[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 158 (Wednesday, August 16, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47164-47165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-13432]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service


Notice of Availability of Hurricane Disaster Assistance

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service programs are administered through 
USDA Rural Development. This Notice is intended to announce the 
availability of supplemental hurricane disaster assistance to be 
administered through the Community Facilities (CF) Direct Loan and 
Grant program. USDA Rural Development will provide CF Grant funds in 
the amount of $20,000,000 and CF Direct Loan funds in the amount of 
$149,253,000 for essential community facilities in rural areas affected 
by Hurricane Katrina and other hurricanes of the 2005 season.

DATES: Effective Date: August 16, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information for the Community 
Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program may be obtained by contacting 
your USDA Rural Development State Office as outlined in Section I.D.
    For questions regarding information contained in this Notice, 
please contact Derek L. Jones, Loan Specialist, Community Programs, at 
202-720-1504.
    Background: The CF Direct Loan and Grant Program is designed to 
finance and facilitate the development of many different types of 
essential community facilities serving rural areas. These facilities 
include, but are not limited to, hospitals, medical clinics, elderly 
care facilities, police stations and vehicles, fire and rescue stations 
and vehicles, vocational and medical rehabilitation centers, and 
educational facilities. Funds under this Notice can be used to 
construct, enlarge, repair, or improve community facilities. This can 
include the purchase of equipment required for a facility's operation.
    Chapter 1 of title I of Division B of the Department of Defense, 
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf 
of Mexico and Pandemic Influenza Act, 2006 (Pub. L. 109-148) (Act) 
provides

[[Page 47165]]

USDA Rural Development with additional authorities to waive certain 
program requirements and resources to address the damage caused by the 
Gulf Coast hurricanes. Section 2103 of title II of the Emergency 
Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, 
and Hurricane Recovery, 2006 extended the expiration date of these 
waiver authorities under the Act for an additional 18 months and 
provided a total amount of $169,253,000 in CF Direct Loan and Grant 
funds for CF projects.
    Accordingly, the matching funds requirement for the CF Grant 
program will be waived for assistance provided under this Notice. In 
addition, the median household income requirements and the grant limits 
will also be waived for the purpose of this Notice.

I. General Provisions

A. Designated Disaster Area

    For the purposes of this Notice, the designated disaster area shall 
be those Presidentially-declared areas in the states of Alabama, 
Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas in 
accordance with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.

B. Limitation of Grant Amounts

    The Act enables the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants under 
the CF Grant program without regard to any grant amount limitation. 
Rural Development has determined that it will review and make awards 
under this NOFA as applications are received. Applications will be 
reviewed, approved, and obligated in the State Rural Development 
Office.

C. Contacts for Additional Information

    For questions about USDA Rural Development's programs and for 
application assistance, please contact your USDA Rural Development 
State Office. The contact information for your State Office can be 
found at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov. You can also reach your State 
Office by calling (202) 720-4323 and pressing ``1''.

D. Programs Referenced in This Notice Are Subject to Applicable Civil 
Rights Laws

    These laws include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Title VI of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 
1968, as amended in 1988, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 
and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975.

II. Assistance Available Through This Notice

Direct Loan and Grant Program

1. Description of Assistance
    Section 105 of the Act enables USDA Rural Development to make 
Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grants in designated disaster 
areas. CF Grants can be made without regard to graduated funding or 
matching fund requirements.
2. Eligibility Criteria
    Public entities such as municipalities, counties, and special-
purpose districts, as well as non-profit corporations and tribal 
governments in designated Rural disaster areas with a population of 
20,000 or less are eligible to apply.
3. Priority
    Administrator's points may be awarded for geographic distribution 
of funds and for projects with pre-existing hurricane or tornado damage 
which were subsequently affected by hurricanes of the 2005 season.
4. Applicable Statutory or Regulatory Authority
    Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, Section 306 (7 U.S.C. 
1926(a)(1) and (19)); and, to the extent not waived by this Notice, 7 
CFR, Part 3570, Subpart B, Community Facilities Grant Program, and 7 
CFR Part 1942, Subpart A, Community Facilities Direct Loan Program.

III. Emergency Declaration

    Consistent with Proclamation 7925 issued by President Bush, the 
USDA Rural Development Mission Area has determined that it would be 
impracticable, unnecessary, and contrary to public interest to delay 
the effective date of this Notice for any reason. The USDA Rural 
Development Agencies need to act promptly on hurricane related needs in 
the designated disaster areas.

IV. Non-Discrimination Statement

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination 
in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, 
national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital 
status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, 
genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or 
part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance 
program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with 
disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program 
information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact 
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a 
complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil 
Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or 
call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). ``USDA is an 
equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender''.

    Dated: August 2, 2006.
Russell T. Davis,
Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
 [FR Doc. E6-13432 Filed 8-15-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P