M17AS00008 FINAL FY2017 LSU CMI NOFA.pdf

U.S. Department of the Interior

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

Environmental Studies Program

Program Announcement No. M17AS00008

BOEM FY 2017 Louisiana Coastal Marine Institute

CFDA No. 15.422

February 2, 2017

I. Funding Opportunity Description

This Program Announcement provides the vehicle for Louisiana State University (LSU) to submit proposals with matching funds to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

(BOEM) for consideration for funding in Fiscal Year 2017. This announcement identifies specific proposals that are invited based on a recently completed review of letters of intent submitted by LSU.

The Environmental Studies Program (ESP) of the BOEM is offering a cooperative agreement opportunity through Louisiana Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) to Louisiana

State University (LSU) – and other units within the LSU system that have the ability to conduct research in topics that serve the public interest of safe and environmentally sound energy production and meet the goals of the BOEM.

Authorities: BOEM manages the exploration and development of oil, natural gas and other minerals and renewable energy alternatives on the nation’s outer continental shelf.

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 that may be affected by oil and gas, renewable energy, 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.

Background: The Louisiana CMI at LSU was established in 1992 to use highly qualified scientific expertise in the Gulf of Mexico region to collect and disseminate environmental information needed for OCS oil and gas, renewable energy, and marine minerals decisions; address local and regional OCS-related environmental and resource issues of mutual interest; and strengthen the BOEM-State partnership in addressing OCS oil and gas, renewable energy, and marine ecosystem information needs.

Purpose: BOEM seeks studies from LSU that will provide public benefit in several ways.

It will stimulate the application of science to problem solving and protection of natural resources. It will promote educational opportunities in the ocean sciences. It will lead to protection of natural resources of value to subsistence lifestyles. The research will inform the public and resource managers at the local, state and federal level who make decisions about issues relating to offshore oil, gas, renewable energy and other marine minerals.

Results may be cited in Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental

Assessments of 5-year leasing plans, offshore leases, exploration plans, and NEPA documents in the Gulf of Mexico. Examples of BOEM environmental analyses can be seen at http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-

Assessment/NEPA/nepaprocess.aspx.

http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Assessment/NEPA/nepaprocess.aspx http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Assessment/NEPA/nepaprocess.aspx

Scope of Objectives: The general type of studies that may be funded include scientific studies for better understanding marine, coastal or human environments affected or potentially affected by offshore oil and gas or other mineral exploration and extraction, or renewable energy on the outer continental shelf; modeling studies of environmental, social, economic, or cultural processes related to OCS activities in order to improve scientific predictive capabilities; experimental scientific studies for better understanding of environmental processes, or the causes and effects of OCS activities; projects that design or establish mechanisms or protocols for sharing data or information regarding marine or coastal resources, or human activities to support prudent management of oil, gas and marine mineral resources; and synthesis studies of scientific environmental or socioeconomic information relevant to the OCS program.

Additional Information about Potential Upcoming Studies:

Additional information describing the ESP focus can be found at:

http://www.boem.gov/Studies/

In addition, examples of ongoing and past BOEM studies are available online at http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Gulf-of-

Mexico-Region/GOMR-Environmental-Studies-Program.aspx

Examples of ongoing LSU-CMI studies are available online at http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Gulf-of-

Mexico-Region/GOMR-Coastal-Marine-Institute-Ongoing-Studies.aspx

II. Award Information

The total anticipated amount of funding available to LSU for new projects in FY 2017 is approximately $296,000, with additional funds for work that continues into FY 2018 and

FY 2019, subject to availability of funds. BOEM anticipates making cooperative agreement awards in Fiscal Year 2017 for 1 to 3 proposals submitted under this program announcement, however, individual proposals are not restricted to a set level of funding.

Work performance under these awards must start before October 1, 2017 and the proposed work must be completed no later than five years from the start date. Additional information regarding multi-year proposals is presented in the “Multi-Year Proposal” section below.

This Program Announcement describes the specific projects that may be awarded to the universities or eligible groups identified. All awards are premised on receipt of an acceptable proposal. This is not an open solicitation for proposals.

This announcement is specifically to request proposals for the following selected research topics. Following the submission of letters of intent from LSU, BOEM has selected the following LOI for development of full proposals. This request is not a guarantee of funding. All proposals will be evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria described below (Section V).

http://www.boem.gov/Studies/ http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Gulf-of-Mexico-Region/GOMR-Environmental-Studies-Program.aspx http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Gulf-of-Mexico-Region/GOMR-Environmental-Studies-Program.aspx http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Gulf-of-Mexico-Region/GOMR-Coastal-Marine-Institute-Ongoing-Studies.aspx http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Gulf-of-Mexico-Region/GOMR-Coastal-Marine-Institute-Ongoing-Studies.aspx

1. Offshore Oil and Gas Activity Impacts on Eco-System Services in the Gulf of

Mexico

2. Effects of Deepwater Offshore Oil Spills on the Contamination of Seabed

Sediments

3. Temporal Changes in Chemical and Biological Processes Within Sediment

Borrow Areas in Coastal Louisiana

4. Effects of Oil on Coastal Marsh Soil Strength and Vegetation Growth

5. The Use of Immigrant Labor in the Gulf Coast Energy Industry

6. Development of a Biochar-Biosurfactant Management Strategy for Enhancing

Effectiveness of Land Farming Treatment of Offshore Drilling Wastes

7. Development of a Monitoring Program to Track Evolution and Recovery of

Louisiana Sediment Borrow Areas

Awards will be cooperative agreements. These require substantial involvement by BOEM scientists in various aspects of study development and/or study conduct.

Awards for research projects will be managed and coordinated by the CMI Management office, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.

Multi-Year Proposals:

If the proposed work is such that two years or more are required to complete the research, then a multi-year proposal is appropriate and the applicant is encouraged to write proposals accordingly. However, proposals should clearly define the work to be completed in the first, second, and each succeeding year, and the evaluation panel reserves the option to fund only the first year of a multi-year proposal. The remaining years of funding for a multi-year cooperative agreement are contingent upon the availability of funds and satisfactory progress demonstrated by the recipient. Progress will be determined through technical review of quarterly and annual progress reports and other work identified by the BOEM project officer. Funds requested for the final year of performance shall comprise a minimum of 15% of the project’s total anticipated budget request.

III. Eligibility Information

Louisiana State University Faculty and Staff are eligible to apply under this announcement. Research projects are required to have a Louisiana State University faculty or staff member as the Principal Investigator. Other university researchers and organizations interested in collaborating with Louisiana State University can contact them at the address shown in Section VIII.

Cooperative research between Louisiana State University scientists and various state agencies is always encouraged. Section VIII identifies the Louisiana State University contact information for these discussions.

One-to-one matching of BOEM funds is required but on rare occasions exceptions may be considered. Match cannot include value associated with collection costs for samples previously collected. Match value for instrumentation and other equipment should be adjusted to the period of use within the project relative to the full life cycle for the item.

Further information can be located at 2 CFR 200.306.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Proposals must be submitted by March 20, 2017.

2. Location of Application Package

All Louisiana State University applications must be submitted through the www.Grants.gov portal at “Apply for Grants.” Applicants can locate the application package by visiting the Grants.gov portal and searching on CFDA number 15.422 in the

Grants.gov search engine.

The electronic submission system requires several preliminary registration steps before the actual proposal can be submitted (go to www.grants.gov. and click on “Applicants” on top menu bar, go to “Apply for Grants”, Register as an Organization.

The application will be submitted according to the format provided below. Following this format ensures that every application contains all essential information and is evaluated equitably. Additional information about proposal submission, project deliverables, and examples of application formats can be found at the Coastal Marine Institute website:

http://www.cmi.lsu.edu/index.php

3. Content and Form of Applications

The application process begins by downloading Adobe Reader (version 9.0.0 and later) at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html. The

Adobe software will enable the applicant and all interested parties to view and complete the following required application forms:

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance

SF-424a Budget Information

SF-424b Assurances – Non-Construction Programs

Project Narrative Form

Budget Narrative Form

Louisiana State University Budget Form and Budget Justification

GG Certification Regarding Lobbying Form

(Complete the Optional SF-LLL Lobbying form if lobbying has occurred)

4. Proposal Cover Sheet

The cover sheet of the proposal shall contain the following information:

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=9&SID=958f9395d50284a29f1bfabda1af17ad&ty=HTML&h=L&r=SECTION&n=se2.1.200_1306 http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.cmi.lsu.edu/index.php http://www.grants.gov/applicants/AdobeVersioningTestOnly.jsp http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html

Project Title:

Principal Investigator(s):

Name:

Address:

Phone:

FAX:

Email:

Name of university/department:

Contact information for Technical and Administrative Negotiations

Project Status: New/Continuation

Project Duration: (years)

Proposed Start Date:

Proposed Draft Final Report Submission Date:

Proposed Completion Date:

Amount Requested From BOEM:

Amount and Source of Non-Federal Match:

Total Project Cost:

Signature, Name and Contact Information of University Principal Investigators:

Proposal Endorsement, including Signature, Name and Contact Information of

Sponsoring University Department Dean or Institute Director:

Signature, Name and Contact Information of Vice-Provost, Office of Special

Programs, Louisiana State University:

5. Proposal Text

The proposal must be in 11-12 point Times New Roman, Arial, or similar font with 1” page margins. The proposal text and budget should be no longer than 25 pages not including literature citations, resumes and budget information. The text for multi-year proposals may be up to 35 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 problem. State how the proposal addresses BOEM goals. Explain why the work is important. Specify the contribution to science related to oil and gas development and the benefits that society will receive from the study. Proposals should describe why the research is important to the Gulf of Mexico region and selected research topics. Provide a brief summary of findings or outcomes of any prior work you have completed in this area.

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

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

e. Data Management, Data Security and Data Archiving Plan: Copy of data files to be delivered to BOEM and a copy archived with National Oceanographic Data

Center (NODC), National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service

(NESDIS), or other specified and appropriate data archive.

f. Logistics Plan

g. Safety Management

h. Permits/Interagency Coordination/Local Coordination

Local involvement/Traditional knowledge/Outreach: The BOEM considers involvement of local residents in the design and execution as well as dissemination of research data and results to be an integral and crucial aspect of projects funded by this program.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to actively involve local residents in the study and to disseminate research results to the local community, the scientific community and appropriate professional organizations; local, State, regional and

Federal agencies; and the general public. BOEM encourages the Recipients to publish project reports in scientific and technical journals.

i. Project Management/Staffing Plan - List the University Principal Investigator first, followed by the names of other individuals. Indicate the role (oceanographer, geochemist, field assistant, etc.) and anticipated level of effort for each participant in the project. NOTE: All key personnel must be named. Student assistants receiving tuition support must be named. If student assistant names are not known at the time the proposal is submitted, a revised proposal incorporating the student(s) name(s) must be submitted prior to award.

j. Performance Measures – Applicants shall suggest measures that can be used to monitor project progress, including that of sub-awardees e.g. quality and timely deliverables, draft peer reviewed articles, minimum number of samples to be collected, or other measureable benchmarks for ensuring project success. These performance measures will be incorporated in the cooperative agreement award.

k. Letters of Commitment - At the time of the proposal submission, the letters of commitment by matching funds providers, contractors, and sub-applicants may be submitted without final signatures. However, signed letters of commitment must be delivered to CMI and transmitted to BOEM by March 31, 2017.

l. Timeline (including deliverables) - Provide for submission of the draft final report no later than six months before project end date to ensure adequate time for review, revision, and publication.

m. 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.

n. Project Deliverables and Planned Products - List product(s) (reports, analyses, maps, digital data, etc.) that will be delivered during the performance period.

Quarterly, annual, draft and final reports and draft and final technical summaries are required. Images and data are also standard deliverables.

o. Publication and Presentation - A draft publication with plans to submit results to peer-reviewed journals is also encouraged. Include annual presentations at CMI research reviews and annual presentations in New Orleans at a meeting to be designated by BOEM (e.g. a BOEM Information Transfer Meeting) in the proposal and budget.

p. Bibliography - List all references to which you refer in text and references from your past work in the field that the research problem addresses. Be sure to identify references as journal articles, chapters in books, abstracts, maps, digital data, etc.

q. Curricula Vitae (maximum 2 pages) for each identified participant. Emphasize previous experience in the field of study that the proposal addresses.

r. Reports and Publications from Previous CMI Support

s. Reports and Publications Relevant to Current CMI Proposal

t. Budget - In addition to SF-424a Budget Information form in item 2 include information in a format which 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.

u. LSU Budget Spreadsheet and Budget Justification (see item 5 “Budget Narrative” below)

v. Names and contacts for three suggested Peer Reviewers

6. Budget Justification Narrative

This information will provide more details than the SF-424A form (item 2) 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. Please include the following:

a. Salaries and Wages. List positions and rate of compensation. 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.

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 most current negotiated rate agreement.

c. Tuition. NOTE: As of FY 2016, BOEM requires that if funds are requested to cover student tuition, the student receiving those funds must be named in the proposal. If the student’s name is not known at the time the proposal is submitted, a revised proposal incorporating their name must be submitted prior to award. In addition, the proposal must state that the total compensation (including tuition funds, stipend, etc.) requested for the individual must be commensurate with the services to be performed by that individual.

d. Lab Analyses. Briefly itemize cost of all analytical work. Include figures for a minimum number of samples, if applicable.

e. 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, which represents a significant portion of the proposed amount.

Provide a statement that supplies will be purchased in accordance with 2 CFR

200.318-326.

f. 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.

General-purpose equipment (used for purposes other than this project) must be purchased from the applicant's operating funds. 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 200.318-326 and managed in accordance with 2 CFR 200.313.

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, including copies of the most current negotiated indirect cost rate. 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.

g. Educational Outreach. Applicants are required to disseminate research results to relevant local communities. At a minimum, dissemination must include provision of a separate executive summary of research results in language appropriate to a non-science audience, and either a) delivery of a poster to local institutions (local public school, local library, local tribal office) suitable for public display, or b) a formal presentation of study findings to an appropriate audience at a local public school or public gathering. Applicants are encouraged to go beyond the minimum and propose alternative educational outreach activities such as development of web-based project videos or museum kiosk packages. BOEM will consider funding (without match) up to $5,000 per project toward this type of outreach effort. Documentation of educational outreach will be required prior to the closeout of each project.

h. Travel. State the purpose of the trip and itemize the estimated travel costs to show the number of trips required, the destinations, 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.

i. Publication costs. Show the estimated cost of publishing the results of the research. Include costs of drafting or graphics, reproduction, page or illustration charges, and a minimum number of reprints.

j. Digital Images. All projects should plan to provide BOEM with no less than 20-

30 digital images related to the research activity.

k. Other direct costs. Itemize the different types of costs not included elsewhere;

such as, shipping, computing, equipment-use charges, or other services.

l. Total Direct Charges. Totals for items a - l.

m. 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. Include the agreements for sub-recipients.

n. Amount proposed. Total items m and n.

o. Multi-year projects. The Applicant shall provide summary information as well as a detailed budget for each year. NOTE: As of FY 2016, BOEM requires that funds requested for the final year of performance shall comprise a minimum of

15% of the project’s total anticipated budget. This reserve fund will be used for report completion and submittal to BOEM as outlined in the cooperative agreement.

V. Application Review Information

Proposals will be reviewed by BOEM, the CMI Technical Steering Committee, and external peer reviewers, or any combination of reviewers thereof. Reviewers have expertise in the Federal offshore oil and gas programs, renewable energy programs, marine minerals program, or the specific scientific discipline of the proposal. Evaluation

Criteria for the panel is as follows:

Evaluation Criteria. All proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria:

1. Scientific quality and impact (20%):

Quality and clarity of hypotheses and relevance to BOEM mission.

2. Work plan/ Methodology (20%): Is the strategy clear? Are proposed methods adequate to meet objectives? Are the geographic areas selected for study appropriate? Are logistics, safety, and permits/interagency coordination adequately addressed? Does the timeline match the proposal and reality? Are the scientific objectives appropriate for proposed time frame? Are a minimum number of samples or other measureable benchmarks indicated for ensuring project success? Does the timeline provide for submission of the draft final report six months before project end date to ensure adequate time for review, revision, editing, and printing? Are all key personnel named in the proposal?

3. Planned Products and Dissemination of Results (20%):

Will the products respond to BOEM needs? Are the products clearly defined? Will they be useful for environmental stewardship and offshore oil and gas or renewable/alternative energy management activities? Are the results planned to be disseminated through outreach and published in a peer-reviewed form? Does the proposal indicate PI will submit database in format compatible with BOEM GIS and include metadata compliant with current Federal Geographic Data Committee standards? Does the proposal indicate data will be archived with the National

Environmental, Satellite, and Data Information Service/National Oceanographic Data

Center (NESDIS/NODC) National Ice Data Center (NIDC), or other appropriate archive?

4. Budget Justification and Clarity (20%):

Is the staff sufficient to accomplish the proposed goals? Are field expenses, supplies, lab work, and other expenses appropriate? Are expenses adequately itemized? If applicable, are a minimum number of samples to be collected and analyzed indicated? Is adequate match demonstrated? If tuition is requested, is the student(s) requesting tuition funds indicated by name? Is a minimum of 15% of total project funds requested from BOEM specified as reserve for the final year of the project to ensure that the report will be completed and submitted to BOEM?

5. Experience/Competence of Research Personnel (20%): Have the applicants demonstrated (through bibliographic references, previous experience, awards, etc.) that they are capable of doing the proposed research? Have the applicants demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the scientific problem? Is the PI(s) a LSU faculty or staff member who will be substantially involved in the proposed study? Was past research completed in a competent and timely fashion? Were results and data published in peer-reviewed scientific or technical journals? For recent CMI award recipients: Was the CMI study completed in a competent and timely manner? Were reporting requirements from previous CMI awards satisfied? Were results and data published in peer-reviewed scientific or technical journals?

VI. Award Administration Information

The recipient is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the cooperative agreements and sub-awards to ensure compliance with applicable Federal statutes, regulations and policies. The recipient is also responsible for meeting the performance goals identified in the Project Narrative.

Awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by the BOEM, are subject to the terms and conditions incorporated either directly or by reference in the following:

Acceptance of a Federal Financial Assistance award from the Department of the Interior

(DOI) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management carries with it the responsibility to be aware of and comply with the terms and conditions of award. Acceptance is defined as the start of work, drawing down funds, or accepting the award via electronic means. Awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by BOEM, and are subject to the terms and conditions incorporated either directly or by reference in the following:

Program legislation\regulation.

Special terms and conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations/Regulatory Requirements, as applicable (Contact your contracting officer with any questions regarding the applicability of the following):

2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and

Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

2 CFR Part 25 Universal Identifier and System for Award Management

2 CFR Part 170 Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information

2 CFR Part 175 Award Term for Trafficking in Persons

2 CFR Part 1400 NonProcurement Debarment and Suspension

2 CFR Part 1401 Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace

2 CFR Part 1402 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and

Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

43 CFR Part 18 New Restrictions on Lobbying

2 CFR Part 182 Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace

Reporting

The BOEM will conduct oversight and monitoring of the work progress and financial status of each cooperative agreement by requiring the following, at a minimum:

1. Federal Cash Transactions Reports

The recipient must submit the Standard Form 425, Federal Financial Report and, when necessary, its continuation form if funds are withdrawn in advance of expenditures. The

BOEM will use the form to monitor the cash advanced to the recipient, and to obtain disbursement or outlay information for each cooperative agreement.

2. Performance and Financial Status Reporting Requirements

Reporting requirements for the projects are regulated by 2 CFR Part 200. These regulations specify basic cooperative agreement reporting requirements including performance and financial reports. BOEM will work closely with the recipient to incorporate appropriate performance and financial reporting requirements into each cooperative agreement award, consistent with 2 CFR Part 200. These regulations provide some flexibility in determining the appropriate content and frequency of performance and financial reports. At a minimum, however, the reporting schedule will require the recipient to report their progress at least quarterly through the established CMI reporting process and yearly submission of financial status reports.

3. Single Audit Requirements

Nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $750,000 or more in Federal awards must have a single or a program-specific A-133 audit conducted for that year.

Nonfederal entities that expend less than $750,000 in Federal awards are exempt from

Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in OMB Circular No. A-133.

4. Technical Reporting Requirements

Quarterly Reports, Annual Progress Reports, Draft and Final Reports, and Draft and Final

Technical Summaries are required. Details are available at:

http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Studies-Program-Report-Specifications/

Acknowledgement of Sponsorship

The Recipients shall acknowledge Federal sponsorship in the draft and final reports by placing the following statement on the disclaimer page of both reports: “Study collaboration and funding were provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program under Agreement

Number __________.”

The Recipient shall require of all investigators that all manuscripts intended to be published in journals resulting from this study shall be submitted to BOEM for review and comment prior to submittal to the journal, with final revisions remaining subject to the discretion of the author. BOEM manuscript reviews shall be conducted expeditiously, within a period of 10 business days, and in conformance with the U.S.

Department of the Interior Scientific and Scholarly Integrity Policy, as outlined in the

DOI Departmental Manual (Part 305: Chapter 3).

Scientific integrity is vital to Department of the Interior (DOI) activities under which scientific research, data, summaries, syntheses, interpretations, presentations, and/or publications are developed and used. Failure to uphold the highest degree of scientific integrity will result not only in potentially flawed scientific results, interpretations, and applications but will damage DOI’s reputation and ability to uphold the public’s trust. All work performed must comply with the DOI Scientific Integrity Policy posted to http://www.doi.gov/scientificintegrity, or its equivalent as provided by their organization or applicable law.

All publications and oral presentations shall contain an acknowledgement of support from BOEM under this Cooperative Agreement that reads: “Study collaboration and funding were provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy

Management, Environmental Studies Program under Agreement Number __________.”

VII. Agency Contacts

Grants.gov:

Technical questions concerning the application process:

Grants.gov Help Desk at:

Phone: 1(800) 518-4726

Email: support@grants.gov http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Studies-Program-Report-Specifications/ http://www.doi.gov/scientificintegrity mailto:support@grants.gov

Program Announcement and Cooperative Agreement Questions:

Christy Tardiff

Acquisition Policy and Financial Assistance Branch

45600 Woodland Road, (MS VAE-AMD)

Sterling, VA 20166

Phone: (703) 787-1367

Christy.Tardiff@bsee.gov

Program Offices:

Melanie Damour

CMI Program Officer

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Gulf of Mexico OCS Region (MS GM-676E)

1201 Elmwood Park Blvd.

New Orleans, LA 70123

Phone: (504) 736-2783

Melanie.Damour@boem.gov

Briana Robinson

CMI Program Coordinator

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Division of Environmental Sciences (MS VAM-OEP)

45600 Woodland Road

Sterling, VA 20166

Phone: (703) 787-1754

Briana.Robinson@boem.gov

VIII. Other Information

Dissemination of Research Results. The BOEM considers dissemination of research data and results to be an integral and crucial aspect of projects funded by this program. This includes the proper archiving of samples and databases to maximize public access in the future. Applicants are strongly encouraged to disseminate research results to the scientific community and appropriate professional organizations; local, State, regional and Federal agencies; and the general public. The BOEM encourages the Recipients to publish project reports in scientific and technical journals. Applicants should include in the proposal a plan to present findings at a minimum of two major meetings, one of which may be the BOEM Information Transfer Meeting held in New Orleans, LA and the other subject to post-award guidance.

All projects should plan to provide BOEM with no less than 20-30 digital images related to the research activity.

Extensions to the project period. Extensions are discouraged. The timely conduct of funded projects is of great importance to the achievement of the goals of the BOEM.

mailto:Christy.Tardiff@bsee.gov mailto:Melanie.Damour@boem.gov mailto:Briana.Robinson@boem.gov

Applicants should consider their time commitments at the time of applying for funding support.

Delivery of Digital Data Products.

Any data deliverables using standard application formats such as spreadsheets, databases or digital documents shall be provided in formats compatible with the following suite of applications:

Unix database and application servers, Unix workstations

MS Windows XP client, MS NT server, MS Network for Win 2003

MS Office 2010

MS Office 2003, MS Project 2003

Oracle RDBMS 10g

Oracle Designer 2000 version 1.3.2

Oracle Developer 2000 version 1.6

ARCGIS 9.2, Arc/Info 8.1, SDE 9.2

Windows Media Player version 10:00:00:4058 with no special or additional CODECs

Because these applications and versions are subject to change, specific applications, versions and data formats must be approved by the BOEM COR prior to any data formatting efforts.

Any spatial data deliverables shall include both the geo-referenced and tabular data according to the BOEM Coastal and Offshore Resource Information System (CORIS, Version 1.2 April 1999) database specifications. CORIS stores data as Spatial Database

Engine (SDE) themes and ORACLE tables. Data shall be delivered either using the SDE export command, or as Arc/Info converages exported in UNIX format. Tabular data will be delivered in a relational database format, either in ORACLE export files or in Arc/Info tables exported in UNIX format. CORIS is an evolving database and may not include all the data categories needed for a specific study. If the study requires development of new tables and relationships these shall be developed to BOEM data standards. This will be accomplished by coordinating with the appropriate BOEM COR and IT lead. Because

BOEM is currently converting spatial data structures to a spatial database approach, any spatial database collection and deliverables should be reviewed and approved by BOEM prior to collection and formatting.

Planning Horizon for Field Work. Proposals should carefully consider logistical lead times and plans for field work. Plans for field work before June 2017 may not be feasible.

Louisiana Coastal Marine Institute Contact Information:

CMI Director

David Dismukes

Center for Energy Studies

Energy, Coast and Environment Bldg

Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, LA, 70803

Phone: (225) 578-4343

Email: dismukes@lsu.edu

Website: http://www.cmi.lsu.edu/index.php

--End of Program Announcement M17AS00008--mailto:dismukes@lsu.edu http://www.cmi.lsu.edu/index.php