30 USC 1903 - Grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements

View all text of Chapter 31 [§ 1901 - § 1905]

§ 1903. Grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements

(a) Assistance and coordination

(1) In general

The Secretary shall award grants or contracts to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, eligible entities to support research for the development or utilization of—

(A) methods, equipment, systems, and components necessary for the identification, assessment, and exploration of marine mineral resources in an environmentally responsible manner;

(B) methods of detecting, monitoring, and predicting the presence of adverse environmental effects in the marine environment and remediating the environmental effects of marine mineral resource exploration, development, and production; and

(2) Cost-sharing for contracts or cooperative agreements

(A) Federal share

(B) Non-Federal share

The remaining non-Federal share of the cost of a project carried out under this section may be—

(i) in the form of cash or in-kind contributions, or both; and

(ii) comprised of funds made available under other Federal programs, except that non-Federal funds shall be used to defray at least 10 percent of the total cost of the project.

(b) Competitive review

(1) In general

An entity shall not be eligible to receive a grant or contract, or participate in a cooperative agreement, under subsection (a) unless—

(A) the entity submits a proposal to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably require; and

(B) the proposal has been evaluated by a competitive review panel under paragraph (3).

(2) Competitive review panels

(A) Composition

A competitive review panel shall be chaired by the Secretary or by the Secretary’s designee and shall be composed of members who meet the following criteria:

(i) Appointment

(ii) Experience

(iii) Interest

(B) No compensation

(3) Evaluation

A competitive review panel shall base an evaluation of a proposal on criteria developed by the Secretary that shall include—

(A) the merits of the proposal;

(B) the research methodology and costs of the proposal;

(C) the capability of the entity submitting the proposal and any other participating entity to perform the proposed work and provide in-kind contributions;

(D) the amount of matching funds provided by the entity submitting the proposal or provided by other Federal, State, or private entities;

(E) the extent of collaboration with other Federal, State, or private entities;

(F) in the case of a noncommercial entity, the existence of a cooperative agreement with a commercial entity that provides for collaboration in the proposed research;

(G) whether the proposal promotes responsible environmental stewardship; and

(H) such other factors as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(1) Administrative expenses

(2) Construction costs

(d) Reports

An eligible entity that receives a grant or contract or enters into a cooperative agreement under this section shall submit an annual progress report and a final technical report to the Secretary that—

(1) describes project activities, implications of the project, the significance of the project to marine mineral research, identification, assessment, and exploration, and potential commercial and economic benefits and effects of the project; and

(2) in the case of an annual progress report, includes a project plan for the subsequent year.

(Pub. L. 91–631, title II, § 203, as added Pub. L. 104–325, § 2(3), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3995.)