Briefings - Clean Vessel Act of 1992
Eligible Participants: States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. Funding: Funding comes from the Sport Fish Restoration Program Account of the Aquatic
Resources Trust Fund. That fund results from a 10 percent excise tax on fishing
equipment and a 3 percent tax on electric trolling motors and sonar fish finders,
a portion of the Federal fuels tax, and import duties on fishing tackle and
pleasure boats Funding was originally authorized for 5 years: $5 million for
FY 1993; $7.5 million each year for FY 1994 and 1995; and $10 million each year
for FY 1996 and 1997. The Program was re-authorized in 1998 to provide $10 million
annually from FY-99 through FY-03. The projects selected for funding by the
Service have involved surveys and plans, construction of pumpout stations and
dump stations, education programs, and miscellaneous projects such as operation
and maintenance and upgrading waste treatment facilities to accept marine sewage. Matching Requirement: The Clean Vessel Act is a cost-reimbursable program, i.e., the grantees
must spend their money to conduct approved activities and then request reimbursement
for up to 75 percent of the costs. Grantee must provide at least 25 percent
of project funding from a non-Federal source. Project Application/Selection Process: Grantees are in competition with each other for funding, thus the Service is involved in ranking and selecting projects. However, the grantees have full authority to determine their needs and priorities and submit projects accordingly. Grant application proposals are submitted to Regions from the States. The Regional Wildlife and Sport Fish Restortation Program (WSFRP) office determines eligibility, substantiality, benefit to cost ratio, and scores on several ranking criteria. Each proposal is evaluated and ranked by an interagency panel (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The Service Director makes the final decision on which proposals to fund. Each of the regions subsequently have about 90 days to ensure compliance with other federal laws and requirements and to sign an agreement with grant recipients. Approved projects are monitored to ensure work is completed as proposed and funds are spent on activities approved in the grant.
WSFRP Contacts: Tony Faast (tony_faast@fws.gov) 503-231-6233 Flinn Curren, Pacific Islands Coordinator (edward_curren@fws.gov) 808-792-9572
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