Recreational boating is a popular activity; there are approximately 12 million registered boats in the United States.

Of this total, an estimated 560,000 are at least 26 feet long.

The Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-178) established the Boating Infrastructure

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Grants (BIG) Program (16 U.S.C.

777g-1) to provide funding to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the U. S. Virgin Islands (States) for the construction, renovation and maintenance of boating infrastructure facilities for transient recreational vessels at least 26 feet long that are operated, leased, rented, or chartered primarily for pleasure.

The Act amended the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C.

777).

Subsequent reauthorizations of the Act allow expenditures from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund and the continuation of the BIG Program.

Boating infrastructure means the structures, equipment, accessories, and services that are necessary or desirable for a facility to accommodate eligible vessels.

Transient vessels are those passing through or by a place, staying up to 15 days.

Projects completed using BIG funds must provide public access, but may be publicly or privately owned.

This is the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 BIG Tier 2 ⿿ National grants.

The NOFO for FY 2016 BIG Tier 1 ⿿ State grants is a separate announcement.