Grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements

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— Except as provided in subparagraph (B)(ii), the Federal share of the cost of a contract or cooperative agreement carried out under this subsection shall not be greater than 80 percent of the total cost of the project. The remaining non-Federal share of the cost of a project carried out under this section may be— Not later than 180 days after October 19, 1996, the Secretary shall establish, after consultation with other Federal agencies, terms and conditions under which Federal funding will be provided under this subsection that are consistent with the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures referred to in section 3511(d)(12) of title 19. An entity shall not be eligible to receive a grant or contract, or participate in a cooperative agreement, under subsection (a) unless— 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: The members shall be appointed by the Secretary. Not less than 50 percent of the members shall represent or be employed by private marine resource companies that are involved in exploration of the marine environment or development of marine mineral resources. None of the members may have an interest in a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement being evaluated by the panel. A review panel member who is not otherwise a Federal employee shall receive no compensation for performing duties under this section, except that, while engaged in the performance of duties away from the home or regular place of business of the member, the member may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as a person employed intermittently in the Government service under section 5703 of title 5. A competitive review panel shall base an evaluation of a proposal on criteria developed by the Secretary that shall include— Not more than 10 percent of the amount made available to carry out this section during a fiscal year may be used by the Secretary for expenses associated with administration of the program authorized by this section. None of the funds made available under this section may be used for the construction of a new building or the acquisition, expansion, remodeling, or alteration of an existing building (including site grading and improvement and architect fees). 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—