NOAA’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Grant: Preserving Vital Coastal and Estuarine Areas

The CELCP helps advance the national goals and priorities of the CZMA, including:
• Protection of coastal ecosystems, including wetlands, corals, and natural shorelines;
• Preservation of natural features that provide storm protection such as dunes and barrier islands;
• Minimizing loss of life and property by directing development out of high risk areas;
• Safeguarding coastal water quality;
• Preservation of historic, cultural, and archaeological features;
• Protection of aesthetic coastal features such as scenic vistas; and
• Providing opportunities for public access to the coast.

This announcement solicits applications for land acquisition projects (fee simple interest or conservation easements) that are expected to be completed within 18 months from the start date of the award (anticipated between July 1, 2014 and October 1, 2014). NOAA may extend the performance period for project grants up to an additional 18 months (for a maximum of 3 years) if circumstances warrant and if progress is being demonstrated.

Each state/territory’s designated CELCP lead agency may solicit project proposals from additional state/territorial agencies identified in its CELCP plan, local governments as defined at 15 CFR 24.3, or entities eligible for assistance under section 306A(e) of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) (16 U.S.C. 1455a(e)), defined below, provided that each agency or entity has the authority to acquire and manage land for conservation purposes. Eligible states/territories may select and submit up to two (2) projects for this competition. The maximum funding that can requested for each project is $1,000,000. If a project includes multiple parcels, NOAA will evaluate it for readiness and feasibility of completion within an 18 month timeframe.

The CELCP Guidelines, published in the Federal Register on June 17, 2003 (68 Fed.Reg. 35860-35869), establish the eligibility, procedural, and programmatic requirements for participation in the CELCP, including the criteria for financial assistance awards under the program. The Guidelines outline the criteria and process for eligible states and territories to develop a CELCP plan, nominate land conservation projects to a national competitive process, as well as the criteria and process for NOAA to select projects at the national level for funding. All applications submitted pursuant to this notice must be consistent with the CELCP Guidelines, except for the following:

• For this solicitation, the eligibility requirement that states and territories have an approved CELCP plan was expanded to include states and territories that will have submitted a draft CELCP plan to NOAA for review on or before September 15, 2013. A list of the status of each state and territory’s CELCP plan, including the states and territories eligible for this competition, is available at http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/land/media/CELCPplans_web.pdf.
• Any changes directed by CELCP’s 2009 authorization language in P.L. 111-11 (codified at 16 U.S.C. § 1456-1), as described in this notice.

The CELCP Guidelines can be found at http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/land/media/CELCPfinal02Guidelines.pdf. The text of the 2009 authorization can be found at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2012-title16/html/USCODE-2012-title16-chap33-sec1456-1.htm (Title 16, Chapter 33, Section 1456-1).