[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6696-6699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-2001]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


Inviting Applications for the Rural Economic Development Loan and 
Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2008

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This Notice announces the availability of approximately 
$33.077 million of loan funds under the Rural Economic Development Loan 
and Grant (REDLG) program for fiscal year (FY) 2008. This notice is 
being issued to allow applicants sufficient time to leverage financing, 
submit applications, and give the Agency time to process applications 
within the current fiscal year. The Agency will publish a subsequent 
notice identifying the amount of funding received for grants, if any, 
and the final maximum dollar amount for grant awards. The awards made 
as a result of this notice are effective for loans made during the 
fiscal year beginning October 1, 2007, and ending September 30, 2008. 
REDLG loans and grants are to assist in economically developing rural 
areas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melvin Padgett, Loan Specialist, USDA 
Rural Development, STOP 3225, Room 6866, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20250-3225. Telephone: (202) 720-1495, FAX: (202) 720-
2213.

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

District of Columbia

USDA Rural Development, 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 First 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

[[Page 6697]]

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, 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 850, 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 84138, 
(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: 

Overview

    Federal Agency: Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
    Funding Opportunity Type: Rural Economic Development Loans and 
Grants.
    Announcement Type: Initial Announcement.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.854.
    Dates: Application Deadline: Completed applications must be 
received in the State Office as follows: For First and Second Quarters, 
January 31, 2008, Third Quarter, March 31, 2008, and Fourth Quarter, 
June 30, 2008.

[[Page 6698]]

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    The Regulations for these programs are at 7 CFR part 4280, subpart 
A. The primary objective of the program is to promote rural economic 
development and job creation projects. Assistance provided to rural 
areas, as defined, under this program may include business startup 
costs, business expansion, business incubators, technical assistance 
feasibility studies, advanced telecommunications services and computer 
networks for medical, educational, and job training services and 
community facilities projects for economic development. Awards are made 
on a competitive basis using specific selection criteria contained in 7 
CFR 4280, subpart A. Information required to be in the application 
include an SF-424, ``Application for Federal Assistance;'' a Resolution 
of the Board of Directors; AD-1047, ``Debarment/Suspension 
Certification;'' Assurance statement for the Uniform Act; Restrictions 
on Lobbying, AD 1049; ``Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace 
Requirements;'' Seismic certification (if construction); RD 1940-20, 
``Request for Environmental Information;'' RUS Form 7; ``Financial and 
Statistical Report;'' and RUS Form 7a, ``Investments, Loan Guarantees, 
and Loans,'' or similar information; and written narrative of project 
description. Applications will be tentatively scored by the State 
Offices and submitted to the National Office for review.

Definitions

    The definitions are published at 7 CFR 4280.3.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Loan.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2008.
    Maximum Anticipated Award: $740,000.
    Anticipated Award Date: First and Second Quarters, March 14, 2008, 
Third Quarter, May 14, 2008, and Fourth Quarter, August 15, 2008.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

    Loans and grants may be made to any entity that is identified by 
USDA Rural Development as an eligible borrower under the Rural 
Electrification Act. In accordance with 7 CFR 4280.13, applicants that 
are not delinquent on any Federal debt or otherwise disqualified from 
participation in these program are eligible to apply. An applicant must 
be eligible under 7 U.S.C. 940c.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

    For loans, either the Ultimate Recipient or the Intermediary must 
provide supplemental funds for the project equal to at least 20 percent 
of the loan to the Intermediary. For grants, the Intermediary must 
provide supplemental funds for the project equal to at least 20 percent 
of the grant to the Intermediary.

C. Other Eligibility Requirements

    Applications will only be accepted for projects that promote rural 
economic development and job creation.

D. Completeness Eligibility

    Applications will not be considered for funding if they do not 
provide sufficient information to determine eligibility or are missing 
required elements.

IV. Fiscal Year 2008 Application and Submission Information:

A. Address To Request Application Package

    For further information, entities wishing to apply for assistance 
should contact the Rural Development State Office identified in this 
NOFA to obtain copies of the application package.
    Applicants are encouraged to submit applications through the 
Grants.gov Web site at: http://www.grants.gov. Applications may be 
submitted in either electronic or paper format. Users of Grants.gov 
will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it 
off line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov 
Web site. Applications may not be submitted by electronic mail.
     When you enter the Grants.gov Web site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site as well as the hours of operation. USDA Rural Development strongly 
recommends that you do not wait until the application deadline date to 
begin the application process through Grants.gov. To use Grants.gov, 
applicants must have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 
System (DUNS) number which can be obtained at no cost via a toll-free 
request line at 1-866-705-5711.
     You may submit all documents electronically through the 
Web site, including all information typically included on the 
application for REDLGs and all necessary assurances and certifications.
     After electronically submitting an application through the 
Web site, the applicant will receive an automatic acknowledgement from 
Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number.
     USDA Rural Development may request that the applicant 
provide original signatures on forms at a later date.
     If applicants experience technical difficulties on the 
closing date and are unable to meet the deadline, they may submit a 
paper copy of your application to your respective Rural Development 
State Office. Paper applications submitted to a Rural Development State 
Office must meet the closing date and local time deadline.
    Please note that applicants must locate the downloadable 
application package for this program by the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance Number or FedGrants Funding Opportunity Number, which can be 
found at http://www.grants.gov.
    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
information collection requirement contained in this Notice is approved 
by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control Number 
0570-0024.

B. Content and Form of Submission

    An application must contain all of the required elements. Each 
selection priority criterion outlined in 7 CFR 4280.42(b), must be 
addressed in the application. Failure to address any of the criteria 
will result in a zero-point score for that criterion and will impact 
the overall evaluation of the application. Copies of 7 CFR part 4280, 
subpart A, will be provided to any interested applicant making a 
request to a Rural Development State Office listed in this notice.

C. Submission Dates and Times

    Application Deadline Date: First and Second Quarters, January 31, 
2008, Third Quarter, March 31, 2008, and Fourth Quarter, June 30, 2008.
    Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be in the Rural 
Development State Office by the deadline dates as indicated above.

V. Application Review Information

    The National Office will score applications based on the grant 
selection criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart A 
and will select an Intermediary subject to the Intermediary's 
satisfactory submission of the additional items required by 7 CFR part 
4280, subpart A and the USDA Rural Development Letter of Conditions.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

    Successful applicants will receive notification for funding from 
the Rural Development State Office. Applicants must comply with all 
applicable statutes

[[Page 6699]]

and regulations before the loan/grant award will be approved. Provided 
the application requirements have not changed, an application not 
selected will be reconsidered in three subsequent funding competitions 
for a total of four competitions. If an application is withdrawn, it 
can be resubmitted and will be evaluated as a new application.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    Additional requirements that apply to Intermediary's selected for 
this program can be found in the 7 CFR 4280, subpart A.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For general questions about this announcement, please contact your 
Rural Development State Office identified in this NOFA.
    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: January 29, 2008.
Ben Anderson,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. E8-2001 Filed 2-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P