DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administr
Author: Hal Batchelder
Date: 0/0/0

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Science Foundation

Docket No. [; I.D. No.]

RIN: []

Announcement of Funding Opportunity for research project grants and cooperative agreements

AGENCIES: Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research/Coastal Ocean Program (CSCOR/COP), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce; and the National Science

Foundation (NSF), Directorate for Geosciences, Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE).

ACTION: Solicitation of research proposals for the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics Project.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this Document is to advise the public that NOAA/NOS/CSCOR/COP and NSF/OCE are soliciting up to 4-year proposals for the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC) Program as part of a Federal research partnership.

This notice solicits applications for research projects from eligible non-Federal and Federal applicants. In an effort to maximize the use of limited resources, applications from non-Federal, non-NOAA Federal and NOAA applicants will be competed against each other. Research proposals selected for funding from non-Federal researchers

will be funded through a project grant from NSF or NOAA. Research proposals selected for funding from non-NOAA Federal applicants will be funded through an interagency transfer provided legal authority exists for the federal applicant to receive funds from another agency. Research proposals selected for funding from NOAA will be funded through NOAA.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of proposals in the COP office is 3:00 pm local time May 1, 2001. It is anticipated that final recommendations for awards will be made early in FY 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit the original and 19 copies of your proposal to Coastal Ocean Program Office (GLOBEC 2001), SSMC#3, 9th Floor, Station 9700, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. NOAA Standard Form Applications with instructions are accessible on the following COP Internet Site: http://www.cop.noaa.gov under the COP Grants Support Section, Part D, Application Forms for Initial Proposal Submission.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical Information: Dr. Elizabeth Turner, GLOBEC Program Manager, COP Office, Internet: Elizabeth.Turner@noaa.gov; or Dr. Phillip Taylor, NSF Division of Ocean Sciences, Internet: prtaylor@nsf.gov; Business Management Information: Leslie McDonald, COP Grants

Administrator, 301-713-3338/ext 137, Internet: Leslie.McDonald@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background:

Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (U.S. GLOBEC) is a component of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, with the goals of understanding and ultimately predicting how populations of marine animal species (holozooplankton, fish and benthic invertebrates) respond to natural and anthropogenic changes in global climate. U.S. GLOBEC is also the U.S. component of the GLOBEC International program, a core project of the IGBP (International Geosphere-Biosphere Program), with co-sponsorship from the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

This notice is under the auspices of the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (U. S. GLOBEC) program within NSF/OCE and the regional ecosystem studies and U. S. GLOBEC initiatives of NOAA's COP.

The U.S. Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) Northwest Atlantic study of Georges Bank and environs has thus far consisted of a three phase study of the continental margin and shelf in the context of the larger oceanic boundary region and the processes and phenomena that affect the ecosystem of the Bank. The first three phases of this cooperative, inter-agency research program have supported integrated, multi-investigator, inter-disciplinary programs of modeling, retrospective analysis, and monitoring and process field studies. This coordinated effort has the overall goal of understanding of the potential impacts of climate variability and change on the ecosystem dynamics of Georges Bank with the aim of improving predictability and management of U.S. marine resources. This request for proposals constitutes the initiation of the fourth and final phase of the U.S. GLOBEC/Northwest Atlantic Program. Its principal objective is to foster integration and synthesis of data collected during the field phases of the program, and other relevant data and knowledge, through group interactions and modeling activities; no new field work will be supported. The Phase IV initiative is absolutely open to the participation of scientists without past involvement in U.S. GLOBEC as well as past and present U.S. GLOBEC investigators. The organization of principal investigators and proposals with emphasis on the integration of observations and models, and the close coordination of research groups with one another, will be vital to the success of the Phase IV synthesis effort. Data collected under the U.S. GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic/Georges Bank Program and associated documentation is available to all researchers at http://globec.whoi.edu/globec-dir/globec.doc.html under protocols established under the U.S. GLOBEC Data Policy (see U.S. GLOBEC Report No. 10 available as an Adobe Acrobat file. For a list of funded projects during phases I-III of the Georges Bank Study, consult http://globec.whoi.edu/globec-dir/list-of-all-projects.html. Publications resulting from U.S. GLOBEC studies are catalogued at: http://www.usglobec.org/misc/funded.contributions.html

A. Research Program Goals.

Within the overall goal outlined above, this Northwest Atlantic/Georges Bank Program continues to have three specific goals:

* To determine the processes that control the Georges Bank circulation and transport of biological and chemical materials in a strongly tidal and wind-driven system, and to determine how physical and biological processes control the population dynamics of the target organisms (early life stages of cod and haddock and the copepods Calanus finmarchicus and Pseudocalanus spp.) in the Northwest Atlantic/Georges Bank area.

* To embody this understanding in conceptual and quantitative models capable of elucidating ecosystem dynamics and responses on a broad range of space and time scales.

* To understand the effects of climate variability and climate change on the distribution, abundance and production of the target organisms.

The specific objectives and scientific questions related to these goals are described in greater detail in U.S. GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic Implementation Plan (Report No. 6). This report should be consulted in responding to this announcement (an online version is available at: http://www.usglobec.org/reports/reports.home.html#6.

B. Research Approach.

Phase IV of the U.S. GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic/Georges Bank Program will emphasize a number of topic areas. Examples of appropriate topics to be considered are described below. The intent is for coordinated activities that collectively address the program goals. It is anticipated that proposed work may address more than one of these topic areas.

1. Synthesis of Data Sets.

Integration of broad-scale, process, and vital-rate study components of the program, and of observational, retrospective and modeling analyses are critical in the development of the synthesis research efforts. Investigators who have not been involved in the first three phases of the program, but who have new ideas about how to analyze or model currently available data sets are strongly encouraged to participate. Investigators involved in the first three field phases of the program are encouraged to collaborate in the integration of their data sets with other data sets to facilitate multidisciplinary approaches to understanding factors affecting the dynamics of the target organisms. Topics under this initiative include, but are not limited to:

1a. Occurrence, abundance, and distribution of target species.

Broad-scale studies include integration and synthesis of data collected during Phases I-III from shipboard surveys, moorings, and satellites. The emphasis is on the determination of the distribution and abundance of the target organisms in relation to their physical environment during the pelagic period of cod and haddock early life history stages. Creation of integrated data sets that can be used for inter-annual comparisons of population processes and their coupling to the physical structure and variability of the environment to answer the key questions posed in Phases I-III is of fundamental importance.

1b. Processes that regulate the occurrence, abundance and distribution of target species.

Synthesis of process and vital-rate studies will include the integration of field and laboratory data designed to investigate specific biological and physical processes associated with vertical mixing and stratification, with regional exchanges of water and organisms on and off Georges Bank, and with the mechanisms and dynamics of cross-frontal exchanges of water and organisms to understand critical forcing mechanisms. Examples include: synthesis of the experimental measurements of vital rates of target species to determine if the vertical distribution and vital rates of target species are correlated with mixing processes; examination of physical exchanges of water across the boundary of the Bank to determine how they influence population abundance and how exchange of the biota is affected by vertical migration behavior; and examination of how plankton patchiness, predator-prey interactions, and vital rates are influenced by turbulence on all scales.

2. Physical/biological modeling.

The development and use of conceptual and quantitative models to investigate physical and coupled physical/biological processes in the Georges Bank ecosystem have been emphasized throughout the U.S. GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic/Georges Bank program. Three-dimensional circulation models have been used to study the influence of seasonal stratification and wind forcing on flow to and over the Bank, using both idealized and realistic regional bathymetry and forcing. The role of advection, turbulent mixing, nutrient supply, insolation, predation, and other factors on the early population development of the target species has been examined using both continuous and individual-based models. These studies have involved both diagnostic and predictive models, and more recently included data assimilation to improve model accuracy and understanding of key processes. In Phase IV, these and other model approaches will be encouraged, with the following multiple aims:

a) to improve understanding of the key physical and biological processes which affect the target species on Georges Bank;

b) to help integrate and synthesize the various physical and biological data collected during the field program;

c) to begin coupling the lower and upper trophic level models of the Georges Bank ecosystem.

Ideally, a product of Phase IV will be quantitative coupled physical/biological ecosystem models that embody the collective knowledge learned in the Georges Bank program and that can be used to investigate the Bank ecosystem response to future climate variability.

3: Upstream and broader scale effects influenced by climate change.

Waters from the Labrador Sea and Gulf of St. Lawrence flow southwestward along the eastern Canadian slope and shelf and can be traced downstream to the Middle Atlantic Bight. Thus, the planktonic populations located off eastern Canada are connected with those of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank region and points south. Results from phases I to III have shown that these advective fluxes are important contributors to the target species dynamics in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank. Hydrographic changes observed in the Georges Bank/Gulf of Maine region are now known to be part of a larger scale regional change likely associated with ocean basin scale atmospheric forcings (North Atlantic Oscillation).

In Phase IV, particular emphasis will be placed on the inter-regional coupling of target species populations through the larger scale current systems. This initiative will provide a unique opportunity for evaluation of large-scale environmental influences. In this regard, the Atlantic component of Canada GLOBEC investigated the effect of environment on gadid fish and copepods using field observations, laboratory experiments, and numerical models. Integration and collective analysis of these data sets are encouraged. One mutual question is how much regional variability in zooplankton abundance on the continental shelf is generated locally as opposed to being controlled by advective forcing from slope and shelf currents or the adjoining open ocean? Together with historical data sets, recent observations made during Phases I-III can be used to evaluate the affects of environment on zooplankton populations and recruitment of gadid stocks.

At these scales, it is possible to address the effects of climate variability as manifest through changes in the shelf and Slope Water transports and water properties. For example, general circulation model products could yield insight into the nature and magnitude of historic or projected change, the historic hydrographic record could be examined for similar information, and these changes could be imposed on simulations of the coupled physical/biological shelf system. Studies that investigate this regional manifestation of climate variability are encouraged.

4) Comparative regional studies and climate change.

Ecosystem studies similar to U.S. GLOBEC and Canadian GLOBEC have been conducted in other regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. For example, the ICES Cod and Climate Change program and Trans-Atlantic Studies of Calanus (TASC) have emphasized studies of the biology of cod and the copepod Calanus in the northeastern Atlantic and their coupling to large-scale and meso-scale circulation. Regional comparisons across the North Atlantic are therefore possible. Such studies should emphasize comparison at a fundamental level specifically addressing vital rates of the target species (fecundity, feeding, growth as a function of food levels and temperature), behavior, predation, trophic interactions, and source populations. In addition, the extent and timing of zooplankton transport among the regions and the role of banks and nearby basins as spawning/nursery areas for gadids and their zooplanktonic prey need to be examined. In phase IV, such basin-scale studies will be encouraged.

Recent results from these programs show that regional Calanus finmarchicus fluctuations are linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation and thus are sensitive to climate variability and change. To understand the linkage, there is a need for more comprehensive modeling to integrate basin-scale ocean and atmospheric models with near shore regional biophysical models in order to identify and separate processes which are linked to the large scale forcing from those which act more locally.

5) Development of indices to characterize environmental and ecosystem status and change.

A more complete understanding of the Georges Bank ecosystem gained through the U.S. GLOBEC program should allow for the design of better - more efficient and more informative - monitoring programs in the region. Achieving this improvement will involve determining indices for the physical and lower trophic level system components that best characterize the status of the ecosystem, particularly in relation to potential higher trophic level production. An important goal is for the indices to identify the environmental influence on fish recruitment variability that can be incorporated into the assessment of the fish stocks in the region. Indices may be derived from directly measured parameters or from output of specific configurations of U. S. GLOBEC biological-physical models.

Schedule and Proposal Submission:

The guidelines for proposal preparation provided below are mandatory. Proposals received after the published deadline, or proposals that deviate from the prescribed format, will be returned to the sender without further consideration. This announcement, and additional background information, will be made available on the COP home page on the World Wide Web at: http://www.cop.noaa.gov/cop-home.html.

Proposals may be submitted by institutions in support of individual investigators or small groups. Synergistic collaboration among researchers and collaboration or partnerships with industry or government laboratories is encouraged when appropriate. Group and collaborative proposals involving more than one institution must be submitted as a single administrative package from one of the institutions involved. Due to the limited availability of funds, prospective applicants are strongly urged to contact one of the program officers listed at the end of this document for guidance. Foreign institutions are not eligible for funding through this announcement.

This opportunity is open to all interested, qualified, non-federal, and federal researchers. Non-federal researchers should comply with their institutional requirements for proposal submission. Non-federal researchers affiliated with NOAA-university Joint Institutes should comply with joint institutional requirements. Proposals deemed acceptable from federal researchers will be funded through NOAA; non-federal awardees will be funded through their joint institutes, as appropriate, or through a grant from NOAA or NSF. Proposals selected for NSF funding will be required to submit additional forms and paperwork for grants processing.

Full Proposals:

Proposals submitted to this announcement must include the original and nineteen copies of the proposal. Investigators are encouraged to submit sufficient proposal copies for the full review process if they wish all reviewers to receive color or high-resolution graphics, unusual sized materials (not 8.5" x 11"), or otherwise unusual materials submitted as part of the proposal. Facsimile transmissions and electronic mail submission of full proposals will not be accepted.

Required Elements:

All recipients are to closely follow the instructions and guidelines in the preparation of the standard NOAA Application Forms and Kit requirements listed in Section (n) under Supplementary Information. Each proposal must also include the following eight elements:

(a) Signed Summary title page--The title page should be signed by the Principal Investigator (PI) and the institutional representative. The Summary Title page identifies the project's title starting with the acronym GLOBEC, a short title (<50 characters), and the lead principal investigator's name and affiliation, complete address, phone, FAX, and E-mail information. The requested budget for each fiscal year should be included on the Summary Title page. Multi-institution proposals must include signed Summary Title pages from each institution.

(b) One-page abstract/project summary--An abstract must be included and should contain an introduction of the problem, rationale, scientific objectives and/or hypotheses to be tested, 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.

(c) Statement of work/project description- The proposed project must be completely described, including identification of the problem, scientific objectives, proposed methodology, relevance to the goals of the GLOBEC Program, and its scientific priorities. This section must include a Statement of Work for Year one and a section of Relevant Results from Prior Support (not to exceed five (5) pages). Project management should be clearly identified with a description of the functions of each principal investigator within a team. It is important to provide a full scientific justification for the research; do not simply reiterate justifications presented in this notice. The project description section (including Relevant Results from Prior Support) should not exceed fifteen (15) pages.

Both page limits are inclusive of figures and other visual materials, but exclusive of references and milestone chart. This section should also include: (1) the objective for the period of proposed work and its expected significance; (2) the relation to the present state of knowledge in the field and relation to previous work and work in progress by the proposing principal investigator(s); (3) a discussion of how the proposed project lends value to the program goals, and (4) potential coordination with other investigators.

(d) References Cited--Reference information is required. Each reference must include the name(s) of all authors in the same sequence in which they appear in the publications, the article title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publications. While there is no established page limitation, this section should include bibliographic citations only and should not be used to provide parenthetical information outside of the fifteen-page project description.

(e) Milestone chart--Time lines of major tasks covering the duration of the proposed project up to forty-eight (48) months.

(f) Budget--Applicants must submit a Standard Form 424 (Rev 7-97), "Application for Federal Assistance", showing costs for the entire project period. A detailed budget for each fiscal year of the project must be submitted using the Standard Form 424A (Rev 7-97), "Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs". These forms are included on the COP website listed under section (n) Application Forms and Kit. Present the budget in fiscal year increments (2002,2003, ... 2005). Proposals must include total and annual budgets corresponding with the descriptions provided in the statement of work. Include a budget narrative/justification to support all proposed categories. Note that for multi-year project periods, the out-year budget estimates are to be included in Section E, page 2, on the SF424A. The program office shall review the proposed budgets to determine the necessity and adequacy of proposed costs for accomplishing the objectives of the proposed grant. Multi-institution proposals must include budget forms from each institution.

(g) Biographical sketch--Abbreviated curriculum vitae, two pages per investigator, are sought with each proposal. Include a list of up to five (5) publications most closely related to the proposed project and up to five (5) other significant publications. A list of ALL persons (including their organizational affiliation), in alphabetical order, who have collaborated on a project, book, article, or paper within the last 48 months should be included. If there are no collaborators, this should be so indicated. Students, post-doctoral associates, and graduate and postgraduate advisors of the PI should also be disclosed. This information is used to help identify potential conflicts of interest or bias in the selection of reviewers.

(h) Current and Pending Support--NSF requires information on current and pending support of all proposers. Describe all current and pending support for all principal investigators (PIs), including subsequent funding in the case of continuing grants. A model format is available on NSF form 1239, available at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?99form1239. Use of this form is optional, however, the categories of information included on the NSF Form 1239 must be provided. All current support from whatever source (e.g., Federal, State or local government agencies, private foundations, industrial or other commercial organizations) must be listed. The proposed project and all other projects or activities requiring a portion of time of the PI and other senior personnel should be included, even if they receive no salary support from the project(s). The total award amount for the entire award period covered (including indirect costs) should be shown as well as the number of person-months per year to be devoted to the project, regardless of source of support.

Proposal Format and Assembly:

Staple the proposal in the upper left-hand corner, but otherwise leave it unbound. Use one (1) inch (2.5 cm) margins at the top, bottom, left and right of each page. Use a clear and easily legible type face in standard size of twelve (12) points. Print on one side of the page only.

Further Supplementary Information

(a) Program Authorities: For a list of all program authorities for the Coastal Ocean Program, see COP's General Gran Administration Terms and Conditions annual notice in the Federal Register (XX FR XXXXX, XXXXXXXXX, 2000) and at the COP home page. Specific Authority cited for this Announcement is U.S.C. 883(d) for Coastal Ocean Program and the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1861-75) for the National Science Foundation.

(b) Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 11. 478 Coastal Ocean Program and 47.050 for the Directorate for Geosciences, National Science Foundation

(c) Program Description: See initial COP General Notice--63 FR44237, dated August 18, 1998.

(d) Funding Availability: Funding is contingent upon receipt of fiscal years 2002-2005 federal appropriations. The anticipated maximum funding for GLOBEC activities under this announcement is ca. $2M per year over 4 years (FY2002-FY2005).

If an application is selected for funding, NSF and NOAA have no obligation to provide any additional prospective funding in connection with that award in subsequent years. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the total discretion of the funding agencies. Not all proposals selected will receive funding for the entire duration of the program. Moreover, start dates for some proposals may be delayed, or proposals may be funded for a portion of the four years only. Proposals selected for funding by NSF will need to submit additional forms required by that agency. Publication of this notice does not obligate any agency to any specific award or to obligate any part of the entire amount of funds available.

(e) Matching Requirements: None.

(f) Type of Funding Instrument: Project Grants, Interagency Agreements, or NOAA Financial Operating Plan transfers.

(g) Eligibility Criteria: Opportunity is extended to universities, colleges, junior colleges, technical schools, institutions, laboratories, and non-profit organizations. Non-federal researchers should comply with their institutional requirements for proposal submission. Federal researchers in successful multi-investigator proposals will be funded through NOAA.

(h) Award Period: Full Proposals can cover a project period from one to four years, i.e. from date of award for up to forty-eight (48) consecutive months. Multi-year project period funding may be funded incrementally on an annual basis. For NOAA awards, each annual award shall require a Statement of Work that can be easily separated into annual increments of meaningful work which represent solid accomplishments if prospective funding is not made available, or is discontinued.

(i) Indirect Costs: If Indirect costs are proposed, the following statement applies: The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an application 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 costs dollar amount in the application, whichever is less.

(j) Application Forms and Kit: When applying for financial assistance under this announcement, applicants will be able to obtain a copy of the Federal Register Notice and a standard NOAA Application Kit from the COP home page on the following World Wide Web address: http://www.cop.noaa.gov/cop-home.html. If you are unable to access this information, you may also call the Coastal Ocean Program (extension 116) at the address listed above to leave a mail request. The Standard Forms 424 (Rev 7-97) Application for Federal Assistance; 424A (Rev 7-97); Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs; and 424B (Rev 7-97) Assurances - Non Construction Programs, shall be used in applying for financial assistance. In addition, Forms CD-511, Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and Lobbying; CD-512, Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions and Lobbying; and SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, will be used as appropriate.

(k) Project Funding Priorities: Priority consideration will be given to a set of proposals that provide balanced coverage of the overall GLOBEC science goals, and avoid duplication of completed or ongoing work.

(l) Evaluation Criteria: Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those proposals which address one or more of the program goals listed above and meet the following evaluation criteria:

(i) Scientific Merit (20%): Intrinsic scientific value of the subject and the study proposed.

(ii) Relevance (20%): Importance and relevance to the goals of GLOBEC and to the research goals listed above.

(iii) Methodology (20%): Focused scientific objective and strategy, including measurement strategies and data management considerations; project milestones; and final products.

(iv) Readiness (20%): Nature of the problem; relevant history and status of existing work; level of planning, including existence of supporting documents; strength of proposed scientific and management team; past performance record of proposers.

(v) Linkages (10%): Connections to existing or planned national and international programs; partnerships with other GLOBEC participants, where appropriate.

(vi) Costs (10%): Adequacy of proposed resources; appropriate share of total available resources; prospects for joint funding; identification of long-term commitments.

(Matching funding is encouraged, but is not required)

(m) Selection Procedures: All proposals will be evaluated and ranked individually in accordance with the assigned weights of the above evaluation criteria by (1) independent peer mail review, and (2) independent peer panel review. Both NOAA and non-NOAA experts in the field may be used in this process. The program officer(s) will not vote as part of the independent peer panel. The panel recommendations and evaluations will be considered by the Program Manager / Officer(s) in final selections. A scale of one to five will be used where scores represent, respectively, excellent, very good, good, fair, poor. Those ranked by the panel and program as not recommended for funding will not be given further consideration and will be notified of non-selection. For the proposals rated either Excellent, Very Good or Good, the NOAA GLOBEC Program Manager and the NSF Biological Oceanography Program Director will: (i) ascertain which proposals meet GLOBEC objectives, fit the criteria posted, and do not substantially duplicate other projects that are currently funded by NOAA or are approved for funding by other federal agencies (b) select the proposals to be recommended for funding (c) determine the total duration of funding for each proposal, and (d) determine the amount of funds available for each proposal. Awards may not necessarily be made to the proposals scored highest by the panel and/or mail reviews.

The NOAA GLOBEC Program Manager or the NSF Biological Oceanography Program Director or staff will notify lead proposers for those projects recommended for support, and negotiate revisions in the proposed work and budget. Final awards will be issued by the agency responsible for a specific project after receipt and processing of any specific materials required by the agency.

When a decision has been made (whether an award or declination), verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, and summaries of review panel deliberations, if any, are available to the proposer. No information directly identifying reviewers or other pending or declined proposals will be released.

(r) Other Requirements: See initial COP General Notice -63 FR44237, dated August 18, 1998 at the COP Internet Site: http://www.cop.noaa.gov/cop-home.html.

(s) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection displays a current valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. This notice involves collections of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act. The requirements have been approved by OMB under control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040 and 0348-0046.

Leslie McDonald

COP Grants Office

Room 9729 / SSMC3