[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40092-40095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16079]



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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


Inviting Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program Applications for 
Grants To Provide 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 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development mission 
area, announces the availability of three individual grants: two single 
grants not to exceed $929,111 together from the rural transportation 
funds appropriated for the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) 
program and another single $232,278 grant for Federally Recognized 
Native American Tribes' (FRNATs) (collectively ``Programs'') 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) 
2013. Each grant is to be competitively awarded to an eligible 
applicant which is a qualified national non-profit organization. Two 
grants are for the provision of technical assistance to rural 
transportation (RT) projects and the other grant will be for the 
provision of technical assistance to RT projects operated by FRNAT's 
only.
    All applicants are responsible for any expenses incurred in 
developing their applications.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of applications in the USDA Rural 
Development State Office is no later than 4:30 p.m. (local time) on 
September 3, 2013. Applications received at a USDA Rural Development 
State Office after that date will not be considered for FY 2013 
funding.

ADDRESSES: Entities wishing to apply for assistance should contact the 
appropriate USDA Rural Development State Office to receive copies of 
the application package. A list of the USDA Rural Development State 
Offices addresses and telephone numbers are as follows:

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 85003-1706, (602) 280-8701/TDD (602) 280-8705.

Arkansas

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, 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, Agency 
4169, Davis, CA 95616-4169, (530) 792-5800/TDD (530) 792-5848.

Colorado

USDA Rural Development State Office, Denver Federal Center, Building 
56, Room 2300, P.O. Box 25426, Denver, CO 80225-0426, (720) 544-2903/
TDD (800) 659-3656.

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) 338-3402/TDD (352) 338-3499.

Georgia

USDA Rural Development State Office, Stephens Federal Building, 355 E. 
Hancock Avenue, Stop 300, Athens, GA 30601-2768, (706) 546-2162/TDD 
(706) 546-2034.

Hawaii/Guam/American Samoa/

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands/, Republic of Palau/
Federated States of Micronesia/, Republic of the Marshall Islands, 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 West 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 ext. 4/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 SW 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, 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, Ste 831, 100 
West Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39269, (601) 965-4316/TDD (601) 965-
5850.

Missouri

USDA Rural Development State Office, 601 Business Loop 70 West, Parkade 
Ctr., Suite 235, Columbia, MO 65203, (573) 876-0976/TDD (573) 876-9480.

Montana

USDA Rural Development State Office, 2229 Boot Hill Court, P.O. Box 
850,

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Bozeman, MT 59715, (406) 585-2530/TDD (406) 585-2562.

Nebraska

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

Nevada

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1390 South Curry Street, Carson 
City, NV 89703-9910, (775) 887-1222/TDD (775) 885-0633.

New Jersey

USDA Rural Development State Office, 5th floor North, Ste 500, 8000 
Midlantic Drive, 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) 761-4953/TDD (505) 761-4938.

New York

USDA Rural Development State Office, 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 N. 
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 Boulevard, Suite 
801, Portland, OR 97232, (503) 414-3366/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, Ste 601, 654 Munoz 
Rivera Avenue, San Juan, PR 00936-6106, (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 
4th 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 37203-1071, (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) 524-4324/TDD (801) 524-3309.

Vermont/New Hampshire

USDA Rural Development State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor, 87 Main 
Street, Suite 324, P.O. Box 249, Montpelier, VT 05601, (802) 828-6031/
TDD (802) 223-6365.

Virginia

USDA Rural Development State Office, Culpeper Building, Ste 238, 1606 
Santa Rosa Road, Richmond, VA 23229, (804) 287-1551/TDD (804) 287-1753.

Washington

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

West Virginia

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1550 Earl Core Road, Suite 101, 
Morgantown, WV 26505, (304) 284-4860/TDD (304) 284-4836.

Wisconsin

USDA Rural Development State Office, 5417 Clem's Way, Stevens Point, WI 
54482, (715) 345-7671/TDD (715) 345-7614.

Wyoming

USDA Rural Development State Office, 100 East B Street, Room 1005, P.O. 
Box 11005, Casper, WY 82601, (307) 233-6700/TDD (307) 233-6733.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact the USDA Rural 
Development State Office provided in the ADDRESSES section of this 
Notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview

    Federal Agency: Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
    Solicitation Opportunity Title: Rural Business Enterprise Grants.
    Announcement Type: Initial Solicitation Announcement.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.769.
    Dates: Application Deadline: Completed applications must be 
received in the USDA Rural Development State Office no later than 4:30 
p.m. (local time) on September 3, 2013, to be eligible for FY 2013 
grant funding. Applications received after this date will not be 
eligible for FY 2013 grant funding.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    A. Purpose of the Program. The purpose of this program is to 
improve the economic conditions of rural areas.
    B. Statutory Authority. This programs is authorized under section 
310B(c) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT) (7 
U.S.C. 1932(c)). Regulations are contained in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart 
G. The program is administered on behalf of RBS at the State level by 
the USDA Rural Development State Offices. Assistance provided to rural 
areas under the Programs may include the provision of on-site technical 
assistance to local and regional governments, public transit agencies, 
and related non-profit 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. Information required to be in the application package 
includes Forms SF 424, ``Application for Federal

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Assistance;'' Form RD 1940-20, ``Request for Environmental 
Information;'' Scope of Work Narrative; Income Statement; Balance Sheet 
or Audit for previous 3 years; AD-1047, ``Debarment/Suspension 
Certification;'' AD-1048, ``Certification Regarding Debarment, 
Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion;'' AD-1049, 
``Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements;'' SF LLL, 
``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities;'' RD 400-1, ``Equal Opportunity 
Agreement;'' RD 400-4, ``Assurance Agreement;'' a letter stating Board 
authorization to obtain assistance; and a letter certifying 
citizenship, as referenced in 7 CFR 1942.307(b). For the FRNAT grant, 
which must benefit FRNATs, at least 75 percent of the benefits of the 
project must be received by members of FRNATs. The project that scores 
the greatest number of points based on the RBEG selection criteria and 
the discretionary points will be selected for each grant.
    Applicants must be qualified national non-profit organizations with 
experience in providing technical assistance and training to rural 
communities Nation-wide 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 RT assistance programming Nation-wide. There is not a 
requirement to use the grant funds in a multi-State area. Grants will 
be made to qualified national non-profit organizations for the 
provision of technical assistance and training to rural communities for 
the purpose of improving passenger transportation services or 
facilities.

Definitions

    C. Definition of Terms. The definitions applicable to this Notice 
are published at 7 CFR 1942.304.
    D. Application awards. The Agency will review, evaluate, and score 
applications received in response to this Notice based on the 
provisions in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G and as indicated in this 
Notice. However, the Agency advises all interested parties that the 
applicant bears the burden in preparing and submitting an application 
in response to this Notice whether or not funding is appropriated for 
these programs in FY 2013.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Grant.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2013.
    Total Funding: $1,161,389.
    Approximate Number of Awards: Three.
    Average Award: Two single grants not to exceed $929,111 together 
and another single $232,278 grant for FRNAT's.
    Anticipated Award Date: October 16, 2013, subject to the 
availability of funding.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

    To be considered eligible, an entity must be a qualified national 
non-profit organization serving rural areas as evidenced in its 
organizational documents and demonstrated experience. Grants will be 
competitively awarded to qualified national non-profit organizations. 
As mentioned later in this Notice, regarding corporate felony 
convictions and corporate Federal tax delinquencies, applicants that 
are not delinquent on any Federal debt or otherwise disqualified from 
participation in this program are eligible to apply. All other 
restrictions in this Notice will apply.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

    Matching funds are not required.

C. Other Eligibility Requirements

    Applications will only be accepted from qualified national non-
profit organizations to provide technical assistance for rural 
transportation.

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. If due to a change made in the appropriations act 
for FY 2013, additional information is needed, then applicants that 
submitted complete applications prior to the application deadline will 
be provided additional time in which to provide that information.

IV. Fiscal Year 2013 Application and Submission Information:

A. Address to Request Application Package

    For further information, entities wishing to apply for assistance 
should contact the USDA Rural Development State Office provided in the 
ADDRESSES section of this Notice 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 begin the application process through Grants.gov in 
sufficient time to complete the application before the deadline date.
     You may submit all documents electronically through the 
Web 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 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, you 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 can 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.
    All applicants, whether filing applications through www.Grants.gov 
or by paper, 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 or at http://www.dnb.com.

B. Content and Form of Submission

    An application must contain all of the required elements. Each 
application received in a USDA Rural Development State Office will be 
reviewed to determine if it 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 will impact the overall 
evaluation of the application. Copies of 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G, 
will be provided by any interested applicant making a request to a USDA 
Rural Development State Office

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provided in the ADDRESSES section of 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 USDA 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.

C. Submission Dates and Times

    Application Deadline Date: No later than 4:30 p.m. (local time) 
September 3, 2013.
    Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be in the USDA Rural 
Development State Office by the deadline date.

V. Application Review Information

    RBS will score applications based on the grant selection criteria 
and weights contained in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G and will select 
grantees subject to the grantees satisfactory submission of the 
additional items required by 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G and the USDA 
Rural Development Letter of Conditions. The amount of an RT grant may 
be adjusted, in the RBS's discretion,to enable RBS to award RT grants 
to the two applications with the highest priority scores. Applicants 
selected for award who have their grant request adjusted, will have the 
opportunity to either rescind their request or modify their proposal to 
reflect the adjusted award. RBS must approve the modified proposal. RBS 
will select the next highest ranking application(s) for award when any 
initially selected application is rescinded or when RBS and the 
initially selected applicant cannot reach an agreement on a modified 
proposal.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

    Successful applicants will receive notification for funding from 
the USDA Rural Development State Office. Applicants must comply with 
all applicable statutes and regulations before the grant award will be 
approved. Unsuccessful applications will receive notification by mail.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    Additional requirements that apply to grantees selected for this 
program can be found in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G. Grantees must 
further comply with applicable provisions of 7 CFR parts 3015, 3016, 
3019, and 3052.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For general questions about this announcement, please contact your 
USDA Rural Development State Office provided in the ADDRESSES section 
of this Notice.

VIII. Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the paperwork 
burden has been cleared by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
under OMB Control Number 0570-0022.

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act

    All applicants, in accordance with 2 CFR part 25, must have a DUNS 
number, 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. 
Similarly, all applicants must be registered in the System for Award 
Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application. Applicants may 
register for the SAM at http://www.sam.gov. All recipients of Federal 
financial assistance are required to report information about first-
tier sub-awards and executive total compensation in accordance with 2 
CFR part 170.

Corporate Felony Convictions and Corporate Felony Tax Delinquencies

    Applications from corporate applicants submitted under this Notice 
must include Form AD 3030, ``Representations Regarding Felony 
Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants.'' 
Corporate applicants who receive an award under this Notice will be 
required to sign Form AD 3031, ``Assurance Regarding Felony Conviction 
or Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants.''
    Nondiscrimination Statement: The U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and 
applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, 
age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where 
applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental 
status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is 
derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic 
information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or 
funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all 
programs and/or employment activities.)
    If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of 
discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form 
(PDF), found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the 
form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information 
requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to 
us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of 
Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410, 
by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at [email protected].
    Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech 
disabilities and you wish to file either an EEO or program complaint 
please contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 
or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish).
    Persons with disabilities, who wish to file a program complaint, 
please see information above on how to contact us by mail directly or 
by email. If you require alternative means of communication for program 
information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please 
contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

    Dated: June 25, 2013.
Lillian E. Salerno,
Acting Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-16079 Filed 7-2-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P