[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 20, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57064-57065]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-24063]



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Part IV





Department of Commerce





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Economic Development Administration



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Economic Adjustment Assistance; Availability of Funds for Norton Sound, 
Alaska; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 183 / Wednesday, September 20, 2000 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development Administration

[Docket No. 000901251-0251-01]
RIN 0610-ZA16


Economic Adjustment Assistance; Availability of Funds for Norton 
Sound, Alaska

AGENCY: Economic Development Administration (EDA), Department of 
Commerce (CoC).

ACTION: Funding notice.

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SUMMARY: The Economic Development Administration (EDA) announces the 
availability of $10.0 million for economic adjustment assistance in 
response to the August 8, 2000, Disaster Declaration by the Secretary 
of Commerce under the Section 312(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act and under Section 308(b) of the 
Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act for communities in the Norton Sound 
region of Alaska. Eligible activities include planning, technical 
assistance, revolving loan funds, and infrastructure grants to address 
the economic adjustment problems of communities adversely affected by 
the Norton Sound fisheries disaster. Eligible areas and organizations 
representing areas include, but are not limited to: Unalakleet, 
Shaktoolik, Koyuk, Elim, Golovin, Nome, White Mountain, Stebbins, St. 
Michael, other nearby member communities of the Norton Sound Economic 
Development Corporation, the local Community Development Quota 
Organization, Teller, Diomede, Savoonga, Gambell, Brevig Mission, 
Wales, and the Village of Kotlik.

DATES: No awards will be made prior to fiscal year 2001, which begins 
October 1, 2000. However, proposals and applications will be accepted 
on a continuous basis beginning September 1, 2000.

ADDRESSES: A. Leonard Smith, Regional Director, Seattle Regional 
Office, Suite 1856, Jackson Federal Building 915 Second Avenue, Seattle 
Washington 98174; Intenet Address: [email protected]. Bernard E. Richert, 
Jr., Economic Development Representative (EDR), 550 West Seventh 
Avenue, Suite 1780, Anchorage, Alaska 99501-7594; Internet Address: 
[email protected] [email protected]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested parties should contact the 
Seattle Regional Office or the Economic Development Representative for 
Alaska as follows: A. Leonard Smith, Regional Director, Seattle 
Regional Office, Telephone: (206) 220-7660; Bernard E. Richert, Jr., 
Economic Development Representative (EDR), Telephone: (907) 271-2272; 
fax: 907-271-2274.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Economic Adjustment Assistance

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No. 11.307)

Funding Availability

    Funds in the amount of $10.0 million are available and shall remain 
available until expended. These funds are provided under Agriculture, 
Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 2000 (PL 106-78, Sec. 817), October 22, 1999, to be 
transferred to the Department of Commerce and administered under 
Section 209 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, 
as amended (PWEDA).

Eligibility

    Information on eligibility requirements for applicants and areas 
can be found in EDA's regulation at 13 CFR, Chapter III.

Grant Rates

    Grant rates, as established under PWEDA and regulations at 13 CFR 
301.4(b) may vary, if permitted by PWEDA and its implementing 
regulations, and may depend upon factors such as types of applicant, 
relative needs and financial capacity of applicants.

Selection Process

    EDA will review proposals to evaluate eligibility, evaluation 
criteria, and funding priorities before inviting a full application for 
final funding consideration. It is anticipated that proposals will 
exceed the amount of funding available. Interested parties should 
submit proposals directly to the EDR for Alaska or to the Seattle 
Regional Office (see ``For Further Information'') using the standard 
preapplication form for EDA assistance (ED-900P, OMB Control No. 0610-
0094).
    EDA will evaluate project proposals in accordance with, as 
appropriate, 13 CFR Part 304, 13 CFR 308.4 (65 FR 2530 at 2532, January 
18, 2000), and the criteria will be approximately of equal importance.
    Proposals under this funding announcement must demonstrate how the 
EDA assistance will help the eligible area recover from the economic 
adjustment problems caused by the fisheries failure. Proposals for 
implementation grants must also demonstrate that the request for 
assistance has been preceded by sound planning, consistent with EDA 
regulations at 13 CFR 301.3.
    In meeting EDA requirements for a strategy or Comprehensive 
Economic Development Strategy, EDA may accept for example: a State 
Emergency Recovery Plan, or the product of an equivalent state or local 
strategic economic recovery planning process with short-term and long-
term goals.
    Given the limited funds available from this appropriation, the 
amount awarded will be relative to the amount of economic distress/
damage sustained by the community (applicants must be able to 
demonstrate need based on economic distress/damage resulting from the 
disaster).
    EDA will consider the following funding priorities which will be 
the basis for selecting applications to be funded under this Notice. 
Priority numbers (1) and (2) are roughly equivalent and more important 
than the others. The funding priorities are as follows:
    1. Projects located in areas that suffered the highest levels of 
economic injury, as a result of the disaster, as compared to other 
disaster areas.
    2. Projects located in disaster impacted areas that had previously 
been experiencing high levels of economic distress.
    3. Projects which leverage EDA funds with state, local, private, 
and other Federal assistance efforts.
    4. Projects that restore, upgrade or enhance the reliability of 
critical infrastructure/public facilities to current building, 
environmental, and safety standards or codes, and are essential to 
stabilizing the economic base of the disaster area.
    5. Projects that enhance/stimulate sustainable economic development 
and/or otherwise mitigate the physical and/or economic dislocation that 
could be caused by recurring future disaster.
    6. Projects that assist the restoration of businesses, stimulate 
the development of new businesses and accelerate the development of new 
job opportunities for dislocated individuals within the affected areas.
    7. Projects that enhance opportunities for economic 
diversification.

Other Information and Requirements

    EDA regulations at 13 CFR Chapter III and 65 FR 2530, January 18, 
2000, are available from EDA offices listed in the Addresses Section 
and from the EDA web site at www.doc.gov/eda.
    Certain Departmental and other requirements are noted below.

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Additional information is available through links to EDA's web site at 
www.doc.gov/eda or from the appropriate EDA office listed in Addresses 
Section.
    A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is 
required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for 
failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) unless that 
collection of information displays a current valid Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) control number. This notice involves a collection of 
information requirement subject to the provisions of the PRA and has 
been approved by OMB under Control Number 0610-0094.
    B. All primary applicants must submit a completed Form CD-511, 
``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other 
Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and 
Lobbying,'' and the following explanations are hereby provided: 
Prospective participants (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section 105) 
are subject to ``Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension'' and the 
related section of the certification form prescribed above applies;
    Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section 605) are subject to 
15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F, ``Drug-Free Workplace Requirements 
(Grants)'' and the related section of the certification form prescribed 
above applies;
    Persons (as defined at 15 CFR Part 28, Secton 105) are subject to 
the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352, ``Limitation on use of 
appropriated funds to influence certain Federal contracting and 
financial transactions,'' and the lobbying section of the certification 
form prescribed above applies to applications/bids for grants, 
cooperative agreements, and contracts for more than $100,000, and loans 
and loan guarantees for more than $150,000, or the single family 
maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever is greater; and
    C. Any applicant that has paid or will pay for lobbying using any 
funds must submit an SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,'' as 
required under 15 CFR Part 28, Appendix B.
    D. The implementing regulations of the National Environmental 
Policy Act require EDA to provide public notice of the availability of 
project specific environmental documents such as environmental impact 
statements, environmental assessments, findings of no significant 
impact, records of decision, etc., to the affected public as specified 
in 40 CFR 1506.6(b).
    Depending on the project location, environmental information 
concerning specific projects can be obtained from the Regional 
Environmental Officer in the appropriate EDA regional office listed in 
the Addresses section.
    E. Recipients shall require applicants/bidders for subgrants, 
contracts, subcontracts, or other lower tier covered transactions at 
any tier under the award to submit, if applicable, a completed Form CD-
512, ``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility 
and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions and Lobbying'' 
and disclosure form, SF-LLL ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form 
CD-512 is intended for the use of recipients and should not be 
transmitted to DoC. SF-LLL submitted by any tier recipient or 
subrecipient should be submitted to DoC in accordance with the 
instructions contained in the award document.
    F. No award of Federal funds will be made to an applicant who has 
an outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either:
    1. The delinquent account is paid in full;
    2. A negotiated repayment schedule is established and at least one 
payment is received; or
    3. Other arrangements satisfactory to DoC are made.
    G. Unsatisfactory performance under prior Federal awards may result 
in an application not being considered for funding.
    H. Applicants should be aware that a false statement on the 
application is grounds for denial of the application or termination of 
the grant award and grounds for possible punishment by a fine or 
imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
    I. Applicants are hereby notified that any equipment or products 
authorized to be purchased with funding provided under this program 
must be American-made to the maximum extent feasible.
    J. Applicants seeking an early start, i.e., to begin a project 
before EDA approval, must obtain a letter from EDA allowing such early 
start. The letter allowing the early start will be null and void if the 
project is not subsequently approved for funding by the grants officer. 
Approval of an early start does not constitute project approval. 
Applicants should be aware that if they incur any costs prior to an 
award being made they do so solely at their own risk of not being 
reimbursed by the Government. Notwithstanding any verbal or written 
assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the 
part of DoC to cover preaward costs. Additionally, EDA also requires 
that compliance with environmental regulations, in accordance with 
NEPA, be completed before construction begins.
    K. If an application is selected for funding, EDA has no obligation 
to provide any additional future funding in connection with an award. 
Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of 
performance is at the sole discretion of EDA.
    L. Unless otherwise noted below, eligibility, program objectives, 
application procedures, selection procedures, evaluation criteria and 
other requirements for all programs are set forth in EDA's regulations 
at 13 CFR Chapter III and 65 FR January 18, 2000.
    M. EDA is not authorized to provide any financial assistance 
directly to individuals for the purpose of starting a new business or 
expanding an existing business.
    This Notice has been determined to be not significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866.

    Dated: September 14, 2000.
Arthur C. Campbell,
Assistant Secretary for Economic Development.
[FR Doc. 00-24063 Filed 9-19-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-24-M