Foa_Content_of_M22AS00318 revised 7.28.22.docx

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Environmental Studies

M22AS00318

5/31/2022

Table of Contents

G1. Federal Awarding Agency Contact………………………………………………………..19 G2. Alternate Federal Awarding Agency Contact……………………………………………..20 G3. Grants.gov Technical Support……………………………………………………… ……20 H. Other Information……………………………………………………………………………..20 H1. Responses to Applicant Questions ………………………………………………………..20 H2. ESPIS Information ………………………………………………………………………..21 H3. Geospatial Data…………… ………………………………………………………………21

A. Program Description A1. Authority Section 1346 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) mandates the conduct of environmental and socioeconomic studies needed for the assessment and management of environmental impacts on the human, marine, and coastal environments which may be affected by oil and gas or other mineral development. OCSLA Section 1345 authorizes the use of cooperative agreements with affected States to meet the requirements of OCSLA, including sharing of information, joint utilization of available expertise, formation of joint monitoring arrangements to carry out applicable Federal and State laws, regulations, and stipulations relevant to outer continental shelf operations both onshore and offshore.

A2. Background, Purpose and Program Requirements PURPOSE:The Mississippi River Delta Front (MRDF) off the coast of Louisiana is a heavily sedimented area of known seafloor instability that is prone to subsea gravity flows (e.g., mudflows, debris flows, hypopycnal flows, turbidity flows, gravity currents, etc.). Despite previous research —primarily limited to discrete study areas within the MRDF — and recent developments in seafloor mapping, sampling, and modeling, large knowledge and data gaps exist regarding the environmental forcing mechanisms driving gravity flow occurrence, as well as the location, frequency, and magnitude of such events. The MRDF also contains extensive development of State and Federally regulated oil and gas infrastructure, as well as numerous known and potential archaeological sites (e.g., historic shipwrecks). The purpose of this Agreement is for BOEM and its designated Federal partners to assist the State of Louisiana in:

(1) producing a map of the entire MRDF for the first time using modern seafloor mapping tools and techniques, (2) collecting and analyzing oceanographic, geological, and geotechnical data sets at selected locations within the MRDF, (3) incorporating numerical modeling and machine learning to identify areas of low-to-high probability for future gravity flow occurrence and associated risk to offshore infrastructure, (4) evaluating new and/or existing technologies to detect and monitor gravity flow events, and (5) identifying benthic habitats and conducting archaeological analyses of selected shipwrecks that have been or have the potential to be impacted by gravity flows. This information will primarily be used to inform the State’s and BOEM’s environmental analyses and regulatory decision-making regarding offshore conventional and renewable energy development.

BACKGROUND

The MRDF is a highly dynamic environment where oceanic, atmospheric, and fluvial drivers interact. These interactions include sediment deposition, seafloor instability, annual storms and hurricanes, and other high-energy sediment transport processes. Since the late 1970s, numerous studies have examined sediment transport in the MRDF and identified areas of instability and gravity flow activity that pose a considerable risk to oil- and gas-related infrastructure (Coleman et al. 1980, Nodine et al. 2007a, Chaytor et al. 2020, Bentley et al. 2022). For example, in 2004 the Taylor Energy platform in Mississippi Canyon lease block 20 was toppled by gravity flows a few days after the passage of Hurricane Ivan, resulting in the longest and second-largest oil spill in U.S. history. That storm and other hurricanes also are known to have displaced active pipelines thousands of feet, risking pipeline damage and potential hydrocarbon spills (Thompson et al. 2005, Nodine et al. 2007b). Though many previous studies have identified impacts to oil and gas infrastructure following hurricanes or major storm events, more recent studies suggest that gravity flows occur over annual or shorter timescales (Obelcz et al. 2017, Galloway 2017).

In addition to being actively leased for oil and gas development, the MRDF also contains known and reported shipwrecks of potential historical significance, as well as benthic habitats. As part of its responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, BOEM requires avoidance of historic shipwrecks during permitted activities. To date, avoidance mitigations have been applied to over 20 known or potential shipwrecks in the MRDF; however, subsequent post-discovery surveys have yielded evidence that at least some of these shipwrecks are being displaced as much as hundreds of meters by recent gravity flow events (Chaytor et al. 2020). One example is Virginia, an American oil tanker sunk by a German U-boat in 1942 off the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River. Between 2004 and 2007, following several hurricanes in the northern Gulf of Mexico, the shipwreck moved more than 365 m toward the southeast. Between 2007 and 2017 it had moved an additional 60 m to the southwest.

Displacement distances of this scale exceed BOEM’s typical minimum avoidance requirements for agency permitted activities, placing both the archaeological sites and nearby industry infrastructure at risk, and potentially introducing adverse impacts that invalidate previous National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and NHPA regulatory analyses.

The entire MRDF has been morphologically categorized via seafloor mapping into zones of mudflow gullies, mudflow lobes that coalesce downslope of the gullies, and undisturbed seafloor. The preconditioning and triggering factors for MRDF seafloor instability are also qualitatively well known, including rapid sedimentation, biogenic gas charging, river floods, and hurricane and other storm passage. However, the last major regional-scale surveys and studies of sediment instabilities in the MRDF occurred in the late 1970s. Additional studies since then have primarily focused on relatively small survey areas or temporally isolated gravity flow events following major storms. Recent developments in geophysical surveying, geotechnical seafloor sampling, and numerical modeling have greatly improved the ability to conduct comprehensive regional studies regarding gravity flows throughout the MRDF. Multibeam bathymetry and chirp sub-bottom profiling has increased the volume and resolution of documented instability events. Numerous chronology methods, including radioisotope geochronology, constrain the timing and recurrence interval of seafloor instability. Deterministic and probabilistic models improve our ability to understand the driving forces of seafloor instability and identify regions likely to be instability prone.

The OASIS collaboration follows a recent (2014-2017) BOEM-funded pilot study that synthesized all previous research conducted on MRDF seafloor instability and used modern techniques to study select areas of the MRDF (Bentley et al. 2022). The major findings of the "Mass Wasting Processes and Products of the Mississippi Delta Front: Data Synthesis and Observation” study can be summarized as follows:

· The entire MRDF is in a state of decline (deepening) since initial surveys conducted in the 1970s, likely due to reduction in river-sourced sediment discharge from ~400 Mt/year to ~200 Mt/year

· MRDF seafloor instability events occur on an annual or greater frequency, and gravity flow zones can deepen and shoal at rates > 1 m/year. The failure planes of mudflow movement are likely deeper than ~3 m.

· Gravity flow movement is spatially and temporally heterogeneous; adjacent blocks of sediment in gravity flow gullies can differ in annual lateral movement by tens of meters.

That pilot study additionally built on the results of another BOEM-funded study (Harris et al., 2020), which found:

· The suspended sediment model indicated that episodic suspended transport down the Mississippi and De Soto Canyons was fed principally by sediment fluxes generated by wave resuspension on the shelf

· hurricane conditions from two events, despite only lasting for a few days, accounted for about 30% of the sediment delivered from the continental shelf to the slope in one year

· The remaining 70% was accounted for by plume delivery and transport during the moderate intensity frontal passage, a common occurrence during the spring season in the northern Gulf of Mexico

· identification of a time lag of about five days between maximum atmospheric forcing at the coastline and maximum offshore sediment transport down the slope at those and other locations. This finding was similar to the observed lag (about four days) between maximum sea level rise at the shoreline and when the platform in Mississippi Canyon block 20 was toppled by gravity currents following Hurricane Ivan

The goal of this Cooperative Agreement is to address MRDF knowledge and data gaps identified by the BOEM pilot study (Bentley et al. 2022) and other previous research (Maloney et al. 2018; Maloney et al. 2020) by building a multidisciplinary team of academic, private sector, and federal scientists. The OASIS Partnership currently includes representatives from multiple federal agencies with mission interests in the MRDF including BOEM, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA NCEI), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). OASIS will incorporate monetary and/or in-kind contributions from each partner agency, with specific contributions detailed in the attached Statement of Work.

The Recipient academic institution will provide additional data collection, processing, and analysis, as well as central project management and coordination of all OASIS tasks, including serving as the dedicated liaison between partner agencies. See attached Statement of Work for more information.

In addition to Federal contributions detailed in the Statement of Work, the project is seeking external sponsorship from the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), which exists to facilitate partnerships between Federal, academic, private, and industry sectors. If the project is selected for NOPP sponsorship, additional funds, equipment, or in-kind support from other Federal agencies may be used to expand the scope of the project.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 15.423 Authorization Legislation Section 1346 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) mandates the conduct of environmental and socioeconomic studies needed for the assessment and management of environmental impacts on the human, marine, and coastal environments which may be affected by oil and gas or other mineral development. OCSLA Section 1345 authorizes the use of cooperative agreements with affected States to meet the requirements of OCSLA, including sharing of information, joint utilization of available expertise, formation of joint monitoring arrangements to carry out applicable Federal and State laws, regulations, and stipulations relevant to outer continental shelf operations both onshore and offshore.

B. Federal Award Information

B1. Total Funding Estimated Total Funding $3,798,393

The total amount of federal funds available for this multi-year award is anticipated to be $3,798,393, subject to the availability of funds. BOEM anticipates making one cooperative agreement award in FY 2022 for one proposal submitted under this Program Announcement. This Program Announcement describes the specific project that may be awarded to the eligible groups identified below. The award is premised on receipt of an acceptable proposal. This announcement is specifically to announce the intent to undertake the following project: "Offshore Analysis of Seafloor Instability and Sediments (OASIS Partnership) with Applications to Offshore Safety and Marine Archaeology" B2. Expected Award Amount Maximum Award Amount $3,798,393 Minimum Award Amount $3,000,000

B3. Anticipated Dates Award Start Date September 30, 2022 The anticipated award start date is 9/30/2022.

B4. Period of Performance Length of Project Periods 60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods Length of Project Period Explanation of Other Project Period l Expectation Duration in Months 60 Proposals shall clearly define the work to be completed in each year, and the evaluation panel reserves the option to fund only the first year of a multi-year proposal. Funding for subsequent years of a multi-year cooperative agreement is contingent upon the availability of funds and satisfactory progress demonstrated by the Recipient. Progress will be determined through technical review of quarterly progress reports and other work identified by the BOEM Project Officer. Funds requested for the final year of performance shall include a 15% retainage of the project’s total anticipated budget request. The BOEM Project Officer shall provide continuation notices at least 60 days prior to the end of each funding period.

B5. Numbers of Awards Expected Number of Awards

B6. Type of Award Funding Instrument Type CA - Cooperative Agreement The award will be a cooperative agreement (see Section A1, Authority, above). This involves substantial involvement by BOEM scientists in various aspects of study development and/or study conduct.

Eligible applicants are Coastal State Governments and Public, State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education in the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU).

B7. Other Federal Information Type of Competition Open to All Eligible Applicants

C. Eligibility Information

C1. Eligible Applicants 00 – State governments 06 – Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Additional Information on Eligibility Eligible applicants are Coastal State Governments and Public, State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education in the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU).

The specific project identified in Section 2 is intended for eligible applicants. However, cooperative research (establishment of teams) is encouraged and the applicant may include subcontracts to non-profit organizations, private institutions of higher education, private companies or public and state controlled institutions of higher education within their proposal. This research project is required to have a staff member of the applying organization as the Principal Investigator (PI). Cooperative research between interested organizations - i.e., state agencies, public universities, and non-profits in affected states - is always encouraged. Federal entities as partners are allowed, however the tasks performed by the Federal partner and the associated budget must be presented separately by the Federal partner. Other non-federal organizations may be partners and their tasks and budgets should be included in the eligible applicant’s proposal.

All questions regarding this project, including eligibility, should be directed only to the “Federal Awarding Agency Contact” point-of-contact listed in Section G.

C2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost Sharing/Matching Requirement No C3. Other Excluded Parties:

BOEM conducts a review of the SAM.gov Exclusions database for all applicant entities and their key project personnel prior to award. The Bureau cannot award funds to entities or their key project personnel identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal assistance and benefits, as their ineligibility condition applies to this Federal program.

D. Application and Submission Information

D1. Address to Request Application Package The application must be submitted through the www.Grants.gov portal.

The applicant can locate the application package by visiting the Grants.gov portal and searching on CFDA number 15.423 or Announcement M22AS00318 in the Grants.gov search engine. See sections D3 and D7 for more information on the application process.

D2. Content and Form of Application Submission SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance In addition to the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance applicants must submit the following:

· SF-424a Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs

· SF-424b Assurances - Non-Construction Programs

· Project Narrative

· Budget Narrative with Federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

· Budget Worksheet

· Grants.gov Lobbying Form

· Complete SF-LLL only if lobbying has occurred.

These forms will be with the Grants.gov announcement package.

Project Summary Offshore Analysis of Seafloor Instability and Sediments (OASIS Partnership) with Applications to Offshore Safety and Marine Archaeology (National Studies List (NSL) #GM- 21-01a)

Project Narrative The Project Narrative should include the Proposal Cover Sheet and Proposal Text.

1. Proposal Cover Sheet: The cover sheet of the proposal shall contain the following information:

a. Project Title:

b. PI(s):

i. Name:

ii. Address:

iii. Phone:

iv. E-mail:

c. Name of State Agency or University/Department:

d. Contact Information for Technical and Administrative Negotiations

e. Project Status: New/Continuation

f. Project Duration: (years or months)

g. Proposed Start Date:

h. Proposed Draft Final Report Submission Date:

i. Proposed Completion Date:

j. Amount Requested From BOEM:

k. Amount and Sources of Non-Federal Match

l. Total Project Cost:

m. Signature, Name, and Contact Information of State or University PI and Co-Investigator:

n. Proposal Endorsement, including Signature, Name, Contact Information of State Authorizing Official or Sponsoring University Department Dean or Institute Director:

o. Signature, Name and Contact Information of Authorized State Official, Office of Sponsored Programs, or Appropriate Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, etc.

2. Proposal Text: The proposal must be in 11–12 point Times New Roman, Arial, or similar font with 1”-page margins. Non-conforming proposals will not be considered. Text, figures, etc. in support of items a-i below should be no longer than 15 pages. Please include the following in the Proposal:

a. Abstract

b. Background/Relevance to BOEM Issues, Information Needs, and Research Topics: Give a brief introduction to the research proposed. Specify the contribution to science related to the program issues and the benefits that the public will receive from the project. Explain why the work is important and how the proposal addresses BOEM goals. Provide a brief summary of findings or outcomes of any prior work you have completed in this area.

c. Objectives/Hypotheses: Clearly define goals of the project.

d. Methods/Analyses: Provide a clear description of planned research methodologies and analyses.

e. Project Deliverables and Planned Products: Applicants shall provide plans for executing the project tasks listed in the attached Statement of Work, including a rough timeline for these deliverables.

f. Staffing Plan: All key personnel (including graduate student workers) shall be identified by name. List the Principle Investigator first, followed by the names of other individuals. Indicate the role and anticipated level of effort for each key participant offering unique or specific contributions to the project (oceanographer, geochemist, field assistant, etc.). If names of any key participants are unknown, a proposal addendum with the names and curricula vitae must be submitted prior to award.

g. Performance Measures: Applicants shall suggest specific measures that will be used to monitor project progress, including progress of sub-awardees (e.g., quality and timely deliverables, timely completion of fieldwork or other project components, draft peer- reviewed articles). These performance measures will be incorporated in the cooperative agreement award and reviewed as part of any continuation request.

h. Critical Starting Dates (e.g., for season-limited field work): Identify any critical starting dates and the reason why project success is dependent upon that start date.

i. Publication and Presentation: BOEM strongly encourages the Awardees to publish project reports in scientific and technical journals, and present results to the scientific community, appropriate professional organizations, and local, State, and/or Federal agencies as part of the project (please also see Section H). These publications and meetings should be included in the proposal and budget.

j. Bibliography: List all references cited in the text, as well as references that are relevant to the current proposal from your past work in the field.

k. Curricula Vitae (maximum two pages) for each identified key participant. Emphasize previous experience in the field of study that the proposal addresses.

l. Letters of Commitment: Provide signed letters of commitment by matching fund grantors, contractors, and sub-grantees.

Budget Narrative/Detailed Spreadsheet Describe and justify requested budget items and costs. Detail how the SF-424 Budget Information, Object Class Category totals were determined. For personnel salary costs, include the baseline salary figures and the estimates of time. Describe any item of cost that requires prior approval under the Federal cost principles. See 2 CFR 200.407 “Prior written approval (prior approval)” for more information. If equipment purchased previously with Federal funds is available for the project, provide a list of that equipment and identify the Federal funding source.

1. Budget Spreadsheet: Include information in a format that provides personnel, travel, services, supplies, equipment, tuition, and indirect costs on an annual basis for both the requested BOEM funds and for the anticipated match funds if applicable. Detail how the SF-424 Budget Information, Object Class Category totals were determined.

2. Budget Narrative: This information will provide more details than the SF-424a form and will provide adequate information for the Contracting Officer to conduct a detailed analysis of the costs to determine they are reasonable, allowable, and allocable. Describe and justify requested budget items and costs. Please include the following:

a. Salaries and Wages. List positions, rate of compensation, and estimates of time spent on the project for employees.

b. Fringe Benefits/Labor Overhead. Indicate the rates/amounts in conformance with normal accounting procedures. Explain what costs are covered in this category and the basis of the rate computations. Provide a copy of the negotiated rate agreement, if available.

c. Lab Analyses. Briefly itemize cost of all analytical work.

d. Supplies. Enter the cost for all tangible property. Include the cost of office, laboratory, computing, and field supplies separately. Provide detail on any specific item that represents a significant portion of the proposed amount. Provide a statement that supplies will be purchased in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 (State Governments) or 2 CFR 200.318-327.

e. Equipment. Show the cost of all special-purpose equipment necessary for achieving the objectives of the project. “Special-purpose equipment” means scientific equipment having a useful life of more than 1 year and having an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per item. Each item should be itemized and include a full justification and a dealer or manufacturer quote, if available. Title to non-expendable personal property shall be vested solely with the recipient. Under no circumstances shall property title be vested in a sub-tier recipient. Provide a statement that equipment will be purchased in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 (State Governments) or 2 CFR 200.318-327 and managed in accordance with 2 CFR 200.313. General-purpose equipment (used also for purposes other than this project) must be purchased from the applicant’s operating funds.

e. Services or Consultants. Identify the tasks or problems for which such services would be used. List the contemplated sub-recipients by name (including consultants), the estimated amount of time required, and the quoted rate per day or hour. Sub-applicant proposals should provide cost breakdowns at the same level of detail as the Applicant’s proposal. If contract employees are hired, include their total time, rate of compensation, job titles, and roles. Provide a statement that salaries will be charged at the actual rate and that the rate is comparable to others doing similar work within the organization.

f. Travel. State the purpose of the trip and itemize the estimated travel costs to show the number of trips required, the destinations, the number of people traveling, the per diem rates, the cost of transportation, and any miscellaneous expenses for each trip. Calculations of other special transportation costs (such as charges for use of applicant- owned vehicles or vehicle rental costs) should also be shown.

g. Publication Costs. Indicate an estimate of labor and other unique costs associated with preparation of the draft final report. If publication of results of the research in the peer- reviewed literature (identify likely publications) is anticipated, include costs of drafting or graphics, reproduction, page or illustration charges, and a minimum number of reprints.

h. Other Direct Costs. Itemize the different types of costs not included elsewhere.

i. Total Direct Charges. Sum of above items.

j. Indirect Charges (Overhead). Indirect cost/general and administrative (G&A) cost. Show the proposed rate, cost base, and proposed amount for indirect costs based on the cost principles applicable to the Applicant’s organization. If the Applicant has separate rates for recovery of labor overhead and G&A costs, each charge should be shown. Provide a copy of the negotiated rate agreement with the applicant’s federal cognizant audit agency.

k. Amount Proposed. Sum of Total Direct Charges and Indirect Charges (Overhead).

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Per the Financial Assistance Interior Regulation, 2 CFR §1402.112, applicants must state in their application if any actual or potential conflict of interest exists at the time of submission.

(a) Applicability.

(1) This section intends to ensure that non-Federal entities and their employees take appropriate steps to avoid conflicts of interest in their responsibilities under or with respect to Federal financial assistance agreements.

(2) In the procurement of supplies, equipment, construction, and services by recipients and by subrecipients, the conflict of interest provisions in 2 CFR 200.318 apply.

(b) Notification.

(1) Non-Federal entities, including applicants for financial assistance awards, must disclose in writing any conflict of interest to the DOI awarding agency or pass-through entity in accordance with 2 CFR 200.112.

(2) Recipients must establish internal controls that include, at a minimum, procedures to identify, disclose, and mitigate or eliminate identified conflicts of interest. The recipient is responsible for notifying the Financial Assistance Officer in writing of any conflicts of interest that may arise during the life of the award, including those that have been reported by subrecipients.

(c) Restrictions on lobbying. Non-Federal entities are strictly prohibited from using funds under a grant or cooperative agreement for lobbying activities and must provide the required certifications and disclosures pursuant to 43 CFR part 18 and 31 U.S.C. 1352.

(d) Review procedures. The Financial Assistance Officer will examine each conflict of interest disclosure on the basis of its particular facts and the nature of the proposed grant or cooperative agreement and will determine whether a significant potential conflict exists and, if it does, develop an appropriate means for resolving it.

(e) Enforcement. Failure to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies the government may be cause for termination of the award. Failure to make required disclosures may result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR 200.339, Remedies for noncompliance, including suspension or debarment (see also 2 CFR part 180).

Single Audit Reporting Statement All U.S. states, local governments, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, and non- profit organizations expending $750,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in the applicant’s fiscal year must submit a Single Audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Internet Data Entry System. U.S. state, local government, federally recognized Indian tribal government, and non-profit applicants must state if your organization was or was not required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year. If your organization was required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year, provide the EIN associated with that report and state if it is available through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse website.

Certification Regarding Lobbying Applicants requesting more than $100,000 in Federal funding must certify to the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying. If this application requests more than $100,000 in Federal funds, the Authorized Official’s signature on the appropriate SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance form also represents the entity’s certification of the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A.

Applicants and recipients must not use any federally appropriated funds (annually appropriated or continuing appropriations) or matching funds under a Federal award to pay any person for lobbying in connection with the award. Lobbying is influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any U.S. agency, a Member of the U.S. Congress, an officer or employee of the U.S. Congress, or an employee of a Member of the U.S. Congress connection with the award. Applicants and recipients must complete and submit the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities if the Federal share of the proposal or award is more than $100,000 and the applicant or recipient has made or has agreed to make any payment using non-appropriated funds for lobbying in connection with the application or award. The SF-LLL form is available on the “Packages” tab of this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. See 43 CFR, Subpart 18.100 for more information on when additional submission of this form is required.

Overlap or Duplication of Effort Statement Applicants must provide a statement indicating if there is any overlap between this Federal application and any other Federal application, or funded project, in regard to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel. If no such overlap or duplication exists, state, “There are no overlaps or duplication between this application and any of our other Federal applications or funded projects, including in regard to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel”. If any such overlap exists, provide a complete description of overlaps or duplications between this proposal and any other federally funded project or application in regard to activities, costs, and time commitment of key personnel, as applicable. Provide a copy of any overlapping or duplicative proposal submitted to any other potential funding entity and identify when that proposal was submitted, to whom (entity name and program), and when you anticipate being notified of their funding decision.

D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Registration: This requirement does not apply to individuals applying for funds as an individual (i.e., unrelated to any business or nonprofit organization you may own, operate, or work within), or any entity with an exception to bypass SAM.gov registration with prior approval from the funding bureau or office in accordance with bureau or office policy. All other applicants are required to register in SAM.gov prior to submitting a Federal award application and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) which replaces the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet in April 2022. A Federal award may not be made to an applicant that has not completed the SAM.gov registration. If an applicant selected for funding has not completed their SAM.gov registration by the time the program is ready to make an award, the program may determine the applicant is not qualified to receive an award. Federal award recipients must also continue to maintain an active SAM.gov registration with current information through the life of their Federal award(s).

Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) Applicants can register on the SAM.gov website. The “Help” tab on the website contains User Guides and other information to assist you with registration. The Grants.gov “Register with SAM” page also provides detailed instructions. Applicants can contact the supporting Federal Service Desk for help registering in SAM. Once registered in SAM, entities will be assigned a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Entities must renew and revalidate their SAM registration at least once every 12 months from the date previously registered. Entities are strongly encouraged to revalidate their registration as often as needed to ensure their information is up to date and reflects changes that may have been made to the entity’s IRS information. There is no cost to register with SAM.gov. There are third-party vendors who will charge a fee in exchange for registering entities with SAM.gov; please be aware you can register and request help for free. If applicable, foreign entities who want to receive payment directly to a U.S. bank account must enter and maintain valid, current banking information in SAM.

D4. Submission Dates and Times Application Due Date 08/15/2022

Application Due Date Explanation Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 4:00 PM Central Daylight Time (5:00 p.m., EDT), on the listed application due date.

D5. Intergovernmental Review Prior to application submission, U.S. state and local government applicants should visit the OMB Office of Federal Financial Management website and view the “State Point of Contact (SPOC) List” to determine whether their application is subject to the state intergovernmental review process under Executive Order (E.O.) 12372 “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.” States not on the list do not participate in the intergovernmental review process, and therefore do not have a SPOC. If you are located within a State that does not have a SPOC, you may send application materials directly to a Federal awarding agency. If your state is on the list, contact the designated entity for more information on the state’s prior review requirements for Federal assistance applications.

D6. Funding Restrictions Indirect Costs: Organizations

The Federal awarding agency that provides the largest amount of direct funding to your organization is your cognizant agency for indirect costs, unless otherwise assigned by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If the Department of the Interior is your organization’s cognizant agency, the Interior Business Center will negotiate your indirect cost rate. Contact the Interior Business Center by phone 916-930-3803 or using the IBC Email Submission Form. See the IBC Website for more information.

This Opportunity is open to Coastal State Governments and Public, State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education in the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). BOEM intends that indirect costs will be paid at the CESU rate applied to the base approved in the Recipient's Federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Agreement.

Organizations must have an active Federal award before they can submit an indirect cost rate proposal to their cognizant agency. Failure to establish an approved rate during the award period renders all costs otherwise allocable as indirect costs unallowable under the award.

A copy of the Applicant's Federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Agreement must be submitted with the applications.

If you have questions, please communicate with the Cooperative Agreement Point of Contact listed in Section G1 below.

Reimbursement of Pre-Award Costs No

D7. Other Submission Requirements Please be aware that the electronic submission process requires first time users to register using an e- Authentication process. This registration process can be somewhat complex and can take up to 3 weeks to complete. Be advised that it is virtually impossible to begin the process of electronic submission for the first time if you start just a few days before the due date. If you are from a university, contact your Office of Sponsored Programs. They may already have completed the registration process and should work with you to submit the application.

If you have any questions or problems with the registration process, or the completion of the application package, please contact the grants.gov help desk at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

Briefly, when you submit a grant application package to Grants.gov, a confirmation screen will appear on your computer screen. This screen confirms you have submitted an application to Grants.gov. Additionally, you will receive three emails over two business days from Grants.gov notifying you of your application processing status: 1. Submission Receipt (with “Track My Application” link) 2. Submission Validation (or Rejection with Errors) 3. Agency Retrieval.

NOTIFICATION 1: Submission Receipt Email Within two business days after your application package has been received by the Grants.gov system, you will receive a submission receipt email which indicates that your submission has entered the Grants.gov system and is ready for validation. This email also contains a tracking number for use while tracking the status of the submission as well as a “Track My Application” link, to use to see the progress of your submission.

NOTIFICATION 2: Submission Validation Receipt Email – This is the important one! After you receive the submission receipt email, the next email you will receive will be a message validating or rejecting your submitted application package with errors. The Grants.gov system is designed to check for technical errors within the submitted application package. Grants.gov does not review application content for award determination. Grants.gov will not post the application if there are errors. Failure to correct errors and submit by the date and time for closing may not be a reason for accepting a late application.

NOTIFICATION 3: Grantor Agency Retrieval Email Once your application package has passed validation it is delivered to the grantor for award determination and further approval. After the grantor has confirmed receipt of your application, you will be sent a third and final email from Grants.gov. The grantor may also assign your application package an agency specific tracking number for use within their internal system. IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED THIS E- MAIL WITHIN FOUR DAYS OF THE CLOSING DATE, PLEASE CONTACT THE FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACT IN SECTION G BELOW.

If you need help entering your proposal, you can reach the Grants.gov Contact Center at:

1-800- 518- 4726. Their hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time, and they are closed on Federal Holidays.

During the application period an applicant may submit a revised or corrected proposal through grants.gov. Include a cover letter as the first page of the proposal stating that the proposal is revised and indicating that the previous submittal is to be withdrawn from consideration. See Section D2. Content and Form of Application Submission above, which describes requirements for the proposal and other application components.

Please allow sufficient time for the proposal to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov and allow time for possible computer delays. Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last minute for submission. A proposal received after the closing date and time will NOT be considered for award. If the BOEM determines that a proposal will not be considered for award due to lateness, the applicant will be notified immediately.

D8. Application Checklist SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance SF-424B, Assurances Project Narrative SF-424A, Budget Information Budget Narrative Copy of Federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Agreement Grants.gov Lobbying Form SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (when applicable)

E. Application Review Information

E1. Criteria

E2. Review and Selection Process The proposal will be reviewed by BOEM scientists and program managers, and possibly external peer reviewers. Reviewers have expertise in Federal offshore programs and/or the specific scientific discipline of the proposal.

E3. CFR - Regulatory Information BOEM will review and consider applications for funding in accordance with the following policy documents:

· President’s September 2, 2020, memorandum entitled Memorandum on Reviewing Funding to State and Local Government Recipients of Federal Funds that Are Permitting Anarchy, Violence, and Destruction in American Cities.

· Executive Order on Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence (E.O. 13933); and

· Guidance for Grants and Agreements in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR 200), as updated in the Federal Register’s 85 FR 49506 on August 13, 2020, particularly on:

· Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering results based on the program objectives through an objective process of evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR part 200.205),

· Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. No. 115—232) (2 CFR part 200.216),

· Promoting the freedom of speech and religious liberty in alignment with Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty (E.O. 13798) and Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities (E.O. 13864) (parts 200.300, 200.303, 200.339, and 200.341),

· Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United States (2 CFR part 200.322), and

· Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest extent authorized by law if an award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities (2 CFR part 200.340).

E4. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates Applications are due by 4 PM Central Daylight Time (5:00 PM EDT) on 8/15/2022 All applications will be reviewed after that date. BOEM anticipates that award will be made in FY 2022.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

F1. Federal Award Notices Awards are based on the application submitted to and approved by BOEM are subject to the terms and conditions incorporated into the Notice of Award either by direct citation or by reference to the following: Federal regulations; program legislation or regulation; and special award terms and conditions.

Recipients indicate their acceptance of the Federal award by starting work, drawing down funds, or accepting the award via electronic means.

Method of Payment: The BOEM uses the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) financial assistance payment system, management by the United States Department of the Treasury, to provide electronic invoicing and payment for funds under this award. With the award of each cooperative agreement, an account will be set up from which the Recipient can draw down funds. Recipients must be registered in the ASAP system and must be linked to BOEM's Agency Location Code prior to award in order to make the funds available. Once an award decision has been made, if your organization has not received a financial assistance award from BOEM in the past, the Financial Assistance/Contracting Officer will initiate the process in ASAP for your organization. The Financial Assistance/Contracting Officer will need the name of your organization's ASAP contact in order to do this and will contact you for your ASAP contact information.

F2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements See the “DOI Standard Terms and Conditions” for the administrative and national policy requirements applicable to DOI awards.

The link to the DOI Standard Terms and Conditions is https://www.doi.gov/grants/doi-standard- terms-and-conditions. Please contact the Federal Awarding Agency Contact in Section G1 below for information on the applicability of these terms and conditions.

Data Availability Per the Financial Assistance Interior Regulation 2 CFR §1402.315: (a) All data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, valuation products or other scientific assessments in any medium or form, including textual, numerical, graphic, cartographic, narrative, or audiovisual, resulting from a financial assistance agreement is available for use by the Department of the Interior, including being available in a manner that is sufficient for independent verification. (b) The Federal Government has the right to: (1) Obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, or other scientific assessments, produced under a Federal award; and (2) Authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, or other scientific assessments, for Federal purposes, including to allow for meaningful third-party evaluation.

F3. Reporting

a. Financial Reports All recipients must use the SF-425, Federal Financial Report form for financial reporting. Final reports are due no later than 90 calendar days after the award period of performance end date or termination date. For awards with periods of performance longer than 12 months, recipients are required to submit interim financial reports on the frequency established in the Notice of Award.

b. Performance Reports Performance reports must contain a comparison of actual accomplishments with the established goals and objectives of the award; a description of reasons why established goals were not met, if appropriate; and any other pertinent information relevant to the project results. At a minimum, all recipients must submit a final performance report. Final reports are due no later than 90 calendar days after the award period of performance end date or termination date. For awards with periods of performance longer than 12 months, recipients are required to submit interim financial reports on the frequency established in the Notice of Award.

c. Significant Development Reports Events may occur between the scheduled performance reporting dates which have significant impact upon the supported activity.