[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 223 (Monday, November 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67095-67097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19500]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


Inviting Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program Preapplications 
for Technical Assistance for Rural Transportation Systems

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), an Agency within 
the Rural Development mission area, announces the availability of two 
individual grants: One single $495,000 grant from the passenger 
transportation funds appropriated for the Rural Business Enterprise 
Grant (RBEG) program and another single $250,000 grant for Federally 
Recognized Native American Tribes' (FRNAT) from funds appropriated for 
the RBEG program. RBS will administer these awards under the RBEG 
program and 7 U.S.C. 1932(c)(2) for fiscal year (FY) 2007. 
Historically, Congress has allotted earmark funding for these specific 
programs. This notice is being issued prior to passage of a final 
appropriations bill, which may or may not provide an appropriation for 
these programs, to allow applicants sufficient time to leverage 
financing, submit applications, and give the Agency time to process 
applications within the current fiscal year. Each grant is to be 
competitively awarded to a qualified national organization. These 
grants are to provide technical assistance for rural transportation and 
rural transportation to FRNAT's. This notice will be amended should 
funding in excess of projected levels be received.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of preapplications in the Rural 
Development State Office is January 31, 2007. Applications received at 
a Rural Development State Office after that date will not be considered 
for FY 2007 funding.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cindy Mason, Loan Specialist, Rural 
Business-Cooperative Service, USDA, STOP 3225, Room 6866, 1400 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3225. Telephone: (202) 
690-1433, FAX: (202) 720-2213.

ADDRESSES: For additional information, entities wishing to apply for 
assistance should contact a Rural Development State Office to obtain 
copies of the application package. A list of Rural Development State 
Offices follows:

District of Columbia

Rural Development Business Programs, USDA, Specialty Lenders 
Division, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., STOP 3225, Room 6867, 
Washington, DC 20250-3225, (202) 720-1400

Alabama

USDA Rural Development State Office, Sterling Centre, Suite 601, 
4121 Carmichael Road, Montgomery, AL 36106-3683, (334) 279-3400/TDD 
(334) 279-3495

Alaska

USDA Rural Development State Office, 800 West Evergreen, Suite 201, 
Palmer, AK 99645-6539, (907) 761-7705/TDD (907) 761-8905

Arizona

USDA Rural Development State Office, 230 N. 1st Ave., Suite 206, 
Phoenix, AZ 85003, (602) 280-8701/TDD (602) 280-8705

Arkansas

USDA Rural Development State Office, 700 West Capitol Avenue, Room 
3416, Little Rock, AR 72201-3225, (501) 301-3200/TDD (501) 301-3279

California

USDA Rural Development State Office, 430 G Street,  4169, 
Davis, CA 95616-4169, (530) 792-5800/TDD (530) 792-5848

Colorado

USDA Rural Development State Office, 655 Parfet Street, Room E100, 
Lakewood, CO 80215, (720) 544-2903/TDD (720) 544-2976

Delaware-Maryland

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1221 College Park Drive, Suite 
200, Dover, DE 19904, (302) 857-3580/TDD (302) 857-3585

Florida/Virgin Islands

USDA Rural Development State Office, 4440 NW 25th Place, P.O. Box 
147010, Gainesville, FL 32614-7010, (352) 338-3400/TDD (352) 338-
3499

Georgia

USDA Rural Development State Office, Stephens Federal Building, 355 
E. Hancock Avenue, Athens, GA 30601-2768, (706) 546-2162/TDD (706) 
546-2034

Hawaii

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 311, 154 
Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720, (808) 933-8380/TDD (808) 933-8321

Idaho

USDA Rural Development State Office, 9173 West Barnes Dr., Suite A1, 
Boise, ID 83709, (208) 378-5600/TDD (208) 378-5644

Illinois

USDA Rural Development State Office, 2118 W. Park Court, Suite A, 
Champaign, IL 61821, (217) 403-6200/TDD (217) 403-6240

Indiana

USDA Rural Development State Office, 5975 Lakeside Boulevard, 
Indianapolis, IN 46278, (317) 290-3100/TDD (317) 290-3343

Iowa

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 873, 210 
Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309, (515) 284-4663/TDD (515) 284-
4858

Kansas

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1303 S.W., First American 
Place, Suite 100, Topeka, KS 66604-4040, (785) 271-2700/TDD (785) 
271-2767

Kentucky

USDA Rural Development State Office, 771 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, 
Lexington, KY 40503, (859) 224-7300/TDD (859) 224-7422

Louisiana

USDA Rural Development State Office, 3727 Government Street, 
Alexandria, LA 71302, (318) 473-7921/TDD (318) 473-7655

Maine

USDA Rural Development State Office, 967 Illinois Avenue, Suite 4, 
P.O. Box 405, Bangor, ME 04402-0405, (207) 990-9160/TDD (207) 942-
7331

Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Connecticut

USDA Rural Development State Office, 451 West Street, Suite 2, 
Amherst, MA 01002-2999, (413) 253-4300/TDD (413) 253-4590

Michigan

USDA Rural Development State Office, 3001 Coolidge Road, Suite 200, 
East Lansing, MI 48823, (517) 324-5190/TDD (517) 324-5169

Minnesota

USDA Rural Development State Office, 375 Jackson Street, Suite 410, 
St. Paul, MN 55101-1853, (651) 602-7800/TDD (651) 602-3799

Mississippi

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Suite 831, 
100 W. Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39269, (601) 965-4316/TDD (601) 
965-5850

Missouri

USDA Rural Development State Office, 601 Business Loop 70 West, 
Parkade Center,

[[Page 67096]]

Suite 235, Columbia, MO 65203, (573) 876-0976/TDD (573) 876-9480

Montana

USDA Rural Development State Office, 900 Technology Boulevard, Suite 
B, P.O. Box 85, Bozeman, MT 59771, (406) 585-2580/TDD (406) 585-2562

Nebraska

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 152, 100 
Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, NE 68508, (402) 437-5551/TDD (402) 
437-5093

Nevada

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1390 South Curry Street, Carson 
City, NV 89703-5146, (775) 887-1222/TDD (775) 885-0633

New Jersey

USDA Rural Development State Office, 8000 Midlantic Drive, 5th Floor 
North, Suite 500, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054, (856) 787-7700/TDD (856) 
787-7784

New Mexico

USDA Rural Development State Office, 6200 Jefferson Street, NE, Room 
255, Albuquerque, NM 87109, (505) 761-4950/TDD (505) 761-4938

New York

USDA Rural Development State Office, The Galleries of Syracuse, 441 
South Salina Street, Suite 357, Syracuse, NY 13202-2541, (315) 477-
6400/TDD (315) 477-6447

North Carolina

USDA Rural Development State Office, 4405 Bland Road, Suite 260, 
Raleigh, NC 27609, (919) 873-2000/TDD (919) 873-2003

North Dakota

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 208, 220 
East Rosser, P.O. Box 1737, Bismarck, ND 58502-1737, (701) 530-2037/
TDD (701) 530-2113

Ohio

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 507, 200 
North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215-2418, (614) 255-2400/TDD (614) 
255-2554

Oklahoma

USDA Rural Development State Office, 100 USDA, Suite 108, 
Stillwater, OK 74074-2654, (405) 742-1000/TDD (405) 742-1007

Oregon

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 801, 
Portland, OR 97232, (503) 414-3300/TDD (503) 414-3387

Pennsylvania

USDA Rural Development State Office, One Credit Union Place, Suite 
330, Harrisburg, PA 17110-2996, (717) 237-2299/TDD (717) 237-2261

Puerto Rico

USDA Rural Development State Office, IBM Building, Suite 601, 654 
Munos Rivera Avenue, San Juan, PR 00918-6106, (787) 766-5095/TDD 
(787) 766-5332

South Carolina

USDA Rural Development State Office, Strom Thurmond Federal 
Building, 1835 Assembly Street, Room 1007,Columbia, SC 29201, (803) 
765-5163/TDD (803) 765-5697

South Dakota

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 210, 200 
Fourth Street, SW, Huron, SD 57350, (605) 352-1100/TDD (605) 352-
1147

Tennessee

USDA Rural Development State Office, 3322 West End Avenue, Suite 
300, Nashville, TN 37203-1084, (615) 783-1300

Texas

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Suite 102, 
101 South Main, Temple, TX 76501, (254) 742-9700/TDD (254) 742-9712

Utah

USDA Rural Development State Office, Wallace F. Bennett Federal 
Building, 125 South State Street, Room 4311, Salt Lake City, UT 
84147-0350, (801) 524-4320/TDD (801) 524-3309

Vermont/New Hampshire

USDA Rural Development State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main 
Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 828-6000/TDD (802) 223-6365

Virginia

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 
238, Richmond, VA 23229-5014, (804) 287-1550/TDD (804) 287-1753

Washington

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1835 Black Lake Boulevard SW., 
Suite B, Olympia, WA 98512-5715, (360) 704-7740/TDD (360) 704-7760

West Virginia

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, 75 High 
Street, Room 320, Morgantown, WV 26505-7500, (304) 284-4860/TDD 
(304) 284-4836

Wisconsin

USDA Rural Development State Office, 4949 Kirschling Court, Stevens 
Point, WI 54481, (715) 345-7600/TDD (715) 345-7614

Wyoming

USDA Rural Development State Office, 100 East B, Federal Building, 
Room 1005, P.O. Box 11005, Casper, WY 82602-5006, (307) 233-6700/TDD 
(307) 233-6733

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Grants offered under this Notice are 
authorized by section 310B(c)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (CONACT) (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)(2)). The RBEG program is 
administered on behalf of RBS at the State level by the Rural 
Development State Offices. The primary objective of the program is to 
improve the economic conditions of rural areas. Assistance provided to 
rural areas under this program may include on-site technical assistance 
to local and regional governments, public transit agencies, and related 
nonprofit and for-profit organizations in rural areas; the development 
of training materials; and the provision of necessary training 
assistance to local officials and agencies in rural areas.
    Awards under the RBEG passenger transportation program will be made 
on a competitive basis using specific selection criteria contained in 7 
CFR part 1942, subpart G, and in accordance with section 310B(c)(2) of 
the CONACT. That subpart also contains the information required to be 
in the application package. For the FRNAT grant, which must benefit 
Federally Recognized Native American Tribes, at least 75 percent of the 
benefits of the project must be received by members of Federally 
Recognized Native American Tribes. The project that scores the greatest 
number of points based on the RBEG selection criteria and 
Administrator's points will be selected for each grant. Applications 
will be tentatively scored by the State Offices and submitted to the 
National Office for review, final scoring, and selection.
    Applicants must be qualified national nonprofit organizations with 
experience in providing technical assistance and training to rural 
communities for the purpose of improving passenger transportation 
service or facilities. To be considered ``national'' RBS requires a 
qualified organization to provide evidence that it operates in multi-
State areas. There is not a requirement to use the grant funds in a 
multi-State area. Under this notice, grants will be made to qualified, 
private, nonprofit organizations for the provision of technical 
assistance and training to rural communities for the purpose of 
improving passenger transportation services or facilities.

Fiscal Year 2007 Preapplications Submission

    Each application received in a Rural Development State Office will 
be reviewed to determine if this application is consistent with the 
eligible purposes contained in section 310B(c)(2) of the CONACT. Each 
selection priority criterion outlined in 7 CFR 1942.305(b)(3), must be 
addressed in the application. Failure to address any of the criteria 
will result in a zero-point score for that criterion and impact the 
overall evaluation of the application. Copies of 7 CFR part 1942, 
subpart G,

[[Page 67097]]

will be provided to any interested applicant making a request to a 
Rural Development State Office listed in this notice. All projects to 
receive technical assistance through these passenger transportation 
grant funds are to be identified when the applications are submitted to 
the Rural Development State Office. Multiple project applications must 
identify each individual project, indicate the amount of funding 
requested for each individual project, and address the criteria as 
stated above for each individual project.
    For multiple-project applications, the average of the individual 
project scores will be the score for that application.
    All eligible applications, along with tentative scoring sheets and 
the Rural Development State Director's recommendation, will be referred 
to the National Office no later than March 16, 2007, for final scoring 
and selection for an award.
    The National Office will score applications based on the grant 
selection criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G 
and will select a grantee subject to the grantee's satisfactory 
submission of a formal application and related materials in the manner 
and timeframe established by RBS in accordance with 7 CFR part 1942, 
subpart G.

Nondiscrimination 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: November 14, 2006.
Jackie J. Gleason,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
 [FR Doc. E6-19500 Filed 11-17-06; 8:45 am]
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