Item K1 K1
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
COUNTY of MONROE �� i Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein,District 5
The Florida Keys Mayor Pro Tern James K.Scholl,District 3
Craig Cates,District 1
Michelle Lincoln,District 2
David Rice,District 4
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
January 31, 2024
Agenda Item Number: KI
2023-1986
BULK ITEM: Yes DEPARTMENT: Planning & Environmental Resources
TIME APPROXIMATE: STAFF CONTACT: Brittany Burtner
n/a
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Approval to Submit a Grant Application to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Marine Debris Program for the Removal of Submerged Marine Debris in the Amount of $3.8
million including $1.6 million in Leveraged State Match from Grant Agreement 23135 with the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Commission FWC.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
This item is to approve a grant application for $2.2 million to the NOAA Marine Debris Program to
remove large marine debris from anchorages surrounding Key West and Stock Island, following
invitation from NOAA to submit a full proposal based on a Letter of Intent(see attached Letter of
Intent). The NOAA Marine Debris Program will award up to $24 million through the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law to support the removal of large marine debris throughout the coastal United States,
Great Lakes, territories, and Freely Associated States. These removal projects should focus on large
marine debris, including abandoned and derelict vessels, derelict fishing gear, and other debris that is
generally unable to be collected by hand. (see attached Notice of Funding Opportunity).
As part of a holistic approach to reducing and mitigating the damaging effects of long-term unmanaged
vessel anchoring, Monroe County is in the design phase of two mooring field projects near Key West
and Stock Island, with a combined capacity for 140 boat moorings as previously directed by the Board
of County Commissioners (`BOCC") (Resolutions 038-2022 and 078-2008 attached). Partners in this
project include our engineering consultant, Applied Technology Management(ATM), who is
conducting the design and permitting of the mooring fields. ATM recently completed a marine debris
inventory and assessment of the proposed mooring field areas, and this funding request is based on the
data collected which identified a significant amount of submerged marine debris that will need to be
removed prior to construction of the mooring fields.
2567
Implementing moorings in the two designated mooring fields marks a significant step toward mitigating
the repercussions of years of unregulated vessel anchoring, which has contributed to an unrealized
number of marine debris targets. During the August 2023 marine debris inventory within the boundaries
of the proposed mooring fields, approximately 75 targets, estimated at 400 tons of debris were
identified. The types of submerged debris, currently being used as weighted anchors for the mooring of
vessels in these anchorage areas, include concrete filled washing machines, concrete filled barrels,
engine blocks, submerged vessels, carpet rolls, generators, outboard motors, among other fabricated and
embedded mooring devices.
Once 100 moorings have been installed within one mile of the Key West Bight City Dock, a 90-day
anchoring time limit stipulated by Florida Statute 327.4108 will be in effect. Due to the 90-day
anchoring limitation area in the surrounding areas of the mooring fields, it is beneficial to request
funding for additional marine debris removal activities outside of the mooring fields. Funding will be
used for the inventory and assessment of marine debris in four(4)known anchorage areas in the Key
West/Stock Island area, with debris removal activities commencing upon the establishment of the
anchoring limitation restrictions. Early estimates of an additional 300 submerged debris targets are
forecasted to be 2,000 tons of debris to be removed.
The total estimated project cost is $3.8 million including a required match in the amount of$1.6 million
in leveraged state match from Grant Agreement 23135 with the FWC. If selected for funding, a
subsequent grant agreement will likely be approved by NOAA in mid-2023 with work occurring
between Fall 2023 and Spring 2024.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
November 2023 —Resolution 506-2023 for receipt of unanticipated funds in the amount of
$1,610,000.00 for FWC grant 23135 for mooring field development.
January 2022—Resolution 038-2022 directing staff to pursue installing at least 100 new moorings
within one mile of the City of Key West's Key West Bight City Dock and to partner with the City of
Key West to accomplish this goal.
March 2008 —Resolution 078-2008 directing staff to pursue creating a managed mooring field in Boca
Chica Harbor.
INSURANCE REQUIRED:
No
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
n/a
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval.
DOCUMENTATION:
2568
Monroe County Letter of Interest
NOAA Notice of Funding Opportunity
Resolution 506-2023
Resolution 038-2022
Resolution 078-2008
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Effective Date: n/a
Expiration Date: n/a
Total Dollar Value of Contract: n/a
Total Cost to County: $0
Current Year Portion: n/a
Budgeted: n/a
Source of Funds: FWC Grant agreement 23135 as leveraged funds
CPI: n/a
Indirect Costs: n/a
Estimated Ongoing Costs Not Included in above dollar amounts: n/a
Revenue Producing: n/a If yes, amount:
Grant: Yes
County Match: No
2569
County of Monroe
Planning&Environmental Resources Departments Board of County Commissioners:
Marathon Government Center Mayor Craig Cates,District I
2798 Overseas Highway,Suite 400 Mayor Pro Tem Holly Merrill Raschein,District 5
Marathon,FL 33050 � �l' Michelle Lincoln,District 2
Voice: (305)289-2500 ���� , " James K. Scholl,District 3
FAX: (305)289-2536 �� ��° David Rice,District 4
We strive to be caring,professional,and fair
October 26, 2023
Greetings,
Monroe County (Florida) Marine Resources is pleased to provide this Letter of Interest and respectfully
requests your consideration for an invitation to submit aproposal for a 2024 NOAA Marine Debris Removal
Grant for the Key West Anchorage Areas Marine Debris Removal project.
Monroe County, Florida includes the islands of the Florida Keys, a coral cay archipelago of over 40 main
keys connected by the Overseas Highway and enveloped by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary,
which protects 2,900 nautical square miles of the Keys' turquoise water, mangroves, coral reef, and over
6,000 species of marine life. See Appendix A Location snap.
The Monroe County Marine Resources Office works to protect the nearshore marine environment,provide
public water access,and manage boating and waterway infrastructure in Florida Keys'waters.Jurisdictional
boundaries of Monroe County include the waters within 3 miles on the oceanside and 9 miles on the bayside
of the island chain. Our office works in coordination with other county offices, state and federal agencies,
and provides services related to derelict and abandoned vessel removal, vessel pump-out services,
anchoring and mooring management, and waterway marker maintenance.
Based on an anchored vessel count conducted in 2021, there are over 300 vessels anchored in waters
surrounding Key West and Stock Island-51%of vessels are used as housing(liveaboards), 31% are stored
vessels (unoccupied), and 17% are derelict(wrecked,junked, substantially dismantled). In 2022, Monroe
County spent$833,256 removing 93 derelict vessels,and estimates that 85%of the derelict vessels removed
annually were previously long-term stored vessels.
As part of a holistic approach to reducing and mitigating the damaging effects of long-term unmanaged
vessel anchoring, Monroe County is in the design phase of two mooring field projects near Key West and
Stock Island, with a combined capacity for 140 boat moorings. Partners in this project include our
engineering consultant, Applied Technology Management (ATM), who is conducting the design and
permitting of the mooring fields.ATM recently completed a marine debris inventory and assessment of the
proposed mooring field areas, and this funding request is based on the data collected which identified a
significant amount of submerged marine debris that will need to be removed prior to construction of the
mooring fields.
Implementing moorings in the two designated mooring fields marks a significant step toward mitigating
the repercussions of years of unregulated vessel anchoring,which has contributed to an unrealized number
of marine debris targets. During the August 2023 marine debris inventory within the boundaries of the
proposed mooring fields, approximately 75 debris targets were identified. The types of submerged debris,
currently being used as weighted anchors for the mooring of vessels in these anchorage areas, include
2570
concrete filled washing machines, concrete filled barrels, engine blocks, submerged vessels, carpet rolls,
generators, outboard motors, among other fabricated and embedded mooring devices.
The debris removal project is in waters of the Lower Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida. The area is
within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and is designated as an Outstanding Florida Water
(OFW), worthy of special protection because of its natural attributes. The proposed Boca Chica mooring
field is located on the south side of US Highway I and east of Stock Island(east of Key West). The central
coordinates of this 127-acre area are 81.7281045°W 24.5704931°N. The proposed Man of War Harbor
mooring field is made up of two areas on either side of uninhabited Wisteria Island,which is located on the
north side of Key West. The two areas combined are approximately 102 acres. The central coordinates of
each mooring area are 81.8132761°W 24.5692739°N and 81.8063004°W 24.5702706°N. The geographic
coordinates of the debris in these two proposed mooring field areas have been identified, logged, and
photographed in August 2023. The coordinates of individual debris locations are not provided in this Letter
of Interest but will be submitted in the subsequent proposal.
In 2021, Florida Statute 327.4108 was established to restrict the anchoring of vessels for periods of no
longer than 90-days in Monroe County.The statute was amended in 2022,stipulating that for the anchoring
limitation area regulation to be effective, Monroe County had to install 100 mooring balls for public use
within one mile of the Key West Bight City Dock.The objective of the new moorings is to encourage vessel
owners to utilize the secure,permitted moorings and upland facilities for a nominal fee, and to provide law
enforcement with a means to regulate and restrict the long-term anchoring of vessels,ultimately mitigating
the negative impacts associated with long-term vessel storage.
Prior to the installation of the mooring anchors and systems,the submerged debris in the proposed mooring
fields will be removed to:
➢ Remove the environmental and benthic impacts to seagrasses and corals (crushing and scouring
impacts caused by the movement of debris and mooring chains/lines)
➢ Improve water quality and marine habitats of these inshore areas
➢ Eliminate safety hazards imposed by submerged debris
➢ Remove caustic metallic materials that may impede or corrode mooring systems
➢ Mitigate for the installation of helical embedment anchors in seagrass areas
➢ Provide an alternative engineered and reliable anchoring mechanism in these high risk areas
The submerged debris will be removed from the marine environment using best practices following a safety
and environmental hazards analysis for all debris targets. It is anticipated that removal techniques of
heavy/large debris will include lifting objects with cranes on shallow draft vessels(barges with a maximum
6-inch draw),utilizing sediment containment measures,and general avoidance of protected resources when
spudding up for construction. Spotters and divers will be used for resource assessments, observation, and
wildlife avoidance,and the awarded marine contractor will be required to have prior proven experience and
familiarity with marine debris removal in Monroe County.
The mooring fields will have operations and management functions provided by a partnership between
Monroe County and the City of Key West,which will prevent the recurrence of debris in the mooring field
areas. After the installation of at least 100 moorings, the anchoring limitation areas will become effective
in the Lower Keys, restricting a vessel from anchoring in the same location for longer than 90-days. It is
incumbent on marine law enforcement to actively enforce the anchoring limitations to prevent the
reoccurrence of marine debris. Monroe County Marine Resources is researching monitoring and tracking
systems and are specifically investigating the use of an uncrewed surface vessel (USV). The USV will be
used to conduct preprogrammed missions to collect anchored vessel data and to provide defensible evidence
to support law enforcement actions. Additionally, the County would like to display the data on an ArcGIS
dashboard to collaboratively monitor status in real time and inform stakeholders.
2571
The debris removal activities are anticipated to start in June—August 2024. The schedule may be adjusted
slightly based on the acquisition of permits issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection,
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The
scheduling of debris removal will be done just prior to the projected installation of the moorings, to avoid
any unintended reaccumulation of debris. The duration of debris removal activities is anticipated to last
three to six months.
Monroe County Marine Resources is requesting $2,200,000 in NOAA federal funds for the marine debris
removal projects in two proposed mooring field locations and in four (4) other anchorages in the Lower
Keys. The County proposes to leverage federal funds with a local 72% match encumbered for the mooring
field projects, to include mitigation and restoration of seagrass, and derelict vessel removals in the Lower
Keys on behalf of the County (using state derelict vessel grant funds and local vessel registration funds).
Requested funds will also be used for the purchase of monitoring equipment,valued at$15,000,and for the
development of an ArcGIS dashboard for displaying real-time debris removal data and vessel monitoring
activities ($12,000).
The County's consultant has identified approximately 75 submerged marine debris targets in the mooring
field areas,estimated at 400 tons of debris to be removed.Because the County is also establishing anchoring
limitation areas in the surrounding areas of the mooring fields, the County wishes to also request funding
for additional marine debris removal activities outside of the mooring fields. Funding will be used for the
inventory and assessment of marine debris in four (4) known anchorage areas in the Key West area, with
debris removal activities commencing upon the establishment of the anchoring limitation restrictions (after
construction of at least 100 mooring balls). Early estimates of the additional 300 submerged debris targets
are forecasted to be 2,000 tons of debris to be removed.
According to the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, there are three (3) disadvantaged census
tracts in in the vicinity of the debris removal project area. These census tracts have been classified as
disadvantaged because they meet the criteria of Workforce Development, Climate Change, and Water and
Wastewater. It is anticipated that the underserved community of vessel liveaboard residents will benefit
from the debris removal project in several meaningful and measurable ways —by improving ecologically
sensitive waters and habitats(also critical to the Key's tourism economic impact)and reducing the physical
and financial exposure to climate risks by relocating water-based housing to safer locations, either on land
or in managed marinas and mooring fields.
The debris removed in the Lower Keys is also expected to have measurable impacts to NOAA trust
resources including improved water quality and public safety; restoration and future protection of benthic
marine resources; and preservation and conservation resources for sustainable economic impacts related to
boating,fishing, and tourism activities.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this grant funding request. This funding will allow us to take
extraordinary steps in environmental stewardship through these beneficial marine debris cleanup efforts.
Respectfully,
Brittany Atirtner, CFM
Sr. Administrator, Marine Resources Office
Monroe County Planning& Environmental Resources
2798 Overseas Highway, Suite 400, Marathon, Florida 33050
Burtner-Brittany(c�MonroeCounty-FL.Gov
2572
Attachment A - Project Area
1 ,1
u
� ail
.a
KEY WEST MARINE DEBRIS REMOVAL PROJECT
PROJECT LOCATION`
Proposed Mooring
41 �� Miami Fields(and Debris Areas)
0 /
Existing Mooring Fields
verglade„s Anchorages(and Debris
Areas)
CEJST-Disadvantaged MONREO COUNTY,FLORIDA
N Census Tracts
w+E i AtkinsRdalis
j University of South Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Florida, FDEP,Esri,HERE, Commission(FWC),Applied Technology and
Garmin, FAO,NOAA, Management(ATM)-Geosyntec,AtkinsRealis Created:10/24/2023
USES, EPA, NIPS Author:J.Luce
2573
Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 52
FY24 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Funding Opportunity Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A. Program Objective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
B. Program Priorities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
C. Program Authority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
II. Award Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
A. Funding Availability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
B. Project/Award Period. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
C. Type of Funding Instrument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
III. Eligibility Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
A. Eligible Applicants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
IV. Application and Submission Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
A. Address to Request Application Package. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
B. Content and Form of Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management(SAM). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
D. Submission Dates and Times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
E. Intergovernmental Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
F. Funding Restrictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
G. Other Submission Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
V. Application Review Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A. Evaluation Criteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
B. Review and Selection Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
C. Selection Factors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
VI. Award Administration Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
A. Award Notices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
C. Reporting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
VII. Agency Contacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
VIII. Other Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
2574
Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 52
NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Federal Agency Name(s): National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce
Funding Opportunity Title: FY24 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law
Announcement Type: Initial
Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-ORR-2024-2007993
Federal Assistance Listings Number: 11.999, Marine Debris Program
Dates: ATTENTION: This competition will have a pre-proposal requirement(hereafter
described as a Letter of Intent; LOI). Please note the competition's early submission deadline for
this requirement.
This funding opportunity requires a Letter of Intent to be submitted for competitive review
before a full proposal can be submitted. LOIs must be received via email as an attachment(to
grants.marinedebris@noaa.gov)no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, October 27, 2023. If
invited per the instructions in this announcement, full proposals must then be submitted through
and validated by Grants.gov on or before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, February 23, 2024. Due to
limited time, hardcopy LOIs or full applications will not be accepted.
Funding Opportunity Description: The NOAA Marine Debris Program, authorized in the Marine
Debris Act, codified at 33 U.S.C. § 1951 et seq., supports the development and implementation
of marine debris removal and prevention projects that benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and
marine and Great Lake resources. Through this solicitation, NOAA seeks to openly compete
funding made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (PL 117-58)to support large-
scale marine debris removal efforts throughout the coastal United States, Great Lakes, territories,
and freely associated states, including in Tribal or underserved communities.
The overall objective of this funding opportunity is to support impactful, large marine debris
removal projects that will improve the resilience of the coastal and marine environment. This
competition considers impactful projects to be those that will have long-lasting, transformational
benefits to marine and coastal NOAA Trust Resources, coastal communities, and/or local
economies. To accomplish this, the Marine Debris Program seeks proposals for impactful
projects that remove and dispose of large marine debris (such as abandoned and derelict vessels,
derelict fishing gear, and other large debris) and prevent the reaccumulation of marine debris in
2575
Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 52
the environment.
The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) describes the types of projects that are eligible for
funding, as well as the proposal requirements and criteria under which applications will be
evaluated for funding consideration. Funding of up to $24,000,000 is expected to be available for
this grant solicitation. NOAA MDP expects the majority of the funded projects to be between
$1 M and $4M. The minimum federal request for this solicitation is $800,000 and in some cases,
up to $6M may be awarded. NOAA expects to support between four to eight projects from this
competition, but may support more or fewer based on the merit of submitted applications and
their proposed geographies and scale. Cost sharing, leveraged funds, and in-kind support are
important to ensuring these projects are impactful and well supported. Applicants are strongly
encouraged to explore the opportunity to combine NOAA federal funding with formal matching
contributions and informal leverage from a broad range of sources in the public and private
sectors.
2576
Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 52
FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT
L Funding Opportunity Description
A. Program Objective
The overall objective of this funding opportunity is to support impactful, large marine
debris removal projects that will improve the resilience of the coastal and marine
environment and implement strategies to prevent the reaccumulation of marine debris.
"Impactful"projects are considered to be those that will have long-lasting, transformational
benefits to marine and coastal NOAA trust resources, coastal communities, and/or local
economies. This funding opportunity will openly compete funding made available through
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (PL 117-58), and will focus support for impactful marine
debris removal efforts throughout the coastal United States (including coastal riverine
systems), Great Lakes, territories, and freely associated states, including Tribal and
underserved communities.
The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), a division of the Office of Response and
Restoration, leads national efforts to address marine debris. The mission of the NOAA MDP
is to investigate and prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris. This mission is achieved
through research,prevention, and removal activities that aim to conserve and protect our
nation's marine environment and coastal economy, as well as ensure navigation safety.
Marine debris is defined as "any persistent solid material that is manufactured or
processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or
abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes" (15 C.F.R. § 909.1). For the
purposes of this funding opportunity, "large debris" is defined as abandoned and derelict
vessels (ADVs), derelict fishing gear (DFG), and other debris that is unable to be easily
collected by hand.
In alignment with the Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support
for Underserved Communities through the Federal Government, the NOAA MDP
encourages applicants and awardees to support the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion,
justice, and accessibility when writing their proposals and performing their work. Ensuring
these principles means paying particular attention to the most vulnerable or underserved
communities, which are often low-income, those already overburdened by pollution, those
who lack economic or social opportunity, and people facing disenfranchisement.
B. Program Priorities
2577
Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 52
The highest priority for this funding opportunity is to support impactful, large marine
debris removal projects. For the purposes of this funding opportunity, "large debris" is
defined as abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs), derelict fishing gear(DFG), and other
debris that is unable to be easily collected by hand. Priority will be placed on proposals that
clearly demonstrate the beneficial impacts the removal project will have on NOAA trust
resources, and the surrounding coastal environment or community. Applicants may conduct
removal activities on their own, collaborate with other organizations,pass-through funding
to subawardees, or administer a competitive funding opportunity to allow for funding of
smaller projects and lower the administrative burden on applicant organizations.
Subawardees must be capable of planning and executing removal operations. Applicants
should reference Section V.A. of this NOFO to review this competition's evaluation criteria,
and develop proposals with those criteria in mind.
NOAA seeks to fund a suite of projects that together address large marine debris across
the country. When selecting proposals for this competition, NOAA will consider the
proposals in the context of already-funded projects, including projects that received funding
through previous Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Marine Debris Removal Grants, to avoid
duplication of removal efforts in similar locations (see the NOAA MDP website for
examples of past and current removal projects: https:Hmarinedebris.noaa.gov/our-
work/removal).
NOAA trust resources generally refer to marine habitats and resources in which NOAA
has a stewardship interest. This includes resources associated with National Marine
Sanctuaries, Marine Monuments, National Estuarine Research Reserves, and areas under
state coastal management programs, including Areas of Concern within the Great Lakes.
NOAA trust resources also include commercial and recreational fishery resources (marine
and Great Lakes fish and shellfish); coastal habitats; diadromous fish species; endangered
and threatened marine species; marine mammals and marine turtles; marshes, mangroves,
seagrass beds, coral reefs, other coastal habitats; Essential Fish Habitat(EFH); and Habitat
Areas of Particular Concern (HAPCs). For the purposes of this competition, NOAA trust
resources may also include transient or transboundary marine species.
NOAA will prioritize applications that demonstrate clear removal and disposal
outcomes. Removals should be conducted with a focus on alternative disposal methods when
possible, which means applicants should use disposal methods that are the most
environmentally friendly given the location, availability, and resources of the specific
removal effort. Examples of alternative disposal may include: recycling, reuse, waste-to-
energy, or other innovative disposal methods.
2578
Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 52
Removal projects that include strategies to prevent the reaccumulation of marine debris
in the future may be prioritized. This might include: the development or expansion of state-,
regionally-, or nationally-focused marine debris prevention programs, vessel or fishing gear
turn-in opportunities, vessel or fishing gear recycling programs, targeted programs working
with boaters or fishermen, etc. Prevention activities should aim to reduce the recurrence of
the type of debris removed.
Prevention and removal activities should prioritize collaboration with diverse entities
and groups. These include (but are not limited to) collaborations with public and nonprofit
organizations, community and watershed groups, anglers, boaters, industry (e.g., commercial
and recreational fishing industries, other marine industries, and plastic and waste
management industries), corporations and businesses, youth groups, students, academia,
Tribal governments, and local and state government agencies.
Removal projects that include monitoring activities to demonstrate long-term outcomes
are encouraged. Monitoring refers to project-specific, re- or post-removal data collection
where important ecological metrics (large debris accumulation over time, habitat/species
impacts, changes in ecosystem services, vegetation, etc.) are analyzed to show the effect of
the removal project. Long-term outcomes can be described as the anticipated benefits to
habitats, communities, and the economy. Examples include the ecological services to be
restored, benefits to local economies from an increase in tourism, the economic benefit to
fishers from the removal of ghost gear,jobs created, or how planned prevention activities
will sustain the benefits of the marine debris removal activity. All monitoring activities must
be complementary to proposed large-debris removal efforts.
NOAA is committed to advancing equity and support for underserved communities. The
NOAA MDP strongly encourages applicants (and when relevant, subawardees) to
incorporate diversity, equity, inclusion,justice, and accessibility through proactive,
meaningful, and equitable community engagement in the identification, design, and/or
implementation of proposed projects. Applicants may demonstrate this in a variety of ways,
and examples include, but are not limited to, working in or with underserved communities,
working with stakeholders for whom there is currently limited direct engagement on marine
debris issues, encouraging diverse perspectives from project leaders and partners (including,
but not limited to, sectors, age, career stage, gender, ethnicity, disability, geography),
incorporating different learning or engagement approaches into the project, or translation of
resources/signage into other languages (see signage requirements in sections IV.B.4 Budget
Justification and VLB.2 Special Award Conditions). Greater consideration will be given to
projects that propose to work in areas with underserved communities that have been
historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution.
2579
Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 52
Applicants should describe any project activities that will take place within, have a
portion of the benefits flow to, and/or meaningfully engage Tribal or underserved
communities. Meaningful engagement relies on the involvement of those potentially affected
in a manner that builds trust and addresses barriers to community participation to ensure that
the scope of the activities is inclusive of the priorities and needs of communities and that the
benefits of the activities flow back to the community. In this competition, meaningful
engagement refers to an intentional exchange between the applicant and the underserved
community where both have multiple opportunities to ensure the other is correctly
understanding each other's perspectives and ideas. This will ensure the Tribal and/or
underserved community is an integral part of the visioning, decision-making, and/or
leadership for project activities that may affect their environment and/or health and
wellbeing. Outreach or communications directed to a Tribal or underserved community
without any description for how feedback and ideas from the community receiving the
messaging will be incorporated into the project design and/or execution will not be
considered meaningful engagement.
This priority aligns with the Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and
Support for Underserved Communities through the Federal Government. Competitive
proposals will describe how their proposed project will advance equity, inclusion, and
accessibility. For this funding competition, the following definitions from Executive Order
13985 are included:
-Equity: means the consistent and systematic fair,just, and impartial treatment of all
individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have
been denied such treatment.
-Underserved communities: refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as
well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full
opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life.
-Accessibility: means the design, construction, development, and maintenance of
facilities, information and communication technology,programs, and services so
that all people, including people with disabilities, can fully and independently use them.
-Diversity: is defined by NOAA as a collection of individual attributes that together
help organizations achieve objectives.
-Inclusion: is defined as a culture that connects each person to the larger organizing
2580
Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 52
structure.
Funding is primarily aimed at supporting new or impactful removal efforts, or programs
that require funding to scale-up or expand their existing removal efforts to achieve broader
and more impactful outcomes. Proposals that scale-up projects that were funded through the
previous Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Marine Debris Removal competition are allowed, but
the proposals must clearly indicate how additional funding will lead to outcomes above and
beyond what was considered through the previous grant application.
Proposals to develop new marine debris databases will not be competitive under this
competition. Applications addressing microplastics or microfibers are not priorities for this
solicitation and will be withdrawn from the review, as will research and development
proposals. Other NOAA funding opportunities may be available for such activities (e.g., the
National Sea Grant BIL Marine Debris Challenge Competition NOFO and the National Sea
Grant BIL,Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions NOFO). Funding for marine debris
interception technologies is available from the NOAA MDP through competition NOAA-
NOS-ORR-2024-2007991 "FY24 NOAA Marine Debris Interception Technologies under
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law." This funding opportunity is not intended for removal
efforts in non-coastal states or inland areas outside the Great Lakes watershed.
Applicants should also note that the following activities, in general, will not be
considered for use of federal dollars under project awards: (1) activities that constitute
legally required mitigation for the adverse effects of an activity regulated or otherwise
governed by local, state, or federal law; (2) activities that constitute restoration for natural
resource damages under federal, state, or local law; (3) activities that are required by a
separate consent decree, court order, statute, or regulation; (4) activities that are eligible for
removal and reimbursement under a Federal Disaster Declaration.
C. Program Authority
Marine Debris Act(33 U.S.C. § 1951 et seq.); Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
(PL 117-58)
IL Award Information
A. Funding Availability
Funding of up to $24,000,000 is expected to be available for this grant solicitation.
NOAA MDP expects the majority of the funded projects to be between $1 M and $4M. The
minimum federal request for this solicitation is $800,000 and in some cases, up to $6M may
2581
Notice of Federal Funding Page 9 of 52
be awarded. NOAA expects to support between four to eight projects but may support more
or less based on the merit of submitted applications and their proposed geographies and
scale. The number of marine debris projects will be based on the merit of submitted
applications. The exact amount of funds to be awarded and the number of awards made will
be at the discretion of NOAA following pre-award negotiations with highly meritorious
applicants. NOAA may request that a highly ranked applicant submitting more than one
meritorious proposal combine all or parts of its proposals into one award. Publication of this
opportunity does not obligate NOAA to award any specific project or obligate all or any part
of available program funds. Awards may include funding from other programs or agencies.
There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for any or all
proposals. The number of awards to be made under this solicitation will depend on the
number and quality of eligible applications, the amount of funding requested by
recommended applicants, the merit and ranking of the proposals, and other program funding
needs.
B. Project/Award Period
Applications should cover a project period of performance from two to four years in
duration. The earliest anticipated start date for awards will be August 1, 2024—applicants
should consider this date when developing plans for initiating proposed project activities.
Applicants selected to receive funding may be asked to modify the project start date to
accommodate any delays in federal funding or environmental compliance consultations.
Applications for renewal or supplementation of previously awarded NOAA projects are
allowed; however, such proposals will be subject to the competitive process and will not
receive preferential treatment. In some cases, NOAA may fund a project with incremental
funding, usually in the form of a multi-year award. If incremental or multi-year funding is
awarded, in which NOAA only obligates funds initially for the first phase of a project,
NOAA has no obligation to provide any additional prospective funding in connection with
that award in subsequent time periods; additional funding is contingent upon satisfactory
performance, continued relevance to program mission and priorities, and the availability of
funds.
C. Type of Funding Instrument
Selected applications will be funded through cooperative agreements since NOAA staff
will be substantially involved in aspects of the large marine debris removal projects.
Substantial involvement may include, but is not limited to, tracking the progress of removal,
disposal, and prevention efforts through site visits; developing performance measures to
assess project outcomes;participating in regular conference calls, and progress report
evaluation and milestone approval; engaging with the recipient on environmental compliance
requirements, technical collaboration, or permitting assistance; supporting the development
2582
Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 52
of public-facing communication materials or events to highlight marine debris prevention
activities; supporting the development of and/or reviewing study approach, methodologies,
and conceptual models; and reviewing manuscript drafts (if any).
Activities funded through this competition may have long-term planning goals and
objectives common to the programmatic needs of both NOAA and the recipients. As such,
NOAA may seek to maintain a long-term partnership with recipients by establishing
cooperative agreements in relevant situations as "institutional awards." If a cooperative
agreement is established as an institutional award, the initial cooperative agreement will be
established for no more than five years and NOAA may issue new cooperative agreements to
the recipient for similar or related activities through a noncompetitive selection process.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants
As outlined in the Marine Debris Act, eligible applicants for projects taking place in the
coastal United States, Great Lakes, territories, and freely associated states (or their adjacent
waterways), are state, local, Tribal, and territory governments whose activities affect
research or regulation of marine debris. Equally eligible are any institution of higher
education, nonprofit organization, or commercial (for-profit) organization with expertise in a
field related to marine debris. Applications from federal agencies or employees of federal
agencies will not be considered. Interested federal agencies may collaborate with eligible
applicants but may not receive funds through this competition. Foreign public entities (see 2
CFR 200.1) from outside of the freely associated states are not eligible to apply.
NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the participation of veterans, minority-
serving institutions, and entities that work in underserved and underrepresented areas. The
NOAA MDP encourages applicants of all backgrounds, circumstances,perspectives, and
ways of thinking to apply.
Applications that have been submitted to other NOAA grant programs or as part of
another NOAA grant may be considered under this solicitation. Applicants should indicate if
the proposal has been submitted elsewhere for funding as described in the Budget
Justification referenced in Section IV. Application and Submission Information (Subsection
B "Content and Form of Application") of this announcement.
B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement
There is no non-federal matching requirement for this funding. However, cost sharing,
2583
Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 52
leveraged funds, and in-kind support are important to ensuring these projects are impactful
and meaningfully supported by other project partners. Applicants are strongly encouraged to
explore the opportunity to combine NOAA federal funding with formal matching
contributions and informal leverage from a broad range of sources in the public and private
sectors. In cases where non-federal match or informal leverage cannot be obtained, the
challenges preventing this type of support should be described (see Section V.A "Evaluation
Criteria"for more detail on how this will be evaluated).
Applicants should refer to 2 C.F.R. 200.306 for cost sharing or matching policies.
Applicants with approved indirect cost rates planning to provide cost sharing may propose a
portion or all of their indirect costs as match, since the valuation of such costs has already
been federally approved and documentation is readily available. Refer to Section IVY
"Funding Restrictions" for information on indirect costs.
For funded applications that include non-federal match funds within the proposed
budget, the ratio of approved NOAA funds to non-federal match funds will be legally
binding within the award document signed by NOAA's Grant Management Division (GMD).
NOAA is under no obligation to amend the match contributions once the award document is
signed by the recipient.
C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility
Activities involving the collection, assessment, oversight, or interpretation of scientific
information are required to adhere, to the best of their ability, to the principles,policies, and
codes of conduct identified in NOAA's Policy on Scientific Integrity (NOAA Administrative
Order 202-735D-2), which is available at:
https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-202-735d-2-scientific-integrity
The intent of the policy is to strengthen widespread confidence (from scientists, decision
makers, and the general public) in the quality, validity, and reliability of NOAA-funded
science. Further information on this policy can be found at:
https:HsciencecounciI.noaa.gov/Scientific-Integrity-Commons
IV. Application and Submission Information
A. Address to Request Application Package
Applicants must follow the LOI and full application requirements stated in this
announcement, or they may not be considered. Complete application packages, including
required federal forms, general instructions, and supplementary instructions specific to this
2584
Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 52
competition can be found on Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov). If the application forms
and instructions cannot be downloaded from Grants.gov,please contact Amanda Dwyer
(amanda.dwyer@noaa.gov, 240-533-0402).
B. Content and Form of Application
LETTER OF INTENT:
The Letter of Intent(LOI) submission is a critical step to determine if proposed projects
are well-suited for this specific competition. Applicants must submit a LOI and receive an
invitation from the NOAA MDP before submitting a full proposal_ LOIs must be submitted
as an email attachment to grants.marinedebris@noaa.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern time on
October 27, 2023 (see Section IV.D. below). Please put"FY24 NOAA Marine Debris
Removal Letter of Intent(LOI)" in the email subject heading. An email confirmation will be
sent indicating successful submission of the LOL If no confirmation email is received, that is
an indication that the LOI submission was not successful and will not be reviewed. In such
cases please contact the NOAA MDP to resolve the issue prior to the deadline. For this
reason, it is highly recommended that LOIs are submitted early.
The goal of the competitive LOI process is to streamline the proposal review and to be
able to provide feedback and guidance on invited application ideas. In the LOI, applicants
must indicate clearly how their project proposes to address the competition priorities, the
need for the proposed debris removals, the geographic location of all project activities, and a
short description of the methods, outcomes, and efforts to address diversity, equity,
inclusion,justice, and accessibility. Those applicants whose LOIs do not strongly align with
program objectives and priorities, as determined by the NOAA MDP (through the review
process described below in Section V.A.), will not be invited to submit full applications.
The LOI must be no more than three (3)pages in length. It should be single spaced, use
11- or 12-point font on an 8.5"x 11"page size and have page margins no smaller than 1" on
each edge. A fourth page may be submitted showing only project site maps and photographs
of the area or the debris targeted for removal. If the LOI is incomplete, does not meet the
guidelines above, or is submitted late, it may not be considered. Those applicants invited to
submit a full proposal will receive an email notification containing feedback and full-
proposal submission instructions from NOAA MDP. NOAA MDP may limit the number of
full applications invited in order to meet the Program's expected budget or to manage the
review workload.
The LOI should include each of the components listed below:
a) Applicant Organization
2585
Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 52
b)Project Title
c) Principal Investigator(s) Name, Address, Telephone Number and Email Address:
Briefly describe the PI or organization's experience or expertise that would lead to a
successful removal project. A list of primary project partners and their
roles/contributions should also be part of this section.
d)Project Location: List the geographic area(s) in which the project will be
implemented. Include geographic coordinates of removal sites if known.
e) Project Description: Clearly state the purpose of the project and briefly list
specific tasks to be accomplished with requested funds. Applicants should identify
the debris type and include a clear explanation for why this type or category of
debris was chosen. Applicants should identify the mechanism(s) for distributing
funds (e.g., applicant removal activities, collaboration with other organizations,
pass-through funding to subawardees, or administration of a competitive funding
opportunity). Applicants should describe proposed techniques that will be used and
indicate the duration of the project. This section should describe associated
prevention, and/or monitoring activities that are planned. Applicants administering
a competition for subawardees that will propose marine debris removal projects
should clearly articulate the proposed approach for planning and executing the
competition.
f) Anticipated removal activity start date (not the proposed award start date)
g) Funding: Indicate the approximate amount of federal funds requested and
approximate amount of non-federal match or informal leverage anticipated.
h)Project Outcomes and Metrics: Describe how project activities will be impactful
on NOAA trust resources, coastal communities, and/or local economies and how the
project benefits will be sustained beyond the life of the project; identify NOAA trust
resources that are likely to benefit(habitats and species expected to benefit) and how
the project will make a measurable impact. Describe project metrics expected to be
tracked, including, at a minimum when applicable: an estimate of how many pounds
of debris will be removed from the marine/coastal environment, the number and type
of ADVs/DFG/other debris items removed, geographic area(in square miles or
shoreline miles) surveyed. When applicable, the following metrics are encouraged to
be tracked: weight of debris recycled/reused/converted to energy, footprint of debris
2586
Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 52
removed(square feet), number of volunteers, and number of volunteer hours.
i) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility Description: Indicate how
the project demonstrates principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
through proactive, meaningful, and equitable community engagement in the
identification, design, and/or implementation of proposed projects. This may be
demonstrated in a variety of ways and examples include but are not limited to
working in or with underserved communities, working with stakeholders for whom
there is currently limited direct engagement on marine debris issues, working with a
project team with diverse perspectives (including, but not limited to, sectors, age,
career stage, gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic), or incorporating different
learning or engagement approaches into the project.
Applicants should identify if project activities will take place within, have a
portion of the benefits flow to, and/or meaningfully engage Tribal or underserved
communities and how those benefits will be measured. Please reference the Climate
and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST)
(https://screeningtool.geoplatfonn.gov/)to identify if any known project locations
are considered disadvantaged communities. If a community is not considered
disadvantaged by CEJST, the applicant may provide an alternate reference or
description.
An LOI template can be found at:
https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/resources/funding-opportunities
FULL PROPOSAL (only if invited):
Applicants may only submit a full proposal if invited to do so by the NOAA MDP.
Applicants are required to apply through the Grants.gov website. No hardcopy applications
will be accepted due to limited staff time.
Please visit https:Hmarinedebris.noaa.gov/resources/funding-opportunities for helpful
information on developing and submitting proposal documents/information.
Applicants are also encouraged to minimize the number of files uploaded to an
application by combining the proposal's files as much as possible. Adobe PDF is the
preferred file format for application attachments.
2587
Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 52
Applications must adhere to page limits and any pages that exceed the limit for each
section may not be reviewed. Files that cannot be opened or downloaded will not be
reviewed. Proposals will not be accepted if sent via fax or email. Application documents
must use 11- or 12-pt font on an 8.5"x 11"page size and have page margins no smaller than
1" on each edge.
Applications should be sufficiently detailed in accordance with the guidelines and
information requirements listed below and elsewhere in this announcement, and proposed
activities should be able to be completed within the proposed period of performance. Each
proposal application must contain the following required federal application forms (available
from Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov)) and adhere to page limits indicated for each
category, unless otherwise noted below:
- SF-424 - Application for Federal Assistance
- SF-424A - Budget Information, Non-construction Programs
- SF-424B - Assurances, Non-construction Programs
- CD-511 - Certifications Regarding Lobbying
- SF-LLL - Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)
- Summary (described below, 3 pages or less)
-Narrative (described below, 15 pages or less)
-Data Management Plan (described below, 2 pages or less)
-Budget Justification Narrative (described below, 8 pages or less)
- Curriculum vitae or resume of applicant personnel (2 pages or less per person)
-Maps depicting the geographic extent of where removal efforts will be targeted
including any site location(s) and/or potential removal locations highlighted
(no page limit)
-Photographs of example debris targets, if any (no page limit)
2588
Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 52
- Letter(s) documenting partner support (no page limit)
-Indirect cost rate agreement, if applicable (no page limit)
- Other relevant attachments important to the overall understanding and evaluation of the
proposed project, such as documentation of permits necessary to perform the work
proposed under the project(20 pages or less).
The following sections describe the information that should be provided in the proposal.
1. Summary (3 pages or less)
a) Applicant Organization
b)Proposal Title
c) Applicant Point of Contact Name, Address, Telephone Number, and Email Address
d)Proposed project activities: List the types of activities proposed(i.e. number of
targeted removals, surveying/scoping new removal targets, subaward competition,
prevention/monitoring activities, etc.)
e) Location: List the geographic area(s) in which the project activities will be
implemented. Include geographic coordinates of removal sites if known.
f) Funding: Indicate the amount of federal funds requested and the amount of non-federal
match or informal leverage anticipated.
g) Description: Clearly state the purpose of the proposed activities and the specific
marine debris issues being addressed, including a clear explanation for why this type or
category of debris was chosen, how it is detrimental to the area, including impacts to
both the environment and wildlife, as well as the surrounding communities. Applicants
should clearly articulate the proposed project components; summarize all proposed
planning and on-the-ground activities expected; identify stakeholders and
non-federal partners that are likely to be involved; identify NOAA trust resources that
are likely to benefit; and indicate the duration of the project and provide a general
timeline of activities.
h) Outcomes and Metrics: Briefly describe the anticipated ecological and socio-economic
2589
Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 52
outcomes (i.e. ecological services to be restored, benefits to NOAA trust resources,
benefits to local economies from an increase in tourism, etc.) the project is expected
to produce, including how the project benefits will be sustained beyond the life of the
project. Provide an estimate of how many pounds of debris will be removed from the
marine/coastal environment, the number and type of ADVs/DFG/other debris items
removed, geographic area(in square miles or shoreline miles) surveyed. Provide
approximate numbers for outcomes of project activities and describe how data will be
recorded and maintained. Long-term outcomes can be measured with an increased
focus on prevention activities and monitoring activities in association with the
removal efforts. Examples of long-term outcomes include the ecological services to
be restored, benefits to local economies from an increase in tourism, the economic
benefit to fishers from the removal of ghost gear,jobs created, or how planned
prevention activities will sustain the benefits of the marine debris removal activity.
2. Narrative (15 pages or less)
When writing the Narrative, applicants should understand the components of the evaluation
criteria(see Section V.A. "Evaluation Criteria" in this announcement), as they explain how
proposals will be scored for the application to be competitive. The Narrative is limited to 15
pages and should give a clear presentation of the proposed work. Generally, the Narrative
should include the following information.
a) Introduction & Outcomes: A summary of the problem the proposed removal project is
addressing. Describe the geographic reach of the project and whether the project will
directly conduct targeted marine debris removal or will create and administer a
competition for subawardees that will propose marine debris removal projects. Identify
the habitats, species, and/or resources (including specific NOAA trust resources (as
described in Section LA) expected to directly and indirectly benefit from removal
activities, including anticipated ecological services to be restored by debris removal
(these benefits should be tracked during the award period). Also include any benefits
to the economy, local communities, or navigation safety that might result.
Applicants should align efforts with existing regional or national publicly vetted
programs,priorities, or strategic plans (e.g., regional Marine Debris Action Plans,
National Estuary Program or NOAA Habitat Focus Area sites, 2021-2025 NOAA
MDP Strategic Plan, National Marine Sanctuary management plans, etc.) and describe
how they do so. Proposal narratives should explicitly list or otherwise cite such
documents for verification purposes, including the page number or specific action
number within the plan. NOAA Marine Debris Action Plans can be found on the
2590
Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 52
NOAA MDP website at:
https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/emergency-response-guides-and-regional-action-plans.
Describe how project activities will be impactful on NOAA trust resources, coastal
communities, and/or local economies, and how the project benefits will be sustained
beyond the life of the project. Applications should include the metrics expected to be
tracked, including specific, measurable metrics on removal, disposal,prevention,
tracking, and post-removal monitoring efforts, species/habitat impacts, volunteer
participation, economic benefits, and other performance measures. Provide an estimate
of how many pounds of debris will be removed from the marine/coastal environment,
the number and type of ADVs/DFG/other debris items removed, geographic area(in
square miles or shoreline miles) surveyed. When applicable, the following metrics are
encouraged to be tracked: weight of debris recycled/reused/converted to energy,
footprint of debris removed(square feet), number of volunteers, number of volunteer
hours. Provide approximate numbers for outcomes of project activities and describe
how data will be recorded and maintained. Long-term outcomes can be measured with
an increased focus on prevention activities in association with the removal efforts.
Examples of long-term outcomes include the ecological services to be restored,
benefits to local economies from an increase in tourism, the economic benefit to fishers
from the removal of ghost gear,jobs created, or how planned prevention activities will
sustain the benefits of the marine debris removal activity.
b)Project Location(s): The geographic area(e.g., national or a specific region) in which
the project will take place should also be clearly described. Provide maps (if needed)
of expected locations of on-the-ground work. Indicate the time of year that those
activities will take place in each location, if possible. If exact locations are unknown at
the time of application, describe project locations in as much detail as possible and
when/how locations will be determined.
c) Detailed Description: This section should clearly describe the following components in
detail:
i) Project Overview: How the project would be carried out and how it will meet the
goals of this NOFO. This should include a description of short- and long-term
goals and objectives that align with goals of this NOFO; an overview of each
proposed activity (removal, disposal,prevention, and monitoring); and a
description of how project results will be shared more broadly.
ii) Removal Methods: For applications that propose to execute a plan for a particular
2591
Notice of Federal Funding Page 19 of 52
marine debris removal project, the application should include the specific marine
debris they plan to remove, how those marine debris targets were identified, and
how they will be removed. If the list of the specific marine debris targets has not
been finalized or the applicant is proposing to subaward funding based on a
competition, the applicant should describe their goals in detail and the process
they will use to finalize the list of marine debris targets.
For applications that propose administering a competition for subawardees, the
application should include what applicants, geographies, and types of marine
debris will be eligible for the competition. Applications should identify the
targeted applicant pool for sub-awards (if applicable), as well as the expected
number and funding range of sub-awards to be made for the overall life of the
project. Applications should also include the methods proposed for identifying
potential sub-awards or projects, how NOAA will be involved in the process and
funding decisions, and the criteria that will be used for selecting strong projects
and determining the success of project activities. Please note, it is NOAA's
intention to maintain maximum competition and flexibility in the administration
of federal funds through these awards. If the applicant anticipates limiting
competition or otherwise restricting the allocation of funding to specific
purposes, these limitations or restrictions should be clearly detailed in the
narrative.
iii) Disposal Approach: For applications that propose executing a plan for a particular
marine debris removal project, the application should describe the planned
disposal methods, including plans for alternative disposal as defined in Section
I.B. Program Priorities. For applications that propose administering a competition
for subawardees that will propose marine debris removal projects, the application
should describe how disposal methods will be considered and tracked as part of
the competition and on-going monitoring.
iv) Prevention Activities (see Section LB): For prevention activities proposed, the
application should clearly describe the activities and how they complement the
removal and disposal activities proposed. By incorporating prevention activities
along with removal, the application should describe how the likelihood of
reaccumulation of specific debris types will decrease. Prevention activities may
include those activities aimed at building capacity to address chronic large
marine debris problems (See LB). Any prevention activities aimed at changing
behaviors and raising awareness should also be described. Applicants should
clearly identify the target audience for any prevention activities and describe the
2592
Notice of Federal Funding Page 20 of 52
approaches that will be used to engage that audience.
v) Monitoring Activities: If monitoring activities are being proposed, clear methods
and information on data collection should be outlined. The application should
clearly describe how the activities complement the removal and disposal activities
being proposed.
d) Permitting and Compliance: A discussion of how the applicant organization will
ensure that all necessary environmental permits will be secured prior to the use of
federal funds on activities where such permits are required. Applicants should note,
the National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA)requires NOAA to analyze a project's
potential environmental impacts. As such, this section should also describe how
necessary project information would be provided to NOAA staff in order to ensure
compliance with all federal regulatory requirements. All successful applicants will be
expected to have a process in place to provide as much detailed information as is
reasonable on project activities, including details about site locations, species and
habitat(s)to be affected, on-the-ground project activities and processes proposed,
the time of year that work will take place, and any environmental concerns that may
exist(e.g., the use of and/or disposal of hazardous or toxic substances,potential
introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to marine mammals, impacts to
endangered and threatened species or their designated critical habitat, impacts to
coral reef systems). See Section VI. Award Administration Information (Subsection
B.(I0) "NEPA Requirements") for further detail on the NEPA process and
requirements for applicants.
e) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility: Information on how proposed
activities will promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Projects that
demonstrate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility through
proactive, meaningful, and equitable actions and community engagement in the
identification, design, and/or implementation of proposed project activities will be
prioritized. This may be demonstrated in a variety of ways and examples include but
are not limited to working in or with under resourced or underserved communities as
part of project development or execution; working with stakeholders for whom there is
currently limited direct engagement on marine debris issues, working with a project
team with diverse perspectives (including, but not limited to, sectors, age, career
stage, gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic locations), or incorporating different
learning or engagement approaches into the project. Additionally, the applicant should
indicate any experience they or their project partners have in promoting diversity,
equity, inclusion,justice, and accessibility in their past work.
2593
Notice of Federal Funding Page 21 of 52
Describe how benefits from the proposed work will flow to Tribal and/or underserved
communities and how those benefits will be measured. When possible,please use the
Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST
(https://screeningtool.geoplatfonn.gov)to identify if any known project locations take
place in disadvantaged communities. We are requesting use of this tool designed to
assist agencies in defining and identifying disadvantaged communities. This tool
measures environmental and socioeconomic burdens as well as health, housing, and
transportation burdens at the census tract level. In this tool, Federally Recognized
Tribes, including Alaska Native Villages, are also considered disadvantaged
communities. We recognize this tool does not cover all burdens or lack of resources
for all Tribal and/or underserved communities, especially for territories and freely
associated states. In cases where burdens are not identified by CEJST for a community
where project activities will occur, applicants may include their own identification of
Tribal or underserved communities based on similar burdens or lack of resources, if
CEJST does not identify those communities as disadvantaged. This may include, but is
not limited to, a description of the community's previous or current access to
resources, community history,power, values, or how they have been historically
marginalized and/or overburdened by pollution.
Priority will be given to removal projects that fully meet the other priorities of this
competition and describe meaningful engagement with Tribal or underserved
communities. Meaningful engagement can occur in the identification, design, and/or
implementation of proposed projects (see Section LB). Some examples of ways to
demonstrate meaningful engagement with a Tribal or underserved community include,
but are not limited to:
- Describing how Tribal or underserved communities were/will be engaged in the
removal site selection process/removal methods to ensure the removals in their
community will be seen as a benefit and there aren't unintentional consequences
by targeting removals located in an underserved community without the input of
that community
- Describing specific project roles that will be conducted by Tribal or underserved
community members located in the project area and/or impacted by the targeted
debris presence/proposed removal project activities. This description should
include how those roles were/will be selected. Ideally, these roles would be
included in both the design and execution of the removal activities.
2594
Notice of Federal Funding Page 22 of 52
- Describing engagement with the underserved community to learn about the specific
challenges they are facing and how the proposed removal activities can be
conducted to help mitigate those challenges (i.e., ADV removals will make a local
waterfront safer/more accessible, removal of DFG will enhance local fisheries and
improve food security, removal of large debris items are expected to restore
tourism revenue to improve the local economy, etc.)
f) Community Involvement: Information on how proposed activities will promote
community involvement and stewardship. Where appropriate,projects funded under
this opportunity may encourage community involvement, such as through direct
involvement in project activities, involvement in marine debris prevention, education,
and outreach activities that are related to funded work, hands-on training, cash
contributions, or donation of in-kind goods and services such as boat time and/or
monitoring activities undertaken by volunteers or work crews.
g)Project Implementation Timeline and Milestones: Indicate when the project is expected
to begin (month and year, not before August 1, 2024) and end, and include a timeline
for other key project activities and benchmarks, including expected competition
deadlines for projects proposing subawards.
h) Roles and Responsibilities, Project Staff, and Letters of Commitment:
Applicants should demonstrate a strong understanding of the marine debris issue and
the technical requirements of large debris removal and disposal. Information on the
roles and responsibilities of applicant organization staff should be detailed. Describe
the organizational structure of the applicant and the qualifications of project staff.
Describe the level of staff experience and qualifications in managing grants and
implementing projects, including specifically any that addressed marine debris. All
proposals should clearly demonstrate how the geographic scope of the proposed
project fits with the applicant's own expertise, capabilities, and mission.
Include a description of the experience and qualifications of relevant subcontractors
conducting project work. If applicable, describe any previous NOAA involvement in
and/or support for the project and include name(s) of any relevant NOAA staff.
Examples of successfully implemented past projects, or the organization's experience
successfully managing federal grants,partnerships, or funding competitions (if
applicable) should be provided. If project staff have no specific examples to provide,
applicants will be evaluated on their potential to effectively manage and oversee all
project phases, demonstrated by education, training, and/or experience of primary
project participants. Additionally, letters of support should be provided from any other
2595
Notice of Federal Funding Page 23 of 52
organizations involved to document their commitment to the proposal's goals and
objectives, and to show support for long-term goals extending beyond the project's
period of performance. Letters of support do not count toward the page limit for the
Narrative.
i) References Cited: Include all references to source materials cited within the proposal,
if applicable. Applicants may follow any accepted scholarly format for citations that
includes authors' names, year of publication, article and journal (or chapter and book)
title, volume number, and page numbers. The Reference Cited section is not included
in the 15-page limit but should include bibliographic references only (i.e., no additional
parenthetical information), and can be included as either a separate attachment or part
of the Narrative.
3. Data Management Plan (2 pages or less)
Proposals must include a Data Management Plan of up to two pages describing how
project data and information collected or created under an award through this competition
will be made discoverable by and accessible to the general public. Such data must be made
available in a timely fashion (typically within two years) and should be free of charge or at
no more than the cost of reproduction.
The Data Management Plan should be aligned with the Data Management Guidance
provided by NOAA in Section VI. Award Administration Information (Subsection B.9 "Data
Management Guidance)below. The contents of the Data Management Plan (or absence
thereof), and past performance regarding such plans, will be considered as part of the
proposal review. A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of project data and
information expected to be created during the course of the project(e.g., removal metrics,
outreach metrics, etc.); the tentative date by which data will be shared; the standards to be
used for data/metadata format and content; methods for providing data access and the
medium by which the data will be shared; approximate total volume of data to be collected;
and prior experience in making such data accessible. The NOAA MDP manages and
maintains a public-facing Clearinghouse (https:Hclearinghouse.marinedebris.noaa.gov/) and
is able to ensure grantee compliance with Data Management requirements by hosting project
data on that platform.
A sample Data Management Plan may be found at:
https:Hmarinedebris.noaa.gov/resources/funding-opportunities
4. Budget Justification Narrative (8 pages or less)
2596
Notice of Federal Funding Page 24 of 52
Applicants should follow NOAA's Budget Narrative Guidance document to ensure the
appropriate content and format is provided with the proposal. This document can be found
at: https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/gmd budget narrative_guidance_-
_05-24-2017_final.pdf
The Budget Justification should include both a narrative and a summary budget table
that lay out and describe each line item's various costs in as much detail as is reasonable. For
clarification and simplicity, the Budget Justification narrative should be organized using the
object classes in the order that they appear on the SF424A. Include detailed descriptions of
all cost justifications for both federal funds and any cost sharing or matching funds (cost
share or matching funds should be described in the same level of detail as the federal funds).
Cost sharing, leveraged funds, and in-kind support are important to ensuring these projects
are impactful and well supported. In cases where non-federal match or informal leverage
cannot be obtained, the challenges preventing this type of support should be described.
The amounts described in the Budget Justification narrative and summary table must
match the dollar amounts on all required forms. The summary budget table does not count
toward the 8-page limit.
The Budget Justification narrative should also indicate if the proposal has been
submitted for funding consideration elsewhere, what amount has been requested or secured
from other sources, and whether the funds requested/secured are federal or non-federal. The
source of any matching funds, including applicant or third-party in-kind contributions,
should be explained, along with their status (e.g. pending, secured, etc.). If funding will be
used to complete part of a larger project, the Budget Justification should describe the overall
budget for the entire project to allow NOAA to make an informed determination of a
project's readiness and cost-benefit ratio.
Applicants should ensure personnel roles (including hours and costs by task) are clearly
explained and allocable to the project. For projects that will carry out project post-removal
monitoring activities, applicants should separate out monitoring or post-project evaluation
costs so that NOAA can evaluate the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of those activities.
Projects funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law may be required to display
signage throughout any active removal or construction phases that acknowledges funding
from NOAA Marine Debris Program and other contributing partners (see VLB.2 Special
Award Conditions). Any project activities where signage would be relevant should include
this in their budget request. Additionally,project leads from proposals selected for funding
2597
Notice of Federal Funding Page 25 of 52
may be required to participate in a Marine Debris Removal Grantee meeting to share the
results of the work conducted, discuss challenges, and foster connections across projects.
Costs for any travel support should be included in the budget request.
For any subawards expected to be made, describe the process that will be used to
identify recipients and the justification for that process. NOAA expects successful applicants
to prioritize cost effectiveness and the use of local contractors where possible and if
appropriate.
NOAA assesses budgets to determine the reasonableness, necessity, and adequacy of
proposed costs for accomplishing the project objectives and performs a cost analysis to
assure that costs are reasonable, allowable, and allocable in accordance with applicable
federal cost principles. The NOAA MDP may recommend funding only specific components
of a project; as such, applicants should describe the extent to which the overall budget can be
scaled up or scaled down.
Requests for equipment(any single piece of equipment costing $5,000 or more) should
be strongly tied to achieving the project's stated goals, and a comparison with rental costs
should be provided to justify the need to purchase. If rental of equipment is not possible, an
explanation will be required in the budget narrative.
Refer to Section IV. Application and Submission Information (Subsection F(2) "Indirect
Costs")regarding indirect costs in the budget.
5. Other Application Submission Information
Applicants should not assume NOAA has any prior knowledge relative to the merits of
the project described in the proposal. As such,proposals should be written with an
appropriate level of detail. Detailed maps of project activities,photographs of the targeted
debris/project site characteristics, summaries of project designs, and letters of support from
project partners (especially those partners critical to the success of the project) are strongly
encouraged and do not count toward the Narrative page limit, although supplementary
materials should not exceed 20 pages. Letters of support from partners, local, state, and
federal government agencies, natural resource and/or waste management agencies, industry,
and Congressional representatives are also helpful in demonstrating support for the project
and if applicable, how project results will be applied to their management objectives. Such
supplementary information should be combined and submitted as a single file in the
Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) application.
2598
Notice of Federal Funding Page 26 of 52
Files uploaded to Grants.gov should not have any special characters in the filename
(example: &, �, *, %, /, #, -), and filenames should be limited to less than 50 characters.
Participant safety is critically important during the implementation of debris removal,
disposal,prevention, tracking, and post-removal monitoring projects. Proposals should
demonstrate meaningful consideration for the safety of project participants during project
activities. It should be noted that all funded projects will be required to have a written safety
plan governing all project-related activities, especially regarding the safety and management
of interns and volunteers. The safety plan should consider safety at all project sites during
and after project implementation and take into account potential safety concerns for current
and future uses of the project site.
If a project requires scuba diving or the use of surface-supplied air, it is the
responsibility of the recipient organization to ensure that divers are qualified and trained to a
level commensurate with the type and conditions of the diving activity to be undertaken. The
organization must describe their capacity (e.g., appropriate insurance, safety policies, etc.) to
effectively oversee all proposed diving activities. All diving activities must meet, or be
specifically exempted from, OSHA guidelines. Assuming all other relevant safety conditions
are satisfied, divers that are not advanced divers may perform only simple activities, such as
underwater surveys and/or removal of light, non-entangling objects.
Advanced divers are divers with advanced diving training for the proposed tasks and in
compliance with OSHA guidelines. Snorkeling activities are similarly restricted, in that
snorkelers should complete only simple activities such as surveys and removal of light, non-
entangling objects. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that any
diving activities under this award meet, at a minimum, all applicable federal, state, and local
laws and regulations pertaining to the type of diving being undertaken.
Activities that should be performed only by advanced divers include but are not limited
to the following:
-Using hand tools or moving or lifting heavy objects where the tools or objects weigh
more than 25 pounds underwater;
-Performing underwater tasks that require substantial physical exertion;
-Using lift bags; and
-Underwater removal of potentially entangling debris, such as nets, crab or lobster pots,
2599
Notice of Federal Funding Page 27 of 52
or fishing line.
C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management(SAM)
Each applicant(unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is
excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR 25.110(b) or(c), or has an exception
approved by the Federal awarding agency under 2 CFR 25.110(d)) is required to: (i) Be
registered in SAM before submitting its application; (ii)Provide a valid unique entity
identifier(UEI) in its application; and(iii) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration
with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an
application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. NOAA may not make
a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable UEI and
SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the
time NOAA is ready to make a Federal award, NOAA may determine that the applicant is
not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a
Federal award to another applicant.
Applicants should allow a minimum of several weeks to complete the SAM registration
process. Existing registrations may need to be renewed, as such applicants should plan
accordingly.
D. Submission Dates and Times
WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND APPLICANTS BEGIN THE APPLICATION
SUBMISSION PROCESS EARLY. NOAA WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE SUBMISSIONS.
APPLICANTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO SUBMIT IN ADVANCE OF THE
DEADLINE. PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY. DUE TO LIMITED STAFF TIME,
HARDCOPY APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
This funding opportunity requires a Letter of Intent to be submitted for competitive
review before a full proposal can be submitted. LOIs must be received via email as an
attachment(to grants.marinedebris@noaa.gov)no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern time,
October 27, 2023. If invited per the instructions in this announcement, full proposals must
then be submitted through and validated by Grants.gov on or before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time,
February 23, 2024. Due to limited staff time, hardcopy LOIs or full applications will not be
accepted.
Please keep in mind that the registration processes for SAM.gov and Grants.gov may
take as long as several weeks and may affect your submission timeline (see Sections IV.
Application and Submission Information, Subsections C "Unique Entity Identifier and
system for Award Management(SAM), and G "Other Submission Requirements" of this
2600
Notice of Federal Funding Page 28 of 52
announcement).
As stated above, no hardcopy, fax, or email applications will be accepted. Applicants
without the ability to apply electronically should contact the program to discuss alternate
arrangements for submission. It is recommended applications are submitted ahead of the
deadline to avoid technical difficulties with Grants.gov.
Applications that have been submitted to other NOAA grants programs or as part of
another NOAA grant may be considered under this solicitation but will not be given
preferential treatment.
E. Intergovernmental Review
Applications for federal financial assistance are subject to the provisions of Executive
Order(EO) 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." All applications for
funding under this competition are required to complete item 19 on the SF-424 regarding
clearance by the State Single Point of Contact(SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372.
To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses,
and phone numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management and
Budget's home page at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-
13-20.pdf.
F. Funding Restrictions
1. Allowable Costs
Funds awarded cannot necessarily pay for all the costs that the recipient might incur in
the course of carrying out the project. Generally, costs that are allowable include salaries,
fringe benefits, travel, equipment, contractual costs, supplies, and indirect costs, as long as
these are "necessary and reasonable" specifically for the purpose of the award. Currently,
allowable costs are determined by reference to 2 C.F.R. 200, "Uniform Administrative
Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards." All subawards
are also subject to these federal cost principles. Award recipients are subject to 2 C.F.R.
200.317-.327 when implementing contracts under an award.
Pre-award costs are allowable only with the written approval by NOAA under 2 C.F.R.
200.458 except to the extent allowed for research awards under 2 C.F.R. 200.308(e)(4). Any
pre-award costs incurred before the NOAA Grants Office provides a notice of award are at
the applicant's own risk. Typically, the earliest date for receipt of awards will be August 1,
2024. Applicants should consider this award timing when developing plans for proposed
project activities.
2601
Notice of Federal Funding Page 29 of 52
The Build America Buy America Act, enacted as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law, established a domestic content procurement preference for all Federal financial
assistance obligated for infrastructure projects. The domestic content procurement preference
requires that all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in
covered infrastructure projects are produced in the United States. If applicable, all projects
should ensure adherence to this requirement.
2. Indirect Costs
The budget may include an amount for indirect costs if the applicant has an established
indirect cost rate with the federal government, or if the applicant elects the 10% de minimis
rate, as described below. Indirect costs are essentially overhead costs for basic operational
functions (e.g., lights, rent, water, insurance)that are incurred for common or joint
objectives and therefore cannot be identified specifically within a particular project.
Applicants with approved indirect cost rates may propose a portion or all of their indirect
costs as match, since the valuation of such costs has already been federally-approved and
documentation is readily available.
A copy of the current, approved negotiated indirect cost rate agreement with the Federal
Government should be included with the application. If an applicant has not previously
established an indirect cost rate with a Federal agency they may choose to negotiate a rate
with the Department of Commerce or use the de minimis indirect cost rate of 10% of MTDC
(as allowable under 2 C.F.R. §200.414). The negotiation and approval of a rate is subject to
the procedures required by NOAA and the Department of Commerce Standard Terms and
Conditions. The NOAA contact for indirect or facilities and administrative costs is: Raishan
Adams, Branch Chief, NOAA Grants Management Division, 1325 East West Highway, 9th
Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910, or raishan.adams@noaa.gov.
G. Other Submission Requirements
If invited, full applications must be submitted through Grants.gov
(http://www.grants.gov). To use Grants.gov, applicants must have an active Grants.gov
registration, and be registered with SAM.gov (as described in Section IV. Application and
Submission Information (Subsection C "Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award
Management(SAM)". Applicants should note that it may take up to several weeks for first
time users to register with each of these systems. Even if an applicant has registered with
each of these systems previously, renewing, updating or reactivating accounts are required
prior to proposal submission, and may take some time to complete. Grants.gov will not
accept submissions if the applicant has not been authorized or if credentials are incorrect.
2602
Notice of Federal Funding Page 30 of 52
Authorizations and credential corrections can take several days. For further information
please visit http://www.sam.gov. See also 2 C.F.R. 25.
Users of Grants.gov will be able to download a copy of the application package,
complete it offline, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov site. If an
applicant has problems downloading the application forms from Grants.gov, contact
Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.
The Grants.gov validation process for a submitted application can take up to two
business days to complete following submission through Grants.gov. After submission,
Grants.gov will send a series of e-mail notifications (potentially for up to two business days)
indicating the application's status and whether NOAA's system has received the application.
Only validated applications are sent to NOAA for review. Late submissions will be rejected.
V. Application Review Information
A. Evaluation Criteria
LETTER OF INTENT EVALUATION CRITERIA:
LOIs will be reviewed to ascertain whether the proposal has the potential to address
marine debris removal activities that meet the competition's priorities. Priorities are listed in
Section LB above.
By assigning a score of 0 to 5 to each criterion, the NOAA MDP will assess whether the
proposed approach is appropriate, focused on priority marine debris issues, and whether the
LOI clearly explains how project activities will be carried out. Specifically, LOIs will be
evaluated using the following criteria and weighting:
- How likely is it that the project will have impactful benefits to NOAA trust resources,
and the surrounding coastal environment or community (as described in Section LB)?
Does the LOI clearly describe the anticipated ecological and socio-economic outcomes
that the project is expected to produce, including how the project benefits will be
sustained beyond the life of the project? Are project metrics described and estimates
provided? (30%)
- Does the LOI clearly identify the project's overall goals and objectives and lay out a
realistic and cost-effective approach? How well developed are the proposal ideas at
this stage? Does it clearly state the purpose of the project and specific tasks to be
2603
Notice of Federal Funding Page 31 of 52
accomplished with requested funds and clearly describe proposed techniques that will
be used? (20%)
-Does the organization demonstrate the capabilities, experience, or expertise that
would lead to a successful effort? Organizations demonstrating high levels of technical
and administrative expertise or capability are likely to score higher on this criterion.
(15%)
-Does the LOI include prevention activities? Is there an appropriate and effective level
of prevention activities to be conducted about the identified marine debris issue to
prevent reaccumulation? Is a target audience identified? (20%)
-Does the project demonstrate how diversity, equity, inclusion,justice, and accessibility
will be promoted in the proposed work? Does the proposal describe proposed activities
taking place in Tribal and/or underserved communities and whether a portion of the
benefits will flow to those communities and how those benefits will be measured? Does
the project include meaningful engagement with Tribal or underserved communities?
Projects that indicate a high likelihood of a realized benefit and meaningful
engagement(see Section LB)with the community in developing the proposal and
executing the project activities will score higher on this criterion. Applicants that
reference CEJST (https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov)will score higher in this
criterion. If CEJST does not have adequate data to identify a community as
disadvantaged, applicants should outline other identifying burdens that define that
community as underserved. (15%)
The NOAA MDP may use the Selection Factors described in Section V.C. below during
the LOI process to determine final invitations. Furthermore, the NOAA MDP may establish
cut offs based on reviewer score or the number of reviewer invite recommendations.
FULL PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA:
Technical reviewers will assign scores to proposals ranging from 0 to 100 points based
on the following five evaluation criteria and respective percentages specified below. Each of
the five evaluation criteria have sub-criteria components. Applications that fully address the
issues described in all five sub-criteria are likely to be more competitive.
The criteria are also available in table format on the NOAA MDP website
(https:Hmarinedebris.noaa.gov/resources/funding-opportunities). This is the recommended
viewing format for both applicants and reviewers, for clarity of the expectations of a strong
2604
Notice of Federal Funding Page 32 of 52
proposal.
Applications will be evaluated based on the following metrics for each priority.
Summary of Evaluation Criteria
Importance and Applicability of Proposal to Program Priorities (40 points)
Technical Merit(25 points)
Overall Qualification of Applicant(10 points)
Project Costs (15 points)
Community Support(10 points)
1. Importance and Applicability of Proposal to Program Priorities (40 points)
This criterion ascertains whether the proposed work is relevant to the goals set out by
the NOAA MDP in this announcement. Applications will be evaluated based on the
following:
Project Outcomes (30 points)
- Will the project have impactful benefits to NOAA trust resources, and the
surrounding coastal environment or community (as described in Section LB)? Will
the project cover an appropriate geographic scale and remove large marine debris?
(10 points)
- Does the proposal clearly describe the anticipated ecological and socio-economic
outcomes that the project is expected to produce? (10 points)
- Does the proposal include strategies to prevent the reaccumulation of marine debris?
This may include project activities aimed at building capacity to address chronic
large marine debris problems, or activities aimed at sustaining the benefits of the
marine debris removal proposed in the application. (6 points)
- Does the proposal clearly describe how the prevention strategies will ensure the
project benefits will be sustained beyond the life of the project? (4 points)
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility (10 points)
- Does the applicant identify project activities taking place in and/or benefits flowing
to a Tribal or underserved community, and does that community have a connection
to the project activities? Applicants that reference CEJST
2605
Notice of Federal Funding Page 33 of 52
(https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/)will score higher in this criterion. If CEJST
does not have adequate data to identify a community as disadvantaged, applicants
should outline other identifying burdens that define that community as underserved.
(4 points)
- Does the application indicate the removal of this debris will help address other
challenges the underserved community is facing (eg. removal of debris will help
improve local fisheries/food security)? (2 points)
- Does the applicant describe how their team will bring a diversity of viewpoints to
this project? (2 points)
- Does the applicant describe any experience they or their project partners have in
promoting diversity, equity, inclusion,justice, and accessibility in their past work?
(2 points)
Projects that demonstrate a thoughtful approach to coordinate among diverse
groups and ensure federal funding is allocated in the most efficient and equitable
way, and does not duplicate any existing efforts, as well as those that aim to prioritize
the use of local partners/contractors, where possible and appropriate, will score higher
on this criterion.
2. Technical Merit(25 points)
This criterion assesses whether the approach is technically sound and if the methods
are appropriate, and whether there are clear goals and objectives. Applications will be
evaluated based on the following:
Project Goals and Objectives (5 points)
- Does the proposal clearly identify the project's overall goals and objectives and
are they realistic and achievable? Reference Section IV.13.2 which describes the
requirements for the Project Narrative.
Project Description (10 points)
- Does the application provide a realistic project timeline (in line with the award
period guidelines described in Section II.B)? (2 points)
- Does the application provide a clear description of proposed removal, disposal,
prevention, and monitoring techniques and activities likely to be implemented and
2606
Notice of Federal Funding Page 34 of 52
are these techniques appropriate for the project? (8 points)
Environmental Impacts (5 points)
- Does the application include detailed maps of removal sites and information on
the expected species that may be encountered in the area and affected by project
activities? (3 points)
- Does the applicant provide assurances that implementation will meet all federal,
state, and local environmental laws? (2 points)
Applications submitted with all of the above information, along with evidence of
completed environmental assessments, completed consultations, or secured permits,
and that demonstrate that proposed debris removal activities are legally permissible in
the project area are likely to score higher on this criterion. Additionally,proposals that
demonstrate that the project site selection process included consideration of benefit
to/impact on a Tribal and/or underserved community or how those communities were
meaningfully engaged in the selection process are also likely to score higher.
Project Metrics (5 points)
- Does the applicant describe how they and any project partners or subawardees will
collect specific, measurable metrics on removal, disposal,prevention, monitoring,
species/habitat impacts, volunteer participation, economic benefits, benefits to Tribal
and/or underserved communities and other performance measures as described
above in Section IV. B? Do they provide realistic estimates of these metrics?
(3 points)
- Does the proposal include a Data Management Plan? If so, does it adequately
describe what data will be collected during the project and how it will be made
accessible and independently understandable to general users in a timely manner,
in compliance with Data Management requirements described in Section VLB.9?
(2 points)
3. Overall Qualifications of Applicants (10 points)
This criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary experience,
training, facilities, and administrative resources to meet proposal objectives.
Applications will be evaluated based on the following:
Applicant Technical & Administrative Qualifications (10 points)
2607
Notice of Federal Funding Page 35 of 52
- Do the applicant and any identified project partners or subawardees have the ability
and expertise to conduct the scope and scale of the proposed work? Does the
applicant propose to prioritize the engagement of local partners or removal
contractors? This should be indicated by the qualifications,planning, and/or past
experience of project partners in designing, implementing, and effectively managing
large debris removal, disposal,prevention, and post-removal monitoring projects, or
regional coordination efforts. (5 points)
- Does the applicant have the administrative capacity (i.e., the administrative
resources and capabilities that the applicant has, or that are available to the
applicant)to successfully manage both the federal award as well as any potential
subawards? (5 points)
Proposals that demonstrate access to extensive technical expertise and federal grant
experience, or that have systems and personnel in place to effectively manage federal
grant requirements are likely to score higher on this criterion. Applicants with the
ability to ensure project success through on-the-ground monitoring and oversight, and
effectively track and report on project/subaward accomplishments are likely to score
higher on this criterion.
4. Project Costs (15 points)
This criterion evaluates the budget to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with
the project needs and timeframe. Applications will be evaluated on the following:
Project Budget Composition (5 points)
- Is the overall budget realistic, enabling the applicant to effectively and successfully
meet all proposed objectives with the funding requested? (3 points)
- Is the overall budget reasonable, including only those costs necessary to effectively
and successfully meet all proposed objectives? (2 points)
Applications that propose to use NOAA funds to expand an organization's day-to-day
administrative activities are unlikely to score high under this criterion. Funding
directed at supporting new or impactful efforts, or programs that require funding to
scale-up or expand their existing efforts to achieve broader and more impactful
outcomes are likely to score higher under this criterion.
2608
Notice of Federal Funding Page 36 of 52
Project Budget Organization (5 points)
- Does the budget justification narrative contain a sufficient level of detail, as required
in Section IV.B.? This includes whether the applicant includes a detailed summary
budget table, the budget is organized by SF-424A object classes, and describes both
the federal and non-federal funding needs for all required project costs (i.e., for both
implementation and administration activities).
Proposals with detailed Budget Narratives that follow the format of NOAA's Budget
Narrative Guidance document(link is provided in Section IV.B.) are likely to score
higher on this criterion.
Cost-sharing and Leveraging Federal Funds (5 points)
- Does the applicant complement NOAA's investment with other funding sources,
including formal, non-federal matching contributions and/or informal, leveraged
funds? Are matching and/or leveraged funding sources (both planned and confirmed)
documented in the proposal? In cases where non-federal match or informal leverage
are not provided, does the proposal describe challenges in a way that indicates it is
unlikely the applicant could have done more to secure match or leveraged funds?
5. Community Support (10 points)
This criterion evaluates whether the project has effective engagement from relevant
stakeholders, including engagement of underserved and underrepresented communities,
if applicable. Applications will be evaluated based on the following:
Community Support(10 points)
- Does the proposal effectively integrate well with existing regional or national
publicly vetted programs,priorities, or strategic plans? (2 points)
Program or plan examples include, but are not limited to: NOAA Marine Debris
Action Plans, National Estuary Program or NOAA Habitat Focus Area sites,
2021-2025 NOAA MDP Strategic Plan, National Marine Sanctuary management
plans etc. Check your region's page on the NOAA MDP website
(https:Hmarinedebris.noaa.gov/your-region) for a regional Marine Debris Action
Plan. Projects that work toward actions prioritized in the above, or similar,plans
will score higher on this criterion.
- Has the applicant demonstrated meaningful engagement from project partners (as
defined in Section LB.), and strong community support for the project? This may be
2609
Notice of Federal Funding Page 37 of 52
reflected by the diversity, strength and involvement of project participants,partners
and local entities, as well as include letters of support from project partners, state and
local governments, members of Congress,private landowners, community groups, or
relevant resource agency personnel familiar with the issue? Do these letters indicate
that the partners are meaningfully involved in both the planning and execution of the
project? (8 points)
Proposals that include letters of support from all proposed project partners will
score higher on this criterion if those letters demonstrate the specific commitments to
the project. This also includes letters from landowners and other stakeholders involved
with or impacted by the project, granting permissions and other assurances that the
project has their full support. As appropriate,projects that make connections to
underserved and/or underrepresented individuals or communities, both in the
development of the proposal and/or to broaden participation of stakeholders for
whom there is currently limited direct engagement on marine debris issues and/or for
whom social and economic vulnerability due to marine debris impacts is high, may
score higher on this criterion.
B. Review and Selection Process
Letters of intent and full proposal applications will be screened to determine if they are
eligible, complete, and responsive to this funding announcement. NOAA, in its sole
discretion, may continue the review process for an application with omitted documentation
or a minor administrative discrepancy that can be easily rectified or cured.
LETTER OF INTENT MERIT REVIEW
Letters of Intent will undergo a merit review by at least three qualified reviewers, in
accordance with the LETTER OF INTENT EVALUATION CRITERIA (see Section V.A).
Each reviewer will evaluate their assigned proposals and provide individual scores.
Reviewers may discuss applications with each other but scoring will be on an individual
basis. The MDP will set a cut off score to determine which LOIs will receive invitations to
submit full proposals. The NOAA MDP may also use the Selection Factors described in
Section V.C. below during the LOI process to determine final invitations.
FULL PROPOSAL MERIT REVIEW
Full proposal applications will undergo a technical merit review where they will be
evaluated by at least three qualified reviewers, and according to the evaluation criteria and
weights described in this announcement(see Section V. Application Review Information
2610
Notice of Federal Funding Page 38 of 52
(Subsection A "Application Review Information"). Proposals may be organized into distinct
review groups (e.g., based on geography,project type, or some combination thereof), with
reviewers assigned to one or more review groups. Each reviewer will evaluate their assigned
proposals and provide individual scores, comments, and/or recommendations. Reviewers
may discuss applications with each other, but if one or more non-federal reviewers are
involved, scoring will be on an individual basis and no consensus advice will be given. Once
the technical merit reviews are complete (and provided that no panel review is conducted, as
discussed below), reviewer comments,project scores, and a rank order for each review
group will be presented to the NOAA MDP electing Official. Based on the results of the
technical merit review, the Selecting Official may recommend proposals for funding to the
NOAA Grants Management Division based on those review group rankings. The Selecting
Official may recommend proposals for funding out of rank order if justified by any of the
selection factors listed below in Section V. Application Review Information (Subsection C
"Selection Factors"). The Selecting Official may not recommend proposals for funding from
all review groups, and conversely, may elect multiple awards from the same review group if
it is determined they are higher quality proposals.
In some cases, as determined by the Competition Manager, after the technical merit
review is complete for full proposals but prior to presenting final recommendations to the
Selecting Official, NOAA may conduct a secondary panel review to determine which top-
ranked proposals best meet the program's objectives and priorities outlined in Section I.
Funding Opportunity Description (Subsections A "Program Objective" and B"Program
Priorities") and were most responsive to the evaluation criteria outlined in Section V.A. The
panel would be composed of federal employees and may convene in person, by telephone, or
video conference. The panel would be presented with the top ranked applications (based on
the results of the technical merit review), technical review scores, and comments for each
application. The panel would then rate all top ranked proposals based on their relevance to
the program priorities outlined in this NOFO.
The panel review rating would then be presented to the Selecting Official in order to
determine which applications should be recommended to the NOAA Grants Management
Division. The Selecting Official may recommend proposals for funding out of the panel
review's rank order if justified by any of the selection factors listed below in Section V.
Application Review Information (Subsection C "Selection Factors"). NOAA will aim for
geographic diversity with the portfolio of projects awarded under this solicitation and will
balance that objective with the objective for high-impact projects.
Applicants may be asked to modify objectives, work plans or budgets, and may be
2611
Notice of Federal Funding Page 39 of 52
requested to provide supplemental information required by the agency prior to the award.
NOAA may select all, some, or none of the applications, or part of any application, ask
applicants to work together or combine projects, defer applications to the future, or
reallocate funds to different funding categories, to the extent authorized. The exact amount
of funds to be awarded, the final scope of activities, the project duration, and specific NOAA
cooperative involvement with the activities of each project will be determined in pre-award
negotiations among the applicant, the NOAA Grants Office, and NOAA program staff.
The NOAA Grants Officer will review financial and grants administration aspects of a
proposed award, including conducting an assessment of the risk posed by the applicant in
accordance with 2 C.F.R. 200.206. In addition to reviewing repositories of government-wide
eligibility, qualifications or financial integrity information, the risk assessment conducted by
NOAA may consider items such as the financial stability of an applicant, quality of the
applicant's management systems, an applicant's history of performance,previous audit
reports and audit findings concerning the applicant and the applicant's ability to effectively
implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on non-federal entities. All
performance is checked through SAM.gov under Responsibilities and Qualifications. Upon
review of these factors, if appropriate, specific award conditions that respond to the degree
of risk may be applied by the NOAA Grants Officer pursuant to 2 C.F.R. 200.208. In
addition, NOAA reserves the right to reject an application in its entirety where information is
uncovered that raises a significant risk with respect to the responsibility or suitability of an
applicant. The final approval of selected applications and issuance of awards will be by the
NOAA Grants Officer. The award decision of the Grants Officer is final.
Applicants may submit comments to the System for Award Management, about any
information included in the system about their organization for consideration by the
awarding agency. NOAA will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the
other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment
about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under federal
awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in §200.206.
C. Selection Factors
The proposals will be recommended in the rank order unless the selection of a proposal
out of rank order is justified based on one or more of the following factors:
1. The availability of funding
2. The balance/distribution of funds
a. Geographically
2612
Notice of Federal Funding Page 40 of 52
b. By institution type
c. By partner type
d. By habitat type
e. By debris type
3. Duplication of other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA, partner
organizations, and/or other federal agencies
4. Program priorities and policy factors as set out in Sections L Funding Opportunity
Description Subsections A "Program Objective" and B "Program Priorities" of this
announcement
5. The applicant's capacity to meet program objectives, or their prior award performance
6. Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups, including tribes and underserved
communities; and
7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a NEPA determination and
draft necessary documentation before recommendations for funding are made to the NOAA
Grants Management Division.
8. Relevance to legislative priorities of the NOAA MDP.
Therefore, awards may not necessarily be made to the highest-scored proposals.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified that their proposal was not among those
recommended for funding.
D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
NOAA anticipates that successful applications will be identified by April 1, 2024, and
notifications to all applicants are anticipated to be made as soon as possible thereafter.
Typically, the earliest start date for projects will be August 1, 2024, dependent on the
completion of all NOAA/applicant negotiations, environmental compliance analysis, and
documentation supporting cooperative agreement activities. Applicants should consider this
timeline when developing requested start dates for proposed project activities.
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices
Successful applicants may be asked to modify objectives, work plans, and/or budgets
2613
Notice of Federal Funding Page 41 of 52
prior to final approval of an award. The exact amount of funds to be awarded, final scope of
activities,project duration, and specific NOAA substantial involvement with the activities of
each project will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant, the NOAA
Grants Management Division, and NOAA program staff. Projects should not be announced
or initiated in expectation of federal funding until a notice of award is received from the
NOAA Grants Management Division. A "Notice of Award"will be made electronically
from the NOAA Grants Management Division via NOAA electronic grants management
system.
PRE-AWARD COSTS. Per 2 CFR 200.458, NOAA authorizes award recipients to expend
pre-award costs up to 90 days before the period of performance start date at the applicant's
own risk without approval from NOAA and in accordance with the applicant's internal
policies and procedures. Such costs are allowable only to the extent that they would have
been allowable if incurred after the date of the Federal award. This does not include direct
proposal costs (as defined at 2 CFR 200.460). In no event will NOAA or the Department of
Commerce be responsible for direct proposal preparation costs. Pre-award costs will be a
portion of, not in addition to, the approved total budget of the award. Pre-award costs
expended more than 90 days prior to the period of performance start date require approval
from the Grants Officer. This does not change the period of performance start date.
GRANTS OFFICER SIGNATURE. Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation are
not considered awards until the Grants Officer has signed the grant or cooperative
agreement. Only Grants Officers can bind the Government to the expenditure of funds. The
Grants Officer's digital signature constitutes an obligation of funds by the federal
government and formal approval of the award.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. Funding for programs listed in this notice is contingent
upon the availability of funds. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds may not have
been appropriated yet for the programs listed in this notice. Publication of this announcement
does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
1. Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements:
The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register notice of December 30, 2014 (79
FR 78390), are applicable to this solicitation. These may be accessed online at
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-
12-30/pdf/2014-30297.pdf.
2614
Notice of Federal Funding Page 42 of 52
2. Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements:
Through 2 C.F.R. § 1327.101, the Department of Commerce adopted Uniform
Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, which apply to awards in this program. Refer to http://go.usa.gov/SBYh
and http://go.usa.gov/SBg4.
3. Department of Commerce (DOC) Terms and Conditions:
Successful applicants who accept a NOAA award under this solicitation will be bound by the
DOC Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions. This document will be provided
in the award package in NOAA electronic grants management system at
http://www.ago.noaa.gov and at https://www.commerce.gov/oam/policy/financial-
assistance-policy.
4. Research Terms and Conditions:
For awards designated on the CD-450 as Research, the Commerce Terms, and the Federal-
wide Research Terms and Conditions (Research Terms) as implemented by the Department
of Commerce, currently, at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/rtc.jsp, both apply to the
award. The Commerce Terms and the Research Terms are generally intended to harmonize
with each other; however, where the Commerce Terms and the Research Terms differ in a
Research award, the Research Terms prevail, unless otherwise indicated in a specific award
condition.
5. Bureau Terms and Conditions:
Successful applicants who accept an award under this solicitation will be bound by bureau-
specific standard terms and conditions. These terms and conditions will be provided in the
award package in NOAA electronic grants management system. For NOAA awards only, the
Administrative Standard Award Conditions for National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Financial Assistance Awards U.S. Department of Commerce are
applicable to this solicitation and may be accessed online at
https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/financial- assistance.
6. Specific Award Conditions:
In addition, award documents provided by the NOAA Grants Management Division in the
NOAA electronic grants management system award package may contain specific award
conditions limiting the use of funds for activities that have outstanding environmental
compliance requirements and/or stating other compliance requirements for the award as
applicable, such as the required use of the NOAA MDP Performance Progress Report
approved by OMB under control number 0648-0718 for submitting semiannual progress
2615
Notice of Federal Funding Page 43 of 52
reports, as well as any signage requirements associated with the funding source. The DOC
encourages the use of public signage on projects funded in whole or in part by the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law (BIL) (also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act IIJA)),
the CHIPS and Science Act(CHIPS), the Inflation Reduction Act(IRA), the American
Rescue Plan (ARP), and other Federally-funded projects as appropriate. Clear and prominent
construction signage on projects is one of several ways to inform taxpayers about how
Federal funds from these laws are being spent and advance the goals of accountability and
transparency. Construction signs should be displayed throughout the construction phase of
the project in an easily visible location that can be directly linked to the work taking place
and be maintained in good condition throughout the construction period. Award-specific
conditions for construction signage may require the use of the official Investing in America
emblem, and refer to the general guidelines and design specifications for applying the
emblem and corresponding logomark available in the Official Investing in America Emblem
Style Guide: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Investing-in-
America-Brand-Guide.pdf If the project is installing a plaque citing the origins or history of
the project, the plaque should identify the project as a"project funded by [Insert name of the
law]." Costs associated with signage must be reasonable and limited, and recipients are
encouraged to use recycled or recovered materials when procuring signs. Signs should not be
produced or displayed if doing so results in unreasonable cost, expense, or recipient burden.
7. Access to Information:
The applicant acknowledges and understands that information and data contained in
applications for financial assistance, as well as information and data contained in financial,
performance and other reports submitted by applicants, may be used by the Department of
Commerce in conducting reviews and evaluations of its financial assistance programs. For
this purpose, applicant information and data may be accessed, reviewed and evaluated by
Department of Commerce employees, other federal employees, and also by federal agents
and contractors, and/or by non-federal personnel, all of whom enter into appropriate conflict
of interest and nondisclosure agreements covering the use of such information. As may be
provided in the terms and conditions of a specific financial assistance award, applicants are
expected to support program reviews and evaluations by submitting required financial and
performance information and data in an accurate and timely manner, and by cooperating
with Department of Commerce and external program evaluators. In accordance with 2
C.F.R. § 200.303(e), applicants are reminded that they must take reasonable measures to
safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other confidential or sensitive
personal or business information created or obtained in connection with a Department of
Commerce financial assistance award.
In addition, Department of Commerce regulations implementing the Freedom of
2616
Notice of Federal Funding Page 44 of 52
Information Act(FOIA), 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552, are found at 15 C.F.R. Part 4, Public
Information. These regulations set forth rules for the Department regarding making
requested materials, information, and records publicly available under the FOIA.
Applications submitted in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity may be subject to
requests for release under the Act. In the event that an application contains information or
data that the applicant deems to be confidential commercial information that should be
exempt from disclosure under FOIA, that information should be identified, bracketed, and
marked as Privileged, Confidential, Commercial or Financial Information. In accordance
with 15 CFR § 4.9, the Department of Commerce will protect from disclosure confidential
business information contained in financial assistance applications and other documentation
provided by applicants to the extent permitted by law.
8. Executive Order 12866: This action has been determined to be not significant for purposes
of Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review).
9. Data Management Guidance:
(a) Environmental data and information collected or created under NOAA grants or
cooperative agreements must be made discoverable by and accessible to the
general public, in a timely fashion (typically within two years), free of charge or
at no more than the cost of reproduction, unless an exemption is granted by
NOAA. Data should be available in at least one machine-readable format
(Machine-readable means the data are stored on a computer in a digital format
whose structure is well described and the data can be read without the aid of a
human),preferably a widely-used or open-standard format(An open-standard
format is one that does not require proprietary software to be read), and should
also be accompanied by machine-readable documentation (metadata), based on
widely used or international standards.
(b) Funding recipients are responsible for ensuring that environmental data
produced by the project is discoverable and accessible to the general public in
the required timeframes. The NOAA Marine Debris Program requires that public
access to grant-produced data be enabled by one of the following methods (1)
data hosting by the NOAA MDP (preferred method; NOAA MDP manages
and maintains a public-facing Clearinghouse and is able to ensure grantee
compliance with Data Management requirements by housing project data on
the Clearinghouse); (2)the recipient establishing their own procedures and
hosting capabilities for collected environmental data; or(3) hosting by another
authorized organization (such as NOAA National Centers for Environmental
Information). Regardless of hosting method, the recipient is responsible for
2617
Notice of Federal Funding Page 45 of 52
collecting, managing, and appropriately structuring data and metadata. The
NOAA MDP does not require any specific data format, access method, or other
technical guidance beyond what is described in this section, however the use
of open-standard formats and widely used methods is encouraged. The
proposal budget may include reasonable costs associated with compliance with
this data management guidance. The NOAA MDP encourages grantees to
coordinate with NOAA staff on the best approach to meet this public access
requirement. In some cases, as appropriate, NOAA may request project data
and share/post project data on NOAA systems,potentially in addition to the
agreed data sharing/access approach. The proposal may request permission not
to make data publicly accessible and the proposal should explain rationale for
lack of public access. If funded, the applicant will need to obtain approval from
Responsible NOAA Official listed below.
(c) Proposals submitted in response to this announcement must include a Data
Management Plan of up to two pages describing how these requirements will be
satisfied, see Section IV. Application and Submission Information (Subsection B.4
"Data Management Plan" above). The Data Management Plan should be aligned
with the Data Management Guidance described in this section. The contents of
the Data Management Plan (or absence thereof), and past performance regarding
such plans, will be considered as part of proposal review. A typical plan should
include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected
to be created during the course of the project; the tentative date by which data
will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content;
methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be
collected; and prior experience in making such data accessible. The costs of data
preparation, accessibility, or archiving may be included in the proposal budget
unless otherwise stated in the Guidance.
(d) The NOAA MDP may, at its own discretion, make publicly visible the Data
Management Plan (and any subsequent revisions or updates) from funded
proposals, or use information from the Data Management Plan to produce a
formal metadata record and include that metadata in a Catalog to indicate the
pending availability of new data.
(e) Applicants are hereby advised that the final pre-publication manuscripts of
scholarly articles produced entirely or primarily with NOAA funding will be
required to be submitted to the NOAA Institutional Repository after acceptance,
and no later than one year upon publication. Such manuscripts shall be made
2618
Notice of Federal Funding Page 46 of 52
publicly available by NOAA one year after publication by the journal. Manuscripts
submitted to the NOAA Institutional Repository must also be 508 compliant. For
more information about the repository, see
https://repository.library.noaa.gov/welcome.
(f) Failing to share environmental data and information in accordance with the
submitted Data Management Plan may lead to disallowed costs and be considered
by NOAA when making future award decisions.
(g) Information on NOAA's Environmental Data Management Policy is available
under:
https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/documents/Data_Sharing_Directive v3.0.pdf
(h) The Responsible NOAA MDP Official for questions regarding this guidance and
for verifying accessibility of data produced by funding recipients: Amanda Dwyer
(amanda.dwyer@noaa.gov); 240-533-0402.
10. NEPA Requirements:
As stated in Section W.B., and as required by the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts of projects or proposals
seeking NOAA funding. Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be
found at the following NOAA NEPA website: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including our
NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6.pdf,
and the Council on Environmental Quality implementation regulations,
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/NEPA-40CFR1500_1508.pdf.
Consequently, as part of an applicant's award package, and under their description of
program activities, applicants are required to provide detailed information on the activities to
be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected,possible construction
activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist(e.g., the use and disposal of
hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to endangered
and threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef systems).
Applicants to be recommended for funding will be required to answer relevant questions
from the Environmental Compliance Questionnaire for National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity Applicants (OMB Control Number
0648-0538; https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/grants.html). These applicants may be requested to
assist NOAA in drafting an Environmental Assessment or other NEPA analysis, or provide
for NOAA review a copy of an Environmental Assessment that covers the proposed
2619
Notice of Federal Funding Page 47 of 52
activities, if one exists, if NOAA determines that it is required. This may also be required of
applicants proposing activities that cannot be categorically excluded from further NEPA
analysis or that are not covered by the NOAA MDP's Programmatic Environmental
Assessment(PEA) and Finding of No Significant Impact(FONSI). Applicants will be
required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying and implementing feasible measures to
reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. Failure to do
this will result in denial of an application. Applicants will be notified if additional analysis is
required after the peer review stage. Successful applications cannot be recommended for
funding until NOAA completes the NEPA process.
Specific award conditions may be imposed limiting the use of funds for activities that
have outstanding NEPA compliance requirements (and compliance with other applicable law
requirements) and in some cases if additional information is required after an application is
selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer under a specific award condition
requiring the recipient to submit additional environmental compliance information sufficient
to enable NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on the
environment. Projects that would require permits to complete the project should list them
and include the appropriate contact information for each permitting agency, documentation
of all permits already secured for the project, and an expected timeline for those permits not
yet acquired.
NOAA may make funding recommendations based on the level of effort needed to
fulfill NEPA requirements. The NOAA MDP PEA and FONSI can be found on the NOAA
MDP website: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/mdp_pea.pdf.
It is the applicant's responsibility to obtain all necessary federal, state, and local
government permits and approvals for the proposed work to be conducted. Applicants are
expected to design their proposed activities to minimize the potential for adverse impacts to
the environment. If applicable, documentation of requests for or approvals of required
environmental permits should be included in the application package. Applications will be
reviewed to ensure that they contain sufficient information to allow NOAA MDP staff to
conduct a NEPA analysis so that appropriate NEPA documentation, required as part of the
application package, can be submitted to the NOAA Grants Management Division along
with the recommendation for funding for selected applications.
11. Minority Serving Institutions:
The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to increasing the participation of Minority Serving
Institutions (MSIs), i.e., Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving
2620
Notice of Federal Funding Page 48 of 52
institutions, Tribal colleges and universities, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian
institutions, and institutions that work in underserved communities.
12. Science Integrity:
1. Maintaining Integrity. The non-Federal entity shall maintain the scientific integrity of
research performed pursuant to this grant or financial assistance award including the
prevention, detection, and remediation of any allegations regarding the violation of scientific
integrity or scientific and research misconduct, and the conduct of inquiries, investigations,
and adjudications of allegations of violations of scientific integrity or scientific and research
misconduct. All the requirements of this provision flow down to subrecipients.
2. Peer Review. The peer review of the results of scientific activities under a NOAA grant,
financial assistance award or cooperative agreement shall be accomplished to ensure
consistency with NOAA standards on quality, relevance, scientific integrity, reproducibility,
transparency, and performance. NOAA will ensure that peer review of"influential scientific
information" or "highly influential scientific assessments" is conducted in accordance with
the Office of Management and Budget(OMB) Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer
Review and NOAA policies on peer review, such as the Information Quality Guidelines.
3. In performing or presenting the results of scientific activities under the NOAA grant,
financial assistance award, or cooperative agreement and in responding to allegations
regarding the violation of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct, the non-
Federal entity and all subrecipients shall comply with the provisions herein and NOAA
Administrative Order (NAO) 202-735D, Scientific Integrity, and its Procedural Handbook,
including any amendments thereto. That Order can be found at
http://nrc.noaa.gov/ScientificlntegrityCommons.aspx.
4. Primary Responsibility. The non-Federal entity shall have the primary responsibility to
prevent, detect, and investigate allegations of a violation of scientific integrity or scientific
and research misconduct. Unless otherwise instructed by the grants officer, the non-Federal
entity shall promptly conduct an initial inquiry into any allegation of such misconduct and
may rely on its internal policies and procedures, as appropriate, to do so.
5. By executing this grant, financial assistance award, or cooperative agreement the non-
Federal entity provides it assurance that it has established an administrative process for
performing an inquiry, investigating, and reporting allegations of a violation of scientific
integrity or scientific and research misconduct; and that it will comply with its own
administrative process for performing an inquiry, investigation, and reporting of such
misconduct. 6. The non-Federal entity shall insert this provision in all subawards at all tiers
under this grant, financial assistance award, or cooperative agreement.
13. Required Use of American Iron, Steel, Manufactured Products, and Construction
Materials:
2621
Notice of Federal Funding Page 49 of 52
If applicable, and pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act("IIJA"), Pub-L.
No. 117-58, which includes the Build America, Buy America(BABA) Act, Pub. L. No. 117-
58, §§ 70901-52 and OMB M-22-11, recipients of an award of Federal financial assistance
from the Department of Commerce (DOC) are hereby notified that none of the funds
provided under this award may be used for a project for infrastructure unless: 1) all iron and
steel used in the project are produced in the United States this means all manufacturing
processes, from the initial melting stage through the application of coatings, occurred in the
United States; 2) all manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United
States this means the manufactured product was manufactured in the United States; and the
cost of the components of the manufactured product that are mined,produced, or
manufactured in the United States is greater than 55 percent of the total cost of all
components of the manufactured product, unless another standard for determining the
minimum amount of domestic content of the manufactured product has been established
under applicable law or regulation; and 3) all construction materials(1) are manufactured in
the United States this means that all manufacturing processes for the construction material
occurred in the United States. The Buy America preference only applies to articles,
materials, and supplies that are consumed in, incorporated into, or affixed to an infrastructure
project. As such, it does not apply to tools, equipment, and supplies, such as temporary
scaffolding, brought to the construction site and removed at or before the completion of the
infrastructure project. Nor does a Buy America preference apply to equipment and
furnishings, such as movable chairs, desks, and portable computer equipment, that are used
at or within the finished infrastructure project but are not an integral part of the structure or
permanently affixed to the infrastructure project.
-WAIVERS. When necessary, recipients may apply for, and DOC may grant, a waiver from
these requirements. DOC will notify the recipient for information on the process for
requesting a waiver from these requirements. 1) When DOC has made a determination that
one of the following exceptions applies, the awarding official may waive the application of
the domestic content procurement preference in any case in which DOC determines that: a.
applying the domestic content procurement preference would be inconsistent with the public
interest; b. the types of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials are not
produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities or of a
satisfactory quality; or c. the inclusion of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction
materials produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more
than 25 percent. A request to waive the application of the domestic content procurement
preference must be in writing. DOC will provide instructions on the format, contents, and
supporting materials required for any waiver request. Waiver requests are subject to public
comment periods of no less than 15 days and must be reviewed by the Made in America
Office. There may be
instances where an award qualifies, in whole or in part, for an existing waiver described at
2622
Notice of Federal Funding Page 50 of 52
whitehouse.gov/omb/management/made-in-america.
-DEFINITIONS. "Construction materials" includes an article, material, or supply—other
than an item of primarily iron or steel; a manufactured product; cement and cementitious
materials; aggregates such as stone, sand, or gravel; or aggregate binding agents or
additives(2)that is or consists primarily of: non-ferrous metals;plastic and polymer-based
products (including polyvinylchloride, composite building materials, and polymers used in
fiber optic cables); glass (including optic glass); lumber; or drywall. "Domestic content
procurement preference" means all iron and steel used in the project are produced in the
United States; the manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United
States; or the construction materials used in the project are produced in the United States.
"Infrastructure" includes, at a minimum, the structures, facilities, and equipment for, in the
United States, roads, highways, and bridges;public transportation; dams,ports, harbors, and
other maritime facilities; intercity passenger and freight railroads; freight and intermodal
facilities; airports; water systems, including drinking water and wastewater systems;
electrical transmission facilities and systems; utilities; broadband infrastructure; and
buildings and real property. Infrastructure includes facilities that generate, transport, and
distribute energy. "Project" means the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of
infrastructure in the United States.
(1) Excludes cement and cementitious materials, aggregates such as stone, sand, or gravel, or
aggregate binding agents or additives.
(2) IIJA, § 70917(c)(1).
14. NOAA Sexual Assault and Sexual Harrassment Prevention and Response Policy:
NOAA requires organizations receiving federal assistance to report findings of sexual
harassment, or any other kind of harassment, regarding a Principal Investigator(PI), co-PI,
or any other key personnel in the award. NOAA expects all financial assistance recipients to
establish and maintain clear and unambiguous standards of behavior to ensure harassment
free workplaces wherever NOAA grant or cooperative agreement work is conducted,
including notification pathways for all personnel, including students, on the awards. This
expectation includes activities at all on- and offsite facilities and during conferences and
workshops. All such settings should have accessible and evident means for reporting
violations and recipients should exercise due diligence with timely investigations of
allegations and corrective actions.
For more information,please visit: https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-
grants/noaa-workplace-harassment-training-for-contractors-and-financial.
C. Reporting
Reporting requirements are described at 2 CFR 200.328-.330, 2 CFR Part 170, and in the
Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions. Progress
2623
Notice of Federal Funding Page 51 of 52
and financial reports are generally due semi-annually and cover 6 month periods, however
more frequent reporting may be required. Progress reports are to be submitted to NOAA via
NOAA electronic grants management system and are due no later than 30 days after each
reporting period ends. Interim reports for the last reporting period may not be required in
some cases. A final report is due no later than 120 days after the expiration date of an award.
Progress reports may be required to be submitted using a specific format for narrative
information. A project progress report template may be provided by the NOAA MDP.
Complete details on reporting requirements will be provided to successful applicants in the
award documentation provided by the NOAA Grants Management Division in the NOAA
electronic grants management system award package, however the following information
should be reported at minimum: For interim progress reports, the Performance Narrative
should include a description of project activities and accomplishments that covers the
reporting period only, and contain at least the following components: overall short and long-
term goals for the project and a description of the approved award activities that were
performed to achieve those goals; a comparison of actual accomplishments to the schedule
established in the award. This should include a narrative and details on the status of
approved activities (completed, not-completed, on-going), and an explanation of why targets
may not have been met or other extenuating circumstances surrounding project progress;
quantitative performance metrics (e.g., weight of debris removed, number of vessels
removed, weight of debris disposed through alternative methods, number of volunteers);
details on any perceived challenges or potential roadblocks to future progress; an updated
timeline of remaining tasks, and a summary of any changes made to the project's approved
plan that occurred during the reporting period.
For the final progress report, the Performance Narrative should be a comprehensive
description of project activities and accomplishments that covers the entire award period,
and contain the following components: overall short and long-term goals and background,
including relevance of the project to reducing the impacts of marine debris on NOAA trust
species populations and habitats and/or increasing awareness about marine debris issues; a
description of any NOAA trust species or habitats that the project benefited; how important
the project was to a particular species or habitat; how important the project was to human use
values of a given resource (e.g., commercial, recreational uses, or other ecosystem services);
the prevention activities conducted, including any behavior change measurement practices
used; lessons learned (e.g., Best Management Practices (BMPs) or protocols followed, new
techniques tested, innovative partnerships established); a description of any deviations from
original plans and challenges faced; other general accomplishments (e.g., results and
outcomes). Reports should explain the project's performance measures (e.g., weight of
debris removed, number of vessels removed, weight of debris disposed through alternative
methods, number of volunteers, volunteer hours, etc.) and provide a summary of monitoring
2624
Notice of Federal Funding Page 52 of 52
results, if any; a description of outreach activities and products; and next steps for any
additional marine debris prevention efforts, debris removal, monitoring, or research needs, as
applicable.
The NOAA Marine Debris Program Performance Progress Report approved by OMB
under control number 0648-0718 is required for submitting semi-annual progress reports.
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act(31 U.S.C. 6101 Note)
includes a requirement for awardees of applicable federal grants to report information about
first-tier subawards and executive compensation under federal assistance awards. All
awardees of applicable grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the
Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards
over $30,000.
VIL Agency Contacts
For further information contact Amanda Dwyer(amanda.dwyer@noaa.gov); 240-533-
0402.
VIII. Other Information
Not Applicable.
2625
OMB Schedule Item Number 9
Resolution No. 506 -2023
A RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE RECEIPT OF UNANTICIPATED FUNDS
WHEREAS,it is necessary for the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,Florida,to increase items to
account for unanticipated funds in the Monroe County Budget for the Fiscal Year 2024,now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY,
FLORIDA,that the following accounts of the Monroe County Budget for the Fiscal Year 2024,be and the same is
hereby increased by the amount hereinafter set forth:
Fund: #125-Government Grants Fund FWC Contract: 23135
Cost Center: #62655-Marine Protection Mooring Field Project CSFA: 77.063
Function: #5300-Physical Environment Grant Period: 07/01/23-06/30/26
Activity: #5370-Conservation Resource Mgmt
Offcl/Division: #1015-Growth Management
Grant Manager: Brittany Burtner
Department: Planning&Environmental Resources
Revenue:
125 - 62655 - 334300 - RC_00056 - State Grants Physical Env. $1,610,000.00
Total Revenue: $1,610,000.00
Appropriations:
125 - 62655 - 530310 - SC_00036 - Other Contractual Services $1,610,000.00
Total Appropriations: $1,610,000.00
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY SAID BOARD,that the Clerk of said Board,upon receipt of the above,is
hereby authorized and directed to make the necessary changes of said items,as set forth above.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida, at a regular
meeting of said Board held on the 81n day of November,AD 2023.
Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein Yes
Mayor Pro Tem James K. Scholl Yes
Commissioner Craig Cates Yes
Commissioner Michelle Lincoln Yes
Commissioner David Rice Yes
BOARD TY CO SSI ERS
Cr—:a"131-5 6 OF OE CO ,F IDA 4
$ C)
s, B7
Mayor/Chairman _ =�
(Sear 1 :' E0
Atities' MIN MADOK,Clerk _.
U �J
s Deputy Clerk
Item 9 Unant Fund 125 62655 Marine Protection Mooring Field Project
2626
2 �
3
5 ,
6 -_
7 MONROE COUNTY,FLORIDA
8 MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
9 RESOLUTION NO. 038 -2022
10
11 A RESOLUTION OF THE MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY
12 COMMISSIONERS SUPPORTING ENACTMENT AND APPROVAL OF
13 HOUSE BILL 1065 / SENATE BILL 1432 ("ANCHORING BILL") TO
14 FACILITATE A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF DERELICT
15 VESSELS IN THE WATERS OF THE FLORIDA KEYS AND DIRECTING
16 THE MONROE COUNTY MARINE RESOURCES OFFICE TO PURSUE
17 NECESSARY STEPS TO IMPLEMENT NEW MOORINGS AS REQUIRED
18 BY LAW AND TO PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF KEY WEST IN THE
19 EFFORT TO ACHIEVE IMPLEMENTATION OF ADDITIONAL
20 MOORINGS AND ASSOCIATED LOCAL MANAGEMENT.
21
22 WHEREAS,the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,Florida (hereinafter
23 `BOCC", "Board", or"Monroe County") is the governing body of Monroe County, Florida; and
24
25 WHEREAS, the State of Florida has designated unincorporated Monroe County and the
26 City of Key West("City") as Areas of Critical State Concern; and
27
28 WHEREAS, the waters surrounding the Florida Keys are situated within the boundaries
29 of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and have, since July 26, 2001, been designated a
30 federal No Discharge Zone by the United States Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to
31 Title 40, Chapter I, Subchapter D, Part 140, Section 140.4(b)(1)(ii), as may be amended from time
32 to time; and
33
34 WHEREAS, the wise stewardship of our natural resources involves the protection of the
35 marine environment for generations to come; and
. 36
37 WHEREAS, Monroe County has the highest number of derelict vessels in the state,
38 creating significant navigational safety issues, environmental impacts, and unnecessary financial
39 burdens for the residents of and visitors to the Florida Keys; and
40
41 WHEREAS, in 2021, the Florida Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1086,presently codified
42 at Florida Statute Section 327.4108(3)(a), which provides for a 90-day time limit for vessels
43 anchored in waters of the Florida Keys so as to address long-term anchoring issues including but
44 not limited to neglect, storage and abandonment of vessels, which frequently lead(s) to vessels
45 becoming derelict; and
46
1 of 3
2627
47 WHEREAS,Florida Statute Section 327.4108(3)(c)currently requires that 250 new public
48 mooring balls be placed within one(1)mile of the Key West Bight City Dock and for 50 additional
49 moorings to be placed within the existing Key West Garrison Bight Mooring Field before a new
50 such limit may be utilized and/or applied; and
51
52 WHEREAS, 300 new moorings are not appropriate in these locations due to insufficient
53 physical space and significant regulatory hurdles including but not limited to state and federal
54 permitting requirements, likely resulting in the inability to implement the above-referenced 90-
55 day anchoring time limit; and
56
57 WHEREAS, the City recently prohibited stored vessels from mooring in the Garrison
58 Bight Mooring Field,which will open up at least 30 existing moorings to local live-aboard vessels;
59 and
60
61 WHEREAS, in the 2022 session of the Florida Legislature, two bills, House Bill
62 1065/Senate Bill 1432, have been filed which propose lowering the number of required new
63 moorings to at least 100 in order to ensure the successful implementation of this 90-day anchoring
64 time limit; and
65
66 WHEREAS, the "2002 Keys-Wide Mooring Field System Preliminary Planning
67 Document",prepared by the professional staff of the Monroe County Planning and Environmental
68 Resources Department's Marine Resources Office, determined that the Wisteria Island/Fleming
69 Key anchorages in the vicinity of Key West Bight City Dock were the most problematic large
70 anchorages in dire need of management in the Florida Keys; and
71
72 WHEREAS, installation of a managed mooring field will reduce the number of derelict
73 vessels in the Florida Keys, ensure compliance with the federal Clean Vessel Act, minimize
74 benthic damage, and provide a safe and secure harbor for our local long-term live-aboard
75 community; and
76
77 WHEREAS, the BOCC desires to expeditiously move toward implementation of new
78 moorings within one (1) mile of the Key West Bight City Dock, and directs the professional staff
79 of the Planning and Environmental Resources Department's Marine Resources Office to begin the
80 necessary steps toward achieving such implementation, including professional evaluation of
81 mooring potential in the area by conducting a feasibility study including but not limited to benthic
82 resource surveys, water depth surveys, and regulatory guidance for the Board's further
83 consideration and input on subsequent steps toward implementation; and
84
85 WHEREAS, Monroe County desires to partner with the City of Key West in the effort to
86 achieve implementation of additional moorings and associated management in this location;
87
88 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
89 COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA,THAT:
90
2 of 3
2628
91 Section 1. Recitals and Legislative Intent. The foregoing recitals and statements of
92 legislative intent are true and correct and are hereby incorporated as if fully
93 stated herein.
94
95 Section 2. The BOCC strongly encourages legislative efforts to effectively and
96 expeditiously reduce the number of derelict vessels and their associated
97 impacts on our community.
98
99 Section 3. The BOCC supports the goals of HB 1065/SB 1432 through the installation
100 of at least 100 moorings within one (1) mile of the Key West Bight City
101 Dock as an appropriate strategy to address the management needs in this
102 area.
103
104 Section 4. The BOCC directs the professional staff of the Planning and Environmental
105 Resources Department's Marine Resources Office to pursue the necessary
106 steps toward implementing the 100 new moorings required by law and to
107 partner with the City of Key West to accomplish this goal and associated
108 management in this location.
109
110 Section 5. The Clerk of Court for this Board shall furnish copies of this resolution to
III state representative James "Jim" Mooney, state senator Ana Maria
112 Rodriguez, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
113 commissioner Robert A. Spottswood, as soon as reasonably possible.
114
115 Section 6. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption.
116
117 PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,
118 Florida, at a regular meeting held on the 21"day of January, 2022.
119
120 Mayor David Rice Yes
121 Mayor Pro Tem Craig Cates Yes
122M .� Commissioner Michelle Coldiron Yes
12E; d County Commissioner District Three VACANT
12 ?i Commissioner Holly Merrill Raschein Yes
1251:�
12Cr BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY,
127— i D,=s,-= FLORIDA
/Ow12R .1 By:
A
130— Mayor David Rice
131 (SEAL)
132 Attest: KEVIN MADOK, CLERK
I Digitally signed by Robert B.Shillinger
133 ,i DN:cn=Robert B.Shillinger,o=Monroe County
�,,,i,,,�,Q� Robert B. Shillinger,$D«ou=Monroe County Attorney,
134 Jt -email=shillinger-bob@monroecounty-fl.gov,c=US
135 20 Date: 22.01.31 12.41:24.OS-00-
136 AS DEPUTY CLERK Approved as to form and legal sufficiency
Robert B. Shillinger, County Attorney
3 of 3
2629
�I GOUgr4
0p2 °e�Q Kevin Madok, cPA
O p
.E
Oi ..
.. Clerk of the Circuit Court&Comptroller—Monroe County, Florida
ROE C01�
February 1, 2022
Honorable Representative Jim Mooney
1102 The Capitol
402 S Monroe Street
Tallahassee FL 32399-1300
Honorable Representative Mooney,
AUaclied is a copy of'Resolution No. 037-2022 supporting the designation of the Cow Key
Channel Bridge on U.S.1/S.R. 5 in Monroe County, Florida as die "Cheiyl H. Cales Mcmolial
B.tidge"and requesting the Florida Department of•Transportation erect the appropriate signage
reflecting die designation.
Also attached is a copy of Resolution No. 038-2022 supporting enactment and approval of
House Bill 1065/Senate Bill 1432 ("Anchoring Bill") to facilitate a reduction in die number of
derelict vessels in the waters of the Florida Keys and directing die Monroe County Marine
Resources Office to pursue necessary steps to implement new moorings as required by law and to
partner with die City of Key West in die effort to achieve implementation of additional moorings
and associated local management.
These Resolutions were adopted by the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners
at a regular meeting,held in formal session, on January 21, 2022. Should you have any
questions please feel free to contact me at(305) 292-3550.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kevin Madok, CPA, Clerk of
the Circuit Court& Comptroller&
ex-officio to the Monroe County
Board of County Commissioners
by:Pamela G. Hancock, D.C.
cc: File
KEY WEST MARATHON PLANTATION KEY PK/ROTH BUILDING
500 Whitehead Street 3117 Overseas Highway 88820 Overseas Highway 50 High Point Road
Key West,Florida 33040 Marathon,Florida 33050 Plantation Key,Florida 33070 Plantation Key,Florida 2630
305-294-4641 305-289-6027 305-852-7145 305-852-7145
opt cougre -
4`5°°�� Kevin Madok, CPA
�: _
�ROEco;,�` Clerk of the Circuit Court&Comptroller Monroe County, Florida
February 1, 2022
Honorable Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez
318 Senate Building
404 S Monroe Street
Tallahassee FL 32399-1100
Honorable Senator Rodriguez,
Attached is a copy of Resolution No. 037-2022 supporting die designation of'the Cow Key
Channel Bridge on U.S.1/S.R. 5 in Monroe County, Florida as the "Chciyl H. Cates Memorial
Bridge"and requesting the Florida Department of Transportation erect die appropriate signage
reflecting die designation.
Also attached is a copy of Resolution No. 038-2022 supporting enactment and approval of
House Bill 1065/Senate Bill 1432 ("Anchoring Bill") to facilitate a reduction in the number of
derelict vessels in the waters of die Florida Keys and directing the Monroe County Marine
Resources Office to pursue necessary steps to implement new moorings as required by law and to
partner with the City of Key West in the effort to achieve implementation of additional moorings
and associated local management.
These Resolutions were adopted by the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners
at a regular meeting,held in formal session, on January 21, 2022. Should you have any
questions please feel free to contact me at(305) 292-3550.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kevin Madok, CPA, Clerk of
the Circuit Court& Comptroller&
ex-officio to the Monroe County
Board of County Commissioners
by:Pamela G. Hancock, D.C.
cc: File
KEY WEST MARATHON PLANTATION KEY PK/ROTH BUILDING
500 Whitehead Street 3117 Overseas Highway 88820 Overseas Highway 50 High Point Road
Key West,Florida 33040 Marathon,Florida 33050 Plantation Key,Florida 33070 Plantation Key,FloridE 2631
3057294-4641 305-289-6027 305-852-7145 305-852-7145
Gpt COURT
o Q'Q u cuio�F:�yq� Kevin Madok, cPA
0
.. Clerk of the Circuit Court&Comptroller—Monroe County, Florida.
o ..
~ROE COUN`
February 1, 2022
Chairman Robert A. Spottswood
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 Soutli Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
Dear Mr. Spottswood,
Attaclied is a copy of Resolution No. 038-2022 supporting enactment and approval of
House Bill 1065/Senate Bill 1432 ("Anchoring Bill") to facilitate a reduction in die number of
derelict vessels in the waters of the Florida Keys and directing die Monroe County Marine
Resources Office to pursue necessary steps to implement new moorings as required by law and to
partner wide die City of Key West in die effort to achieve implementation of additional moorings
and associated local management.
This Resolution was adopted by die Monroe County Board of County Commissioners at a
regular meeting, held in formal session, on January 21, 2022. Should you have any questions
please feel free to contact me at(305) 292-3550.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kevin Madok, CPA, Clerk of die
Circuit Court and ex-oflicio to the
Monroe County Board of County
Commissioners
By. Pamela G. Hancock, D.C.
cc: File
KEY WEST MARATHON PLANTATION KEY PK/ROTH BUILDING
500 Whitehead Street 3117 Overseas Highway 88820 Overseas Highway 50 High Point Road
Key West,Florida 33040 Marathon,Florida 33050 Plantation Key,Florida 33070 Plantation Key,Florida 2632
305-294-4641 305-289-6027 305-852-7145 305-852-7145
RESOLUTION 07$- 2008
A RESOLUTION OF THE MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ACKNOWLEDGING THE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
ANCHORAGE AT BOCA CHICA HARBOR, ADDRESSING
THE ISSUE OF DERELICT AND ABANDONED VESSELS,
AND DIRECTING STAFF TO EVALUATE THE
POTENTIAL OF ESTABLISHING A MANAGED
MOORING FIELD AND PUMPOUT FACILITIES TO
SERVE BOATERS AND PROTECT THE MARINE
ENVIRONMENT
WHEREAS,Monroe County is home to North America's only coral barrier reef, among the most
endangered coral reefs in the world due to multiple stressors including pollution from sewage that has
caused a decline in water quality; and
WHEREAS, the reduction of water quality in Monroe County is caused in part by the discharge
of untreated or poorly treated sewage from vessels within Monroe County; and
WHEREAS, these waters are of such value that the State of Florida has designated them as
Outstanding, Florida Waters and Congress has designated them as part of the Florida Keys National
Marine Sanctuary; and
WHEREAS,through the efforts of the Governor and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
state waters within the boundaries of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary were established as a
No Discharge Zone for boater sewage effective June 19, 2002, as published in the Federal Register at 67
FR 35735 on May 21, 2002; and
WHEREAS, the Monroe County 2010 Comprehensive Plan requires the County to develop
provisions to reduce pollutant discharges from anchored liveaboard vessels, including the establishment
of mooring areas; and
WHEREAS, surveys conducted for Boat Live-Aboards in The Florida Keys: A New Factor in
Waterfront Development prepared by Gus Antonini in 1990 concluded that anchor-outs are one of the
most serious concerns in regard to live-aboard issues in the keys; and
WHEREAS, The Boating Impacts Management Plan prepared by the Monroe County
Department of Marine Resources in 1992 recognized that liveaboard vessels require specialized
infrastructural services including sewage disposal and shore-side facilities; and
WHEREAS, The Channel Marking Master Plan for the Florida Keys prepared by the Monroe
County Department of Marine Resources in 1998 identified mooring fields as a key management tool in
addressing the variety of impacts generated by the proliferation of liveaboard boaters anchored
throughout the keys; and
WHEREAS, in 2001 the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners gave approval for the
Department of Marine Resources to apply for grants to fund the implementation of mooring fields and
pumpout facilities; and
Page 1 of 2
2633
WHEREAS, in 2001 the Monroe County Department of Marine Resources prepared a Project
Proposal for a Keys-Wide Mooring Field System for the Florida Department of Community Affairs which
recognized a variety of impacts associated with live-aboard anchorages in the keys; and
WHEREAS, in 2002 the Monroe County Department of Marine Resources prepared a Keys-
Wide Mooring Field System Preliminary Planning Document which included an evaluation of numerous
anchorages throughout the keys including Boca Chica harbor and recognized the need to address
numerous boating impacts associated with the crowded anchorage; and
WHEREAS, the anchorage at Boca Chica Harbor would benefit from implementation of
infrastructural services for the disposal of vessel sewage waste, provision of vessel mooring systems and
designated access to the shoreline; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has recognized the need for
establishing mooring fields designed to accommodate the management goals of local government
programs;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Monroe County Board of County
Commissioners:
1. The BOCC supports the implementation of a managed mooring field and vessel sewage
disposal facilities as an appropriate strategy to address environmental impacts associated
with the Boca Chica harbor anchorage.
2. The BOCC directs staff to evaluate the potential for developing a managed mooring field
at the Boca Chica harbor anchorage.
3. The BOCC directs staff to consider options for establishing a shore-side facility to serve a
mooring field at Boca Chica harbor, including the feasibility of public/private
partnerships.
4. The BOCC and staff will collaborate with the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection concerning the need for addressing anchoring issues at Boca Chica harbor, and
address permitting criteria for mooring installations in an effort to eliminate
environmental impacts associated with current anchoring activities.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,
Florida, at a meeting of said Board held on the 19th day of March, A.D., 2009. �9
o M
-
Mayor Charles "Sonny" McCoy Yes
o
Mayor Pro Tem Mario DiGennaro Yes M "- '
Commissioner Dixie M. Spehar Yes : ---
Commissioner Sylvia Murphy Yes
> Commissioner George Neugent Yes 's
fA ) BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Attat:DA NNY L. KOLHAGE, Clerk OF MONROE C NTY, FLORIDA
By
Deputy Clerk May r/Chairman
MONROE COUNTY ATTORNEY
R9iJEt?Ag TO FOR
Page 2 of 2
o0 2634