This grant is for understanding the environmental status and ecological impacts of artificial structures in the marine environment, particularly offshore California. Offshore energy development introduces hard substrates, acting as artificial reefs that can alter local marine habitats, species distribution, and ecosystem dynamics, affecting managed, sensitive, and non-native species. With impending oil and gas platform decommissioning and new offshore wind platforms, there’s a critical need to evaluate these structures. The study will develop an improved understanding of environmental status using ecological indicators, generate criteria to assess future projects’ artificial reef effects, and determine how existing energy infrastructure influences other Outer Continental Shelf uses. Information will support environmental reviews for offshore projects.
Opportunity ID: 334514
General Information
| Document Type: | Grants Notice |
| Funding Opportunity Number: | M20AS00214 |
| Funding Opportunity Title: | PC-20-02 The Environmental Status of Artificial Structures Offshore California |
| Opportunity Category: | Discretionary |
| Opportunity Category Explanation: | – |
| Funding Instrument Type: | Cooperative Agreement |
| Category of Funding Activity: | Environment |
| Category Explanation: | – |
| Expected Number of Awards: | – |
| Assistance Listings: | 15.423 — Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Environmental Studies (ES) |
| Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: | No |
| Version: | Synopsis 1 |
| Posted Date: | Jun 30, 2021 |
| Last Updated Date: | Jun 30, 2021 |
| Original Closing Date for Applications: | Jul 30, 2021 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date. |
| Current Closing Date for Applications: | Jul 30, 2021 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date. |
| Archive Date: | – |
| Estimated Total Program Funding: | $750,000 |
| Award Ceiling: | $750,000 |
| Award Floor: | $740,000 |
Eligibility
| Eligible Applicants: | Others (see text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” for clarification) |
| Additional Information on Eligibility: | This Program Announcement describes the specific project that may be awarded as a cooperative agreement between the Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI), and BOEM. Any award is premised on receipt of an acceptable proposal. This is not an open solicitation for proposals. This announcement is specifically to announce intent to undertake the following project:
The Environmental Status of Artificial Structures Offshore California |
Additional Information
| Agency Name: | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management |
| Description: | Offshore energy development changes the distribution and abundance of local marine habitats and species via the introduction of artificial substrate. This “artificial reef” effect potentially modifies a variety of local and regional processes, including those that drive the ecological dynamics of managed, sensitive, or non-native species. Artificial reefs may also enhance certain human activities such as fishing or diving. Decision makers must therefore understand how offshore projects that contribute significant amounts of hard substrate into the marine environment may be evaluated, managed, and potentially incorporated into an artificial reef program. In the Pacific OCS Region, habitat issues are of particular importance due to (1) the imminent decommissioning of oil and gas platforms, which may remove potentially important habitat for managed fish species; and (2) the introduction of new artificial habitat from floating offshore wind platforms. Information produced from this study will be used in NEPA and consultation documents when reviewing offshore projects that add marine infrastructure into the environment.
The objectives of this study are to (1) Use relevant ecological indicators (e.g., productivity, biodiversity, biomass, etc.) to develop an improved understanding of how local or regional factors influence the variation in environmental status observed in marine infrastructure/facility/obstruction habitats (i.e., de facto artificial reefs) within the Pacific Region, particularly the Southern California Planning Area; (2) Generate a set of environmental criteria to evaluate potential artificial reef effects from future individual projects that may add or leave marine infrastructure in the environment; and (3) Gain insight in determining if existing energy infrastructure affects other uses of the outer continental shelf (OCS). |
| Link to Additional Information: | – |
| Grantor Contact Information: | If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:
Dominique Bruce-Morton
Dominique.Bruce-Morton@bsee.gov Email:Dominique.Bruce-Morton@bsee.gov |
Version History
| Version | Modification Description | Updated Date |
|---|---|---|
Related Documents
Folder 334514 Other Supporting Documents-SOW -> PC-20-02_MiniSOW_ESASOC_Schroeder_20200728 (004).pdf
Packages
| Agency Contact Information: | Dominique Bruce-Morton Dominique.Bruce-Morton@bsee.gov Email: Dominique.Bruce-Morton@bsee.gov |
| Who Can Apply: | Organization Applicants |
| Assistance Listing Number | Competition ID | Competition Title | Opportunity Package ID | Opening Date | Closing Date | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.423 | M20AS00214 | PC-20-02 The Environmental Status of Artificial Structures Offshore California | PKG00267993 | Jun 30, 2021 | Jul 30, 2021 | View |
Package 1
Mandatory forms
334514 SF424_2_1-2.1.pdf
334514 SF424B-1.1.pdf
334514 SF424A-1.0.pdf
334514 BudgetNarrativeAttachments_1_2-1.2.pdf
334514 GG_LobbyingForm-1.1.pdf
334514 ProjectNarrativeAttachments_1_2-1.2.pdf
Optional forms
334514 SFLLL_1_2-1.2.pdf
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