This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

39402 

Vol. 83, No. 154 

Thursday, August 9, 2018 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Tongass National Forest, Petersburg 

Ranger District, Alaska; Central 

Tongass Project Environmental Impact 

Statement 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare 

an Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS) to analyze a variety of resource 

management actions to implement over 

the course of 15 years. The purpose of 

the project is to meet multiple resource 

goals and objectives (i.e., needs) 

identified in the 2016 Tongass Land and 

Resource Management Plan (Forest 

Plan) using an integrated approach. 

Some of the project area needs include 

improving forest ecosystem health, 

supporting community resilience 

through economic development 

opportunities within Southeast Alaska 

communities, providing sustainable 

recreation opportunities to local visitors 

and the tourism industry, and offering a 

variety of wood products to regional 

mills and local communities. A variety 

of management activities (the Proposed 

Action) address these needs. 

Implementation of the management 

activities will often include one or more 

Supporting Actions, such as quarry 

development or sign installation. At the 

same time that it would approve the 

proposed project, the Forest Service 

may approve a project-specific Forest 

Plan amendment to ensure the project is 

consistent with the plan. This notices 

also identifies the substantive 

provisions of the 2012 Planning Rule 

that are likely to be directly related to 

a proposed forest plan amendment. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 

September 24, 2018. The publication 

date of this Notice of Intent (NOI) in the 

Federal Register is the exclusive means 

for calculating the comment period for 

this scoping opportunity. If the 

comment period ends on a Saturday, 

Sunday, or Federal holiday, comments 

will be accepted until the end of the 

next Federal working day (11:59 p.m.). 

The draft EIS is expected in April of 

2019, and the final EIS is expected in 

May of 2020. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Petersburg Ranger District, c/o Carey 

Case, P.O. Box 1328, Petersburg, Alaska 

99833, Attn: Central Tongass Project. 

Comments may also be hand-delivered 

to the Petersburg Ranger District, 12 

North Nordic Drive, Petersburg, Alaska 

99833; sent via email to commentsalaska-tongass-petersburg@fs.fed.us; 

facsimile to (907) 772–5995; or 

submitted electronically at https://

cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public/ 

CommentInput?project=53098. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

David Zimmerman, District Ranger, or 

Carey Case, Project Leader, at the 

Petersburg Ranger District, P.O. Box 

1328, Petersburg, Alaska 99833, or by 

telephone (907) 772–3871. Individuals 

who use telecommunication devices for 

the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 

800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 

p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through 

Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Central Tongass project area 

encompasses National Forest System 

(NFS) lands and lands of other 

ownership, as authorized by other land 

owners, within the Petersburg and 

Wrangell Ranger Districts (3.7 million 

acres) to facilitate integrated and 

economical projects across all lands. 

Other than for invasive treatments, 

Wilderness will not be considered for 

resource management actions. The 

project area includes, but is not limited 

to, Mitkof, Kupreanof, Kuiu, Wrangell, 

Zarembo and Etolin Islands and the 

Alaska mainland. 

Purpose and Need for Action 

This action is needed to meet Forest 

Plan goals and objectives, and to 

support local and regional economies. 

The needs for this project have been 

identified by comparing the existing 

conditions within the project area with 

the desired conditions (desired longterm landscape attributes) defined in the 

Tongass Forest Plan (Chapter 2). Where 

desired conditions are not being met, a 

need exists. For this project, four 

categories of needs were identified: 

Watershed Restoration and 

Improvement, Vegetation Management, 

Access Management, and Sustainable 

Recreation Management. 

Watershed Restoration and 

Improvement: A need exists to maintain 

or restore the natural range of habitat 

conditions in the project area to support 

viable wildlife, fish, and plant 

populations for subsistence, traditional 

and cultural uses, and to sustain 

diversity. In some watersheds, this need 

includes riparian ecosystem function 

improvements or enhancements, water 

quality maintenance and protection, fish 

habitat improvements, and native plant 

population protection. 

Vegetation Management: A need 

exists for NFS lands to regularly provide 

forest products, such as saw timber, to 

support Southeast Alaska communities. 

By providing forest products on a 

regular basis, the Forest Service can 

better support local employment, 

increase revenue returns, and maintain 

flexibility and stability in the timber 

sale program. A need also exists for 

young-growth forest management to 

sustain productive timber stands for 

future use, and to improve habitat for 

wildlife and fish. 

Access Management: A long-term 

need exists to design, construct, 

maintain, and manage a cost-effective 

transportation system that supports 

management activities and provides 

Forest users access to subsistence, 

recreation and traditional use 

opportunities. 

Sustainable Recreation Management: 

Within the project area, a need exists to 

(1) maintain existing recreation sites 

and facilities to provide for the health 

and safety of all users, (2) construct or 

reconstruct facilities in locations where 

the needs for the facilities are supported 

by either known use, partnerships for 

long-term maintenance, or repeated 

safety concerns, or (3) remove facilities 

that are no longer needed or are not 

affordable (Forest Plan, p. 2–4). 

The purpose of the Central Tongass 

Project is to meet the identified needs to 

improve forest ecosystem health, 

support community resiliency, and 

provide economic development 

opportunities on the Petersburg and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 154 / Thursday, August 9, 2018 / Notices 39403 

Wrangell Ranger Districts. This project 

will be designed to meet Forest Plan 

goals and objectives, and land use 

designation goals, objectives, and 

desired conditions using an integrated 

land management approach. Forestwide goals and objectives this project 

aims to address include, but are not 

limited to, Local and Regional 

Economies, Biodiversity, Timber, 

Wildlife, Transportation, Fish, 

Recreation and Tourism, and Young 

Growth Direction (Forest Plan, pp. 2–2 

to 2–6, 5–2 to 5–3, 5–6, 5–8, 5–13 and 

5–14). 

Proposed Action 

The Forest Service proposes a multiyear project to implement a variety of 

activities over the next 15 years within 

the Central Tongass project area. The 

project area includes NFS lands and 

lands of other ownership. Wilderness 

areas are not included in the land base 

available for proposed activities, with 

the exception of invasive plant 

treatments. The Proposed Action 

encompasses a range of management 

activities that address the broader needs 

identified within the Purpose and Need, 

and seeks to balance commercial and 

non-commercial opportunities and 

provide and maintain high-quality 

experiences for all Forest users over the 

long-term, while maintaining or 

improving land and resource 

conditions. 

The Proposed Action was developed 

by comparing existing conditions within 

the project area to the Forest’s desired 

landscape attributes, and considering 

best-available science and public input. 

A guide will be developed to ensure 

the implementation of site-specific 

activities is consistent with the Central 

Tongass Project environmental analysis. 

Conditions such as stand age, use levels, 

and proximity to sensitive habitat will 

be evaluated before implementation 

may occur. If the effects of 

implementing a site-specific activity is 

expected to be outside the range of 

effects disclosed in the environmental 

analysis, the activity will not be 

implemented as part of the Central 

Tongass Project. 

Individual activity cards will define 

each activity and guide its 

implementation over the life of the 

project. Information provided on the 

cards will include objectives and 

methods of implementation, resourcespecific guidelines, activity design 

features, conditions that trigger 

implementation, and integration 

opportunities to maximize shared 

resources between program areas. 

Watershed Restoration and 

Improvement 

Watershed restoration and 

improvement activities on all lands 

within the project area include: Stream 

and floodplain restoration, fish habitat 

improvements, and invasive plant 

management. 

To restore proper stream and 

floodplain functioning conditions, the 

Forest Service proposes instream wood 

placement on up to 700 acres 

(approximately 13 miles of stream) 

using heavy equipment and/or a 

helicopter, and instream wood 

placement on up to 1,720 acres 

(approximately 54 miles of stream) 

using hand tools. 

To sustain the diversity and 

production of fish and other freshwater 

organisms, the Forest Service proposes 

fisheries improvements such as pool 

habitat creation, fish pass construction, 

natural instream barrier modifications, 

stocking and lake fertilization on up to 

15 sites that collectively include no 

more than 25 miles of stream and 2 

lakes. 

The Forest Service proposes to use an 

integrated pest management strategy to 

treat invasive plant infestations on NFS 

and neighboring lands. Treatments 

proposed include manual methods such 

as hand-pulling or tarping; mechanical 

methods such as mowing or torching; 

and herbicide application including 

wicking/wiping, stem injection, foliar 

spot spray, or broadcast spray. Proposed 

herbicides include aminopyralid or 

aquatic-approved glyphosate and 

imazapyr. When deciding whether or 

not to treat an invasive plant, the Forest 

Service will consider the following 

factors: The target species’ Alaska 

Natural Heritage Program invasiveness 

ranking, the location of the target 

species, its pathway of spread, and the 

management objective for the 

infestation. If the Forest Service decides 

to treat, the most cost-efficient and 

effective treatment method will be 

selected. Herbicide treatment areas may 

include terrestrial and emergent (plants 

rooted in water with foliage above the 

water surface) vegetation. Subsurface 

aquatic plant treatment is not proposed. 

To provide the flexibility to treat new 

infestations, the Proposed Action also 

includes a management strategy called 

early detection-rapid response. 

Vegetation Management 

Vegetation management activities 

include: Old-growth and young-growth 

commercial harvest and silvicultural 

intermediate treatments (young-growth 

pre-commercial thinning treatments, 

and wildlife habitat improvement 

treatments). Old-growth and younggrowth activities will occur in 10 timber 

analysis areas (TAAs) within the project 

area. These analysis areas have 

developed road systems and encompass 

the majority of the suitable lands for 

timber harvest, as defined under the 

Forest Plan. Consequently, TAAs are a 

primary factor in determining where to 

plan timber harvest for this project. The 

TAAs are located on Mitkof, Kupreanof, 

Kuiu, Wrangell, Zarembo and Etolin 

islands, and at Thomas Bay on the 

Alaska mainland. 

The Forest Service proposes to 

commercially harvest up to 9,500 acres 

(approximately 150 million board feet 

[MMBF]) of old-growth timber, and up 

to 4,000 acres (approximately 80 

MMBF) of young-growth timber from 

stands on suitable lands within the 

project’s 15-year timeframe. Timber 

harvest methods include even-aged and 

two-aged management prescriptions 

(conventional ground-based logging 

methods), and uneven-aged 

management prescriptions (helicopter 

yarding). Commercial harvest of oldgrowth and young-growth timber 

includes microsale and large, small, and 

salvage sale opportunities. 

The Forest Service proposes to treat 

up to 3,000 acres of young-growth 

stands annually, or 45,000 acres total 

over the next 15 years that are 

approaching, have reached, or are in the 

stem exclusion stage of stand 

development. Young-growth treatments 

(activities) include pre-commercial 

thinning for timber stand improvement 

and wildlife and riparian habitat 

improvement (such as to create or 

maintain wildlife gaps, openings, 

corridors and trees; girdle and prune 

trees; and treat slash). 

Access Management 

Access management activities include 

(1) new NFS road construction, (2) NFS 

road reconstruction, (3) temporary road 

construction, (4) aquatic organism 

passage and fish habitat connectivity, 

and (5) construction, reconstruction, 

decommissioning and maintenance of 

marine access facilities, such as log 

transfer facilities, docks, mooring buoys, 

boat ramps and boat launches. Road 

storage and decommissioning are 

Supporting Actions. 

The Forest Service proposes 

approximately 24 miles of NFS road 

construction, 63 miles of NFS road 

reconstruction, and 88 miles of 

temporary road construction for timber 

harvest and other resource management 

activities. 

The Forest Service proposes to 

replace, remove, or improve up to 150 

stream crossing structures where fish 


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39404 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 154 / Thursday, August 9, 2018 / Notices 

passage is inhibited (‘‘red pipes’’) using 

heavy equipment, hand tools, or 

explosives to rectify fish migration or 

movement barriers and provide effective 

flood resiliency. 

The Forest Service proposes up to 33 

new stream crossing structures, such as 

culverts and bridges, to support 

proposed vegetation and access 

management activities. 

The Forest Service proposes to 

maintain or improve 14 existing marine 

access facilities (MAFs), and construct 

up to 4 MAF sites for log transfer and 

public access within the Central 

Tongass project area. Additionally, up 

to 69 marine access facility sites, such 

as docks, boat ramps and floats, may be 

maintained, constructed, or improved 

for public access. These sites are 

typically not associated with a road 

system, but used for access to shoreline 

or inland water facilities such as cabins, 

shelters, or trailheads. 

Sustainable Recreation Management 

Proposed recreation activities on NFS 

and neighboring lands include 

maintenance, improvements, new 

construction, and decommissioning of 

some existing recreation facilities. 

Recreation facilities include cabins, 

shelters, picnic areas, campgrounds, 

dispersed camping sites, outhouses, 

viewing areas and platforms. Trail 

construction, reconstruction, 

decommissioning, and maintenance 

may also occur, and includes pedestrian 

trails, motorized trails, snow trails, 

canoe and kayak portages, and 

conversion of existing trails from 

boardwalk to gravel. 

Recreation management activities 

including trail building will be 

prioritized during implementation 

based on the following conditions (1) 

health and safety concerns for recreation 

users, (2) availability of internal or 

external funding sources, (3) current 

and projected use levels and degraded 

resource conditions from human use 

such as vegetation trampling, site 

hardening, soil erosion, and (4) 

feasibility due to topography. 

The Forest Service proposes 

constructing up to 6 new cabins, 30 day 

use/picnic areas, 6 platforms for 

interpretative or wildlife viewing use, 

and 10 dispersed camp sites (including 

tent platforms). The Forest Service also 

proposes decommissioning up to 15 

cabins, constructing up to 10 new 

shelters and/or converting cabins to 

shelters, and constructing or replacing 

up to 75 outhouses. The Forest Service 

proposes up to 300 miles of pedestrian 

trail construction (this includes new 

construction and/or converting existing 

boardwalk trail to gravel trail), up to 60 

miles of new motorized trails, and up to 

105 miles of winter trails. 

Supporting Actions 

Supporting Actions will be 

implemented, as needed, in support of 

the management activities described 

above. They include actions such as 

road maintenance and reconditioning, 

road decommissioning, road storage, 

sign installation, quarry development, 

soil restoration, cone collection, and 

timber stand establishment (planting 

and interplanting). 

Forest Plan Amendment 

A project-specific Forest Plan 

amendment may be proposed to allow 

the project to proceed in a manner that 

fulfills the project’s stated purpose and 

need while being consistent with the 

Plan. The amendment would be to relax 

the Scenic Integrity Objectives (SIOs) 

(Forest Plan, p. 4–54) on portions of the 

TAAs on Mitkof, Zarembo, and 

Wrangell Islands, and Portage Bay 

located on Kupreanof Island, to improve 

timber sale economics for the 

commercial timber sales undertaken as 

part of this project only. If this Forest 

Plan amendment is included in the 

Central Tongass Project, the 2012 

Planning Rule (36 CFR 219.13(b)(2)) 

requires the Responsible Official to 

identify which substantive requirements 

of the Rule are likely to be directly 

related to a proposed land management 

plan amendment. At this time, the 

Responsible Official believes the 

following requirements of the Rule are 

likely to apply: 36 CFR 219.8(b)(2); 36 

CFR 219.10(a)(1); and 36 CFR 

219.10(b)(1)(i). 

Possible Alternatives 

Other alternatives will be developed 

based on any significant issues 

identified in public comments and from 

internal Forest Service considerations. 

A no action alternative, which 

represents no change and serves as the 

baseline for the comparison among the 

action alternatives, will be analyzed as 

well. 

Responsible Official 

The Responsible Official for the 

decision on this project is M. Earl 

Stewart, Forest Supervisor, Tongass 

National Forest, Federal Building, 648 

Mission Street, Ketchikan, Alaska 

99901. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

Given the purpose and need of the 

project, the Responsible Official will 

review the no action, the proposed 

action, other alternatives, and the 

environmental consequences to make 

decisions that include: (1) Whether to 

select the proposed action or another 

alternative; (2) mitigation measures and 

monitoring requirements; (3) the range 

of treatments or activities to be 

authorized including commercial and 

pre-commercial timber treatments, 

restoration activities, invasive plant 

treatments, habitat improvement, road 

construction and reconstruction, and 

recreation development or 

decommissioning opportunities; (4) 

whether a project-specific Forest Plan 

amendment related to Scenery Integrity 

Objectives is necessary; and (5) whether 

there may be a significant restriction of 

subsistence uses. 

Permits or Licenses Required 

All necessary permits would be 

obtained prior to project 

implementation, and may include the 

following: 

(1) State of Alaska, Department of 

Environmental Conservation (DEC), 

Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination 

System (APDES): 

• General permit for Log Transfer 

Facilities in Alaska; 

• Review Spill Prevention Control 

and Countermeasure Plan; 

• Certification of Compliance with 

Alaska Water Quality Standards (401 

Certification) Chapter 20; 

• Storm Water Discharge Permit/ 

National Pollutant Discharge 

Elimination System review (Section 402 

of the Clean Water Act); 

• Solid Waste Disposal Permit. 

(2) U.S. Army Corp of Engineers: 

• Approval of discharge of dredged or 

fill material into the waters of the 

United States under Section 404 of the 

Clean Water Act; 

• Approval of the construction of 

structures or work in navigable waters 

of the United States under Section 10 of 

the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. 

(3) State of Alaska, Division of Natural 

Resources (DNR): 

• Authorization for occupancy and 

use of tidelands and submerged lands. 

(4) State of Alaska, Department of 

Fish and Game (ADF&G) 

• Fish Habitat Concurrence (Title 16). 

Scoping Process 

This Notice of Intent initiates the 

scoping process, which guides the 

development of the EIS. The Forest 

Service is seeking information, 

comments, and assistance from Tribal 

Governments; Federal, State, and local 

agencies; and individuals and 

organizations interested in or affected 

by the proposed activities. There will 

also be public meetings and subsistence 

hearings held in Kake, Petersburg, and 

Wrangell, Alaska. In addition to this 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 154 / Thursday, August 9, 2018 / Notices 39405 

Notice of Intent, a legal notice will be 

placed in the Ketchikan Daily News, the 

official newspaper of record for this 

project. Courtesy notifications will be 

placed in the Petersburg Pilot and the 

Wrangell Sentinel, local community 

newspapers. Project information, 

updates, and documents will be 

provided throughout the process on the 

project web page at https://

www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/ 

landmanagement/projects/ 

?cid=fseprd568085. Individuals may 

also provide comments and sign up to 

be on the electronic mailing list at that 

site. 

The Central Tongass Project is an 

activity implementing the Forest Plan 

and is subject to the notification 

requirements and objection procedures 

of 36 CFR 218, subparts A and B, which 

states that only individuals or entities 

who submit timely and specific written 

comments about this proposed project 

during this or another public comment 

period established by the Responsible 

Official will be eligible to file an 

objection. If a Forest Plan amendment is 

included in the Central Tongass Project, 

it would only apply to the Central 

Tongass Project; therefore, the 

notification requirements of 36 CFR 219 

are not required. 

It is important that reviewers provide 

their comments at such times and in 

such a manner to be useful to the 

agency’s preparation of the EIS. 

Therefore, comments should be 

provided prior to the close of the 

comment period and should clearly 

articulate the reviewer’s concerns and 

contentions. 

Comments received in response to 

this solicitation, including names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be part of the public record for this 

proposed action. Comments submitted 

anonymously will be accepted and 

considered; however, anonymous 

commenters will not gain standing to 

object as defined in 36 CFR 218.2. 

Dated: July 23, 2018. 

Chris French, 

Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest 

System. 

[FR Doc. 2018–17059 Filed 8–8–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Technical Assistance and Training 

Grant Program 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Funding 

Announcement (NOFA) under the 

Technical Assistance and Training 

Grant Program. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service, an 

agency of the United State Department 

of Agriculture, announces an additional 

application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 

2018 for the Technical Assistance and 

Training Grant Program (TAT). This 

Notice seeks applications emphasizing 

priorities for either a national water and 

wastewater infrastructure application 

assistance and project development 

program or a national apprenticeship/ 

workforce development program. 

DATES: Applications for the TAT grants 

will only be accepted electronically 

according to the following deadline: 

Submit grant applications at https://

www.grants.gov (Grants.gov) and follow 

the instructions found on that website. 

Electronic submissions of applications 

must be received by September 10, 2018 

to be eligible for grant funding. Late or 

incomplete applications will not be 

eligible for grant funding. Prior to 

official submission of applications, 

applicants may request technical 

assistance or other application guidance 

from the Agency, if such requests are 

made prior to August 24, 2018. The 

Agency will not solicit or consider 

scoring or eligibility information that is 

submitted after the application 

deadline. The Agency reserves the right 

to contact applicants to seek 

clarification information on materials 

contained in the submitted application. 

ADDRESSES: All grant applications must 

be submitted electronically at https://

www.grants.gov/ (Grants.gov), following 

the instructions you find on that 

website. The FY 2018 Application 

Guide may be obtained from the Water 

and Waste Disposal Technical 

Assistance & Training Grants website at 

https://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/water-waste-disposal-technicalassistance-training-grants. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

LaVonda Pernell, Community Program 

Specialist, Water Program Division, 

Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, by email at 

lavonda.pernell@wdc.usda.gov or by 

telephone: (202) 720–9635. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Agency: Rural Utilities 

Service (RUS). 

Funding Opportunity Title: Technical 

Assistance and Training Grants (TAT). 

Announcement Type: Funding 

Announcement/Solicitation of 

Applications. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.761. 

Dates: Completed TAT grant 

applications must be submitted 

electronically through Grants.gov no 

later than September 10, 2018 to be 

eligible for funding. 

Overview 

This Notice announces that the Rural 

Utilities Service (RUS) is accepting 

applications for an additional 

application window for the Technical 

Assistance and Training Grant Program 

(TAT). For FY 2018, RUS received a 

budget appropriation of $40 million for 

the TAT Program. In response to the 

application filing period of October 1, 

2017, to December 31, 2017, as outlined 

in 7 CFR 1775, Subpart B, § 1775.10 (a), 

the Agency received 28 applications 

that will not use up all of the 

appropriation. This Notice will make 

available the remaining funds under the 

TAT Program, for either a national water 

and wastewater infrastructure 

application assistance and project 

development program or a national 

apprenticeship/workforce development 

program. 

On March 23, 2018, President Donald 

Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending 

bill with $21.2 billion for new 

infrastructure spending on 

transportation, energy and water 

projects in FY 2018. The intent of this 

notice is to advise the public of the 

funds available to support applications 

emphasizing either of two priorities for 

technical assistance and training 

activities. Applications may emphasize 

technical assistance and training 

activities to: Provide application 

assistance and project development that 

facilitate efforts by rural communities to 

access funding for water and wastewater 

infrastructure projects, particularly 

those communities in smaller, lower 

income, and persistent poverty areas; or 

to provide technical assistance and 

training to personnel to improve the 

management, operation, and 

maintenance of water and waste 

facilities through a national 

apprenticeship/workforce development 

program. The Agency encourages 

applications that will support 

recommendations made in the Rural 

Prosperity Task Force report to help 

improve life in rural America which can 

be found at www.usda.gov/ 

ruralprosperity. Applicants are 

encouraged to consider projects that 

provide measurable results in helping 

rural communities build robust and 

sustainable economies through strategic 

investments in infrastructure, 

partnerships and innovation. Key 

strategies include: 


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