15582 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Notices 

3. Reporting. The FAS requires 

various reports and evaluations from 

Cooperators. Reporting requirements are 

detailed in the Cooperator Program 

regulations in sections 1484.53, 1484.70, 

and 1484.72. 

VII. Agency Contact(s) 

For additional information and 

assistance, contact the Program Policy 

Staff, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Portals 

Office Building, Suite 400, Stop 1042, 

1250 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20024, phone: (202) 

720–4327; fax: (202) 720–9361, e-mail: 

ppsadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

W. Kirk Miller, 

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service 

and Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 07–1591 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Notice of Funds Availability; Inviting 

Applications for the Technical 

Assistance for Specialty Crops 

Program 

Announcement Type: New. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.604. 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) announces the 

availability of funding for the 2008 

Technical Assistance for Specialty 

Crops (TASC) Program. The intended 

effect of this notice is to solicit 

applications from the private sector and 

from government agencies for 

participation in the FY 2008 TASC 

Program. The TASC Program is 

administered by personnel of the 

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). 

DATES: See paragraph IV.3 below for a 

detailed description of relevant dates. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Entities wishing to apply for funding 

assistance should contact the Program 

Policy Staff, Foreign Agricultural 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Portals Office Building, Suite 400, 1250 

Maryland Avenue, Stop 1042, SW., 

Washington, DC 20024, phone: (202) 

720–4327, fax: (202) 720–9361, email: 

ppsadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is 

also available on the Foreign 

Agricultural Service Web site at http:// 

www.fas.usda.gov/mos/tasc/tasc.asp. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority: The TASC Program is 

authorized by section 3205 of Pub. L. 

107–171. TASC regulations appear at 7 

CPR part 1487. 

Purpose: The TASC Program is 

designed to assist U.S. organizations by 

providing funding for projects that 

address sanitary, phytosanitary, or 

related technical barriers that prohibit 

or threaten the export of U.S. specialty 

crops. U.S. specialty crops, for the 

purpose of the TASC Program, are 

defined to include all cultivated plants, 

or the products thereof, produced in the 

United States, except wheat, feed grains, 

oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, 

and tobacco. 

As a general matter, TASC Program 

projects should be designed to 

accomplish the following goals: 

• Projects should address a sanitary, 

phytosanitary, or related technical 

barrier that prohibits or threatens the 

export of U.S. specialty crops; 

• Projects should demonstrably 

benefit the represented industry and not 

a specific company or brand; and, 

• Projects must address barriers to 

U.S. specialty crops that are currently 

available on a commercial basis and for 

which barrier removal would 

predominantly benefit U.S. exports. 

Examples of expenses that CCC may 

agree to reimburse under the TASC 

Program include, but are not limited to: 

initial pre-clearance programs, export 

protocol and work plan support, 

seminars and workshops, study tours, 

field surveys, development of pest lists, 

pest and disease research, database 

development, reasonable logistical and 

administrative support, and travel and 

per diem expenses. 

II. Award Information 

In general, all qualified proposals 

received before the specified application 

deadlines will compete for funding. The 

limited funds and the range of barriers 

affecting the exports of U.S. specialty 

crops worldwide preclude CCC from 

approving large budgets for individual 

projects. In prior years, the amount of 

funding per proposal has ranged from 

$13,000 to $250,000, the maximum 

allowed. 

Applicants may submit multiple 

proposals, and applicants with 

previously approved TASC proposals 

may apply for additional funding. 

However, no TASC participant may 

have more than three approved projects 

underway at any given time. 

FAS will consider providing either 

grant funds as direct assistance to U.S. 

organizations or providing technical 

assistance on behalf of U.S. 

organizations, provided that the 

organization submits timely and 

qualified proposals. FAS will review all 

proposals against the evaluation criteria 

contained in the program regulations. 

Funding for successful proposals will 

be provided through specific 

agreements. These agreements will 

incorporate the proposal as approved by 

FAS. FAS must approve in advance any 

subsequent changes to the project. FAS 

or another Federal agency may be 

involved in the implementation of 

approved projects. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: Any United 

States organization, private or 

government, may apply to the program. 

Government organizations consist of 

federal, state, and local agencies. Private 

organizations include non-profit trade 

associations, universities, agricultural 

cooperatives, state regional trade 

groups, and private companies. 

Foreign organizations, whether 

government or private, may participate 

as third parties in activities carried out 

by U.S. organizations, but are not 

eligible for funding assistance from the 

program. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: 

Applicants are very strongly encouraged 

to provide matching funds or cost 

sharing support in this highly 

competitive program. Such support may 

be in the form of cash, goods, or in-kind 

services which are dedicated to the 

project by the organization that 

submitted the proposal, private industry 

entities, host governments, or foreign 

third parties. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Application through the UES: 

Organizations are strongly encouraged 

to submit applications to FAS through 

the Unified Export Strategy (UES) 

application Internet website. Using the 

UES application process reduces 

paperwork and expedites FAS’

processing and review cycle. Applicants 

planning to use the UES Internet-based 

system must contact FAS Program 

Policy Staff on (202) 720–4327 to obtain 

site access information including a user 

ID and password. The UES Internetbased application, including a Help file 

containing step-by-step instructions for 

its use, may be found at the following 

URL address: http://www.fas.usda.gov/ 

cooperators.html. 

2. Application through electronic and 

hard copies: Applicants also have the 

option of submitting electronic versions 

in the UES format (along with two paper 

copies) of their applications to FAS on 

diskette. Applicants who choose to 

submit applications on diskette can 

obtain an application format at the 

following URL address: 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES3
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Notices 15583 

http://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/tasc/ 

proposals.html. 

3. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: All TASC proposals must 

contain complete information about the 

proposed projects as described in 

§ 1487.5(b) of the TASC Program 

regulations. In addition, in accordance 

with the Office of Management and 

Budget’s policy directive regarding the 

use of a universal identifier for all 

Federal grants and cooperative 

agreements, all applicants must submit 

a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number. An 

applicant may request a DUNS number 

at no cost by calling the dedicated tollfree DUNS number request line on 1–

866–705–5711. Incomplete applications 

and applications which do not 

otherwise conform to this 

announcement will not be accepted for 

review. 

4. Submission Dates and Times: 

TASC funding is limited, and in order 

to assure sufficient resources are 

available to meet unanticipated needs 

during the fiscal year, TASC proposals 

will, generally, only be evaluated on a 

semi-annual basis. That is: 

• Proposals received prior to, but not 

later than, 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 

May 14, 2007, will be considered for 

funding with other proposals received 

by that date; 

• Proposals not approved for funding 

during the review period will be 

reconsidered for funding after the 

review period only if the applicant 

specifically requests such 

reconsideration in writing, and only if 

funding remains available; 

• Proposals received after 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time, May 14, 2007, 

will be considered for funding only if 

funding remains available. 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a 

proposal may be submitted for 

expedited consideration under the 

TASC Quick Response process if, in 

addition to meeting all requirements of 

the TASC program, a proposal clearly 

identifies a time-sensitive activity. In 

these cases, a proposal may be 

submitted at any time for an immediate 

evaluation. 

FAS will track the time and date of 

receipt of all proposals. 

5. Funding Restrictions: Proposals 

which request more than $250,000 of 

CCC funding in a given year will not be 

considered. Proposals to fund projects 

that exceed three years in duration will 

not be considered. No TASC participant 

may have more than three approved 

projects underway at any given time. 

Although funded projects may take 

place in the United States, all eligible 

projects must specifically address 

sanitary, phytosanitary, or technical 

barriers to the export of U.S. specialty 

crops. 

Certain types of expenses are not 

eligible for reimbursement by the 

program, including the costs of market 

research, advertising, or other 

promotional expenses. CCC will not 

reimburse unreasonable expenditures or 

any expenditure made prior to approval 

of a proposal. 

6. Other Submission Requirements: 

All Internet-based applications must be 

properly submitted by 5 p.m., Eastern 

Daylight Time, on May 14, 2007, to be 

considered. 

All applications on diskette (with two 

accompanying paper copies) and any 

other applications must be received by 

5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on May 

14, 2007, at one of the following 

addresses: 

Hand Delivery (including FedEx, 

DHL, UPS, etc.): U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural 

Service, Program Policy Staff, Portals 

Office Building, Suite 400, 1250 

Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, 

DC 20024. 

U.S. Postal Delivery: U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural 

Service, Program Policy Staff, Stop 

1042, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–1042. 

Application Review Information 

1. Criteria: FAS follows the evaluation 

criteria set forth in § 1487.6 of the TASC 

regulations. 

2. Review and Selection Process: FAS 

will review proposals for eligibility and 

will evaluate each proposal against the 

factors referred to above. The purpose of 

this review is to identify meritorious 

proposals, recommend an appropriate 

funding level for each proposal based 

upon these factors, and submit the 

proposals and funding 

recommendations to the Deputy 

Administrator, Office of Trade 

Programs. FAS may, when appropriate, 

request the assistance of other U.S. 

government subject area experts in 

evaluating the merits of a proposal. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: FAS will notify 

each applicant in writing of the final 

disposition of its application. FAS will 

send an approval letter and agreement 

to each approved applicant. The 

approval letter and agreement will 

specify the terms and conditions 

applicable to the project, including 

levels of funding, timelines for 

implementation, and written evaluation 

requirements. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: The agreements will 

incorporate the details of each project as 

approved by FAS. Each agreement will 

identify terms and conditions pursuant 

to which CCC will reimburse certain 

costs of each project. Agreements will 

also outline the responsibilities of the 

participant. Interested parties should 

review the TASC Program regulations 

found at 7 CFR part 1487 in addition to 

this announcement. 

3. Reporting: TASC participants are 

required to submit a written report(s), 

on no less than an annual basis, and a 

final report, each of which evaluates 

their TASC project using the 

performance measures presented in the 

approved proposal. 

VII. Agency Contact 

For additional information or 

assistance, contact the Program Policy 

Staff, 

Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Portals 

Office Building, Suite 400, 1250 

Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, 

DC 20024, phone: (202) 720–4327, fax: 

(202) 720–9361, e-mail: 

ppsadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

W. Kirk Miller, 

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

and Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 07–1592 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Notice of Funds Availability; Inviting 

Applications for the Quality Samples 

Program 

Announcement Type: New. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.605 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) announces the 

availability of $2.5 million in funding 

for the 2008 Quality Samples Program 

(QSP). The purpose of this notice is to 

solicit applications for participation in 

the FY 2008 QSP. QSP is administered 

by personnel of the Foreign Agricultural 

Service (FAS). This notice supercedes 

any prior notices concerning QSP. 

DATES: All proposals must be received 

by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, May 

14, 2007. 

Applications received after this date 

will be considered only if funds are still 

available. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Entities wishing to apply for funding 

assistance should contact the Program 

Policy Staff, Foreign Agricultural 

Service, Portals Office Building, Suite 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES3