, state, local and Indian
tribal governments. Applications from non-Federal and Federal
applicants will be competed against each other. Proposals selected for
funding from non-Federal applicants will be funded through a project
grant or cooperative agreement under the terms of this notice.
Proposals selected for funding from NOAA scientists shall be effected
by an intra-agency fund transfer. Proposals selected for funding from a
non-NOAA Federal agency will be funded through an inter-agency
transfer. PLEASE NOTE: Before non-NOAA Federal applicants may be
funded, they must demonstrate that they have legal
[[Page 64566]]
authority to receive funds from another Federal agency in excess of
their appropriation. Because this announcement is not proposing to
procure goods or services from applicants, the Economy Act (31 U.S.C.
1535) is not an appropriate legal basis.
Cost Sharing Requirements
None.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures
NOAA published its agency-wide solicitation entitled ``Omnibus
Notice Announcing the Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year
2005'' for projects and fellowships/scholarship/internships for Fiscal
Year 2005 in the Federal Register on June 30, 2004 (69 FR 39417). The
evaluation criteria and selection procedures for projects contained in
that omnibus notice are applicable to this solicitation. Copies of the
notice are available on the Internet at: http://www.ofa.noaa.gov%7Eamd/SOLINDEX.HTML.
A pre-proposal submission is required in order to submit
a full proposal. The notice discouraging the submission of a full
proposal does not preclude a full proposal submission.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications under this program are not subject to 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 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 2005 program is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year
2005 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 NEPA, for applicant projects or proposals which are seeking NOAA
Federal assistance. Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA
can be found at the following Web site: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov including NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA at http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216l6lTOC.pdf
, and the Council on Environmental
Quality implementation regulations at http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/toclceq.htm.
Consequently, as part of an applicant's package under
the 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 nonindigenous 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 analysis, applicants may also be
requested to assist NOAA in drafting an environmental assessment, if
NOAA determines an assessment is required. Applicants will also be
required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying and implementing
feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse
environmental impacts of their proposal. The failure to do so shall be
grounds for the denial of an application.
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, 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: October 29, 2004.
David L. Johnson,
Assistant Administrator for Weather Services.
[FR Doc. 04-24750 Filed 11-4-04; 8:45 am]
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