16 U.S.C. § 1447d : US Code - Section 1447D: Research grant program

Search 16 U.S.C. § 1447d : US Code - Section 1447D: Research grant program

(a) Program administration
The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration shall administer a grant program to support the
administrative functions of each Board.
(b) Research grants
(1) Each Board may annually submit a grant application to the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to fund projects aimed at achieving the research
priorities set forth in each research plan, including amendments
thereto, developed and approved pursuant to section 1447c of this
title.
(2) Projects eligible for funding under this section shall
include research, investigations, studies, surveys, or
demonstrations with respect to -
(A) baseline assessment of marine environmental quality,
including chemical, physical, and biological indicators of
environmental quality;
(B) effects or potential effects of contaminants, including
nutrients, toxic chemicals and heavy metals, on the environment,
including marine and aquatic organisms;
(C) effects of modification of habitats, including coastal
wetlands, seagrass beds and reefs, on the environment, including
marine organisms;
(D) assessment of impacts of pollutant sources and pollutant
discharges into the coastal environment;
(E) transport, dispersion, transformation, and fate and effect
of contaminants in the marine environment;
(F) marine and estuarine habitat assessment and restoration;
(G) methods and techniques for modeling environmental quality
conditions and trends;
(H) methods and techniques for sampling of water, sediment,
marine and aquatic organisms, and demonstration of such methods
and techniques;
(I) the effects on human health and the environment of
contaminants or combinations of contaminants at various levels,
whether natural or anthropogenic, that are found in the marine
environment;
(J) environmental assessment of potential effects of major
coastal and offshore development projects in the region;
(K) assessment of the effects of climate change on marine
resources in the region; and
(L) analysis and interpretation of research data for the
benefit of State and local environmental protection and resource
management agencies in the region.
(3) Grant applications submitted pursuant to this subsection
shall include -
(A) a description of the specific research projects to be
conducted;
(B) identification of the organization responsible for each
project and the principal investigator directing the project;
(C) a budget statement for each project;
(D) a schedule of milestones and interim products for each
research project;
(E) a description of the relationship of the proposed project
to the goals, objectives, and priorities of the research plan for
the region and to other research projects; and
(F) any other information which may be required by the
Administrator.
(c) Review and approval of project proposals
(1) The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration shall review the annual grant application and, with
the concurrence of the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency, approve such grant application with such
conditions as are determined to be appropriate based on peer
reviews conducted pursuant to paragraph (2).
(2) The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration shall develop a system of peer review of grant
applications which shall ensure that only the highest quality
research is approved for funding and that each project is reviewed
by research scientists outside the region concerned.
(d) Reporting
Any recipient of a grant under this section shall report to the
appropriate Board, not later than 18 months after award of the
grant, on the activities of such recipient conducted pursuant to
this subsection. Such report shall include narrative summaries and
technical data in such form as the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may require.