(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;

(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.

(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.