Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 98 / Tuesday, May 22, 2007 / Notices 28669 

Resource/issue Salem site Industrial Park Site 

Waste Management ......................... Minor, medium-term construction impacts; moderate, long-term operation impacts.Minor, medium-term construction impacts; minor to 

moderate operation impacts; possible capacity 

issues with use of Great Falls landfill. 

Human Health and Safety ................ Minor construction-related impacts; minor, longterm operation impacts.Minor construction-related impacts; increased risk 

for traffic-related accidents. 

Socioeconomics ............................... Minor to moderately beneficial impacts .................... Minor to moderately beneficial impacts. 

Environmental Justice/Protection of 

Children.

No impact .................................................................. Minor to moderate, long-term impact on low-income 

residents. 

Five-hundred forty-three (543) letters, 

postcards, and e-mails were received in 

response to the Final EIS. Comments 

received were grouped into 55 

categories or themes, and resulted in 

just over 2300 comments spread over 

these categories. Approximately 20 

percent of the comments simply 

expressed either opposition or support 

of the proposal, though the 

overwhelming majority of these were in 

opposition. Of the remaining comments, 

almost half dealt with the following 

issues or concerns: greenhouse gas 

emissions/global warming/carbon 

capture and sequestration; renewable 

sources/conservation; air pollution in 

general; mercury/toxic emissions; 

outdated generation technology/dirty 

fuel; EIS inadequate; adverse effect to 

Great Falls Portage NHL; and, waste of 

scarce water resources. A complete 

summary of the comments is attached to 

the ROD. Though comments were not 

responded to individually, six 

substantive issues were addressed 

briefly in the ROD: Rural Development 

authority to make a loan guarantee for 

the proposal; financial analysis of the 

proposal; future carbon regulation; 

carbon capture and sequestration; 

renewable energy sources and 

conservation; and, water use, quality 

and quantity. 

Based on an evaluation of the 

information and impact analyses 

presented in the EIS including the 

evaluation of all alternatives and in 

consideration of Agency environmental 

policies and procedures (7 CFR part 

1794), Rural Development found that 

the evaluation of reasonable alternatives 

is consistent with the NEPA. The 

Agency selects the Salem site as its 

preferred alternative. This concludes the 

Agency’s compliance with NEPA and 

the Agency’s environmental policies 

and procedures. A review and analysis 

of the proposal’s justification, associated 

engineering studies, and preliminary 

financial information have been 

reviewed and the Agency concurs in the 

proposal’s purpose and need. The 

proposal would have an adverse effect 

on the Great Falls Portage NHL. Prior to 

the approval of the expenditure of 

Federal funds, the National Historic 

PreservationAct (NHPA), Section 106 

process must conclude in accordance 

with 36 CFR part 800.Ongoing 

discussions are being conducted with 

all consulting parties concerning a 

resolution of adverse effects with the 

goal of concluding the Section 106 

process with the execution of a 

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) 

with the required parties. Once 

executed, the MOA will be integrated as 

a condition of the approval of the 

expenditure of Federal funds. Approval 

is contingent on SME obtaining and 

complying with all applicable local, 

State and Federal permits, 

implementing in good faith all 

mitigation measures and 

recommendations in the Final EIS and 

Biological Assessment, and continuing 

to participate in good faith as a 

consulting party in the NHPA Section 

106 process and implementing all 

measures agreed to by the signatories to 

the MOA addressing the adverse effect 

to the Great Falls Portage NHL. This 

decision is in compliance with 

applicable statutory, regulatory and 

policy mandates, including the NEPA, 

the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

requirements, and the NHPA. 

Dated: May 16, 2007. 

James M. Andrew, 

Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–9817 Filed 5–21–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Announcement of Grant and Loan 

Application Deadlines and 

FundingLevels 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of funding availability 

and solicitation of applications. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service, an 

agency which administers USDA Rural 

Development Utilities Programs (USDA 

Rural Development or the ‘‘Agency’’) 

announces the Fiscal Year (FY) funding 

levels available for its Revolving Fund 

Program (RFP) grant. In addition, USDA 

Rural Development announces the 

maximum amounts for RFP grants 

applicable for the fiscal year 2007 and 

the solicitation of applications. 

DATES: You may submit completed 

applications for the Revolving Fund 

Program’s grant from May 22, 2007 until 

June 21, 2007. 

Reminder of competitive grant 

application deadline: Applications must 

be mailed, shipped or submitted 

electronically through Grants.gov no 

later than June 21, 2007, to be eligible 

for FY 2007 grant funding. 

ADDRESSES: You may obtain application 

guides and materials for the RFP 

program via the Internet at the USDA 

Rural Development Water and 

Environmental Programs (WEP) Web 

site: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ 

index.htm. You may also request 

application guides and materials from 

USDA Rural Development by contacting 

Anita O’Brien at (202) 690–3789. 

Submit completed paper applications 

for RFP grant to the Rural Development 

Utilities Programs, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., 

SW., Room 2233, STOP 1570, 

Washington, DC 20250–1570. 

Applications should be marked 

‘‘Attention: Assistant Administrator, 

Water and Environmental Programs.’’

Submit electronic grant applications 

at http://www.grants.gov (Grants.gov) 

and follow the instructions you find on 

that Web site. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Anita O’Brien, Loan Specialist, Water 

Program Division, USDA Rural 

Development Utilities Programs; 

Telephone: (202) 690–3789, fax: (202) 

690–0649. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Agency: Rural Utilities 

Service (RUS). 

Funding Opportunity Title: Grant 

Program to Establish a Fund for 

Financing Water and Wastewater 

Projects (Revolving Fund Program 

(RFP)). 

Announcement Type: Funding Level 

Announcement, and Solicitation of 

Applications. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
28670 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 98 / Tuesday, May 22, 2007 / Notices 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.864. 

DATES: You may submit completed 

application for a RFP grant from May 

22, 2007 until June 21, 2007. 

Reminder of competitive grant 

application deadline: Applications must 

be mailed, shipped or submitted 

electronically through Grants.gov no 

later than June 21, 2007, to be eligible 

for FY 2007 grant funding. 

Items in Supplementary Information 

I. Funding Opportunity: Brief introduction to 

the RFP. 

II. Award Information: Available funds, 

maximum amounts. 

III. Eligibility Information: Who is eligible, 

what kinds of projects are eligible, what 

criteria determine basic eligibility. 

IV. Application and Submission Information: 

Where to get application materials, what 

constitutes a completed application, how 

and where to submit applications, 

deadlines, items that are eligible. 

V. Application Review Information: 

Considerations and preferences, scoring 

criteria, review standards, selection 

information. 

VI. Award Administration Information: 

Award notice information, award 

recipient reporting requirements. 

VII. Agency Contacts: Web, phone, fax, email, 

contact name. 

I. Funding Opportunity 

Drinking water systems are basic and 

vital to both health and economic 

development. With dependable water 

facilities, rural communities can attract 

families and businesses that will invest 

in the community and improve the 

quality of life for all residents. Without 

dependable water facilities, the 

communities cannot sustain economic 

development. 

The USDA Rural Development 

Utilities Programs supports the sound 

development of rural communities and 

the growth of our economy without 

endangering the environment. Rural 

Utilities Service (RUS) programs are 

administered by USDA Rural 

Development. USDA Rural 

Development provides financial and 

technical assistance to help 

communities bring safe drinking water 

and sanitary, environmentally sound 

waste disposal facilities to rural 

Americans in greatest need. 

The Revolving Fund (RFP) Grant 

Program has been established to assist 

communities with water or wastewater 

systems. Qualified private non-profit 

organizations will receive RFP grant 

funds to establish a lending program for 

eligible entities. Eligible entities for the 

revolving loan fund will be the same 

entities eligible to obtain a loan, loan 

guarantee, or grant from the Water and 

Waste Disposal and Wastewater loan 

and grant programs administered by 

USDA Rural Development. As grant 

recipients, the non-profit organizations 

will set up a revolving loan fund to 

provide loans to finance 

predevelopment costs of water or 

wastewater projects, or short-term small 

capital projects not part of the regular 

operation and maintenance of current 

water and wastewater systems. The 

amount of financing to an eligible entity 

shall not exceed $100,000.00 and shall 

be repaid in a term not to exceed 10 

years. The rate shall be determined in 

the approved grant work plan. 

II. Award Information 

Available funds: $495,000 is available 

for grants in FY 2007. 

III. Eligibility Information 

A. Who is eligible to apply? 

An applicant is eligible to apply for 

the RFP grant if it: 

1. Is a private, non-profit organization 

that has tax-exempt status from the 

United States Internal Revenue Service 

(IRS); 

2. Is legally established and located 

within one of the following: 

(a) A state within the United States; 

(b) The District of Columbia; 

(c) The Commonwealth of Puerto 

Rico; or 

(d) A United States territory; 

3. Has the legal capacity and authority 

to carry out the grant purpose; 

4. Has a proven record of successfully 

operating a revolving loan fund to rural 

areas; 

5. Has capitalization acceptable to the 

Agency, and is composed of at least 51 

percent of the outstanding interest or 

membership being citizens of the United 

States or individuals who reside in the 

United States after being legally 

admitted for permanent residence; 

6. Has no delinquent debt to the 

Federal Government or no outstanding 

judgments to repay a Federal debt; 

7. Demonstrates that it possesses the 

financial, technical, and managerial 

capability to comply with Federal and 

State laws and requirements. 

B. What are the basic eligibility 

requirements for a project? 

1. The following activities are 

authorized under the RFP statute: 

(a) Grant funds must be used to 

capitalize a revolving fund program for 

the purpose of providing direct loan 

financing to Ultimate Recipients for predevelopment costs associated with 

proposed or with existing water and 

wastewater systems, or, 

(b) Short-term costs incurred for 

equipment replacement, small-scale 

extension of services, or other small 

capital projects that are not part of the 

regular operations and maintenance 

activities of existing water and 

wastewater systems. 

2. Grant funds may not be used to pay 

any of the following: 

(a) Payment of the Intermediary’s 

administrative costs or expenses, and, 

(b) Delinquent debt owed to the 

Federal Government. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

A. The grant application guide, copies 

of necessary forms and samples, and the 

RFP regulation are available from these 

sources: 

1. The Internet: http://www.usda.gov/ 

rus/water/index.htm or http:// 

www.grants.gov. 

2. For paper copies of these materials 

telephone (202) 690–3789. 

B. You may file an application in 

either paper or electronic format. 

1. Applications submitted by paper: 

(a) Send or deliver paper applications 

by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) or 

courier delivery services to: Assistant 

Administrator—Water and 

Environmental Programs, USDA Rural 

Development Utilities Programs, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., STOP 

1548, Room S–5145, Washington, DC 

20250–1548. 

(b) For paper applications mail or 

ensure delivery of an original paper 

application (no stamped, photocopied, 

or initialed signatures) and two copies 

by the deadline date. The application 

and any materials sent with it become 

Federal records by law and cannot be 

returned to you. 

2. Electronically submitted 

applications: 

(a) For electronic applications you 

must file through Grants.gov, the official 

Federal Government Web site at http:// 

www.grants.gov. You must be registered 

with Grants.gov before you can submit 

a grant application. If you have not used 

Grants.gov before, you will need to 

register with the Central Contractor 

Registry (CCR) and the Credential 

Provider. You will need a DUNS 

number to access or register at any of 

the services. The registration processes 

may take several business days to 

complete. Follow the instructions at 

Grants.gov for registering and 

submitting an electronic application. 

USDA Rural Development may request 

original signatures on electronically 

submitted documents later. 

(b) The CCR registers your 

organization, housing your 

organizational information and allowing 

Grants.gov to use it to verify your 

identity. You may register for the CCR 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
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by calling the CCR Assistance Center at 

1–888–227–2423 or, you may register 

online at http://www.ccr.gov. 

(c) The Credential Provider gives you 

or your representative a username and 

password, as part of the Federal 

Government’s e-Authentication to 

ensure a secure transaction. You will 

need the username and password when 

you register with Grants.gov or use 

Grants.gov to submit your application. 

You must register with the Central 

Provider through Grants.gov at the 

following web address: https:// 

apply.grants.gov/OrcRegister. 

(d) DUNS Number: Whether you file 

a paper or an electronic application, you 

will need a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) 

Data Universal Numbering System 

(DUNS) number. You must provide your 

DUNS number on the SF–424, 

‘‘Application for Federal Assistance.’’

To verify that your organization has a 

DUNS number or to receive one at no 

cost, call the dedicated toll-free request 

line at 1–866–705–5711 or access the 

Web site at http:// 

www.dunandbradstreet.com. The 

following information is needed when 

requesting a DUNS number: 

(1) Legal Name. 

(2) Headquarters name and address of 

the organization. 

(3) Doing business as (dba) or other 

name by which the organization is 

commonly recognized. 

(4) Physical address. 

(5) Mailing address (if separate from 

headquarters and/or physical address). 

(6) Telephone number. 

(7) Contact name and title. 

(8) Number of employees at the 

physical location. 

(e) USDA Rural Development will not 

accept applications by fax or e-mail. 

C. A complete application must meet 

the following requirements: 

1. To be considered for support, you 

must be an eligible entity and must 

submit a complete application by the 

deadline date. You should consult the 

cost principles and general 

administrative requirements for grants 

pertaining to their organizational type in 

order to prepare the budget and 

complete other parts of the application. 

You also must demonstrate compliance 

(or intent to comply), through 

certification or other means, with a 

number of public policy requirements. 

2. Applicants must complete and 

submit the following forms to apply for 

a RFP grant: 

(a) Standard Form 424, ‘‘Application 

for Federal Assistance’’. 

(b) Standard Form 424A, ‘‘Budget 

Information—Non-Construction 

Programs’’. 

(c) Standard Form 424B, 

‘‘Assurances—Non-Construction 

Programs’’. 

(d) Standard Form LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of 

Lobbying Activity’’. 

(e) Form RD 400–1, ‘‘Equal 

Opportunity Agreement’’. 

(f) Form RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance 

Agreement (Under Title VI, Civil Rights 

Act of 1964). 

3. The project proposal should outline 

the project in sufficient detail to provide 

a reader with a complete understanding 

of how the loan program will work. 

Explain what you will accomplish by 

lending funds to eligible entities. 

Demonstrate the feasibility of the 

proposed loan program in meeting the 

objectives of this grant program. The 

proposal should cover the following 

elements: 

(a) Present a brief project overview. 

Explain the purpose of the project, how 

it relates to USDA Rural Development’s 

purposes, how you will carry out the 

project, what the project will produce, 

and who will direct it. 

(b) Describe why the project is 

necessary. Demonstrate that eligible 

entities need loan funds. Quantify the 

number of prospective borrowers or 

provide statistical or narrative evidence 

that a sufficient number of borrowers 

will exist to justify the grant award. 

Describe the service area. Address 

community needs. 

(c) Clearly state your project goals. 

Your objectives should clearly describe 

the goals and be concrete and specific 

enough to be quantitative or observable. 

They should also be feasible and relate 

to the purpose of the loan program. 

(d) The narrative should cover in 

more detail the items briefly described 

in the Project Summary. It should 

establish the basis for any claims that 

you have substantial expertise in 

promoting the safe and productive use 

of Revolving Funds. In describing what 

the project will achieve, you should tell 

the reader if it also will have broader 

influence. The narrative should address 

the following points: 

(1) Document your ability to 

administer and service a revolving fund 

in accordance with the provisions of 7 

CFR Part 1783. 

(2) Document that, to establish the 

revolving fund, you can commit 

financial resources your organization 

controls. This documentation should 

describe the sources of funds other than 

the RFP grant that will be used to pay 

your operational costs and provide 

financial assistance for projects. 

(3) Demonstrate that you have secured 

commitments of significant financial 

support from other funding sources, if 

appropriate. 

(4) List the fees and charges that 

borrowers will be assessed. 

(e) The work plan must describe the 

tasks and activities that will be 

accomplished with available resources 

during the grant period. It must show 

the work you plan to do to achieve the 

anticipated outcomes, goals, and 

objectives set out for the RFP Program. 

The plan must: 

(1) Describe the work to be performed 

by each person. 

(2) Give a schedule or timetable of 

work to be done. 

(3) Show evidence of previous 

experience with the techniques to be 

used or their successful use by others. 

(4) Outline the loan program to 

include the following: specific loan 

purposes, a loan application process; 

priorities, borrower eligibility criteria, 

limitations, fees, interest rates, terms, 

and collateral requirements. 

(5) Provide a marketing plan. 

(6) Explain the mechanics of how you 

will transfer loan funds to the 

borrowers. 

(7) Describe follow-up or continuing 

activities that should occur after project 

completion such as monitoring and 

reporting borrowers’ accomplishments. 

(8) Describe how the results will be 

evaluated. The evaluation criteria 

should be in line with the project 

objectives. 

(9) List all personnel responsible for 

administering this program along with a 

statement of their qualifications and 

experience. 

(f) The written justification for 

projected costs should explain how 

budget figures were determined for each 

category. It should indicate which costs 

are to be covered by grant funds and 

which costs will be met by your 

organization or other organizations. The 

justification should account for all 

expenditures discussed in the narrative. 

It should reflect appropriate costsharing contributions. The budget 

justification should explain the budget 

and accounting system proposed or in 

place. The administrative costs for 

operating the budget should be 

expressed as a percentage of the overall 

budget. The budget justification should 

provide specific budget figures, 

rounding off figures to the nearest 

dollar. Applicants should consult OMB 

Circular A–122: ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Non-Profit Organizations’’ for 

information about appropriate costs for 

each budget category. 

(g) In addition to completing the 

standard application forms, you must 

submit: 

1. Supplementary material that 

demonstrate that your organization is 

legally recognized under state and 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
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Federal law. Satisfactory documentation 

includes, but is not limited to, 

certificates from the Secretary of State, 

or copies of state statutes or laws 

establishing your organization. Letters 

from the IRS awarding tax-exempt status 

are not considered adequate evidence. 

2. A certified list of directors and 

officers with their respective terms. 

3. Evidence of tax exempt status from 

the Internal Revenue Service. 

4. Debarment and suspension 

information required in accordance with 

7 CFR, Part 3017, subpart 3017.335, if it 

applies. The section heading is ‘‘What 

information must I provide before 

entering into a covered transaction with 

the Department of Agriculture?’’ It is 

part of the Department of Agriculture’s 

rules on Government-wide Debarment 

and Suspension. 

5. All of your organization’s known 

workplaces by including the actual 

address of buildings (or parts of 

buildings) or other sites where work 

under the award takes place. Workplace 

identification is required under the 

drug-free workplace requirements in 

accordance with 7 CFR, Part 3021, 

subpart 3021.230. The section heading 

is ‘‘How and when must I identify 

workplaces?’’ It is part of the 

Department of Agriculture’s rules on 

Government-wide Requirements for 

Drug-Free Workplace (Financial 

Assistance). 

6. The most recent audit of your 

organization. 

7. The following financial statements: 

i. A pro forma balance sheet at startup and for at least three additional 

years; Balance sheets, income 

statements, and cash flow statements for 

the last three years. 

ii. If your organization has been 

formed less than three years, the 

financial statements should be 

submitted for the periods from 

inception to the present. Projected 

income and cash flow statements for at 

least three years supported by a list of 

assumptions showing the basis for the 

projections. The projected income 

statement and balance sheet must 

include one set of projections that 

shows the revolving loan fund only and 

a separate set of projections that shows 

your organization’s total operations. 

8. Additional information to support 

and describe your plan for achieving the 

grant objectives. The information may 

be regarded as essential for 

understanding and evaluating the 

project such as letters of support, 

resolutions, policies, etc. The 

supplements may be presented in 

appendices to the proposal. 

V. Application Review Information 

A. Within 30 days of receiving your 

application, USDA Rural Development 

will send you a letter of 

acknowledgment. Your application will 

be reviewed for completeness to 

determine if you included all of the 

items required. If your application is 

incomplete or ineligible, USDA Rural 

Development will return it to you with 

an explanation. 

B. A review team, composed of at 

least two members, will evaluate all 

applications and proposals. They will 

make overall recommendations based 

on factors such as eligibility, application 

completeness, and conformity to 

application requirements. They will 

score the applications based on criteria 

in the next section. 

C. All applications that are complete 

and eligible will be ranked 

competitively based on the following 

scoring criteria: 

Scoring criteria Points 

1 Degree of expertise and successful experience in making and servicing commercial loans, with a successful record .. Up to 30 points. 

2 Percentage of applicant contributions. Points allowed under this paragraph will be based on written evidence of the 

availability of funds from sources other than the proceeds of a RFP grant to pay part of the cost of a loan recipient’s 

project. In-kind contributions will not be considered. Funds from other sources as a percentage of the RFP grant and 

points corresponding to such percentages are as follows: 

Less than 20 percent ........................................................................................................................................................ Ineligible. 

At least 20 percent but not more than 49 percent of the total project costs ................................................................... 10 points. 

At least 50 percent of the total project costs ................................................................................................................... 20 points. 

3 Extent to which the work plan clearly articulates a well thought out approach to accomplishing objectives; clearly defines who will be served by the project or program; and includes all components listed in 1783.37(b)(14).Up to 40 points. 

4 Description of the service area, particularly the range of the area: 

State ................................................................................................................................................................................. 10 points. 

Regional ............................................................................................................................................................................ 15 points. 

National ............................................................................................................................................................................. 20 points. 

5 Extent to which the problem or issue being addressed in the Needs Assessment is defined clearly and supported by 

data.

Up to 15 points. 

6 Extent to which the goals and objectives are clearly defined, tied to the need as defined in the Needs Assessment, 

and are measurable.

Up to 15 points. 

7 Extent to which the evaluation methods are specific to the program, clearly defined, measurable, with expected program outcomes.Up to 20 points. 

8 Administrator’s discretion, taking into consideration such factors as: Up to 10 points. 

Creative outreach ideas for marketing RFP loans.

Amount of funds requested in relation to the amount of needs demonstrated in the proposal.

Excellent utilization of a previous revolving loan fund; and.

Optimizing the use of agency resources.

VI. Award Administration Information 

A. USDA Rural Development will 

rank all qualifying applications by their 

final score. Applications will be 

selected for funding, based on the 

highest scores and the availability of 

funding for RFP grants. Each applicant 

will be notified in writing of the score 

its application receives. 

B. In making its decision about your 

application, USDA Rural Development 

may determine that your application is: 

1. Eligible and selected for funding, 

2. Eligible but offered fewer funds 

than requested, 

3. Eligible but not selected for 

funding, or 

4. Ineligible for the grant. 

C. In accordance with 7 CFR part 

1900, subpart B, you generally have the 

right to appeal adverse decisions. Some 

adverse decisions cannot be appealed. 

For example, if you are denied USDA 

Rural Development funding due to a 

lack of funds available for the grant 

program, this decision cannot be 

appealed. However, you may make a 

request to the National Appeals Division 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 98 / Tuesday, May 22, 2007 / Notices 28673 

(NAD) to review the accuracy of our 

finding that the decision cannot be 

appealed. The appeal must be in writing 

and filed at the appropriate Regional 

Office, which can be found at http:// 

www.nad.usda.gov/offices.htm or by 

calling (703) 305–1166. 

D. Applicants selected for funding 

will complete a grant agreement, which 

outlines the terms and conditions of the 

grant award. 

E. Grantees will be reimbursed as 

follows: 

1. SF–270, ‘‘Request for Advance or 

Reimbursement,’’ will be completed by 

the grantee and submitted to either the 

State or National Office not more 

frequently than monthly. 

2. Upon receipt of a properly 

completed SF–270, the funds will be 

requested through the field office 

terminal system. Ordinarily, payment 

will be made within 30 days after 

receipt of a proper request for 

reimbursement. 

3. Grantees are encouraged to use 

women- and minority-owned banks (a 

bank which is owned at least 50 percent 

by women or minority group members) 

for the deposit and disbursement of 

funds. 

F. Any change in the scope of the 

project, budget adjustments of more 

than 10 percent of the total budget, or 

any other significant change in the 

project must be reported to and 

approved by the approval official by 

written amendment to the grant 

agreement. Any change not approved 

may be cause for termination of the 

grant. 

G. Grantees shall constantly monitor 

performance to ensure that time 

schedules are being met, projected work 

by time periods is being accomplished, 

and other performance objectives are 

being achieved. The Grantee will 

provide project reports as follows: 

1. SF–269, ‘‘Financial Status Report 

(short form),’’ and a project performance 

activity report will be required of all 

grantees on a quarterly basis, due 30 

days after the end of each quarter. 

2. A final project performance report 

will be required with the last SF–269 

due 90 days after the end of the last 

quarter in which the project is 

completed. The final report may serve 

as the last quarterly report. 

3. All multi-State grantees are to 

submit an original of each report to the 

National Office. Grantees serving only 

one State are to submit an original of 

each report to the State Office. The 

project performance reports should 

detail, preferably in a narrative format, 

activities that have transpired for the 

specific time period. 

H. The grantee will provide an audit 

report or financial statements as follows: 

1. Grantees expending $500,000 or 

more Federal funds per fiscal year will 

submit an audit conducted in 

accordance with OMB Circular A–133. 

The audit will be submitted within 9 

months after the grantee’s fiscal year. 

Additional audits may be required if the 

project period covers more than one 

fiscal year. 

2. Grantees expending less than 

$500,000 will provide annual financial 

statements covering the grant period, 

consisting of the organization’s 

statement of income and expense and 

balance sheet signed by an appropriate 

official of the organization. Financial 

statements will be submitted within 90 

days after the grantee’s fiscal year. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

A. Web site: http://www.usda.gov/rus/ 

water. The USDA Rural Development 

Utilities Programs Web site maintains 

up-to-date resources and contact 

information for RFP programs. 

B. Phone: 202–690–3789. 

C. Fax: 202–690–0649. 

D. E-mail: anita.obrien@wdc.usda.gov. 

E. Main point of contact: Anita 

O’Brien, Loan Specialist, Water and 

Environmental Programs, Water 

Programs Division, USDA Rural 

Development Utilities Programs, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture. 

Dated: April 19, 2007. 

James M. Andrew, 

Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–9819 Filed 5–21–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit to the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) for clearance the 

following proposal for collection of 

information under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 35). 

AGENCY: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

Title: Licensing of Private RemoteSensing Space Systems. 

Form Number(s): None. 

OMB Approval Number: 0648–0174. 

Type of Request: Regular submission. 

Burden Hours: 552. 

Number of Respondents: 18. 

Average Hours Per Response: License 

application, 40 hours; executive 

summary, 2 hours; data protection plan, 

10 hours; submission of data collection 

restriction plan, 5 hours; submission of 

operational plans for restricting 

collection or dissemination of Israeli 

territory, 3 hours; submission of data 

flow diagrams, 3 hours; submission of 

satellite subsystem drawings, 2 hours; 

submission of final imaging system 

specifications, 3 hours; notification of 

disposition/orbital debris change, 2 

hours; license amendment, 10 hours; 

foreign agreements notification 

(including investments), 2 hours; 

submission of preliminary design 

review, 2 hours; submission of critical 

design review, 2 hours; notification of 

binding launch service contract, 1 hour; 

notification of completion of pre-ship 

review, 1 hour; submission of 

information when spacecraft becomes 

operational, 2 hours; notification of the 

demise of a system or decision to 

discontinue system operations, 2 hours; 

notification of any operational 

deviation, 2 hours; notification for 

planned purges of information, 2 hours; 

operational quarterly reports, 3 hours; 

annual compliance audit, 8 hours; 

annual operational audit, 10 hours. 

Needs and Uses: The information is 

being collected in order to issue licenses 

and related amendments to operate 

space-based private remote-sensing 

systems, to review foreign agreements 

entered into by licensees, and to 

perform monitoring and compliance 

functions for licensed systems. The 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA) has issued 

regulations for its licensing program 

under Title II of the Land RemoteSensing Policy Act of 1992, 15 U.S.C. 

5601 et seq. (1992 Act), the 1997 

National Defense Authorization Act 

section 1064, and the Commercial Space 

Act of 1998, 42 U.S.C. 70101 et seq. 

They facilitate the development of the 

U.S. commercial remote-sensing 

industry and thus promote the 

collection and widespread availability 

of Earth remote-sensing data while 

preserving essential U.S. national 

security and foreign policy interests. 

The amendment to the previous version 

of the regulations reflected 

improvements that take into account 

public comments received on the 

regulations. The amended regulations 

now allows NOAA to more effectively 

license Earth remote-sensing space 

systems and help to ensure their 

compliance with the requirements of the 

Act. The final regulations were 

published in the Federal Register on 

April 25, 2006. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit. 

Frequency: On occasion, quarterly 

and annually. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 


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