[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 72 (Thursday, April 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20943-20948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8456]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) Inviting Applications for the 
Rural Energy for America Program

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of funding availability.

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SUMMARY: This Notice announces the acceptance of applications for funds 
available under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for Fiscal 
Year 2011 for financial assistance as follows: grants, guaranteed 
loans, and combined grants and guaranteed loans for the development and 
construction of renewable energy systems and for energy efficiency 
improvement projects; grants for conducting energy audits; grants for 
conducting renewable energy development assistance; and grants for 
conducting renewable energy system feasibility studies. The Notice also 
announces the availability of $70 million of Fiscal Year 2011 budget 
authority to fund these REAP activities, which will support at least 
$42 million in grant program level and up to $61 million in guaranteed 
loan program level. If additional funding becomes available by a Fiscal 
Year 2011 Appropriations Act, a subsequent NOFA will be published in 
the Federal Register.

DATES: In order to be considered for Fiscal Year 2011 funds, complete 
applications under this Notice must be received by the appropriate USDA 
Rural Development State Office no later than 4:30 p.m. local time of 
the dates as follows:
    For renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement grant 
applications and combination grant and guaranteed loan applications: 
June 15, 2011.
    For renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement 
guaranteed loan only applications: June 15, 2011.
    For renewable energy system feasibility study applications: June 
30, 2011.
    For energy audits and renewable energy development assistance 
applications: June 30, 2011.

ADDRESSES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for addresses concerning 
applications for the Rural Energy for America Program for Fiscal Year 
2011 funds.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about this Notice, 
please contact Mr. Kelley Oehler, Branch Chief, USDA Rural Development, 
Energy Division, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250. 
Telephone: (202) 720-6819. E-mail: [email protected].
    For further information on this program, please contact the 
applicable USDA Rural Development Energy Coordinator for your 
respective State, as provided in the Supplementary Information section 
of this Notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Fiscal Year 2011 Applications for the Rural Energy for America Program

    Applications. Application materials may be obtained by contacting 
one of Rural Development's Energy Coordinators. In addition, for grant 
applications, applicants may access the electronic grant application 
for the Rural Energy for America Program at http://www.Grants.gov. To 
locate the downloadable application package for this program, the 
applicant must use the program's Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 
(CFDA) Number 10.868 or FedGrants Funding Opportunity Number, which can 
be found at http://www.Grants.gov.
    Application submittal. For renewable energy system, energy 
efficiency improvement, and feasibility study applications, submit 
complete paper applications to the Rural Development State Office in 
the State in which the applicant's proposed project is located. For 
energy audit and renewable energy development assistance applications, 
submit complete paper applications to the Rural Development State 
Office in the State in which the applicant's principal office is 
located.
    Submit electronic grant only applications at http://www.grants.gov, 
following the instructions found on this Web site.

Rural Development Energy Coordinators

    Note: Telephone numbers listed are not toll-free.

Alabama

    Quinton Harris, USDA Rural Development, Sterling Centre, Suite 601, 
4121 Carmichael Road, Montgomery, AL 36106-3683, (334) 279-3623, 
[email protected].

Alaska

    Chad Stovall, USDA Rural Development, 800 West Evergreen, Suite 
201, Palmer, AK 99645-6539, (907) 761-7718, [email protected].

American Samoa (See Hawaii)

Arizona

    Alan Watt, USDA Rural Development, 230 North First Avenue, Suite 
206, Phoenix, AZ 85003-1706, (602) 280-8769, [email protected].

Arkansas

    Tim Smith, USDA Rural Development, 700 West Capitol Avenue, Room 
3416, Little Rock, AR 72201-3225, (501) 301-3280, 
[email protected].

California

    Philip Brown, USDA Rural Development, 430 G Street, 4169, 
Davis, CA 95616, (530) 792-5811, [email protected].

Colorado

    Jerry Tamlin, USDA Rural Development, 655 Parfet Street, Room E-
100, Lakewood, CO 80215, (720) 544-2907, [email protected].

Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands-CNMI (See Hawaii)

Connecticut (see Massachusetts)

Delaware/Maryland

    Bruce Weaver, USDA Rural Development, 1221 College Park Drive, 
Suite 200, Dover, DE 19904, (302) 857-3626, [email protected].

Federated States of Micronesia (See Hawaii)

Florida/Virgin Islands

    Matthew Wooten, USDA Rural Development, 4440 NW. 25th Place, 
Gainesville, FL 32606, (352) 338-3486, [email protected].

Georgia

    J. Craig Scroggs, USDA Rural Development, 111 E. Spring St., Suite 
B, Monroe, GA 30655, Phone 770-267-1413 ext. 113, 
[email protected].

Guam (See Hawaii)

Hawaii/Guam/Republic of Palau/Federated States of Micronesia/Republic 
of the Marshall Islands/American Samoa/Commonwealth of the Northern 
Marianas Islands--CNMI

    Tim O'Connell, USDA Rural Development, Federal Building, Room 311, 
154 Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720, (808) 933-8313, 
[email protected].

[[Page 20944]]

Idaho

    Brian Buch, USDA Rural Development, 9173 W. Barnes Drive, Suite A1, 
Boise, ID 83709, (208) 378-5623, [email protected].

Illinois

    Molly Hammond, USDA Rural Development, 2118 West Park Court, Suite 
A, Champaign, IL 61821, (217) 403-6210, [email protected].

Indiana

    Jerry Hay, USDA Rural Development, 5975 Lakeside Boulevard, 
Indianapolis, IN 46278, (812) 346-3411, Ext. 126, 
[email protected].

Iowa

    Teresa Bomhoff, USDA Rural Development, 873 Federal Building, 210 
Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309, (515) 284-4447, 
[email protected].

Kansas

    David Kramer, USDA Rural Development, 1303 SW. First American 
Place, Suite 100, Topeka, KS 66604-4040, (785) 271-2730, 
[email protected].

Kentucky

    Scott Maas, USDA Rural Development, 771 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, 
Lexington, KY 40503, (859) 224-7435, [email protected].

Louisiana

    Kevin Boone, USDA Rural Development, 905 Jefferson Street, Suite 
320, Lafayette, LA 70501, (337) 262-6601, Ext. 133, 
[email protected].

Maine

    John F. Sheehan, USDA Rural Development, 967 Illinois Avenue, Suite 
4, P.O. Box 405, Bangor, ME 04402-0405, (207) 990-9168, 
[email protected].

Maryland (see Delaware)

Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Connecticut

    Charles W. Dubuc, USDA Rural Development, 451 West Street, Suite 2, 
Amherst, MA 01002, (401) 826-0842 x 306, [email protected].

Michigan

    Traci J. Smith, USDA Rural Development, 3001 Coolidge Road, Suite 
200, East Lansing, MI 48823, (517) 324-5157, [email protected].

Minnesota

    Lisa L. Noty, USDA Rural Development, 1400 West Main Street, Albert 
Lea, MN 56007, (507) 373-7960 Ext. 120, [email protected].

Mississippi

    G. Gary Jones, USDA Rural Development, Federal Building, Suite 831, 
100 West Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39269, (601) 965-5457, 
[email protected].

Missouri

    Matt Moore, USDA Rural Development, 601 Business Loop 70 West, 
Parkade Center, Suite 235, Columbia, MO 65203, (573) 876-9321, 
[email protected].

Montana

    Michael Drewiske, USDA Rural Development, 2229 Boot Hill Court, 
Bozeman, MT 59715-7914, (406) 585-2554, [email protected].

Nebraska

    Debra Yocum, USDA Rural Development, 100 Centennial Mall North, 
Room 152, Federal Building, Lincoln, NE 68508, (402) 437-5554, 
[email protected].

Nevada

    Mark Williams, USDA Rural Development, 1390 South Curry Street, 
Carson City, NV 89703, (775) 887-1222, [email protected].

New Hampshire (See Vermont)

New Jersey

    Victoria Fekete, USDA Rural Development, 8000 Midlantic Drive, 5th 
Floor North, Suite 500, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054, (856) 787-7752, 
[email protected].

New Mexico

    Jesse Bopp, USDA Rural Development, 6200 Jefferson Street, NE., 
Room 255, Albuquerque, NM 87109, (505) 761-4952, 
[email protected].

New York

    Scott Collins, USDA Rural Development, 9025 River Road, Marcy, NY 
13403, (315) 736-3316 Ext. 4, [email protected].

North Carolina

    David Thigpen, USDA Rural Development, 4405 Bland Rd. Suite 260, 
Raleigh, NC 27609, 919-873-2065, [email protected].

North Dakota

    Dennis Rodin, USDA Rural Development, Federal Building, Room 208, 
220 East Rosser Avenue, P.O. Box 1737, Bismarck, ND 58502-1737, (701) 
530-2068, [email protected].

Ohio

    Randy Monhemius, USDA Rural Development, Federal Building, Room 
507, 200 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215-2418, (614) 255-2424, 
[email protected].

Oklahoma

    Jody Harris, USDA Rural Development, 100 USDA, Suite 108, 
Stillwater, OK 74074-2654, (405) 742-1036, [email protected].

Oregon

    Don Hollis, USDA Rural Development, 200 SE. Hailey Ave, Suite 105, 
Pendleton, OR 97801, (541) 278-8049, Ext. 129, [email protected].

Pennsylvania

    Bob Schoenfeldt, USDA Rural Development, 14699 North Main Street 
Ext., Meadville, PA 16335, (814) 336-6155, Ext. 114, 
[email protected].

Puerto Rico

    Luis Garcia, USDA Rural Development, IBM Building, 654 Munoz Rivera 
Avenue, Suite 601, Hato Rey, PR 00918-6106, (787) 766-5091, Ext. 251, 
[email protected].

Republic of Palau (See Hawaii)

Republic of the Marshall Islands (See Hawaii)

Rhode Island (see Massachusetts)

South Carolina

    Shannon Legree, USDA Rural Development, Strom Thurmond Federal 
Building, 1835 Assembly Street, Room 1007, Columbia, SC 29201, (803) 
253-3150, [email protected].

South Dakota

    Kenneth Lynch, USDA Rural Development, Federal Building, Room 210, 
200 4th Street, SW., Huron, SD 57350, (605) 352-1120, 
[email protected].

Tennessee

    Will Dodson, USDA Rural Development, 3322 West End Avenue, Suite 
300, Nashville, TN 37203-1084, (615) 783-1350, [email protected].

Texas

    Billy Curb, USDA Rural Development, Federal Building, Suite 102, 
101 South Main Street, Temple, TX 76501, (254) 742-9775, 
[email protected].

[[Page 20945]]

Utah

    Roger Koon, USDA Rural Development, Wallace F. Bennett Federal 
Building, 125 South State Street, Room 4311, Salt Lake City, UT 84138, 
(801) 524-4301, [email protected].

Vermont/New Hampshire

    Cheryl Ducharme, USDA Rural Development, 89 Main Street, 3rd Floor, 
Montpelier, VT 05602, 802-828-6083, [email protected].

Virginia

    Laurette Tucker, USDA Rural Development, Culpeper Building, Suite 
238, 1606 Santa Rosa Road, Richmond, VA 23229, (804) 287-1594, 
[email protected].

Virgin Islands (see Florida)

Washington

    Mary Traxler, USDA Rural Development, 1835 Black Lake Blvd. SW., 
Suite B, Olympia, WA 98512, (360) 704-7762, [email protected].

West Virginia

    Richard E. Satterfield, USDA Rural Development, 75 High Street, 
Room 320, Morgantown, WV 26505-7500, (304) 284-4874, 
[email protected].

Wisconsin

    Brenda Heinen, USDA Rural Development, 4949 Kirschling Court, 
Stevens Point, WI 54481, (715) 345-7615, Ext. 139, 
[email protected].

Wyoming

    Jon Crabtree, USDA Rural Development, Dick Cheney Federal Building, 
100 East B Street, Room 1005, P.O. Box 11005, Casper, WY 82602, (307) 
233-6719, [email protected].

Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
information collection requirements associated with renewable energy 
system and energy efficiency improvement grants and guaranteed loans, 
as covered in this Notice, has been approved by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control Number 0570-0050. The 
information collection requirements associated with energy audit and 
renewable energy development assistance grants and with renewable 
energy feasibility study grants have also been approved by OMB under 
OMB Control Number 0570-0059 and OMB Control Number 0570-0061, 
respectively.

Overview

    Federal Agency Name: Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
    Contract Proposal Title: Rural Energy for America Program.
    Announcement Type: Initial announcement.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number. 10.868.
    Dates: Grant applications and combined grant and guaranteed loan 
applications for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency 
improvement projects under this Notice will be accepted up to June 15, 
2011. Guaranteed loan only applications for renewable energy system and 
energy efficiency improvement projects will be accepted on a continuous 
basis, but to compete for FY 2011 funding, complete applications must 
be submitted to the Agency by June 15, 2011. Applications for renewable 
energy feasibility studies, energy audits, and renewable energy 
development assistance grants will be accepted up to June 30, 2011.
    For all applications submitted under this Notice, complete 
applications must be received by the appropriate USDA Rural Development 
State Office no later than 4:30 p.m. local time of the applicable 
application deadline date in order to be considered for Fiscal Year 
2011 funds. Any application received after its applicable date and 
time, regardless of the postmark on the application, will not be 
considered for Fiscal Year 2011 funds.
    Availability of Notice. This Notice for the Rural Energy for 
America Program is available on the USDA Rural Development Web site at 
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/farmbill/index.html.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    A. Purpose of the Rural Energy for America Program. This Notice is 
issued pursuant to section 9001 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 
Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill), which amends Title IX of the Farm 
Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill) and 
establishes the Rural Energy for America Program under section 9007 
thereof. The program is designed to help agricultural producers and 
rural small businesses reduce energy costs and consumption and help 
meet the Nation's critical energy needs.
    B. Statutory Authority. This program is authorized under 7 U.S.C. 
8107.
    C. Definition of Terms. The definitions applicable to this Notice 
are published at 7 CFR 4280.103. In addition, the following definition 
of ``hybrid'' applies to this Notice.
    Hybrid. A combination of two or more renewable energy technologies 
that are incorporated into a unified system to support a single 
project.

II. Award Information

    A. Available funds: The amount of grant funds available for energy 
audits and renewable energy development assistance in Fiscal Year 2011 
is approximately $2.8 million. The amount of grant funds available for 
renewable energy system feasibility studies in Fiscal Year 2011 is $2.0 
million. The budget authority available for renewable energy system and 
energy efficiency improvement projects in Fiscal Year 2011 is $51.2 
million. For renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement 
projects only, there will be an allocation of funds to each State, and 
the Rural Development's National Office will maintain a reserve of 
funds.
    In order to ensure that small projects have a fair opportunity to 
compete for the funding and are consistent with the priorities set 
forth in the statute, the Agency will set-aside $14 million of the $70 
million budget authority available to fund grants of $20,000 or less.
    B. Approximate number of awards: The number of awards will depend 
on the number of eligible applicants participating in this program.
    C. State and National competitions. Renewable energy system and 
energy efficiency improvement applications for Fiscal Year 2011 funds 
will compete for funds allocated to their State (State competition) as 
described under the competition deadline in this Notice. All unfunded 
eligible State applications will be competed against other applications 
from other States at a final National competition. Separate 
competitions will be held on guaranteed loan only applications and on 
grant only and grant and guaranteed loan combination applications for 
both State and National competitions. If funds remain after the 
National guaranteed loan only application competition, the Agency may 
elect to utilize budget authority to fund additional grant only and 
grant and guaranteed loan combination applications in the National 
competition.
    D. Type of instrument. Grant, guaranteed loan, and grant/guaranteed 
loan combinations.
    E. Funding limitations. The following funding limitations apply to 
applications submitted under to this Notice.
    (1) Maximum grant assistance to an individual or entity. For the 
purposes of this Notice, the maximum amount of grant assistance to one 
individual or entity will not exceed $750,000 for Fiscal Year 2011 
based on the total amount of renewable energy system,

[[Page 20946]]

energy efficiency improvement, and renewable energy feasibility study 
grants awarded to the individual or entity under the Rural Energy for 
America Program.
    (2) Maximum percentage of Agency funding. The 2008 Farm Bill 
mandates the maximum percentages of funding that USDA Rural Development 
will provide. Within the maximum funding amounts specified in this 
Notice, renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement 
funding approved for guaranteed loan only requests and for combination 
guaranteed loan and grant requests will not exceed 75 percent of 
eligible project costs, with the grant portion not to exceed 25 percent 
of total eligible project costs, whether the grant is part of a 
combination request or is a stand-alone grant.
    (3) Reallocation of grants funds. Based on the quality of the 
applications received under this Notice and subject to statutory 
limitations, the Agency reserves the right, at its discretion, to move 
funds among the various grant allocations identified under Section 
II.A. of this Notice.
    (4) Renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement 
grant-only applications. For renewable energy system grants, the 
minimum grant is $2,500 and the maximum is $500,000. For energy 
efficiency improvement grants, the minimum grant is $1,500 and the 
maximum grant is $250,000.
    (5) Renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement loan 
guarantee-only applications. For renewable energy system and energy 
efficiency improvement loan guarantees, the minimum guaranteed loan 
amount is $5,000 and the maximum amount of a guarantee to be provided 
to a borrower is $25 million.
    (6) Renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement 
guaranteed loan and grant combination applications. Funding for grant 
and loan combination packages for renewable energy systems and energy 
efficiency improvement projects are subject to the funding limitations 
specified in Section II.E.(2). The maximum amount for the grant portion 
is $500,000 for renewable energy systems and $250,000 for energy 
efficiency improvements. The minimum amount of the grant portion is 
$1,500 for either renewable energy systems or energy efficiency 
improvements. For the guarantee portion, the maximum amount is $25 
million and the minimum amount is $5,000.
    (7) Renewable energy system feasibility study grant applications. 
The maximum amount of grant funds that will be made available for an 
eligible feasibility study project under this subpart to any one 
recipient will not exceed $50,000 or 25 percent of the total eligible 
project cost of the study, whichever is less.
    (8) Energy audit and renewable energy development assistance grant 
applications. The maximum aggregate amount of energy audit and 
renewable energy development assistance grants awarded to any one 
recipient under this Notice cannot exceed $100,000. In addition, the 
2008 Farm Bill mandates that the recipient of a grant that conducts an 
energy audit for an agricultural producer or a rural small business 
require the agricultural producer or rural small business to pay at 
least 25 percent of the cost of the energy audit, which shall be 
retained by the eligible entity for the cost of the audit.

III. Eligibility Information

    A. Eligible applicants. To be eligible for this program, an 
applicant must meet the eligibility requirements specified in 7 CFR 
4280.109, 7 CFR 4280.110(c), and, as applicable, 7 CFR 4280.112, 7 CFR 
4280.122, 7 CFR 4280.170, or 7 CFR 4280.186.
    B. Eligible lenders. To be eligible for this program, lenders must 
meet the eligibility requirements in 7 CFR 4280.130.
    C. Eligible projects. To be eligible for this program, a project 
must meet the eligibility requirements specified in 7 CFR 4280.113, 7 
CFR 4280.123, 7 CFR 4280.171, and 7 CFR 4280.187, as applicable.

IV. Fiscal Year 2011 Application and Submission Information

    Applicants seeking to participate in this program must submit 
applications in accordance with this Notice and 7 CFR part 4280, 
subpart B, as applicable. Applicants must submit complete applications 
in order to be considered.

A. Where To Obtain Applications

    Applicants may obtain applications from any USDA Rural Development 
Energy Coordinator, as provided in the ADDRESSES section of this 
Notice. In addition, for grant applications, applicants may access the 
electronic grant application for the Rural Energy for America Program 
at http://www.Grants.gov. To locate the downloadable application 
package for this program, the applicant must use the program's CFDA 
Number 10.868 or FedGrants Funding Opportunity Number, which can be 
found at http://www.Grants.gov.
    When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about 
submitting an application electronically through the site. To use 
Grants.gov, all applicants must have a Dun and Bradstreet Data 
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number (unless the applicant is an 
individual), which can be obtained at no cost via a toll-free request 
line at 1-866-705-5711 or online at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. USDA 
Rural Development strongly recommends that applicants do not wait until 
the application deadline date to begin the application process through 
Grants.gov.

B. When To Submit

    Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grant and 
Combined Grant and Guaranteed Loan Applications. Grant applications and 
combined grant and guaranteed loan applications for renewable energy 
systems and energy efficiency improvement projects under this Notice 
will be accepted up to June 15, 2011. Complete applications under this 
Notice must be received by the appropriate USDA Rural Development State 
Office no later than 4:30 p.m. local time on June 15, 2011, in order to 
be considered for Fiscal Year 2011 funds. Any application received 
after this date and time, regardless of the postmark on the 
application, will not be considered for Fiscal Year 2011 funds.
    Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement 
Guaranteed Loan Only Applications. Guaranteed loan only applications 
for renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement projects 
will be accepted on a continuous basis, but to be considered for Fiscal 
Year 2011 funds, complete applications must be received by the 
appropriate USDA Rural Development State Office no later than 4:30 p.m. 
local time on June 15, 2011. Any application received after this date 
and time, regardless of the postmark on the application, will be 
considered for Fiscal Year 2012 funds.
    Renewable Energy System Feasibility Study Applications. 
Applications for RES feasibility study grants under this Notice will be 
accepted up to June 30, 2011. Complete applications under this Notice 
must be received at the appropriate State Office by 4:30 p.m. local 
time on June 30, 2011, in order to be considered for Fiscal Year 2011 
funds. Any application received after this date and time, regardless of 
the application's postmark, will not be considered for Fiscal Year 2011 
funds.
    Energy Audits and Renewable Energy Development Assistance 
Applications. Applications for EA and REDA grants under this Notice 
will be accepted up to June 30, 2011. Complete applications

[[Page 20947]]

under this Notice must be received at the appropriate State Office by 
4:30 p.m. local time on June 30, 2011, in order to be considered for 
Fiscal Year 2011 funds. Any application received after this date and 
time, regardless of the application's postmark, will not be considered 
for Fiscal Year 2011 funds.

C. Where To Submit

    All renewable energy system, energy efficiency improvement, and 
renewable energy system feasibility study applications are to be 
submitted to the USDA Rural Development Energy Coordinator in the State 
in which the applicant's proposed project is located. All energy audit 
and renewable energy development assistance applications are to be 
submitted to the USDA Rural Development Energy Coordinator in the State 
in which the applicant's principal office is located. A list of USDA 
Rural Development Energy Coordinators is provided in the ADDRESSES 
section of this Notice. Alternatively, for grant only applications, 
applicants may submit their electronic applications to the Agency via 
the Grants.gov Web site.

D. How To Submit

    Applicants may submit their applications either as hard copy or 
electronically as specified in the following paragraphs. When 
submitting an application as hard copy, applicants must submit one 
original and one copy of the complete application.
    (1) Grant applications. All grant applications may be submitted 
either as hard copy to the appropriate Rural Development Energy 
Coordinator or electronically using the Government-wide Grants.gov Web 
site. Users of Grants.gov who download a copy of the application 
package may complete it off line and then upload and submit the 
application via the Grants.gov site, including all information 
typically included on the application, and all necessary assurances and 
certifications. After electronically submitting an application through 
the Web site, the applicant will receive an automated acknowledgement 
from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number.
    (2) Guaranteed loan applications. Guaranteed loan only applications 
(i.e., those that are not part of a guaranteed loan/grant combination 
request) must be submitted as hard copy.
    (3) Guaranteed loan/grant combination applications. Applications 
for guaranteed loans/grants (combination applications) must be 
submitted as hard copy.

E. Other Submission Requirements and Information

    (1) Application restrictions. Applicants may apply for only one 
renewable energy system project and one energy efficiency improvement 
project in Fiscal Year 2011. A renewable energy system application 
cannot be submitted in Fiscal Year 2011 if a REAP feasibility study 
grant application for the same renewable energy system is submitted in 
Fiscal Year 2011 and vice versa.
    Applicants may apply for only one renewable energy system 
feasibility study grant under this Notice for Fiscal Year 2011 funds.
    Applicants may only submit one energy audit grant application and 
one renewable energy development assistance grant application for 
Fiscal Year 2011 funds.
    (2) Environmental information. For the Agency to consider an 
application, the application must include all environmental review 
documents with supporting documentation in accordance with 7 CFR part 
1940, subpart G. Applications for financial assistance for planning 
purposes or management and feasibility studies are typically 
categorically excluded from the environmental review process by 7 CFR 
1940.310(e)(1).
    (3) Original signatures. USDA Rural Development may request that 
the applicant provide original signatures on forms submitted through 
Grants.gov at a later date.
    (4) Award considerations. In determining the amount of a renewable 
energy system or energy efficiency improvement grant or loan guarantee, 
the Agency will consider the six criteria specified in 7 CFR 
4280.115(g) or 7 CFR 4280.124(f), as applicable.
    (5) Hybrid projects. If the application is for a hybrid project, 
technical reports, as required under 7 CFR 4280.116(b)(7), must be 
prepared for each technology that comprises the hybrid project.
    (6) Multiple facilities. Applicants may submit a single application 
that proposes to apply the same renewable energy system (including the 
same hybrid project) or energy efficiency improvement across multiple 
facilities. For example, a rural small business owner owns five retail 
stores and wishes to install solar panels on each store. The rural 
small business owner may submit a single application for installing the 
solar panels on the five stores. However, if this same owner wishes to 
install solar panels on three of the five stores and wind turbines for 
the other two stores, the owner can only submit an application for 
either the solar panels or for the wind turbines in the same fiscal 
year.

V. Program Provisions

    This section of the Notice identifies the provisions of the interim 
rule applicable to each type of funding available under REAP.

A. General

    The provisions specified in 7 CFR 4280.101 through 4280.111 apply 
to this Notice.

B. Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Project 
Grants

    In addition to the other provisions of this Notice, the 
requirements specified in 7 CFR 4280.112 through 4820.121 apply to 
renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement projects 
grants.

C. Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Project 
Guaranteed Loans

    In addition to the other provisions of this Notice, the 
requirements specified in 7 CFR 4280.122 through 4820.160 apply to 
guaranteed loans for renewable energy system and energy efficiency 
improvement projects. For Fiscal Year 2011, the guarantee fee amount is 
1 percent of the guaranteed portion of the loan and the annual renewal 
fee is 0.250 percent (one-quarter of one percent) of the guaranteed 
portion of the loan.

D. Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Project 
Grant and Guaranteed Loan Combined Requests

    In addition to the other provisions of this Notice, the 
requirements specified in 7 CFR 4280.165 apply to a combined grant and 
guaranteed loan for renewable energy system and energy efficiency 
improvement projects.

E. Renewable Energy System Feasibility Study Grants

    In addition to the other provisions of this Notice, the 
requirements specified in 7 CFR 4280.170 through 4820.182 apply to 
renewable energy system feasibility study grants.

F. Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Assistance Grants

    In addition to the other provisions of this Notice, the 
requirements specified in 7 CFR 4280.186 through 4820.196 apply to 
energy audit and renewable energy development assistance grants.

G. Resubmittal of Fiscal Year 2010 Renewable Energy System and Energy 
Efficiency Improvement Applications

    If an applicant or lender submitted an application for funding in 
Fiscal Year

[[Page 20948]]

2010 and that application was determined eligible but was not funded, 
the Agency will consider that Fiscal Year 2010 application for funding 
in Fiscal Year 2011 as provided in this section.
    (1) Written request. An applicant or lender must submit a written 
request for the Agency to consider its Fiscal Year 2010 application for 
Fiscal Year 2011 funds. For a guarantee loan and grant combination 
application, both the lender and applicant must submit the written 
request to the Agency in order to be considered for Fiscal Year 2011 
funds.
    (i) Except for simplified applications, applicants must provide 
current financial statements that meet the program requirements 
outlined in 7 CFR 4280.116(b)(4) with the written request.
    (ii) Written requests to consider Fiscal Year 2010 applications for 
Fiscal Year 2011 funds may be submitted at any time during Fiscal Year 
2011 up to and including 4:30 pm local time on June 15, 2011, to be 
considered for Fiscal Year 2011 funds. Written requests received after 
this time and date will not be accepted by the Agency and the 
applicant's Fiscal Year 2010 application will not be considered for 
Fiscal Year 2011 funds.
    (2) Revisions to Fiscal Year 2010 applications. If an applicant 
makes any revision to its Fiscal Year 2010 application that are not 
necessitated by the REAP interim rule, a new application meeting the 
requirements of this Notice must be submitted in order to be considered 
for Fiscal Year 2011 funds and a new date the complete application was 
received will be recorded. However, if a revision to the Fiscal Year 
2010 application is necessitated by the REAP interim rule or the Agency 
requests an update of information in the original application (for 
example, required current financial statements), there will be no 
change in the date the complete application was received.
    (3) No revisions to Fiscal Year 2010 applications. If an applicant 
does not plan to make any revisions to its Fiscal Year 2010 
application, a new application is not required and the date the 
complete application was received remains unchanged from its original 
Fiscal Year 2010 receipt date.
    H. Award Process. In addition to the process for awarding funding 
under 7 CFR 4280, subpart B, the Agency will make awards using the 
following considerations:
    (1) Funding renewable energy system and energy efficiency 
improvement grant and grant/guaranteed loan awards. Considering the 
availability of funds, the Agency will fund those grant only 
applications and grant/guaranteed loan applications that score the 
highest based on the grant score of the application; that is, the grant 
score an application receives will be compared to the grant scores of 
other applications, with higher scoring applications receiving first 
consideration for funding.
    (2) Guaranteed loan only awards. Considering the availability of 
funds, the Agency will fund those guaranteed loan only applications 
that score the highest compared to the scores of other applications, 
with higher scoring applications receiving first consideration for 
funding.
    (3) Evaluation criteria. Agency personnel will score each 
application based on the evaluation criteria specified in 7 CFR 
4280.117(c), 7 CFR 4280.129(c), 7 CFR 4280.178, or 7 CFR 4280.192, as 
applicable.
    For hybrid applications, each technical report will be evaluated 
and scored based on its own merit. The scores for the technologies will 
be consolidated using a weighted average approach based on the 
percentage of the cost for each system to the total project cost.
    Example: A hybrid project contains a wind and solar photovoltaic 
components. The wind system will cost the $30,000 (75 percent of total 
eligible project cost) and the solar will cost $10,000 (25 percent of 
total eligible project cost). The wind technical report was evaluated 
and assigned a total score of 22 points, while the solar report was 
evaluated and assigned a total score of 31 points. In this scenario, 
the final technical score would be assigned as follows: (22 x 75 
percent) + (31 x 25 percent) = 24.25.
    (4) Applications that receive the same score. If applications score 
the same and if remaining funds are insufficient to fund each such 
application, the Agency will distribute the remaining funds to each 
such application on a pro-rata basis.

VI. Administration Information

A. Notifications

    (1) Applicants. The notification provisions of 7 CFR 4280.111 apply 
to this Notice.
    (2) Lenders. The notification provisions of 7 CFR 4280.129(a) apply 
to this Notice.

B. Administrative and National Policy requirements

    (1) Exception authority. The provisions of 7 CFR 4280.104 apply to 
this Notice.
    (2) Appeals. A person may seek a review of an Agency decision or 
appeal to the National Appeals Division in accordance with 7 CFR 
4280.105.
    (3) Conflict of interest. The provisions of 7 CFR 4280.106 apply to 
this Notice.
    (4) USDA Departmental Regulations and other laws that contains 
other compliance requirements. The provisions of 7 CFR 4280.107 and 7 
CFR 4280.108 apply to this Notice.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For assistance on this program, please contact a USDA Rural 
Development Energy Coordinator, as provided in the Addresses section of 
this Notice.

VIII. Nondiscrimination Statement

    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 Adjudication and Compliance, 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: April 1, 2011.
Dallas Tonsager,
Under Secretary, Rural Development.
[FR Doc. 2011-8456 Filed 4-13-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P