[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 16, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27070-27075]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-12347]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 000616180-1115-03]
RIN 0648-ZA91
NOAA Climate and Global Change Program, Program Announcement
AGENCY: Office of Global Programs, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Climate and Global Change Program represents a National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contribution to evolving
national and international programs designed to improve our ability to
observe, understand, predict, and respond to changes in the global
environment. This program builds on NOAA's mission requirements and
long-standing capabilities in global change research and prediction.
The NOAA Program is a key contributing element of the U.S. Global
Change Research Program (USGCRP), which is coordinated by the
interagency Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources. NOAA's
program is designed to complement other agencies' contributions to that
national effort.
All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements
below. Failure to heed these guidelines will result in proposals being
returned without review.
DATES: Unless otherwise noted, strict deadlines for submission to the
FY 2002 process are: Letters of intent must be received at the Office
of Global Programs (OGP) no later than July 2, 2001. Applicants who
have not received a response to their letter of intent within four
weeks should contact the Program Manager. Full proposals must be
received at OGP no later than August 27, 2001. The time from receipt of
proposals to grant award varies by program area. We anticipate that
review of full proposals will occur during October and November 2001,
and funding should begin during spring of 2002 for most approved
projects. Applicants should be notified of their status within six
months. April 1, 2002, should be used as the proposed start date on
proposals, unless otherwise directed by the appropriate Program
Manager.
ADDRESSES: Letters of Intent and Proposals should be submitted to:
Office of Global Programs; National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration; 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1210; Silver Spring, MD 20910-
5603
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irma duPree at the above address, or
at (301) 427-2089 ext. 107, fax: (301) 427-2222, Internet:
irma.duPree@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Funding Availability
NOAA believes that the Climate and Global Change Program will
benefit significantly from a strong partnership with outside
investigators. Current Program plans assume that over 50% of the total
resources provided through this announcement will support extramural
efforts, particularly those involving the broad academic community.
However, please be advised that actual funding levels will depend upon
the final FY 2002 budget appropriations. This Program Announcement is
for projects to be conducted by investigators both inside and outside
of NOAA, primarily over a one, two or three year period. The NOAA
Climate and Global Change Program has been approved for multi-year
funding up to a three year duration. The funding instrument for
extramural awards will be a grant unless it is anticipated that NOAA
will be substantially involved in the implementation of the project, in
which case the funding instrument should be a cooperative agreement.
Examples of substantial involvement may include but are not limited to
proposals for collaboration between NOAA or NOAA scientists and a
recipient scientist or technician and/or contemplation by NOAA of
detailing Federal personnel to work on proposed projects. NOAA will
make decisions regarding the use of a cooperative agreement on a case-
by-case basis. Funding for contractual arrangements for services and
products for delivery to NOAA is not available under this announcement.
Matching share is not required by this program.
2. Program Authority
49 U.S.C. 44720(b); 33 U.S.C. 883d; 15 U.S.C. 2904; 15 U.S.C. 2931
et seq.; (CFDA No. 11.431)--CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH.
3. Program Objectives
The long-term objective of the Climate and Global Change Program is
to provide reliable predictions of climate variability and change with
associated regional implications on time scales ranging from seasons to
a century or more. NOAA believes that climate variability across these
time scales can be modeled with an acceptable probability of success
and are the most relevant for fundamental social concerns. Predicting
the behavior of the coupled ocean-atmosphere-land surface system will
be NOAA's primary contribution to a successful national effort to deal
with observed or anticipated changes in the global environment. NOAA
has a range of unique facilities and capabilities that can be applied
to Climate and Global Change investigations. Proposals that seek to
exploit these resources in collaborative efforts between NOAA and
extramural investigators are encouraged.
4. Program Priorities
In FY 2002, NOAA will give priority attention to individual
proposals in the Main Program Elements listed below. The names,
affiliations and phone numbers of relevant Climate and Global Change
Program Managers are provided. Funding for some programs may be limited
to ongoing projects or may be used to fund projects proposed in FY 2001
that were unable to be funded due to budgetary circumstances.
Prospective investigators are urged to check the Climate & Global
Change Program web page (http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/) for general program
information, and more specifically for current funding status and
priorities prior to submitting letters or proposals. Prospective
applicants may also communicate with Program Managers for information
on priorities within program elements and prospects for funding.
[[Page 27071]]
(A) Aerosols
This program element focuses on field measurements and modeling of
aerosol properties and distributions, with an emphasis on improving the
predictive understanding of the role of aerosols in climate forcing.
Due to budgetary limitations, funding may not be available for new
grants in FY 2002; prospective investigators are urged to check the
Climate and Global Change Program web page for current funding status
and priorities prior to submitting letters or proposals. For further
information contact: Joel M. Levy, NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 301-
427-2089 ext. 111, Internet: joel.levy@noaa.gov.
(B) Atmospheric Chemistry
The Atmospheric Chemistry Project focuses on global monitoring,
process-oriented laboratory and field studies, and theoretical modeling
to improve the predictive understanding of the atmospheric trace
species that influence the earth's chemical and radiative balance and
the variation of the concentration of these trace species regionally
and seasonally. For an information sheet containing further details and
current priorities, please contact: Joel M. Levy, NOAA/Office of Global
Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 111, Internet: joel.levy@noaa.gov; or Fred
C. Fehsenfeld, NOAA/Aeronomy Laboratory, Boulder, CO, 303-497-5819,
Internet: fcf@al.noaa.gov.
(C) Climate Observation
The goal of this element is to build and sustain the global climate
observing system that is needed to satisfy the long-term requirements
of the operational forecast centers, international research programs,
and major scientific assessments. The element supports in situ ocean
and atmospheric components that contribute to global networks for
understanding the Earth's climate system, the global water cycle, and
the global carbon cycle, and looks for efficiencies to be gained by
utilizing common platforms/sites/data infrastructure for several
objectives. This program element will not accept applications for new
projects in FY 2002. For more information contact: Michael Johnson,
NOAA Office of Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 169, Internet:
johnson@ogp.noaa.gov.
(D) Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI)
Research on Vulnerability, Opportunities, and Response Options.
Variability, change, and surprise results from a wide variety of
climatological, social, economic and ecological circumstances and
interactions. The purpose of this program is to increase understanding
of the impacts of climate variability and change as conditioned by
ongoing processes of decision-making and socio-economic transformation.
The suite of efforts is intended to further research-based integration
between studies of the whole of the climate system, including human
components, such as health, and evolving informational and educational
needs of decision-makers in climate sensitive sectors around the world.
The goal is to provide the basis for more effective application of
climate information, including climate forecasts, for purposes of
adaptation. The intent of this program is to encourage overlapping
research approaches to integrate knowledge for problem solving. The CSI
is a chapeau for a suite of activities; prospective applicants must
apply to one of the following program elements:
Human Dimensions of Global Change Research (HDGCR): The HDGCR
program is aimed at understanding and analyzing the decision process as
it relates to information about a dynamic climate system. This year,
the program is specifically interested in building on lessons learned
from cases of climate forecast use to reveal how information can be
best communicated and disseminated to groups otherwise unlikely to
benefit from climate information. Research would consider how forecast
use is influenced by perceptions and human judgment, as well as public
policy, and the most effective means of designing forecast information
and its delivery to improve its usability. For more information and an
information sheet on program objectives, contact: Caitlin Simpson,
NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 152,
simpson@ogp.noaa.gov; or Claudia Nierenberg, NOAA/Office of Global
Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 151, nierenberg@ogp.noaa.gov.
Health and Climate Variability: A joint interagency announcement is
anticipated on Climate and Health. (For more information on this future
announcement contact Juli Trtanj, NOAA/Office of Global Programs, 301-
427-2089 ext. 134, Internet: trtanj@ogp.noaa.gov.)
Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments: This Program Element
was formerly titled Regional Assessments. NOAA's present program of
Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments possesses three distinct
qualities:
(1) Interdisciplinary, integration and synthesis;
(2) Bridging the gap between climatic, environmental and societal
interactions on different temporal and spatial scales; and (3) Decision
support and services. It requires innovative partnerships among a
spectrum of interests (Federal, State, local and private) to enable
regional organizational capacity to develop accurate (i.e., identifying
risks, uncertainties, and/or indeterminacies), balanced syntheses and
services on an ongoing basis. As such, the program relies heavily on
consolidating the results and data from ongoing NOAA-OGP disciplinary
program elements, already funded in a region, into an integrated
framework. This program will not accept applications to initiate new
activities, but will accept renewal applications for ongoing efforts or
as part of ongoing negotiations. For more information and a detailed
information sheet, contact: Roger Pulwarty, NOAA/Office of Global
Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 103, Internet: pulwarty@ogp.noaa.gov.
(E) Climate Change Data and Detection
The scientific goals of this element include efforts to: (1)
Provide data and information management support activities needed to
assure the availability of critical data sets from a variety of
national and international programs of primary interest to NOAA's
Climate and Global Change Program, e.g., the CLIVAR (Climate
Variability and Predictability) Program, GEWEX (Global Energy & Water
Cycle Experiment), GCOS (Global Climate Observing System), National and
International Assessments, the WCRP (World Climate Research Program)
CLIVAR/PAGES (Past Global Changes) Research Initiative etc.; (2)
provide data and information management support related to crosscutting
science efforts necessary to assess seasonal, interannual, decadal, and
longer climate variations and changes; (3) document and quantitative
character of observed climate variations and changes; (4) attribute
changes in the observed climate record to specific climate forcings;
and (5) establish linkages between the paleoclimatological record and
the modern instrumental record, with a focus on interannual
variability, extremes, and spatial completeness for the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres.
During FY 2002, the Climate Change Data and Detection program
element expects to include the following three major interagency
activities:
--Enhanced Data Sets: NOAA and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) will co-sponsor a project that supports research
in the areas of data fusion and enhancement of climate data sets
through the use of
[[Page 27072]]
space and/or ground based observations. Preference will be given to
those proposals that use more than one observing system to develop a
blended data set.
--Climate Change Detection and Attribution: NOAA and the Department
of Energy (DOE) will co-sponsor a project that addresses all aspects of
Climate Change Detection and Attribution.
--Paleoclimatology: NOAA and the National Science Foundation (NSF)
will co-sponsor a Paleoclimatology project that will entertain
proposals that support the joint WCRP CLIVAR/IGBP PAGES Research
Initiative. This initiative is jointly supported by NOAA and the NSF
through the Earth System History (ESH) Program at NSF.
Prospective investigators are urged to check the Climate and Global
Change web page for current funding status and priorities prior to
submitting proposals. For further information contact: Bill Murray,
NOAA, 301-427-2089 ext. 133, Internet: murray@ogp.noaa.gov; Chris
Miller, NOAA, 301-427-2089 ext. 143, Internet: miller@ogp.noaa.gov;
Martha Maiden, NASA, 202/358-1078, Internet: maiden@hq.nasa.gov; Rick
Petty, DOE; 301-903-5548, Internet: rick.petty@oer.doe.gov; or David
Verardo, NSF, 703-292-8527, Internet: dverardo@nsf.gov.
(F) Climate Dynamics and Experimental Prediction
This program will not accept applications to initiate centers at
new institutions, but will accept renewal applications for ongoing
efforts or as part of ongoing negotiations. Qualified applications for
this program may be submitted throughout the year. For further
information contact: Phil Arkin, NOAA/Global Programs, Silver Spring,
MD; telephone: 301-427-2089 ext. 116, Internet: arkin@ogp.noaa.gov.
(G) Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR)
The U.S. CLIVAR program seeks to observe, model and understand
natural variability on seasonal to decadal time scales and to assess
the predictability of such climate variability. The ultimate goal of
NOAA's participation in CLIVAR is to develop skillful predictions of
climate variability on seasonal-to-interdecadal time scales and
regional space scales for optimal use in resource planning. The program
is designed to understand global climate variability; to determine the
spatial and temporal extent to which this variability is predictable,
to develop the observational, theoretical, and computational means to
predict variability; and to make enhanced predictions, where feasible.
NOAA's research focuses on large-scale recurrent patterns of
variability that influence climate on the regional scale, particularly
over the US. Among these patterns are the El Nino-Southern Oscillation
(ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Tropical Atlantic
Variability (TAV), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the
American monsoon systems. NOAA has structured its CLIVAR program to
focus on variability and predictability within three regions: the
Atlantic, the Pacific, and Pan America. For an information sheet
containing further details and current priorities for research in each
of these regions, visit the NOAA CLIVAR website at http://
www.ogp.noaa.gov/mpe/clivar/index.htm. For further information on
CLIVAR-Atlantic, please contact James Todd, NOAA/Global Programs, 301/
427-2089 ext. 139, Internet: james.todd@noaa.gov. For the CLIVAR-
Pacific and the Pan American Climate Studies (PACS) efforts, please
contact, Michael Patterson, NOAA/Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext.
102, Internet: michael.patterson@noaa.gov.
(H) Economics and Human Dimensions of Climate Fluctuations
Please see Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) above.
(I) GEWEX Americas Prediction Project (GAPP)
GAPP is jointly supported by NOAA and NASA. Details about GAPP are
available through the GAPP Science Plan and Implementation Strategy
available on the OGP Home Page or from the NOAA GAPP Program Manager.
Initiatives are solicited which have a geographical focus on the
western USA or the Mississippi River Basin, and address the following
GAPP priorities:
(1) Land memory processes and their spatial and temporal
variability: GAPP seeks to better understand the contributions of
orography (including features such as the low level jet), soil
moisture, vegetation and snow and other cold land processes to the
predictability of the water cycle.
(2) Model transferability studies, enriched data set production and
assimilation of remotely-sensed data to support the US contribution to
the GEWEX Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period.
(3) Scientific Investigations to examine the application of climate
forecasts and GAPP products in water resources management.
It is possible that a joint call with CLIVAR-PACS will be issued to
deal with GAPP interests in monsoonal systems. Questions regarding this
call should be addressed to Rick Lawford _(lawford@ogp.noaa.gov) or
301-427-2089 Ex. 146 or to Michael Jasinski (mjasinsk@mail.hq.nasa.gov)
or 202-358-1847.
(J) Global Carbon Cycle (GCC)
GCC focuses on global observations, process-oriented field studies
and modeling to improve our ability to predict the fate of
anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and future atmospheric
CO2 concentrations. A separate program announcement for GCC
will be issued later this year. Investigators interested in the GCC
program area are encouraged to respond to this later announcement. For
further information, please contact: Lisa Dilling, NOAA/Office of
Global Programs, 301-427-2089 ext. 106, Internet: dilling@ogp.noaa.gov
or see the web at: http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/mpe/gcc/index/html.
(K) Paleoclimatology
Please see Climate Change Data and Detection above.
5. Eligibility
Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, other
nonprofits, commercial organizations, 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 authority to receive
funds from another Federal agency in excess of their appropriation.
The only exception to this is ``governmental research facilities''
for awards issued under the authority of 49 U.S.C. 44720. 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.
6. Letters of Intent (LOI)
The purpose of the LOI process is to provide information to
potential applicants on the relevance of their proposed project to the
Climate and Global Program and the likelihood of it being funded in
advance of preparing a
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full proposal. Full proposals will be encouraged only for LOIs deemed
relevant, therefore, it is in the best interest of the applicants and
their institutions to submit an LOI; however, it is not a requirement.
The LOI should provide a concise description of the proposed work and
its relevance to the targeted program element. the LOI must include the
components listed below. If these components are not included, the LOI
risks a delayed response and may not be considered by the program
reviewers. (A) Investigators must identify the program element that is
being targeted in the LOI. (B) Investigators must specify a tentative
project title in the LOI. (C) LOIs must include the name and
institution of all principal investigator(s), and specify which
individual is the Lead principal investigator. (D) LOIs should be no
more than two pages in length and must include a statement of the
problem, brief summary of work to be completed, methodology to be used,
and approximate cost of the project. Facsimile and electronic mail are
acceptable for LOIs (but not for full proposals).
A panel of program managers will review each LOI to determine
whether the LOI is responsive to the program goals as advertised in
this notice. An LOI response (e-mail or letter) will be sent back to
the investigator encouraging or discouraging a full proposal. The final
decision to submit a full proposal will be made by the investigator.
7. Evaluation Criteria
Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those
proposals that address one of the Program Elements listed and meet the
following evaluation criteria:
(A) Scientific Merit: Intrinsic scientific value of the subject and
the study proposed, including methodology and readiness.
(B) Relevance: Importance and relevance to the goals of the
selected Program Element(s). (See Program Objectives above).
8. Selection Procedures
Proposals, including those submitted by NOAA employees, will be
evaluated in accordance with the above evaluation criteria by (A)
independent peer mail review, and/or (B) independent peer panel review,
and a rating will be calculated based on these evaluations; both NOAA
and non-NOAA experts in the field may be used in this process. The
Program Manager will not be a voting member of an independent peer
panel. The recommendations and evaluations of the panel members will be
considered by the Program Manager in final selections. Proposals are
usually awarded in the numerical order they are ranked based on the
independent peer mail review or the independent peer panel review.
However, the Program Manager will ascertain which proposals do not
substantially duplicate other projects that are currently funded by
NOAA or are approved for funding by other federal agencies, and fall
within remaining funds available. Unsatisfactory performance by a
recipient under prior Federal awards may result in an application not
being considered for funding. As a result of this review, the Program
Manager may decide to select an award out of order. The Program Manager
will also determine the total duration of funding and the amount of
funding for each selected proposal.
Pursuant to Executive Orders 12876, 12900, and 13021, the
Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic Serving
Institutions (HIS), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) in its
educational and research programs. The DOC/NOAA vision, mission, and
goals are to achieve full participation by Minority Serving
Institutions (MSI) in order to advance the development of human
potential, to strengthen the nation's capacity to provide high-quality
education, and to increase opportunities for MSIs to participate in and
benefit from Federal Financial Assistance programs. DOC/NOAA encourages
all applicants to include meaningful participation of MISs.
Institutions eligible to be considered MSIs are listed at the following
Internet website: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/99minin.html.
9. Proposal Submission
The following forms are required in each application, with original
signatures on each federal form. Failure to comply will result in
proposal application being returned.
(A) Full Proposals
(1) Proposals submitted to the NOAA Climate and Global Change
Program must include the original and two unbound copies of the
proposal. (2) Investigators are required to submit 3 copies of the
proposal, however, the normal review process requires 20 copies. For an
optimal review, investigators are encouraged to submit sufficient
proposal copies, especially color or unusually sized (not 8.5" x
11"), or otherwise unusual materials submitted as part of the proposal.
Only three original copies of the Federally-required forms are needed.
(3) Proposals must be limited to 30 pages (numbered), including budget,
investigators vitae, and all appendices, and should be limited to
funding requests for one to three year duration. Appended information
may not be used to circumvent the page length limit. Federally-mandated
forms are not included within the page count. (4) Proposals should be
sent to the NOAA Office of Global Programs at the above address. (5)
Facsimile transmissions and electronic mail submission of full
proposals will not be accepted.
(B) Required Elements
All proposals must include the following elements: (1) Signed title
page: The title page should be signed by the Principal Investigator
(PI) and the institutional representative and should clearly indicate
which program element is being addressed. If more than one investigator
is listed on the title page, please identify the lead investigator. The
PI and institutional representative should be identified by full name,
title, organization, telephone number and address. The total amount of
Federal funds being requested should be listed for each budget period.
(2) Abstract: An abstract must be included and should contain an
introduction of the problem, rationale and a brief summary of work to
be completed. The abstract should appear on a separate page, headed
with the proposal title, institution(s), investigator(s), total
proposed cost and budget period. (3) Results from prior research: The
results of each prior research project (during the last 3 years)
relevant to the proposed effort should be summarized in brief
paragraphs. This section should not exceed two pages. (4) Statement of
work: The proposed project must be completely described, including
identification of the problem, scientific objectives, proposed
methodology, relevance to the goal of the Climate and Global Change
Program priorities listed above. Benefits of the proposed project to
the general public and the scientific community should be discussed.
The statement of work, including references but excluding figures and
other visual materials, must not exceed 15 pages of text. Investigators
wishing to submit group proposals that exceed the 15-page limit should
discuss this possibility with the appropriate Program Manager prior to
submission. Proposals from 3 or more investigator may include a
statement of work containing up to 15 pages of
[[Page 27074]]
overall project description plus up to 5 additional pages for
individual project descriptions. (5) Budget Justification: A brief
description of the expenses listed on the budget and how they address
the proposed work. Item justifications must include salaries,
equipment, publications, supplies, tuition, travel, etc. (6) Budget:
The proposal must include total and annual itemized budgets
corresponding with the descriptions provided in the statement of work.
Non-Federal Applicants must submit a Standard Form 424 (4-92)
``Application for Federal Assistance,'' including a detailed budget
using the Standard Form 424a (4-92), ``Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs.'' Travel must be itemized to include
destination, airfare, per diem, lodging and ground travel. The from is
included in the standard NOAA application kit. (7) Vitae: Abbreviated
curriculum vitae are sought with each proposal. Reference lists should
be limited to all publications in the last three years with up to five
other relevant papers. (8) Current and pending support: For each
investigator, submit a list that includes project title, supporting
agency with grant number, investigator months per year, dollar value
and duration. Requested values should be listed for pending support.
(C) Other Requirements
Applicants may obtain a standard NOAA application kit from
Internet: http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/.
10. Primary Applicant Certification
All primary applicants must submit a completed Form CD-511,
``Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other
Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and
Lobbying''. Applicants are also hereby notified of the following:
(A) Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension
Prospective participants (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, section
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 part 26, section 605) are subject to
15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F, ``Government-wide 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 Part 28, section 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 prescribed above applies to applications/bids for grants,
cooperative agreements, and contracts for more than $100,000; and
(D) Anti-Lobbying Disclosures
Any applicant that 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.
11. Lower Tier Certifications
(A) Recipients must require applicants/bidders for subgrants,
contracts, subcontracts, or lower tier covered transactions at any tier
under the award to submit, if applicable, 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 the use of recipients and should not be transmitted
to DOC. SF-LLL submitted by any tier recipient or subrecipient should
be submitted to DOC in accordance with the instructions contained in
the award document.
(B) Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all applicable
Federal laws and Federal and Department of Commerce policies,
regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance
awards.
(C) Preaward Activities--If applicants incur any costs prior to an
award being made, they do so solely at their own risk of not being
reimbursed by the Government. Notwithstanding any verbal assurance that
may have been received, there is no obligation to the applicant on the
part of Department of Commerce to cover pre-award costs.
(D) Financial assistance recipients funded by this program are
subject to the applicable administrative requirements found in 15 CFR
Part 14, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and other
Non-Profit and Commercial Organizations, or 15 CFR Part 24, ``Uniform
Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements to State and
Local Governments'' as applicable. Applications under this program are
not subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of
Federal Programs.''
(E) All non-profit and for-profit applicants are subject to a name
check review process. Name checks are intended to reveal if any key
individuals associated with the applicant have been convicted of, or
are presently facing criminal charges such as fraud, theft, perjury, or
other matters which significantly reflect on the applicant's
management, honesty, or financial integrity.
(F) A false statement on an application is grounds for denial or
termination of funds and grounds for possible punishment by a fine or
imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
(G) No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has
an outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either: (i) The delinquent
account is paid in full, (ii) A negotiated repayment schedule is
established and at least one payment is received, or (iii) Other
arrangements satisfactory to the Department of Commerce are made.
(H) Buy American-Made Equipment or Products--Applicants are
encouraged that any equipment or products authorized to be purchased
with funding provided under this program be American-made to the
maximum extent feasible.
(I) The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an
application under this program 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 cost dollar amount in the application, whichever is
less.
(J) If an application is selected for funding, the Department of
Commerce has no obligation to provide any additional future funding in
connection with the award. Renewal of an award to increase funding or
extend the period of performance is at the total discretion of the
Department of Commerce.
(K) In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations, no person
on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability
shall be excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or be
subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving
financial assistance from the NOAA Climate and Global Change Program.
The NOAA Climate and Global Change Program does not have direct TDD
(Telephonic Device for the Deaf) capabilities, but can be reached
through the State of Maryland supplied TDD
[[Page 27075]]
contact number, 800-735-2258, between the hours of 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
12. Classification
This notice contains collection-of-information requirements subject
to the Paperwork Reduction Act. The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A,
and SF-LLL have been approved by OMB under the respective control
numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, and 0348-0046. Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, no person is required to respond 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 Paperwork Reduction
Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid
OMB control number. This notice has been determined to be not
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.
Dated: May 10, 2001.
Louisa Koch,
Deputy Assistant Administrator.
[FR Doc. 01-12347 Filed 5-15-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KP-M