[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 86 (Monday, May 5, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25564-25569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10054]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


Notice of Funding Availability for the Rural Energy for America 
Program

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

[[Page 25565]]


ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) announces the 
acceptance of applications under the Rural Energy for America Program 
(REAP) for Fiscal Year 2014 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. The Notice also announces the 
availability of mandatory budget authority carried over from Fiscal 
Year 2013 of approximately $24.7 million and $3.5 million of 
discretionary budget authority made available by Fiscal Year 2014 
appropriations. The budget authority will support the above referenced 
REAP activities, for approximately $12.38 million in grant program 
level and approximately $57.8 million in guaranteed loan program level. 
The funding being announced does not include mandatory funding provided 
by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill). The Rural Business-
Cooperative Service (Agency) intends to publish a final rule for REAP 
later this fiscal year. The final rule will modify the interim rule for 
REAP based on comments received on the interim rule, which was 
published in the Federal Register on April 14, 2011 (76 FR 21110), and 
the proposed rule, which was published on April 12, 2013 (78 FR 22044). 
The Agency will publish a subsequent notice announcing the mandatory 
funds for fiscal year 2014 provided by the 2014 Farm Bill 
simultaneously with the final rule.
    The 2014 Farm Bill repealed the authority for the feasibility study 
component of REAP and also removed the ability to provide assistance 
for flexible fuel pumps. Therefore applications for flexible fuel pumps 
and feasibility studies will not be determined eligible or awarded 
funds in Fiscal Year 2014 under REAP.

DATES: In order to be considered for Fiscal Year 2014 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: 
July 7, 2014.
    For renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement 
guaranteed loan only applications: On a continuous basis up to July 31, 
2014.

ADDRESSES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for addresses concerning 
applications for REAP for Fiscal Year 2014 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. Email: [email protected].
    For further information on this program, please contact the 
applicable USDA Rural Development Energy Coordinator for your 
respective State, as identified via the following link: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_Energy_CoordinatorList.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Fiscal Year 2014 Applications for the Rural Energy for America Program

    Applications. Application materials may be obtained by contacting 
one of Rural Development's Energy Coordinators, as identified via the 
following link: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_Energy_CoordinatorList.html. In addition, for grant applications, applicants 
may obtain electronic grant applications for REAP from http://www.Grants.gov.
    Application Submittal. Submit complete paper applications to the 
Rural Development State Office in the State in which the applicant's 
proposed project is located.
    Submit electronic grant only applications at http://www.Grants.gov, 
following the instructions found on this Web site.

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.

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 (CFDA) 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 July 7, 
2014. Guaranteed loan only applications for renewable energy system and 
energy efficiency improvement projects will be accepted on a continuous 
basis, but to compete for Fiscal Year 2014 funding, complete 
applications must be submitted to the Agency by July 31, 2014.
    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 
2014 funds. Any application received after its applicable date and 
time, regardless of the postmark on the application, will not be 
considered for Fiscal Year 2014 funds.
    Availability of Notice. This Notice is available through the USDA 
Rural Development Web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/Energy.html.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    A. Purpose of the Rural Energy for America Program. 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 
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 funds available for renewable 
energy systems and energy efficiency improvements in Fiscal Year 2014 
will be approximately $12.38 million in mandatory grant program level 
and approximately $57.8 million in guaranteed loan program level. For 
renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement grant 
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. To ensure compliance with 7 U.S.C. 8107-(e), the Agency will use 
not less than 20 percent of the funds made available to REAP in Fiscal 
Year 2014 to fund grants of $20,000 or less.
    B. Approximate Number of Awards. The number of awards will depend 
on amount of funds made available and on the number of eligible 
applicants participating in this program.

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    C. State and National Competitions. Renewable energy system and 
energy efficiency improvement applications for Fiscal Year 2014 funds 
will compete for funds allocated to their State for competition. 
Separate competitions will be held for (1) grant only and grant and 
guaranteed loan combination applications; and (2) guaranteed loan only 
applications. Grant only and grant and guaranteed loan combination 
applications will have one State competition. All unfunded eligible 
grant only and grant and guaranteed loan combination applications 
received by July 7, 2014, will be competed against other grant only and 
grant and guaranteed loan combination applications from other States at 
a final national competition. National competitions will be held 
monthly for guaranteed loan only applications. A minimum score of 50 is 
required for guaranteed loan only applications to compete in the 
National competitions. Finally, all unfunded eligible guaranteed loan 
only applications received by July 31, 2014, will be competed against 
other guaranteed loan only applications from other States at a final 
national competition if the guaranteed loan reserves have not been 
completely depleted. If funds remain after the final guaranteed loan 
only national competition, the Agency may elect to utilize budget 
authority to fund additional grant only and grant and guaranteed loan 
combination applications that competed 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 this Notice.
    (1) Maximum grant assistance to an entity. For the purposes of this 
Notice, the maximum amount of grant assistance to an entity will not 
exceed $750,000 for Fiscal Year 2014 based on the total amount of 
renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement grants 
awarded to an entity under REAP.
    (2) Maximum percentage of Agency funding. The Food, Conservation, 
and Energy Act of 2008, Public Law 110-234, 122 Stat. 93 (May 22, 2008) 
(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) 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.
    (4) 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 guaranteed loan to be 
provided to a borrower is $25 million.
    (5) 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.
    F. Universal Identifier and System for Awards Management (SAM). 
Unless exempt under 2 CFR 25.110, all applicants must:
    (1) Be registered in the SAM prior to submitting an application or 
plan;
    (2) Maintain an active SAM registration with current information at 
all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application 
or plan under consideration by the Agency; and
    (3) Provide its Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System 
(DUNS) number in each application or plan it submits to the Agency.
    (4) At the time the Agency is ready to make an award, if the 
applicant has not complied with paragraph F(1) through F(3) of this 
section, the Agency may determine the applicant is not eligible to 
receive the award.
    G. Transparency Act Reporting. All recipients of Federal financial 
assistance are required to report information about first-tier 
subawards and executive compensation in accordance with 2 CFR part 170. 
So long as an entity applicant does not have an exception under 2 CFR 
170.110(b), the applicant must have the necessary processes and systems 
in place to comply with the reporting requirements should the applicant 
receive funding. See 2 CFR 170.200(b).

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, or 7 
CFR 4280.122.
    For the purpose of this Notice, and in addition to meeting the 
small business size determination as defined under small business in 7 
CFR 4280.103, rural small business applicants must demonstrate that the 
majority (i.e., 51 percent or more) of their past 3 years' annual 
receipts from their business operation are derived from a rural area. 
If the rural small business applicant has not engaged in business 
operations for the past 3 years, then information for as long as the 
rural small business applicant has been in business must be submitted. 
To ensure that there is sufficient information for the Agency to make 
this determination, rural small business applicants, as part of their 
application requirements in 7 CFR 4280.116(b)(3)(v)(A), should list the 
physical address, total annual receipts, and number of employees for 
each urban or rural location. The Agency will make this determination 
for rural small business applicants that do not have any annual 
receipts (new businesses only) on the location of the rural small 
business applicant.
    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, and 
7 CFR 4280.123, as applicable.

IV. Fiscal Year 2014 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 
containing all parts necessary for the Agency to determine applicant 
and project eligibility, to score the application, and to conduct the 
technical evaluation, as applicable in order to be considered. Due to 
the competitive nature of this program, information received by the 
Agency, that would impact the priority score and ranking of an 
application in Fiscal Year 2014 competitions cannot be considered

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by the Agency if received after the dates published in the Dates 
section of this Notice.

A. Where To Obtain Applications

    Applicants may obtain applications from any USDA Rural Development 
Energy Coordinator, as identified via the following link: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_Energy_CoordinatorList.html. In addition, for 
grant applications, applicants may access the electronic grant 
application for REAP 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 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

    Complete applications submitted under this Notice must be received 
by the appropriate USDA Rural Development State Office no later than 
4:30 p.m. local time on the applicable date as identified in the DATES 
section of this Notice, in order to be considered for Fiscal Year 2014 
funds. Any application received after 4:30 p.m. local time on the 
applicable date, regardless of the postmark on the application, will 
not be considered for Fiscal Year 2014 funds.

C. Where To Submit

    All renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement 
applications are to be submitted to the USDA Rural Development Energy 
Coordinator in the State in which the applicant's proposed project is 
located. A list of USDA Rural Development Energy Coordinators is 
available via the following link: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_Energy_CoordinatorList.html. 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.
    (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 2014.
    (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. Any required environmental review must be completed in 
full prior to obligation of funds or the approval of the application.
    (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) Form AD 2106. Each applicant is requested to submit Form AD 
2106, ``Form to Assist in Assessment of USDA Compliance with Civil 
Rights Laws,'' with their application. This form requests information 
on the applicant's race, ethnicity, and gender. The information 
contained in this form will allow the Agency to evaluate its outreach 
efforts to under-served and under-represented populations. Applicants 
are encouraged to furnish this form and the information requested with 
their application, but are not required to do so. Not furnishing this 
information will neither affect an applicant's eligibility nor the 
likelihood of an applicant receiving an award.
    This form is available from any USDA Rural Development Energy 
Coordinator, as identified via the following link: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_Energy_CoordinatorList.html, and from http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/eForms/welcomeAction.do?Home.
    (5) 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.
    (6) 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.
    (7) 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 7 CFR 4280, 
subpart B 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 4280.121 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 4280.160

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apply to guaranteed loans for renewable energy system and energy 
efficiency improvement projects. For Fiscal Year 2014, 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 1 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. Any applicant that submits a combined grant and 
guaranteed loan application will not be allowed to modify their 
application to a grant only or guaranteed loan only application after 
the applicable submission date and time, as identified in the DATES 
section of this Notice, and remain eligible for Fiscal Year 2014 funds.

E. Resubmittal of Fiscal Year 2013 Renewable Energy System and Energy 
Efficiency Improvement Applications

    If an application for a project was submitted for the first time in 
Fiscal Year 2013 and that initial application was determined eligible 
but was not funded, the Agency will consider that initial Fiscal Year 
2013 application for funding in Fiscal Year 2014 as provided in this 
section. If an applicant has already re-submitted in an earlier fiscal 
year (i.e. initial application was submitted in Fiscal Year 2012 or 
earlier), the applicant must submit a new application meeting the 
requirements of this Notice in order to be considered for Fiscal Year 
2014 funds for that project and a new submission date of record will be 
established.
    (1) Written request. An applicant must submit a written request for 
the Agency to consider its Fiscal Year 2013 application for Fiscal Year 
2014 funds.
    (i) For a guaranteed 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 2014 funds.
    (ii) Except for simplified applications, the applicant must 
provide, with the written request, the applicant's current balance 
sheet and income statement that meets the program requirements outlined 
in 7 CFR 4280.116(b)(4). Notwithstanding the requirements outlined in 7 
CFR 4280.116(b)(4), the current balance sheet and income statement must 
not be more than 90 days old relative to the date the applicant submits 
the written request.
    (iii) The Agency is requesting that each applicant submit Form AD 
2106, ``Form to Assist in Assessment of USDA Compliance with Civil 
Rights Laws,'' with their written request. This form requests 
information on the applicant's race, ethnicity, and gender. The 
information contained in this form will allow the Agency to evaluate 
its outreach efforts to under-served and under-represented populations. 
Applicants are encouraged to furnish this form and the information 
requested with their application, but are not required to do so. An 
applicant's eligibility or the likelihood of receiving an award will 
not be impacted by furnishing or not furnishing this information. This 
form is available from any USDA Rural Development Energy Coordinator, 
as provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this Notice, 
and from http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/eForms/welcomeAction.do?Home.
    (iv) Written requests to consider Fiscal Year 2013 applications for 
Fiscal Year 2014 funds may be submitted at any time during Fiscal Year 
2014, by the applicable submission date and time, identified in the 
DATES section of this Notice. Written requests received after the 
identified time and date will not be accepted by the Agency and the 
applicant's Fiscal Year 2013 application will not be considered for 
Fiscal Year 2014 funds and be withdrawn.
    (2) Balance sheet and income statements. Upon receipt of the 
balance sheet and income statements required under paragraph E(1)(ii) 
of this Notice, the Agency will determine whether there is any change 
to the application's score. If there is a change to the application's 
score, then the provisions specified in paragraph E(3) apply. If there 
is no change to the application's score, then the provisions of either 
paragraph E(3) or E(4) apply as applicable.
    (3) Revisions/change in score to Fiscal Year 2013 applications. If 
an applicant plans to make any revisions to its Fiscal Year 2013 
application or if the current balance sheet and income statement 
submitted under paragraph E(1)(ii) of this Notice results in a change 
to the application's score (even if no other revisions to the Fiscal 
Year 2013 application are planned), a new application meeting the 
requirements of this Notice must be submitted in order to be considered 
for Fiscal Year 2014 funds and a new submission date of record will be 
established.
    (4) No revisions/changes in score to Fiscal Year 2013 applications. 
If an applicant does not plan to make any revisions to its Fiscal Year 
2013 application and the current balance and income statement submitted 
under paragraph E(1)(ii) of this Notice does not result in a change to 
the application's score, a new application is not required and the 
submission date of record remains unchanged from its original Fiscal 
Year 2013 submittal date.

F. 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), or 7 CFR 4280.129(c), 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 eligible project 
cost.

    Example: A hybrid project contains a wind and solar photovoltaic 
components. The wind system will cost $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 may distribute the remaining funds to a

[[Page 25569]]

lower scoring application. Before this occurs, the Agency will provide 
the applicants of the higher scoring applications the opportunity to 
reduce the amount of the applicants' request to the amount of funds 
available. If the applicant(s) agrees to lower their request, the 
applicant(s) must certify that the purposes of the project will be met 
and provide the remaining total funds needed to complete the project. 
At its discretion, the Agency may also elect to allow the remaining 
funds to be carried over to the next fiscal year rather than selecting 
a lower scoring application or distributing funds 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 identified via the following link: 
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_Energy_CoordinatorList.html.

VIII. 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: April 18, 2014.
Andrew Jermolowicz,
Acting Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-10054 Filed 5-2-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P