oppF18AS00250-cfda15.616-instructions.pdf

Clean Vessel Act Fiscal Year 2019 Notice of Funding Opportunity

Notice Overview

Federal Agency Name United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR)

Funding Opportunity Title Clean Vessel Act (CVA)

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 15.616

Announcement Type Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2019

Funding Opportunity Number

F18AS00250

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement We are collecting this information in accordance with the Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act, Title VII, Subtitle D, Section 7404, Public Law 105178, 16 U.S.C. 777g-1, Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act, Public Law 109-59, and the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Public Law 114-94). Your response is required to obtain or retain a benefit. We will use the information you provide to conduct a review, which may be competitive, and select projects for funding. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. We estimate that it will take applicants under this program about 40 hours to complete an application. We estimate it will take recipients under this program about 6 hours to complete required reporting and required recordkeeping. All burden estimates include the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather data needed and complete and review the submission. You may send comments on the burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

OMB Control Number 1018-0100 (Expires: 07/31/2021)

Submission Deadline and Other Information States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands (hereafter States) are the only eligible applicants and must submit applications through

Grants.gov Workspace by the deadline. The deadline for receipt is December 24, 2018, 11:59 p.m. PDT. The Service recommends that you submit your application early enough to address any unforeseen technical complications. We also recommend that you verify that all documents have been received through the Grants.gov Workspace with your Regional WSFR Office before the deadline. The Service will not consider applications received after the deadline.

Applicants requesting comments or assistance with their applications are encouraged to submit applications to the Service Regional WSFR Office (see Section VII, Agency Contacts) at least 4 weeks prior to the due date. Although there is no guarantee that the Regional WSFR Office will provide comments, feedback may include recommendations to improve the application.

Parties that would like to be a subrecipient should check with their state agency for their application deadlines and requirements. Note that some state agencies may, at their discretion, choose not to sub-award to third parties. If you are not sure which state agency to contact the National or Regional WSFR contacts in Section VII will be able to provide assistance.

http://www.grants.gov/

Table of Contents

Notice Overview

I. Description of Funding Opportunity

II. Award Information

III. Basic Eligibility Requirements

IV. Application and Submission Instructions

V. Application Review Information

VI. Award Administration Information

VII. Agency Contacts

VIII. Other Information

I. Description of Funding Opportunity

References to “you” in this NOFO refer to the State agency completing the application and any potential subrecipient, if applicable. References to “we” or “us” in this NOFO refer to the Service.

Recreational boating is a popular activity in the United States. There are approximately 11.9 million registered recreational boats in the United States, and each year over 141 million people enjoy a host of water-based recreational opportunities, such as fishing, cruising, waterskiing, and spending time with family and friends. Many recreational boats are equipped with on-board toilets and wastewater holding tanks, known as Marine Sanitation Devices (MSDs). Proper disposal of sewage from recreational boats is important in preserving and improving water quality in the country’s vital aquatic ecosystems. CVA provides the States with Federal funding to support their ongoing efforts to improve recreational boating opportunities and provide boaters with clean, efficient facilities to prevent waste disposal into public waterways and other ecosystems.

CVA is one of the Service’s “user pay, public benefit” grant programs. Funding comes from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund and consists of excise taxes on fishing equipment, motorboat and small engine fuels, import duties, and interest on the fund. Four percent of the trust fund, after sequestration, is divided between CVA and Boating Infrastructure Grants (BIG) programs each fiscal year. This year, we expect to fund approximately $12 million in CVA grants.

Each year pumpouts and dump stations are funded through CVA and matched with State, local, and/or private funds have a large impact on reducing the amount of waste discharged to the nation’s waters. This has tremendous benefits such as improved water quality for public drinking water supplies, river ecosystems, shellfish beds and other aquatic life; convenient service for boaters; and boaters who are informed of how best to dispose of vessel sewage.

Since the inception of CVA, the program has funded over 6,000 pumpout and dump stations and has provided funds to help operate and maintain over 3,700 systems. Through dedication of the States, private marinas, the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, the States Organization for Boating Access, environmental groups, and the boating public, millions of gallons of sewage have been diverted from polluting waterbodies each year. These groups have also been instrumental in keeping the facilities in working order, and providing information for the boating public regarding the importance of keeping waters clean by using pumpouts and dump stations.

The CVA slogan is: Keep Our Water Clean - Use Pumpouts.

WSFR’s mission is to work through partnerships to conserve and manage fish and wildlife and their habitats for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations. WSFR’s vision is of healthy, diverse, and accessible fish and wildlife populations that offer recreation, economic activity, and other societal benefits, in addition to sustainable ecological functions. WSFR’s guiding principle is that society benefits from conservation-based management of fish and wildlife, their habitats and opportunities to use and enjoy them. CVA aligns with WSFR’s mission, vision, and guiding principle, and supports three of the Secretary of the Department of the Interior’s priorities:

1) Creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt;

2) Utilizing our natural resources; and

3) Restoring trust with our local communities.

II. Award Information

Awards typically range from $30,000 up to $1,500,000. There is no minimum, and in FY 2019 the maximum award amount is $1,500,000. Coastal States may apply for up to $3,000,000 maximum, $1,500,000 for coastal activities and $1,500,000 for inland activities. Inland States may apply for up to $1,500,000. See State definitions in Section III.

CVA is a competitive program that addresses national needs through funding construction, renovation, operation, and maintenance of pumpout stations and waste reception facilities for recreational boaters, and also to inform boaters about the use, benefits, and availability of pumpout stations and waste reception facilities. Eligible States submit projects to compete in the national CVA ranking process. Once the projects have been reviewed for eligibility and ranked by the criteria for priority, the Service determines if available funds are sufficient to meet the funding requests of all eligible applications. If funding requests for eligible applications exceed available funds, we will apply a discretionary formula to distribute CVA funds to all eligible applicants and support as many projects as possible across the country.

Priority will be given to the highest scoring applications, and we will partially award applications based on a proportional ratio. An attempt will be made to provide funding to each State that applies for at least a minimal level of support to address the critical need of preventing pollution from recreational boat sewage.

Please pay close attention to the following information as it may assist you in your planning and application efforts, and it will be used to determine the distribution of funds in an equitable manner, with priority for the highest scoring applications. We will fully fund each eligible application requesting $50,000 or less. No application will receive more than 10 percent of the total available funds, unless funds allow for all applications to be awarded. We will also:

1. Rank all eligible applications in descending point-score order;

2. Determine the percentage of each application’s total score compared to the total possible score. We will use a total possible score of 50 points for all applications in determining the percentage (Note that all coastal States now have a plan. Hence the total possible score is 50 rather than 100 points. See Section V);

3. Determine funding based on the percentage in Step 2 for those applications with Federal CVA funding requests greater than $50,000. For example, applications receiving a perfect score (100 percent) will receive the full Federal funding request (if they clear the 10 percent of total available funds threshold), applications with a percentage of 80 percent (score of 40 points out of 50 possible) will receive 80 percent of the Federal funding request, and applications with a percentage of 60 percent (score of 30 points out of 50 possible) will receive 60 percent of the Federal funding request, and so on, funds permitting;

4. Make additional adjustments as needed to ensure we award the full amount of available funding; and

5. Adjust the 25 percent matching share, if applicable.

If excess funds are available after all eligible applications are awarded, we reserve the right to publish a supplementary FY 2019 request for applications for national competition.

We expect to announce the grant awards by May 31, 2019.

III. Basic Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants Eligible applicants are the designated State agencies in the United States. If you are uncertain of your eligibility, please contact WSFR (see Section VII, Agency Contacts).

Coastal State – A State of the United States in, or bordering on, the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, Long Island Sound, or one or more of the Great Lakes.

The term also includes Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Alaska is eligible as a coastal State for the purposes of

CVA.

Inland State - A State which is not a coastal State as defined above. The District of Columbia and American Samoa are included as inland States. American Samoa is defined as an inland State because the ratio of number of recreational vessels to number of shoreline miles is less than one.

Many States provide CVA subawards to private marinas, local municipalities, other State agencies, or other non-State entities though it is the State’s decision if they want to utilize this approach to meet their public boating needs. There may be a separate application process for potential subrecipients managed by the State agency responsible for administering CVA grants.

Federal law mandates that all entities applying for Federal financial assistance must have a valid Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number and have a current registration in the System for Award Management (SAM). See 2 CFR 25 for more information.

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=d2317ee4d58ae429c2cfd8968d7c3854&mc=true&node=pt2.1.25&rgn=div5

A. DUNS Registration Request a DUNS number online at Dun & Bradstreet Registration. For technical difficulties, contact Dun & Bradstreet by email at: govt@dnb.com, or by calling the Government Customer Resource Center at voice phone: 866-705-5711 or TTY line: 877-807-1679 (hearing impaired customers only). Obtaining a DUNS number is absolutely free for all entities doing business with the Federal government. Once assigned a DUNS number, entities are responsible for maintaining up-to-date information with Dun & Bradstreet.

B. Entity Registration in SAM Register in SAM online at the SAM website. Once registered in SAM, entities must renew and revalidate their SAM registration at least every 12 months from the date previously registered. Entities are strongly urged to revalidate their registration as often as needed to ensure that their information is up to date and in synch with changes that may have been made to DUNS and IRS information.

Note: The official federal government website address for SAM is www.sam.gov. There is no cost to register in or access SAM. There are third-party vendors who charge a fee in exchange for registering entities in SAM; please be aware that you can register to do business with the United States Government for free directly in SAM at this link.

C. Excluded Entities Applicant entities or their key project personnel identified in the SAM Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted or excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal assistance and benefits will not be considered for Federal funding, as applicable to the funding being requested under this Federal program. The Service conducts a review of the SAM Exclusions database for all applicant entities and their key project personnel prior to award.

D. Cost Sharing or Matching The maximum Federal award under CVA is 75 percent of the total allowable project cost up to $1.5 million. Recipients are required to provide the remaining 25 percent of total allowable project costs using matching non-Federal funds. American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are exempt from match requirements up to $200,000 per application.

You may meet your minimum required cost share or match through contributions from a third party. A third party is any individual or organization other than the State applicant, such as a partner or subrecipient. In order for match to be allowable, it must meet all the criteria listed in 2 CFR 200.306(b). As the primary State recipient, you are responsible for the full amount of the non-Federal match proposed, including any amount provided by one or more third parties as listed on the Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance

(SF-424).

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=c16296aecfef71d582e0634cf6658cf1&node=2:1.1.2.2.1.4.29.7&rgn=div8

You may attribute some or all of your allowable indirect costs as voluntary committed cost-share/match, however you may only charge to the Federal award the indirect costs calculated against the allowable direct costs charged to the Federal award.

IV. Application and Submission Instructions

You can obtain the application information for CVA on Grants.gov, searching by CFDA 15.616 or the Funding Opportunity Number (F18AS00250). If you have trouble accessing the online forms, you can contact one of the WSFR Offices (see Section VII, Agency Contacts).

States must submit applications online at Grants.gov Workspace through the CVA Funding Opportunity. We recommended that you verify that all documents have been received through Grants.gov with your Regional WSFR Office before the deadline.

Note – Coastal States submitting applications for both the coastal zone and the inland portion of their State must submit two separate applications for ranking purposes.

Applications submitted for CVA funding must contain:

1. Required Federal Forms and Other Information (no page limit):

a. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424).

b. Budget Information (i.e., estimated costs necessary and reasonable to attain the project objectives). We recommend that you present the information in a table with cost categories broken down by the funding source (e.g., CVA Federal request, non-Federal match provided by State agency, non-Federal match provided by the subrecipient, etc.). You should provide sufficient detail for reviewers to understand proposed costs. See “d” for additional requirements for an indirect cost statement. You may also use the SF-424A or SF-424C Budget Forms (whichever is most appropriate) to submit your budget information.

c. Statement of Assurances of compliance with applicable Federal laws, regulations, and policies, SF-424B or SF-424D (unless your State agency has an approved Statement of Assurances on file with the Regional Office).

d. Required Indirect Cost Statement: All applicants must include one of the following statements and attach to their application any required documentation identified in the applicable statement: “We are…

1. A United States State government agency receiving more than $35 million in direct Federal funding each year with an indirect cost rate of [insert rate]. We submit our indirect cost rate proposals to our cognizant agency. A copy of our most recently approved rate agreement/certification is attached.

http://www.grants.gov/

2. A United States State government agency receiving less than $35 million in direct Federal funding with an indirect cost rate of [insert rate]. We are required to prepare and retain for audit an indirect cost rate proposal and related documentation to support those costs.

3. A United States State government agency that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate]. In the event an award is made, we will submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after the award is made.

4. A United States State government agency that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate]. However, in the event an award is made, we will not be able to meet the requirement to submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after award. We request as a condition of award to charge a flat de minimis indirect cost rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs as defined in 2 CFR 200.68. We understand that we must notify the Service in writing immediately if we do establish an approved rate with our cognizant agency at any point during the award period. We understand that additional Federal funds may not be available to support an unexpected increase in indirect costs during the project period and such changes are subject to review, negotiation, and prior approval by the Service.

5. A United States State government agency that will charge all costs directly.”

All applicants are notified of the following:

Recipients without an approved indirect cost rate are prohibited from charging indirect costs to a Federal award. Accepting the 10 percent de minimis rate as a condition of award is an approved rate.

Failure to establish an approved rate during the award period renders all costs otherwise allocable as indirect costs unallowable under the award.

Recipients may not charge to the CVA award any indirect costs calculated against the portion of total direct project costs paid by any other Federal funding source or non-Federal partner.

Recipients must have prior written approval from the Service to transfer unallowable indirect costs to amounts budgeted for direct costs or to satisfy cost-sharing or matching requirements under the award.

Recipients are prohibited from shifting unallowable indirect costs to another Federal award unless specifically authorized to do so by legislation.

For more information on indirect cost rates, see the Service’s Indirect Costs and Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements guidance document.

Entities that do not have a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) must first have an open, active Federal award before they can submit an indirect cost rate proposal to their cognizant agency. The Federal awarding agency that provides the largest amount of direct funding to your organization is your cognizant agency, unless otherwise assigned by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If the Department of the Interior is your cognizant agency, your indirect cost rate will be negotiated by the Interior Business Center (IBC). For more information, contact the IBC at:

Indirect Cost Services Acquisition Services Directorate, Interior Business Center United States Department of the Interior 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 7-400 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-930-3803 Email: Through this email web form.

Internet address: Link to Indirect Cost Services Webpage.

e. Single Audit Reporting Statements:

As required in 2 CFR 200, Subpart F, all non-federal entities expending $750,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in a fiscal year must submit a Single Audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Internet Data Entry System. All State applicants must provide a statement regarding whether your organization was or was not required to submit a Single Audit report for the State’s most recently closed fiscal year and, if so, state if that report is available on the Federal Audit Clearinghouse Single Audit Database website and provide the EIN under which that report was submitted. Include these statements at the end of the Project Statement in a section titled “Single Audit Reporting Statements.”

2. Project Summary:

A one page summary of the project including objectives, costs, and project description(s). It gives the applicant an opportunity to summarize the project in their own words which can, at times, also help to improve the application’s final score.

https://www.fws.gov/grants/pdfs/USFWSIndirectCostsGuidance01-06-17.pdf https://www.fws.gov/grants/pdfs/USFWSIndirectCostsGuidance01-06-17.pdf https://www.doi.gov/ibc/contactus/ibcfeedback https://www.doi.gov/ibc/services/finance/indirect-cost-services https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=159cc482c5aa33ed504fd15fbfd1be48&mc=true&n=pt2.1.200&r=PART&ty=HTML#sp2.1.200.f https://harvester.census.gov/facweb/

3. Project Statement (10 page limit):

A project statement that does not address the ranking criteria, but rather identifies and describes:

a. The need for the proposed project;

b. Discrete, quantifiable, and verifiable objectives to be accomplished during a specific time period;

c. Expected results or benefits from accomplishing the objectives;

d. The approach to be used in meeting the objectives, including specific procedures, schedules, key personnel, and cooperators;

e. Description of the activity so Service staff can make a preliminary determination of compliance needs for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Section 7 of Endangered Species Act (ESA), and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA); and

f. The anticipated project location(s), including the GPS coordinates in minutes, degrees, seconds. If exact locations are not available at the time of application, please be as specific as possible.

4. Ranking Criteria (10 page limit):

A description with appropriate documentation of how the proposed project(s) addresses each of the ranking criteria found in 50 CFR 85.30 and in Section V. Note that 50 CFR 85 Clean Vessel Act Grant Program is the original rule and you should use the NOFO as guidance where they differ as it has been updated to comply with subsequent legislation. We suggest you address each ranking criterion with a brief statement or table in addition to the project statement described in item 3.

5. Drawings/Maps/Photographs (no page limit):

If feasible, we suggest that you include two maps: a map of the State showing the general location of the project(s) and a map of the project site(s). Other geographic aids may be attached, including aerial photographs.

6. Certification and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities:

Under Title 31 of the United States Code, Section 1352, an applicant or recipient must not use any federally appropriated funds (both annually appropriated and continuing appropriations) or matching funds under a grant or cooperative agreement award to pay any person for lobbying in connection with the award.

Lobbying is defined as influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress connection with the award. Submission of an application also represents the applicant’s certification of the statements in 43 CFR https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=de8e4a66872be0f692d1d8f33298afc8&mc=true&node=se50.9.85_130&rgn=div8 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=683823273fc0da6a1060883eda593fb8&mc=true&node=pt43.1.18&rgn=div5

Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying. If you/your organization have/has made or agrees to make any payment using non-appropriated funds for lobbying in connection with this proposal AND the Federal share exceeds $100,000, complete and submit the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form available at Grants.gov. See 43 CFR, Subpart 18.100 for more information on when additional submission of this form is required.

7. Conflict of Interest Disclosures (when applicable):

You must notify the Service in writing of any actual or potential conflicts of interest that are known at the time of application or that may arise during the life of this award, in the event an award is made. Conflicts of interest include any relationship or matter which might place the recipient organization, the recipient organization’s employees, or the recipient organization’s sub-recipients in a position of conflict, real or apparent, between their responsibilities under the award and any other outside interests. Conflicts of interest may also include, but are not limited to, direct or indirect financial interests, close personal relationships, positions of trust in outside organizations, consideration of future employment arrangements with a different organization, or decision-making affecting the award that would cause a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts to question the impartiality of the applicant organization, the applicant organization’s employees, or the applicant organization’s future sub-recipients in the matter.

Applicants must notify the Service in writing in their application if any key project personnel, including sub-recipient and contractor personnel, are known to be related to, married to, or have a close personal relationship with any Federal employee in or associated with the program to which you are applying for funding or who otherwise may be involved in the review and selection of the application. Upon receipt of such a notice, the Service program, in consultation with their Ethics Counselor will determine if a conflict of interest exists and, if so, if there are any possible actions to be taken by the applicant to reduce or resolve the conflict.

Failure to disclose and resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies the Service may result in the project not being selected for funding.

8. Required Overlap/Duplication Statement:

Applicants must provide a statement that addresses if there is any overlap between the proposed project and any other active or anticipated projects in terms of activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel. If any overlap exists, applicants must provide a description of the overlap in their application. Applicants must also state if the proposal submitted for consideration under this program is/is not in any way duplicative of any proposal that was/will be submitted for funding consideration to any other potential funding source (Federal or non-Federal). If such a circumstance exists, applicants must detail when the other duplicative proposal(s) were submitted, to whom (entity name and program), and when funding decisions are expected to be announced. If at any time a proposal is awarded funds that http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=683823273fc0da6a1060883eda593fb8&mc=true&node=pt43.1.18&rgn=div5 http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html#sortby=1 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title43/43cfr18_main_02.tpl would be duplicative of the funding requested from the Service, applicants must notify the Service point of contact for this funding opportunity immediately.

9. Intergovernmental Review:

Before submitting an application, you should visit this link (White House State Point of Contact List) to determine whether your application is subject to the state intergovernmental review process under Executive Order (E.O.) 12372 “Intergovernmental review of Federal Programs.” Note that this was the most recent state point of contacts list as of the publication date of this NOFO and that updates may have occurred since then. You can go to this web page link and look for the “SPOC List” under the Resources and Other Information section for additional updates. E.O. 12372 was issued to foster the intergovernmental partnership and strengthen federalism by relying on state and local processes for the coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal development.

The E.O. allows each state to designate an entity to perform this function. The current list of designated entities is posted at the link above. Contact your state’s designated entity for more information on the process the state requires to be followed when applying for assistance. States that do not have a designated entity listed on the website have chosen not to participate in the review process.

10. Application Format Applications should be formatted to print on 8.5” X 11” paper, with 1” margins at the top, bottom, and both sides, and page numbers at the bottom of the page. Fonts should be legible, i.e., preferably 12 point Arial, Times New Roman, or other commonly used font.

In accepting Federal funds, applicants must comply with all applicable Federal laws, regulations, and policies. Applicants must supply evidence of compliance with NEPA, ESA, NHPA, and other Federal laws if we select the application for award.

V. Application Review Information

A. Criteria and Available Point Values

Possible scores for coastal and inland applications are equal, with the exception of the “Survey/Plan” ranking criterion. This is due to legislative changes to the Clean Vessel Act of 1992, Public Law 102-587, title V, subtitle F (106 Stat 5039). The Act was amended by Public Law 109-59, title X, § 10131, August 10, 2005 (119 Stat 1931) stating that priority consideration shall be given to applications that: (A) provide for public/private partnership efforts to develop and operate pumpout stations and waste reception facilities, and (B) propose innovative ways to increase the availability and use of pumpout stations and waste reception facilities. Priority for a coastal State that proposes constructing and renovating pumpout stations and waste reception facilities in accordance with a coastal State’s plan was removed. We plan to revise 50 CFR 85 to reflect this change.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SPOC-July2018.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SPOC-July2018.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/management/office-federal-financial-management/

Criteria for reviewing and ranking CVA applications are in the Final Rule for CVA (50 CFR 85.30). Please see Appendix A to this document for frequently asked questions about the CVA ranking criteria. The following criteria must be addressed to receive points.

Applications will be ranked and recommended for funding based on individual scores obtained by adding ranking criteria points. Please list each ranking criterion individually and provide a concise explanation for each one. Partial points may be awarded for some ranking criteria, so we highly recommend that applicants provide detailed information to inform reviewers how the proposed project addresses each ranking criterion. If you do not address a ranking criterion, you may receive 0 points for that criterion.

Scoring for coastal States:

• Survey/Plan (0 points) o If your State doesn’t have a survey or a plan, are you proposing to complete one? If yes, 50 points (Note that all coastal States now have a plan. Hence there should be no points given for this criterion. As a result, the total possible score now is 50 rather than 100 points).

• Construction/Renovation of Pumpouts or Dump Stations (10 or 20 points) o Are you proposing to construct or renovate pumpout or dump stations in accordance with your State’s plan approved under section 5603(c) of the Clean Vessel Act? If yes, 20 points.

o Are you proposing to construct or renovate pumpout or dump stations and your State doesn’t have a plan or your proposed projects are not in accordance with your State’s plan approved under section 5603(c) of the Clean Vessel Act? If yes, 10 points.

• Partnership (10 points) o Will you have a public/private partnership in developing and/or operating the proposed pumpout or dump stations? If yes, 10 points.

• Innovative Approach (5 points) o Will you use innovative ways to increase the availability and use of pumpout and dump stations? If yes, up to 5 points. Note that “innovative” is an evolving criterion. What was innovative five years ago may not still be considered innovative today if it has become a standard practice. Please thoroughly describe your innovative approach as partial points may be awarded.

• Education (5 points) o Are you proposing to include an education/information component? Or, does your State have an active, ongoing CVA education program? If yes, up to 5 points. Please thoroughly describe your education/information component as partial points may be awarded.

• Sensitive Area (5 points) o Will your project benefit waters that are most likely to be affected by the discharge of sewage from vessels? If yes, up to 5 points. Please thoroughly describe how your project will benefit sensitive waters as partial points may be awarded.

• Low Pumpout Ratio (5 points) https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=de8e4a66872be0f692d1d8f33298afc8&mc=true&node=se50.9.85_130&rgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=de8e4a66872be0f692d1d8f33298afc8&mc=true&node=se50.9.85_130&rgn=div8 o Will the project be completed in areas with many vessels and few pumpouts or dump stations? If yes, up to 5 points. Please describe your pumpout ratios and how they were determined as partial points may be awarded.

Scoring for inland States:

• Construction/Renovation of Pumpouts or Dump Stations (10 or 20 points) o Are you proposing to construct or renovate pumpout or dump stations in accordance with your State’s plan? If yes, 20 points.

o Are you proposing to construct or renovate pumpout or dump station and your State doesn’t have a plan or your proposals are not in accordance with your State’s plan? If yes, 10 points.

• Partnership (10 points) o Will you have a public/private partnership in developing and/or operating the proposed pumpout or dump stations? If yes, 10 points.

• Innovative Approach (5 points) o Will you use innovative ways to increase the availability and use of pumpout and dump stations? If yes, up to 5 points. Note that “innovative” is an evolving criterion. What was innovative five years ago may not still be considered innovative today if it has become a standard practice. Please thoroughly describe your innovative approach as partial points may be awarded.

• Education (5 points) o Are you proposing to include an education/information component? Or, does your State have an active, ongoing education program? If yes, up to 5 points.

Please thoroughly describe your education/information component as partial points may be awarded.

• Sensitive Area (5 points) o Will your project benefit waters that are most likely to be affected by the discharge of sewage from vessels? If yes, up to 5 points. Please thoroughly describe how your project will benefit sensitive waters as partial points may be awarded.

• Low Pumpout Ratio (5 points) o Will the project be completed in areas with many vessels and few pumpouts or dump stations? If yes, up to 5 points. Please describe your pumpout ratios and how they were determined as partial points may be awarded.

Summary Scoring Table for CVA Applications:

Criteria Maximum Coastal State Maximum Inland State

(1) Survey/Plan 50 0

(2) Construct/renovate with plan or 20 20

(3) Construct/renovate without plan 10 10

(4) Partnership 10 10

(5) Innovative approach 5 5

(5) Education 5 5 (6)Sensitive area 5 5

(7) Low pumpout ratio 5 5 Total possible points 100* 50

*As noted earlier, the maximum score is now 50 points as all coastal States have a plan.

B. Review and Selection Process Project selection is a three-step process: application receipt, application ranking, and application selection.

1. Application receipt – Applications are submitted via the Grants.Gov Workspace.

The Regional WSFR Offices determine applicant eligibility and whether applications are complete, substantial, and contain only activities that are eligible. Applications that are ineligible are returned to the applicant. Revision and resubmission of returned applications is allowable up until the identified deadline for application submittals. Note that your Regional WSFR Contact may, upon request, review a draft application prior to submission via Grants.Gov.

Check with your Regional Contact in Section VII to if you would like to explore this option.

2. Application ranking - Once an application is received and determined to be eligible by the Regional WSFR Office, they forward the application to the Service WSFR Headquarters Office, which coordinates the review and ranking of the applications. Representatives from the Service WSFR Headquarters Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and Coast Guard are invited to review the applications and make recommendations to the Service Director.

3. Application selection - The selections are approved by the Service Director.

Successful applicants will be contacted by their WSFR Regional grant office informing them that their application was selected for funding and the recommended grant amount.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

Successful applicants will be notified that their application was selected for funding, the grant amount, and the remaining process needed to complete the grant award. The Service may also publish on its website a national press release announcing the selections.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

When an application is selected for funding, compliance with all applicable Federal laws, regulations, and policies, including environmental laws such as the ESA, and applicable executive orders must be satisfied before the Service can approve an award and make funding available. Upon satisfactory compliance with the aforementioned laws, regulations, and policies, the Service will issue an award letter to the recipient, obligating the funds awarded.

All financial assistance awards are subject to Federal financial administration requirements found in 2 CFR 200 and in program-specific regulations. The Regional WSFR Offices will work with applicants to ensure that all financial arrangements comply with these requirements.

To find out more about the rules, including administrative requirements and cost principles, you can review them in the WSFR Toolkit.

3. Reporting

See reporting requirements, including record retention and access requirements, in 2 CFR 200.327-328. Electronic submission of performance information may be required, as will be detailed in the terms and conditions of the award. Electronic submission of performance information using Wildlife TRACS may be required, as detailed in the terms and conditions of the award.

Application Checklist We request that you number pages consecutively, label all sections, and arrange the application in the following order. Failure to provide complete information may cause delays, postponement, or rejection of the application.

□ SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance: A complete, signed and dated SF-424, SF 424- Mandatory, or SF-424 Individual form.

□ SF-424C (or SF-424A if appropriate): A complete SF-424C or SF-424A Budget Information form or a budget spreadsheet providing a similar, or greater, level of budget detail.

□ Project Summary: including objectives, etc. (1 page maximum) https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=6214841a79953f26c5c230d72d6b70a1&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl http://fawiki.fws.gov/x/CYAx https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-sec200-327 https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-sec200-327 https://tracs.fws.gov/learning

□ Project Statement (10 pages maximum)

□ Budget Narrative (including a list of Federally-funded equipment, if applicable)

□ NICRA: A statement regarding the status of the agency’s Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, and if applicable, a copy of the organization’s current NICRA.

□ Single Audit Reporting Statement: Note whether your State was or was not required to submit a Single Audit report for your most recently closed fiscal year and, if so, state if that report is available on the Federal Audit Clearinghouse Single Audit Database website. You do not need to attach a copy of your Single Audit report.

□ SF-424 Assurances form: Signed and dated SF-424D or SF-424B Assurances form if annual assurances are not already on file with the Regional WSFR Office.

□ SF-LLL form: If applicable, completed SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form.

□ Conflict of Interest statement: When applicable.

□ Geographic Location/Drawings/Maps/Photographs

□ Required Overlap/Duplication Statement

VII. Agency Contacts

The Service administers CVA. National level program information can be obtained by contacting:

Brad Gunn United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program

MS: WSFR

5275 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 703-358-2009 Brad_Gunn@fws.gov

For project specific information and details to apply, contact your Regional WSFR Office:

Region 1 - American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii Chris Swenson, Chris_Swenson@fws.gov, 503 231-6758

Region 1 - Idaho, Oregon, and Washington: Karla Drewsen, Karla_Drewsen@fws.gov, 503-231-2389 mailto:Brad_Gunn@fws.gov mailto:Chris_Swenson@fws.gov mailto:Karla_Drewsen@fws.gov

Region 2 - Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas: Ramon Martin, Ramon_Martin@fws.gov, 505-248-7476

Region 3 - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin:

Tony Hewitt, Anthony_Hewitt@fws.gov, 612-713-5156

Region 4 - Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and the United States Virgin Islands: Scott White, Scott_White@fws.gov, 404-679-7113

Region 5 - Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia: Bill Perry, Bill_Perry@fws.gov, 413-253-8302

Region 6 - Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming: Michael Cotter, Michael_Cotter@fws.gov, 303-236-8179

Region 7 - Alaska: Mary Price, Mary_Price@fws.gov, 907-786-3982

Region 8 - California and Nevada: Bart Prose, Bart_Prose@fws.gov, 916-978-6152

VIII. Other Information

The Federal government is not bound to fund any project until the Service Regional WSFR representative has approved and issued the award.

The Clean Vessel Act of 1992 was signed November 4, 1992 (106 Stat. 5039) and codified in 33 U.S.C. 1322. The Act amended the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (Wallop-Breaux Act; 16 U.S.C. 777) and established CVA to provide funding to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, commonwealths, and territories of the United States of America. Funding allows States to construct, renovate, operate, and maintain pumpout stations and waste reception facilities for recreational boaters and to inform boaters about the use, benefits, and availability of pumpout stations and waste reception facilities. Subsequent reauthorizations of the Acts have allowed for the continuation of CVA.

Additional information about the CVA is available at: United States Fish and Wildlife Service WSFR CVA web page.

mailto:Ramon_Martin@fws.gov mailto:Anthony_Hewitt@fws.gov mailto:Scott_White@fws.gov mailto:Bill_Perry@fws.gov mailto:Michael_Cotter@fws.gov mailto:Mary_Price@fws.gov mailto:Bart_Prose@fws.gov http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title33/html/USCODE-2011-title33-chap26-subchapIII-sec1322.htm http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title33/html/USCODE-2011-title33-chap26-subchapIII-sec1322.htm http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2012-title16/html/USCODE-2012-title16-chap10B.htm http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/CVA/CVA.htm http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/CVA/CVA.htm

Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions about CVA Applications:

Q1: Is an inspection or a monitoring program to ensure pumpouts installed with CVA funds are in working order an eligible activity?

A: Yes. An inspection or a monitoring program to ensure pumpouts installed with CVA funds are in working order is an eligible activity as long as it doesn’t include law enforcement.

Q2: Is creating and/or revising a coastal State’s plan an eligible activity?

A: Yes. A coastal State may apply for and receive funding to create and/or revise their State plan in accordance with the Technical Guidance. However, points for the first ranking criterion are only awarded to a coastal State applicant that has no existing plan. Currently all coastal States have an existing plan so zero points will be awarded for coastal State plan development.

Please note, that inland States may not receive funding to create and/or revise their State plan (as dictated by the Clean Vessel Act of 1992).

Q3: Which cost categories should I include in my application budget?

A: You should include the following categories, by cooperator and project location/facility:

1. Personnel services including compensation for salaries and fringe benefits;

2. Contracts for services;

2. Travel;

3. Equipment, supplies, and construction costs;

4. Education program costs;

5. Operation and/or maintenance costs; and

6. Indirect costs, if applicable.

You may include other categories of eligible costs that you feel support your activities.

Ineligible costs may disqualify your application.

Q4: How long must I maintain a pumpout or dump station that I build with CVA funds?

A: You are responsible for maintaining the pumpout or dump station for its useful life, assuring that it is serving the intended purpose of the project. You should propose and identify a useful life of the pumpout or dump station in your application. For information about useful life and methodologies to determine the useful life contact your Service Regional WSFR Office.

Q5: Are operation and maintenance funds eligible costs?

A: Yes. You may include operation and maintenance activities in your application. They can be either for a specific location or for an overall CVA operation and maintenance program for the State.

Q6: May I charge more than $5 as a usage fee for each pumpout or dump station?

A: While we encourage applicants to consider providing these services at no cost, the regulations, found in 50 CFR 85, limit the fee that you may charge for use of a CVA funded facility to $5 or less. However, if you provide a written request to increase your per-use charges above the $5 limit and the Service approves your request for an increase, you may charge a higher fee. The regulations also require that the facility operator must retain, account for, and use CVA usage fees to defray operation and maintenance costs for the useful life of the facility.

Note that this program-specific regulation is viewed to have precedence over general program income regulations as it expressly directs how the fees are to be used during, and sometimes beyond, the period of performance.

Q7: Where can I get more information about CVA and applying for funds?

A: You can contact WSFR CVA coordinators. National and regional contact information is listed above in Section VII. Add website here too.

Q8: Are boats used for the primary purpose as a residence eligible as recreational vessels through CVA?

A: No, to qualify as a recreational vessel for CVA, the vessel must be (a) manufactured for operation, or operated, primarily for pleasure; or (b) leased, rented, or chartered to another for the latter’s pleasure.

Q9: Are commercial vessels eligible as recreational vessels through CVA?

A: It depends on whether it meets the criteria to be considered as a recreational vessel under CVA. To qualify as a recreational vessel for CVA, the vessel must meet at least one of the following criteria: (a) manufactured for operation, or operated, primarily for pleasure; or (b) leased, rented, or chartered to another for the latter’s pleasure.

Q10: Why must I submit a statement regarding my indirect cost rate in my application?

A: The uniform guidance in 2 CFR 200.210(a)(15) indicates that applications must now include indirect cost rate information in applications for Federal grants. Service-wide policy also has stepped down this requirement to all Service offices.

Q11: Why do I need to include a…