Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 202 / Friday, October 18, 2024 / Notices 83827 

Specifically, the study’s objective is to 

produce: 

1. A longitudinal data collection 

framework that completely and 

accurately documents the approach 

to ensuring an enduring and robust 

annual data collection 

2. Descriptive statistics on a wide range 

of sociodemographic and economic 

characteristics of households 

3. Descriptive statistics on other key 

household characteristics 

4. Cross-tabulations between key 

sociodemographic, economic, and 

other key characteristics of 

households, and identification of 

statistically significant differences 

5. Descriptive statistics on the dietary 

quality of a randomly selected adult 

household member in a subsample 

of households 

6. Cross-tabulations between key 

sociodemographic and economic 

characteristics and markers of 

dietary quality 

7. Public and restricted-use data sets 

and documentation that allow FNS 

to reproduce analysis results and 

public-use data sets that will 

promote use of the data by the 

research community 

At the first wave of data collection, 

the 35-minute longitudinal survey will 

be conducted among a representative 

sample of 9,000 SNAP participants. The 

survey will employ a multistage 

sampling approach, first identifying 

States, and then counties within those 

States, from which to draw the sample. 

Within selected counties, the study will 

use States’ SNAP data to draw a random 

sample of households, producing a 

nationally representative sample for key 

subgroups (households with children, 

households with a person who is age 60 

or older, and households without an 

older adult but with a person with a 

disability), as well as the full SNAP 

population. During the first wave, FNS 

will also field a dietary intake 

instrument among approximately 25 

percent of households that complete the 

survey. 

Affected Public: Respondent groups 

identified include: (a) Individuals/ 

Households (county residents in the 

selected counties); (b) State, Local and 

Tribal Government (State/County SNAP 

agencies). 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

The total estimated number of 

respondents is 19,489. The number of 

respondents includes: 19,464 SNAP 

participants (47% of whom will 

complete interviews) and 25 State SNAP 

agency directors or other State agency 

staff. The total estimated number of 

non-respondents is 4,871 and includes 

4,866 SNAP participants (who will be 

contacted to complete surveys) and 5 

State SNAP agency or other State agency 

staff. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: Across all respondents, the 

average number of responses is 11.87. 

Respondents include SNAP 

participants, members of SNAP 

households, and State SNAP agency 

directors or other State agency staff. 

Sampled SNAP participants will be 

asked to participate in a household 

survey. SNAP participants will receive 

several notifications about the survey, 

including an invitation letter, emails or 

text messages, and reminder letters. 

Participants who choose to complete the 

survey will complete a 35-minute web 

or phone survey. After completing the 

survey, a subset of cases will receive an 

invitation to participate in a dietary 

recall interview. A random member of 

the household will be selected and 

invited to participate in this second 

interview. Dietary recall interview 

respondents may receive a mailed 

invitation and text and email reminder 

notifications. 

State SNAP agency staff will provide 

administrative data to the study team 

quarterly. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

317,923 (231,423 respondents and 

86,500 nonrespondents). 

Estimated Time per Response: The 

estimated time of response varies from 

a few minutes to over an hour, 

depending on respondent group, but 

averages 0.051 hours (or about 3 

minutes) for all respondents as shown 

in the table below. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 1,281,441 minutes 

(21,357.35 hours). See the table below 

for estimated total annual burden for 

each type of respondent. 

Tameka Owens, 

Acting Administrator and Assistant 

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–24160 Filed 10–17–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

[Docket #: RBS–24–Business–0014] 

Notice of Solicitation of Applications 

for the Rural Business Development 

Grant Programs for Fiscal Year 2025 

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBCS or the 

Agency), a Rural Development (RD) 

agency of the United States Department 

of Agriculture (USDA) invites the 

submission of applications for grants 

under the Rural Business Development 

Grant (RBDG) Program for fiscal year 

(FY) 2025, subject to the availability of 

funding. This notice is being issued 

prior to passage of a FY 2025 

Appropriations Act in order to allow 

applicants sufficient time to leverage 

financing, prepare and submit their 

applications, and give the Agency time 

to process applications within FY 2025. 

Based on FY 2024 appropriated funding, 

the Agency estimates that 

approximately $30 million will be 

available for FY 2025. Successful 

applications will be selected by the 

Agency for funding and subsequently 

awarded to the extent that funding may 

ultimately be made available through 

appropriations. All applicants are 

responsible for any expenses incurred in 

developing their applications. 

DATES: Complete applications may be 

submitted in paper or electronic format 

and must be received by 4:30 p.m. local 

time on February 28, 2025, in the 

USDARD State Office for the State 

where the project is located. A list of the 

USDA RD State Offices can be found at: 

www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices. 

ADDRESSES: This funding announcement 

will also be announced on 

www.Grants.gov. Applications must be 

submitted to the USDA RD State Office 

for the State where the project is 

located. For projects involving multiple 

states, the application must be filed in 

the RD State Office where the Applicant 

is located. Applicants are encouraged to 

contact their respective RD State Office 

for an email contact to submit an 

electronic application prior to the 

submission deadline date. A list of the 

USDA RD State Office contacts can be 

found at: www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/ 

state-offices. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cindy Mason at cindy.mason@usda.gov, 

Program Management Division, Rural 

Business-Cooperative Service, USDA, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mail 

Stop 3226, Room 5160-South, 

Washington, DC 20250–3226, or call 

(202) 720–1400. For further information 

on submitting program applications 

under this notice, please contact the 

USDA RD State Office in the State 

where the applicant’s headquarters is 

located. A list of RD State Office 

contacts is provided at the following 

link: www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/stateoffices. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
83828 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 202 / Friday, October 18, 2024 / Notices 

Overview 

Federal Agency Name: Rural 

Business-Cooperative Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: Rural 

Business Development Grant Program. 

Announcement Type: Notice of 

Solicitation Announcement (NOSA). 

Funding Opportunity Number: 

RDBCP–RBDG–2025. 

Assistance Listing: 10.351. 

Dates: Complete applications may be 

submitted in paper or electronic format 

and must be received by 4:30 p.m. local 

time on February 28, 2025, in the USDA 

RD State Office for the State where the 

project is located. A list of the USDA RD 

State Offices can be found at: 

www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices. 

Rural Development Key Priorities: The 

Agency encourages applicants to 

consider projects that will advance the 

following key priorities (more details 

available at www.rd.usda.gov/prioritypoints): 

• Creating More and Better Markets. 

Assist rural communities to recover 

economically through more and better 

market opportunities and through 

improved infrastructure. 

• Advancing Racial Justice, PlaceBased Equity, and Opportunity. Ensure 

all rural residents have equitable access 

to RD programs and benefits from RD 

funded projects. 

• Addressing Climate Change and 

Environmental Justice. Reduce climate 

pollution and increase resilience to the 

impacts of climate change through 

economic support to rural communities. 

A. Program Description 

1. Purpose of the Program. The 

purpose of the RBDG Program is to 

promote economic development and job 

creation projects through the awarding 

of grant funds to eligible entities. 

Applications will compete in two 

separate categories, business 

opportunity grants and business 

enterprise grants, for use in funding 

various business and community 

projects that serve rural areas. 

Business opportunity projects must be 

in compliance with eligible uses as 

stated in 7 CFR 4280.417(a)(1) that 

include the establishment of business 

support centers or providing funds for 

job training and leadership development 

in rural areas. Business opportunity 

projects must be consistent with any 

tribal, local and area-wide strategic 

plans for community and economic 

development, coordinated with other 

economic development activities in the 

project area, and consistent with any RD 

State Strategic Plan. 

Business enterprise projects must be 

in compliance with eligible uses as 

stated in 7 CFR 4280.417(a)(2) and are 

to be used to finance or develop small 

and emerging businesses in rural areas. 

Enterprise grant purposes include 

projects for the acquisition and 

development of land, access streets and 

roads, the conversion or modernization 

of buildings, capitalization of revolving 

loan funds and the purchase of 

machinery and equipment for 

businesses located in a rural area. 

2. Statutory and Regulatory Authority. 

(a) RBDG Program: The RBDG 

Program is authorized under 310B(c) of 

the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 

1932(c) (www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/ 

7/1932) and implemented by 7 CFR part 

4280, subpart E (www.ecfr.gov/current/ 

title-7/part-4280/subpart-E). Assistance 

provided under the RBDG Program will 

be made to eligible entities and will be 

used for funding various business 

opportunity projects and business 

enterprise projects, as applicable, that 

serve Rural Areas. All applicants must 

indicate if the application is for 

enterprise or opportunity type funds. 

(b) Set-Aside Funding: The 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 

(Pub. L. 118–42), designated funding for 

Federally-Recognized Native American 

Tribes, Rural Empowerment Zone/ 

Enterprise Communities/Rural 

Economic Area Partnerships, projects in 

Persistent Poverty Counties (as 

discussed below), Native American 

Persistent Poverty areas and for 

Strategic Economic and Community 

Development (SECD) projects in FY 

2024. 

Set-aside funding may or may not be 

made available through appropriations 

in FY 2025 where continued emphasis 

is given to financial assistance for 

projects located in these areas. For 

funding made available in FY 2024, 

eligible applicants for the Native 

American and Rural Empowerment 

Zone/Enterprise Communities/Rural 

Economic Area Partnership set-aside 

funds were required to demonstrate that 

at least 75 percent of the benefits of an 

approved grant would assist 

beneficiaries in the designated areas. 

For funding made available in FY 2024, 

eligible applicants for the Persistent 

Poverty Counties, Native American 

Persistent Poverty areas, and the SECD 

set-aside funds were required to 

demonstrate that 100 percent of the 

benefits of an approved grant would 

assist beneficiaries in the designated 

areas. The completed application 

deadline for these set-aside funds, if 

available, is consistent with the RBDG 

application deadline date of February 

28, 2025. Applicants for set-aside funds 

must indicate that they are applying for 

set-aside funds and may not submit a 

duplicate application for regular RBDG 

funds. In addition, the applications for 

set aside must also indicate if the 

application is for enterprise or 

opportunity type funds. If funding for 

an anticipated set-aside program is not 

appropriated in FY 2025, or if any 

eligible applications for set-aside 

funding are not funded due to 

insufficient funds, such applications 

will be allowed to compete for available 

FY 2025 regular RBDG funds in the 

State where the project is located. 

(c) Persistent Poverty Funding: The 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 

(Pub. L. 118–42) provided designated 

funding for projects in Persistent 

Poverty Counties. ‘‘Persistent Poverty 

Counties’’ as defined in Section 736 is 

‘‘any county that has had 20 percent or 

more of its population living in poverty 

over the past 30 years, as measured by 

the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses, 

and 2007–2011 American Community 

Survey 5-year average, or any territory 

or possession of the United States’’. 

Section 736 expanded the eligible 

population in Persistent Poverty 

Counties to include any county seat of 

such a Persistent Poverty County that 

had a population that did not exceed the 

authorized population limit by more 

than 10 percent, expanding the current 

50,000 population limit to 55,000 for 

only county seats located in Persistent 

Poverty Counties. Therefore, 

beneficiaries of technical assistance 

services located in county seats of 

Persistent Poverty Counties with 

populations up to 55,000 (per the 2020 

Census) were deemed eligible. 

Comparable statutory provisions may or 

may not be included in the 

appropriations act for FY 2025. 

3. Definitions. The definitions 

applicable to this notice are published 

at 7 CFR 4280.403 (www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-7/section-4280.403). 

4. Application of Awards. Awards 

under the RBDG Program will be made 

on a competitive basis using specific 

selection criteria contained in 7 CFR 

part 4280, subpart E (www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-7/part-4280/subpart-E). 

The Agency will review, evaluate, and 

score applications received in response 

to this notice based on the provisions 

found in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart E 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/part-4280/ 

subpart-E), and as indicated in this 

notice. The Agency advises all 

interested parties that the applicant 

bears the full burden of preparing and 

submitting an application in response to 

this notice whether or not funding is 

appropriated for this program in FY 

2025. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 202 / Friday, October 18, 2024 / Notices 83829 

B. Federal Award Information 

Type of Awards: Grants. 

Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2025. 

Available Funds: Dependent upon FY 

2025 appropriations. Funding is 

anticipated to be approximately $30 

million based on FY 2024 amounts. 

RBCS may, at its discretion, increase the 

total level of funding available in this 

funding round (or in any category in 

this funding round) from any available 

source provided the awards meet the 

requirements of the statute which made 

the funding available to the Agency. 

Award Amounts: The RBDG program 

does not have a minimum or maximum 

amount. Applicants should note that in 

accordance with 7 CFR 4280.435(i) 

applications requesting smaller grant 

requests will receive more priority 

points. 

Anticipated Award Dates: Set-Aside 

awards, if applicable: May 31, 2025. 

Regular awards: August 31, 2025. 

Performance Period: The period of 

time in which the grantee must initiate 

and complete the project is June 1, 2025, 

through September 30, 2027. However, 

as indicated in 7 CFR 4280.421, to be 

considered for funding, the project must 

reasonably be expected to be completed 

within one full year after it has begun. 

Renewal or Supplemental Awards: 

None. 

Type of Financial Assistance 

Instrument: Financial Assistance 

Agreement. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants. Grants may be 

made to a Public Body/Government 

Entity, an Indian Tribe, or a Nonprofit 

entity primarily serving rural areas. In 

accordance with 7 CFR 4280.416(d) 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section4280.416#p-4280.416(d)), applicants 

that are not delinquent on any Federal 

debt or not otherwise disqualified from 

participation in these Programs are 

eligible to apply. The Agency will check 

the System for Award Management 

(SAM) to determine if the applicant has 

been debarred or suspended at the time 

of application and prior to the awarding 

of grant funds. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching. There are 

no cost sharing or matching 

requirements associated with this grant. 

Matching funds are not required for 

eligibility purposes; however, additional 

priority points may be awarded for 

leveraging per 7 CFR 4280.435(a). 

3. Other. Grant funds may be used for 

projects identified in 7 CFR 4280.417(a) 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section4280.417) as either a business 

opportunity type grant or a business 

enterprise type grant. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package. Entities wishing to apply for 

financial assistance should contact the 

USDA RD State Office provided in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice to 

obtain copies of the application 

package. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission. 

(a) The applicant documentation and 

forms needed for a complete application 

are located in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart 

E (www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/part4280/subpart-E), a copy of which will 

be provided to any interested applicant 

making a request to a USDA RD State 

Office for the State where the project is 

located. A list of the USDA RD State 

Offices can be found at: 

www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices. 

(b) The Agency requires information 

to make an eligibility determination 

through applications that must include 

the items identified in 7 CFR 4280.427 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section4280.427). The written narrative 

outlined in 7 CFR 4280.427(d) should 

include the following for Other 

Information: 

(1) Please note that no assistance or 

funding can be provided to hemp 

producers or processors unless they 

have a valid license issued from an 

approved State, Tribal or Federal plan 

as per Section 10113 of the Agriculture 

Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 

115–334 (www.govinfo.gov/app/details/ 

PLAW-115publ334). Verification of 

valid hemp licenses will occur at the 

time of award; and 

(2) Any additional information the 

Agency may request to assist in making 

a grant award determination. 

Each selection priority criterion 

outlined in 7 CFR 4280.435 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section4280.435) must be addressed in the 

application. Failure to address any of 

the criterion will result in a zero-point 

score for that criterion and will impact 

the overall evaluation of the application. 

(c) The application must be submitted 

in one package. The single package 

should be well organized and include a 

table of contents, if appropriate. There 

are no specific limitations on number of 

pages, font size and type face, margins, 

paper size, and the sequence or 

assembly requirements other than those 

described in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart E 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/part-4280/ 

subpart-E). 

(d) An original copy of the application 

must be filed with the RD State Office 

for the State where the project is 

located. For projects involving multiple 

states, the application must be filed in 

the RD State Office where the Applicant 

is located. 

(e) The component pieces of this 

application require original signatures 

on the original application. Any form 

that requires an original signature but is 

signed electronically in the application 

submission must be signed in ink by the 

authorized person prior to the 

disbursement of funds. 

(f) RBDG grants must conform with 

the environmental policies and 

procedures of 7 CFR part 1970 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/part1970). 

3. System for Award Management and 

Unique Entity Identifier. 

(a) At the time of application, each 

applicant must have an active 

registration in SAM before submitting 

its application in accordance with 2 

CFR part 25 (www.ecfr.gov/current/title2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25). In order 

to register in SAM, entities will be 

required to obtain a Unique Entity 

Identifier (UEI). Instructions for 

obtaining the UEI are available at 

sam.gov/content/entity-registration. 

(b) Applicants must maintain an 

active SAM registration, with current, 

accurate and complete information, at 

all times during which it has an active 

Federal award or an application under 

consideration by a Federal awarding 

agency. 

(c) Applicants must ensure they 

complete the Financial Assistance 

General Certifications and 

Representations in SAM. 

(d) Applicants must provide a valid 

UEI in its application, unless 

determined exempt under 2 CFR 25.110 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/ 

chapter-I/part-25/subpart-A/section25.110). 

(e) The Agency will not make an 

award until the applicant has complied 

with all SAM requirements including 

providing the UEI. If an applicant has 

not fully complied with the 

requirements by the time the Agency is 

ready to make an award, the Agency 

may determine that the applicant is not 

qualified to receive a Federal award and 

use that determination as a basis for 

making a Federal award to another 

applicant. 

4. Submission Dates and Times. 

(a) Application Technical Assistance 

Deadline Date. Prior to official 

submission of grant applications, 

applicants may request technical 

assistance or other application guidance 

from the Agency, as long as such 

requests are made prior to February 10, 

2025. Technical assistance is not meant 

to be an analysis or assessment of the 

quality of the materials submitted, a 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
83830 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 202 / Friday, October 18, 2024 / Notices 

substitute for agency review of 

completed applications, nor a 

determination of eligibility. 

(b) Application Deadline Date. 

Applications (paper or electronic 

format) must be submitted to the 

appropriate RD State Office no later 

than 4:30 p.m. (local time) on February 

28, 2025. If completed applications are 

not received by the deadline date, the 

application will neither be reviewed nor 

considered for funding under any 

circumstances. 

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. 

5. Intergovernmental Review. 

Executive Order (E.O.) 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs,’’ applies to this program. This 

E.O. requires that Federal agencies 

provide opportunities for consultation 

on proposed assistance with State and 

local governments. Many states have 

established a Single Point of Contact 

(SPOC) to facilitate this consultation. 

For a list of States that maintain a SPOC, 

please see the White House website: 

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/ 

management/office-federal-financialmanagement/. If your State has a SPOC, 

you may submit a copy of the 

application directly for review. Any 

comments obtained through the SPOC 

must be provided to your State Office 

for consideration as part of your 

application. If your state has not 

established a SPOC, you may submit 

your application directly to the Agency. 

Applications from Federally recognized 

Indian Tribes are not subject to this 

requirement. 

6. Funding Restrictions. 

(a) Indirect costs will be permitted in 

accordance with applicable law and in 

accordance with 2 CFR part 200 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200). 

Pre-Federal award costs will only be 

permitted with prior written approval 

by the Agency. 

(b) In accordance with 7 CFR 

4280.421 (www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/ 

section-4280.421), a project must 

reasonably be expected to be completed 

within one (1) full year after it has 

begun. 

7. Other Submission Requirements. 

Applicants may submit applications in 

hard copy or electronic format as 

previously indicated in the Application 

and Submission Information section of 

this notice. If the applicant wishes to 

hand deliver its application, the 

addresses for these deliveries are 

located in the ADDRESSES section of this 

notice. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria. 

(a) The Agency will review each 

application for assistance in accordance 

with the priorities established in 7 CFR 

4280.435. The Agency will assign each 

application a priority rating and will 

select applications for funding based on 

the priority ratings and the total funds 

available to the program. Failure to 

address any one of the criteria by the 

application deadline will result in the 

application being determined ineligible, 

and the application will not be 

considered for funding. 

(b) The Agency will use the criteria in 

7 CFR 4280.435 and this notice to score 

applications for purposes identified 

under 7 CFR 4280.417(a)(1) and (2). 

(1) Leveraging. In addition to the 

requirements provided in 7 CFR 

4280.435(a), and to the extent that an 

applicant contributes leveraged funds to 

a project, the application must contain 

a firm commitment in writing of other 

funding for the project or points will not 

be awarded to the application for 

leveraging. 

(2) Discretionary points. Either the 

State Director or Administrator may 

assign up to 50 discretionary points to 

an application. Assignment of 

discretionary points must include a 

written justification. Permissible 

justifications are geographic distribution 

of funds, special Secretary of 

Agriculture initiatives such as Priority 

Communities, or a state’s strategic goals. 

Discretionary points may only be 

assigned to initial grants. However, in 

the case where two projects have the 

same score, the State Director may add 

one point to the project that best fits the 

State’s strategic plan regardless of 

whether the project is an initial or 

subsequent grant. 

(c) The following are examples of 

special Secretary of Agriculture 

initiatives that can support obtaining 

discretionary points. 

(1) Assisting rural communities 

recover economically through more and 

better market opportunities and through 

improved infrastructure. Applicant 

would receive priority points if the 

project is located in or is serving a rural 

community whose economic well-being 

ranks in the most distressed tier 

(distress score of 80 or higher) of the 

Distressed Communities Index using the 

Distressed Communities Look-Up Map 

available at www.rd.usda.gov/prioritypoints. 

(2) Ensuring all rural residents have 

equitable access to RD programs and 

benefits from RD funded projects. Using 

the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) 

Look-Up Map (available at 

www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points), an 

applicant would receive priority points 

if the project: 

• Is located in or serving a 

community with a score 0.75 or above 

on the SVI; 

• Is a Federally recognized tribe, 

including Tribal instrumentalities and 

entities that are wholly owned by 

Tribes; or 

• Is a project where at least 50 

percent of the project beneficiaries are 

members of Federally Recognized Tribes 

and non-Tribal applicants include a 

Tribal Resolution of Consent from the 

Tribe or Tribes that the applicant is 

proposing to serve. 

• Is an application from or benefiting 

a Rural Partner’s Network’s (RPN) 

community network. Currently, RPN 

Networks exist in Alaska, Arizona, 

Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, 

New Mexico, North Carolina, Puerto 

Rico, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Use 

the Community Look-Up map (available 

at www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points) to 

determine if your project qualifies. 

(3) Reducing climate pollution and 

increasing resilience to the impacts of 

climate change through economic 

support to rural communities. Using the 

Disadvantaged Community and Energy 

Community Look-Up Map (available at 

https://www.rd.usda.gov/prioritypoints), applicants can receive priority 

points in one of the three ways: 

• If the project is located in or serves 

a Disadvantaged Community as defined 

by the Climate and Economic Justice 

Screening Tool (CEJST), from the White 

House Council on Environmental 

Quality (CEQ), or 

• If the project is located in or serves 

an Energy Community as defined by the 

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 

• If applicants demonstrate through 

written narrative how proposed climateimpact projects improve the livelihoods 

of community residents and meet 

pollution mitigation or clean energy 

goals. 

The Agency will assign each 

application a priority rating based on 

the total score and will select 

applications for funding based on the 

priority ratings and the total funds 

available to the program for 

opportunity-type projects and 

enterprise-type projects. 

2. Review and Selection Process. 

The RD State Offices will review 

applications to determine if they are 

eligible for assistance based on 

requirements contained in 7 CFR 

4280.416 (www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/ 

section-4280.416) and 7 CFR 4280.417 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/sectionVerDate Sep<11>2014 16:48 Oct 17, 2024 Jkt 265001 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\18OCN1.SGM 18OCN1

khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 202 / Friday, October 18, 2024 / Notices 83831 

4280.417). Funding of projects is subject 

to the availability of funds and 

Applicant’s satisfactory submission of 

the items required by 7 CFR part 4280, 

subpart E (www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/ 

part-4280/subpart-E) and this notice, in 

addition to any conditions specifically 

outlined in any issued USDA RD Letter 

of Conditions if available funds are to be 

awarded. The agency reserves the right 

to offer the applicant less than the 

amount of grant funding requested. 

The Agency will score each 

application based on the information 

contained in the application and its 

supporting information. All applications 

submitted for funding must be in one 

package and contain sufficient 

information to permit the Agency to 

complete a thorough priority rating. 

Agency employees may not consider 

any information that is not provided by 

the applicant in writing for scoring 

purposes. Applications will not be 

considered for funding if they do not 

provide sufficient information to 

determine eligibility or are missing 

required elements. 

Applications for set-aside funds, if 

available, will compete at the National 

Office in their respective categories. 

Applications for regular RBDG projects 

will compete at the state level in their 

respective category, business 

opportunity grants or business 

enterprise grants, for funding made 

available through RD State allocated 

funds. Applications will be reviewed, 

prioritized by score, and funded by 

ranking each project in highest to lowest 

score order until available funds are 

exhausted. If funds are exhausted at the 

state level, each State’s highest scoring 

unfunded business enterprise project 

will have the opportunity to compete for 

funding through a final national 

competition. 

The Agency will notify eligible 

applicants in writing if RBDG funds are 

not available. The applicant is permitted 

to respond in writing that they wish 

their application to be reconsidered in 

the next FY. The applicant may provide 

additional updated information to the 

Agency prior to the next FY’s 

application deadline for their project. 

The Agency will notify eligible 

applicants in writing if set-aside funds 

are not available. Applications that are 

eligible for set-aside funds but are 

unfunded due to the unavailability of 

funds will be allowed to compete for 

available FY 2025 regular RBDG funds 

in the State where the project is located. 

For projects involving multiple states, 

the application will be returned to the 

RD State Office where the Applicant is 

located and will compete for funds in 

that State. The Agency will notify 

eligible applicants in writing if their 

application will not be funded in FY 

2025 due to insufficient funds in the setaside and regular RBDG programs. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices. 

Successful applicants will receive 

notification for funding from the USDA 

RD State Office. Applicants must 

comply with all applicable statutes and 

regulations before the grant award can 

be approved and funded. If an 

application is withdrawn by the 

applicant, it can be resubmitted later 

and will be evaluated as a new 

application in the period submitted. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements. 

(a) Additional Requirements. 

(1) Additional requirements that 

apply to grantees selected for this 

Program can be found in 7 CFR part 

4280, subpart E (www.ecfr.gov/current/ 

title-7/part-4280/subpart-E), and in the 

Grants and Agreements regulations of 

the Department of Agriculture codified 

in 2 CFR parts 25, 170, 180, 200, 400, 

415, 417, 418, 421, and successor 

regulations to these parts. 

(2) All awards are subject to USDA 

grant regulations at 2 CFR part 400 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-400) 

which incorporates the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

regulations at 2 CFR part 200 

(www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200). 

(3) All successful applicants will be 

notified by letter which will include a 

Letter of Conditions and a Letter of 

Intent to Meet Conditions. This letter is 

not an authorization to begin 

performance, but it is a notification that 

grant funds may be awarded subject to 

the applicant meeting certain specified 

conditions. The grant will be considered 

officially awarded when all conditions 

in the Letter of Conditions have been 

met and the Agency obligates the 

funding for the project. If the applicant 

wishes to consider beginning their 

project performance prior to the grant 

being officially closed, all pre-award 

costs must be approved in writing and 

in advance by the Agency. 

(4) All recipients of Federal financial 

assistance are required to report 

information about first-tier sub-awards 

and executive compensation (see 2 CFR 

part 170 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/ 

title-2/part-170)). The applicant will be 

required to have the necessary processes 

and systems in place to comply with the 

Federal Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109– 

282—Federal Funding Accountability 

and Transparency Act of 2006—Content 

Details—(govinfo.gov) reporting 

requirements (see 2 CFR 170.200(b) 

(https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/ 

section-170.200#p-170.200(b)), unless 

the recipient is exempt under 2 CFR 

170.110(b) (https://www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-2/section-170.110#p170.110(b))). 

(5) The following additional 

requirements apply to grantees selected 

for these programs: 

(i) Form RD 4280–2 ‘‘Rural BusinessCooperative Service Financial 

Assistance Agreement.’’ 

(ii) Letter of Conditions. 

(iii) Form RD 1940–1, ‘‘Request for 

Obligation of Funds.’’ 

(iv) Form RD 1942–46, ‘‘Letter of 

Intent to Meet Conditions.’’ 

(v) SF LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying 

Activities,’’ if applicable. 

(vi) Grantees will use Form SF 270, 

‘‘Request for Advance or 

Reimbursement’’ when requesting grant 

funds from the Agency. 

(b) Build America, Buy America. 

Awardees that are Non-Federal Entities, 

defined pursuant to 2 CFR 200.1 as any 

State, local government, Indian tribe, 

Institution of Higher Education, or 

nonprofit organization, shall be 

governed by the requirements of Section 

70914 of the Build America, Buy 

America Act (BABAA) within the 

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

(IIJA) (Pub. L. 117–58). Any requests for 

waiver of these requirements must be 

submitted pursuant to USDA’s guidance 

available online at https://

www.usda.gov/ocfo/federal-financialassistance-policy/ 

USDABuyAmericaWaiver. 

(c) Geospatial Information. Awardee, 

and any and all contracts entered into 

by the Awardee with respect to the 

Award, shall ensure that geospatial data 

required to be collected and provided to 

the agency, conforms with the 

requirements of USDA Department 

Regulation DR–3465–001 and the 

Geospatial Metadata Standards set forth 

in DM 3465–001, which can be obtained 

online at www.usda.gov/directives/dr3465-001 and www.usda.gov/directives/ 

dm-3465-001. 

3. Reporting. 

(a) A Financial Status Report and a 

Project Performance Activity Report will 

be required of all grantees on a quarterly 

basis until initial funds are expended 

and yearly thereafter, if applicable, 

based on the Federal FY. Grantees must 

continuously 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. Grantees must submit an 

original of each report to the Agency no 

later than 30 days after the end of the 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
83832 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 202 / Friday, October 18, 2024 / Notices 

quarter. The grantee will complete the 

project within the total time available to 

it in accordance with the Scope of Work 

and any necessary modifications thereof 

prepared by the grantee and approved 

by the Agency. A final Project 

Performance Report will be required 

with the final Financial Status Report. 

The final report may serve as the last 

quarterly report. The final report must 

provide complete information regarding 

the jobs created and supported as a 

result of the RBDG grant, if applicable. 

The Project Performance Reports must 

include, but not be limited to, the 

following: 

(1) A comparison of actual 

accomplishments to the objectives 

established for that period. 

(2) Problems, delays, or adverse 

conditions, if any, which have affected 

or will affect attainment of overall 

project objectives, prevent meeting time 

schedules or objectives, or preclude the 

attainment of particular project work 

elements during established time 

periods. This disclosure shall be 

accompanied by a statement of the 

action taken or planned to resolve the 

situation. 

(3) Objectives and timetable 

established for the next reporting 

period. 

(4) Any special reporting 

requirements, such as jobs supported 

and created, businesses assisted, or 

economic development which results in 

improvements in median household 

incomes, and any other specific 

requirements, will be placed in the 

reporting section of the Letter of 

Conditions. 

(5) Within 90 days after the 

conclusion of the project, the grantee 

will provide a final Project Evaluation 

Report. The last quarterly payment will 

be withheld until the final report is 

received and approved by the Agency. 

Even though the grantee may request 

reimbursement on a monthly basis, the 

last 3 months of reimbursements will be 

withheld until the final Project 

Evaluation, Project Performance, and 

Financial Status Reports are received 

and approved by the Agency. 

(b) In addition to any reports required 

by 2 CFR part 200 (www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-2/part-200) and 2 CFR 

chapter IV (www.ecfr.gov/current/title2/subtitle-B/chapter-IV), the grantee 

must provide reports as required by 7 

CFR part 4280, subpart E (www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-7/part-4280/subpart-E). 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 

For general questions about this 

announcement, please contact your 

USDA RD State Office provided in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

H. Other Information 

1. Paperwork Reduction Act. In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 

chapter 35), the information collection 

requirements associated with the 

programs, as covered in this notice, 

have been approved by the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) under 

OMB Control Number 0570–0070. 

2. National Environmental Policy Act. 

All recipients under this notice are 

subject to the requirements of 7 CFR 

part 1970. RBCS will review each grant 

application to determine its compliance 

with 7 CFR part 1970. The applicant 

may be asked to provide additional 

information or documentation to assist 

RBCS with this determination. 

3. Federal Funding Accountability 

and Transparency Act. All applicants, 

in accordance with 2 CFR part 25, must 

be registered in SAM and have a UEI 

number as stated in Section D.3 of this 

notice. All recipients of Federal 

financial assistance are required to 

report information about first-tier subawards and executive total 

compensation in accordance with 2 CFR 

part 170. 

4. Civil Rights Act. All grants made 

under this notice are subject to title VI 

of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as 

required by the USDA (7 CFR part 15, 

subpart) and section 504 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, title VIII of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1968, title IX, 

Executive Order 13166 (Limited English 

Proficiency), Executive Order 11246, 

and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 

1974. 

5. Equal Opportunity for Religious 

Organizations. 

(a) Faith-based organizations may 

apply for this award on the same basis 

as any other organization, as set forth at, 

and subject to the protections and 

requirements of, this part and any 

applicable constitutional and statutory 

requirements, including 42 U.S.C. 

2000bb et seq. USDA will not, in the 

selection of recipients, discriminate for 

or against an organization on the basis 

of the organization’s religious character, 

motives, or affiliation, or lack thereof, or 

on the basis of conduct that would not 

be considered grounds to favor or 

disfavor a similarly situated secular 

organization. 

(b) A faith-based organization that 

participates in this program will retain 

its independence from the Government 

and may continue to carry out its 

mission consistent with religious 

freedom and conscience protections in 

Federal law. Religious accommodations 

may also be sought under many of these 

religious freedom and conscience 

protection laws. 

(c) A faith-based organization may not 

use direct Federal financial assistance 

from USDA to support or engage in any 

explicitly religious activities except 

when consistent with the Establishment 

Clause of the First Amendment and any 

other applicable requirements. An 

organization receiving Federal financial 

assistance also may not, in providing 

services funded by USDA, or in their 

outreach activities related to such 

services, discriminate against a program 

beneficiary or prospective program 

beneficiary on the basis of religion, a 

religious belief, a refusal to hold a 

religious belief, or a refusal to attend or 

participate in a religious practice. 

6. Nondiscrimination Statement. In 

accordance with Federal civil rights 

laws and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, the USDA, its 

Mission Areas, agencies, staff offices, 

employees, and institutions 

participating in or administering USDA 

programs are prohibited from 

discriminating based on race, color, 

national origin, religion, sex, gender 

identity (including gender expression), 

sexual orientation, disability, age, 

marital status, family/parental status, 

income derived from a public assistance 

program, political beliefs, or reprisal or 

retaliation for prior civil rights activity, 

in any program or activity conducted or 

funded by USDA (not all bases apply to 

all programs). Remedies and complaint 

filing deadlines vary by program or 

incident. 

Program information may be made 

available in languages other than 

English. Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means of 

communication to obtain program 

information (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, American Sign Language) 

should contact the responsible Mission 

Area, agency, staff office or the 711 

Relay Service. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, a complainant should 

complete a Form AD–3027, USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint 

Form, which can be obtained online at 

www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ 

documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any 

USDA office, by calling (866) 632–9992, 

or by writing a letter addressed to 

USDA. The letter must contain the 

complainant’s name, address, telephone 

number, and a written description of the 

alleged discriminatory action in 

sufficient detail to inform the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about 

the nature and date of an alleged civil 

rights violation. The completed AD– 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 202 / Friday, October 18, 2024 / Notices 83833 

3027 form or letter must be submitted to 

USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; or 

(2) Fax: (833) 256–1665 or (202) 690– 

7442; or 

(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Kathryn E. Dirksen Londrigan, 

Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, USDA Rural Development. 

[FR Doc. 2024–20344 Filed 10–17–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

[Docket #: RUS–23–ELECTRIC–0017] 

Central Electric Power Cooperative, 

Inc.; Notice of Availability of a Final 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of a final 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has 

prepared a Final Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) for Central Electric 

Power Cooperative’s (the Applicant/ 

Central Electric) proposed 

McClellanville 115-kilovolt (kV) 

Transmission Project (Project) in South 

Carolina, to meet RUS’s responsibilities 

under National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) and their implementing 

regulations related to providing 

financial assistance to Central Electric 

for its share in constructing the 

proposed transmission line and 

associated infrastructure. The U.S. 

Forest Service, Francis Marion National 

Forest, and the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers are cooperating agencies in 

the preparation of the EIS. The Final EIS 

analyzes the environmental impacts of 

constructing, operating, and 

maintaining a new 23.3-mile, 115-kV 

transmission line along the Jamestown 

corridor (Proposed Action), and two 

other alternatives, that includes the 

Jamestown Alternative (a variation of 

the Proposed Action) and the Charity 

Alternative. It also addresses comments 

received during the comment period for 

the Supplemental Draft EIS, which was 

prepared in 2019. As part of its broad 

environmental review process, RUS 

must consider the effect of the Project 

on historic properties in accordance 

with the National Historic Preservation 

Act (section 106) and its implementing 

regulation, ‘‘Protection of Historic 

Properties’’. This Notice of Availability 

also serves as a notice of proposed 

wetland and floodplain actions. 

DATES: Written comments on this Final 

EIS will be accepted for 45 days 

following publication of the 

Environmental Protection Agency’s 

environmental impact statement notice 

of receipt in the Federal Register. 

Notices of Availability of the Final EIS 

will also be published in local 

newspapers. After a 45-day comment 

period on the Final EIS, RUS may 

prepare a Record of Decision. The 

environmental compliance and 

permitting process is expected to 

conclude in 2025. 

ADDRESSES: The Final EIS and other 

Project-related information are available 

at the following RUS website: https://

www.rd.usda.gov/resources/ 

environmental-studies/impactstatement/mcclellanville-115kvtransmission-line-berkeley-charlestonand-georgetown-counties-sc. Comments 

can be submitted by email at: 

mcclellanvilleeis@usda.gov or by mail 

to: WSP USA, Subject: McClellanville 

Transmission Line Project, 1308 Patton 

Ave., Asheville, NC 28806, during the 

comment period. 

All comments submitted during the 

comment period will become part of the 

public record. Comments submitted 

after the comment period will not be 

considered by the agency. Before 

including your address, telephone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

All comments will be reviewed and 

included in the Record of Decision. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

download electronic copies of the Final 

EIS or previous NEPA analyses and 

documents, go to: https://

www.rd.usda.gov/resources/ 

environmental-studies/impactstatement/mcclellanville-115kvtransmission-line-berkeley-charlestonand-georgetown-counties-sc. 

For information specific to this notice 

contact Suzanne Kopich, Environmental 

Protection Specialist, Rural Utilities 

Service, Rural Development, telephone 

202–961–8514. Electronic comments 

may be submitted at mcclellanvilleeis@

usda.gov during the open comment 

period. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: RUS is 

serving as the lead federal agency for the 

preparation of this EIS. The United 

States Forest Service (USFS) and U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), 

Charleston District, are cooperating 

agencies. Because the proposed 

transmission line would cross the 

Francis Marion National Forest (FMNF), 

USFS has responsibility to decide 

whether to issue a Special Use Permit 

(SUP) to Central Electric for 

authorization of the Project on National 

Forest System lands. USACE has 

primary responsibility to issue permits 

for work in, over, or otherwise affecting 

navigable waters of the United States 

and to authorize the discharge of 

dredged or fill material into 

jurisdictional wetlands. 

The purpose of the proposed Project 

is to address system capacity, system 

reliability, human safety, and power 

quality issues resulting from the current 

use of the aging distribution line 

supplying electricity to Berkeley 

Electric, supplying the McClellanville 

area. Central Electric is a not-for-profit 

electric generation and transmission 

cooperative made up of twenty (20) 

retail electric cooperatives in South 

Carolina that provide wholesale power 

to its member-owners, including 

Berkeley Electric Incorporated. 

Organized in 1948, Central Electric 

designs and builds transmission lines 

that connect the state’s bulk 

transmission system (the coordinated 

and integrated Central Electric/South 

Carolina Public Service Authority 

[Santee Cooper] system) and the 

member-cooperative system substations. 

The 20 electric cooperatives own 

Central Electric and are self-regulated 

for rates and follow state and federal 

construction standards. South Carolina 

Code of State Regulations, chapter 103– 

304, Public Service Commission, 

Territory and Certificates, states in part, 

that no electrical utility supplying 

electric service to the public shall 

hereafter begin the construction or 

operation of any electric facilities, or of 

any extension thereof, without first 

obtaining from the commission a 

certificate that public convenience and 

necessity requires or will require such 

construction or operation. The 

regulation further states that the 

regulation shall not be construed to 

require any such electrical utility to 

secure a certificate for any extension 

within a municipality or district within 

which it has heretofore lawfully 

commenced operations, or for an 

extension within or to territory already 

served by it, necessary in the ordinary 

course of its business, or for an 

extension into territory contiguous to 

that already occupied by it and not 

receiving similar service from another 

electrical utility. This proposed project 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES