Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 200 / Wednesday, October 16, 2024 / Notices 83449 

3. Make funding recommendations on 

Title II projects. 

The agenda will include time for 

individuals to make oral statements of 

three minutes or less. Individuals 

wishing to make an oral statement 

should make a request in writing at least 

three days prior to the meeting date to 

be scheduled on the agenda. Written 

comments may be submitted to the 

Forest Service up to 3 days after the 

meeting dates listed under DATES. 

Please contact the person listed under 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, by 

or before the deadline, for all questions 

related to the meeting. All comments, 

including names and addresses when 

provided, are placed in the record and 

are available for public inspection and 

copying. The public may inspect 

comments received upon request. 

Meeting Accommodations: The 

meeting location is compliant with the 

Americans with Disabilities Act, and the 

USDA provides reasonable 

accommodation to individuals with 

disabilities where appropriate. If you are 

a person requiring reasonable 

accommodation, please make requests 

in advance for sign language 

interpretation, assistive listening 

devices, or other reasonable 

accommodation to the person listed 

under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section, or contact USDA’s 

TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 

(voice and TTY) or USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

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. 

Equal opportunity practices in 

accordance with USDA’s policies will 

be followed in all appointments to the 

committee. To ensure that the 

recommendations of the Committee 

have taken into account the needs of the 

diverse groups served by the 

Department, membership shall include, 

to the extent practicable, individuals 

with demonstrated ability to represent 

the many communities, identities, races, 

ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, 

cultures, and beliefs of the American 

people, including underserved 

communities. USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider, employer, and 

lender. 

Dated: September 27, 2024. 

Cikena Reid, 

USDA Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22666 Filed 10–15–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

[Docket No. RBS–24–BUSINESS–0015] 

Notice of Funding Opportunity for the 

Rural Energy for America Program for 

Fiscal Years 2025, 2026, and 2027 

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) is issuing a 

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) 

to announce acceptance of grant, 

guaranteed loan, and combined grant 

and guaranteed loan applications under 

the Rural Energy for America Program 

(REAP). This notice announces the 

deadlines, dates, and times that 

applications must be received in order 

to be considered for REAP funds. The 

NOFO is being issued for Fiscal Years 

(FY) 2025, 2026, and 2027. The notice 

will not be applied retroactively to any 

applications previously filed. 

Applications received the date 

following the publication of this notice 

through September 30, 2027, will be 

evaluated and scored according to the 

provisions listed in this notice, unless 

otherwise amended via a subsequent 

notice. 

DATES: As provided for in 7 CFR 

4280.122, the Agency, by this notice, is 

decreasing the number of competitions 

for Renewable Energy Systems and 

Energy Efficiency Improvements (RES/ 

EEI). The application deadline date and 

time as outlined in 7 CFR 4280.156(a) 

for Energy Audit and Renewable Energy 

Development Assistance (EA and REDA) 

remains unchanged. RES/EEI and 

Energy Efficient Equipment and systems 

(EEE) guaranteed loan applications are 

completed on an ongoing basis in 

accordance with 7 CFR 5001.315. See 

section D.4. of this notice for details on 

future RES/EEI grant competitions. 

ADDRESSES: You are encouraged to 

contact your USDA RD State Energy 

Coordinator well in advance of the 

application deadline to discuss your 

project and ask any questions about the 

application process. Contact 

information for State Office Energy 

Coordinators can be found at 

rd.usda.gov/files/RBS_

StateEnergyCoordinators.pdf. 

Program guidance and application 

forms may be obtained at rd.usda.gov/ 

programs-services/all-programs/energyprograms. To submit an electronic 

application via grants.gov, follow the 

instructions for the REAP funding 

announcement located at 

www.grants.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jonathan Burns, Programs Management 

Division, RBCS, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Mail Stop 

3226, Room 5801–S, Washington, DC 

20250–3226, Phone: (774) 678–7238 or 

Email CPgrants@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Awarding Agency Name: 

USDA, Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: Rural 

Energy for America Program (REAP). 

Announcement Type: Notice of 

Funding Opportunity. 

Funding Opportunity Number: 

RDBCP–REAP–RES–EEI–2025–2026– 

2027. 

Assistance Listing Number: 10.868. 

Dates: As provided for in 7 CFR 

4280.122, the Agency, by this notice, is 

decreasing the number of competitions 

for RES/EEI. The application deadline 

date and time as outlined in 7 CFR 

4280.156(a) for EA/REDA remains 

unchanged. RES/EEI and EEE 

guaranteed loan applications are 

completed on an ongoing basis in 

accordance with 7 CFR 5001.315. See 

section D.4 of this notice for details on 

future RES/EEI grant competitions. 

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. 

• Addressing Climate Change and 

Environmental Justice: Reduce climate 

pollution and increase resilience to the 

impacts of climate change through 

economic support for rural 

communities. 

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

all rural residents have equitable access 

to RD programs and benefits from RD 

funded projects. 


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A. Program Description 

1. Purpose of the Program. The 

Agency provides grants, guaranteed 

loans, and combined grant and 

guaranteed loan combinations through 

the REAP program to help agricultural 

producers and rural small businesses, 

including those Tribally owned or 

Tribal member owned, reduce energy 

costs and consumption and helps meet 

the Nation’s critical energy needs. The 

REAP has two types of funding 

assistance: RES/EEI assistance and EA 

and REDA grants. 

2. Statutory and Regulatory Authority. 

REAP is authorized by section 9007 of 

the Farm Security and Rural Investment 

Act of 2002, as amended, codified at 7 

U.S.C. 8107 and is implemented by 7 

CFR 4280 subpart B (ecfr.gov/current/ 

title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XLII/part4280#part-4280) and 7 CFR part 5001 

(ecfr.gov/current/title7/subtitle-B/ 

chapter-L/part-5001). The Inflation 

Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 provides 

additional authorities for REAP (Public 

Law 117–169, section 22002). 

3. Definitions. The definitions 

applicable to this notice are published 

at 7 CFR 4280.103 and 7 CFR 5001.3. 

For the purpose of this notice only, 

underutilized renewable energy 

technologies (underutilized 

technologies) are defined as those 

technologies which do not produce 

greenhouse gases at the project level and 

make up less than 20 percent of the total 

grant dollars obligated at the end of the 

fiscal year, two (2) years previous to the 

current year. For example, FY 2023 

award data will be utilized to determine 

which technologies are underutilized 

technologies for the FY 2025 

competition. 

4. Application of Awards. The Agency 

will review, evaluate and score 

applications based on the provisions 

found in 7 CFR 4280, subpart B, 7 CFR 

5001, and as indicated in this notice. 

The Agency advises all interested 

parties that the applicant bears the full 

burden in preparing and submitting an 

application in response to this notice 

regardless of whether or not funding is 

appropriated for the REAP program or 

whether or not the applicant is 

ultimately successful. 

B. Federal Award Information 

Type of Award: Competitive grants 

and guaranteed loans. 

Fiscal Year Funds: FYs 2025, 2026, 

and 2027. 

Available Funds: The collective 

funding is anticipated to be at least 

$600,000,000 divided as indicated 

below: 

a. IRA funding—Approximately 

$180,000,000 per Federal FY. 

b. IRA underutilized renewable energy 

technology set aside funding— 

Approximately $20,000,000 per Federal 

FY. 

The Agency may, at its discretion, 

increase the total level of funding 

available in this funding round (or in 

any category in this notice) from any 

available source provided the awards 

meet the requirements of the statute 

which made the funding available to the 

Agency. 

Award Amounts: See Funding 

Restrictions in section E of this notice 

for minimum and maximum award 

amounts. 

Anticipated Award Date: State 

competitions will be held after the close 

of each application window as 

described in section D.4 of this notice. 

States with high volumes may 

experience delays in their ability to 

conduct competitions. Stakeholders are 

encouraged to contact State Energy 

Coordinators to determine estimated 

dates of when their competition will be 

finalized. A list of State Energy 

Coordinators can be found at 

rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/RBS_

StateEnergyCoordinators.pdf. 

Performance Period: Up to 24 months 

for grants. Guaranteed loans are 

governed by the loan terms. 

Renewal or Supplemental Awards: 

None. 

Type of Assistance Instrument: Grant, 

guaranteed loan, and grant and 

guaranteed loan combined funding. 

Approximate Number of Awards: The 

collective estimated number of awards 

under this notice is 6,000 based on the 

three FYs included in the notice and 

will depend on the actual amount of 

funds made available and on the 

number of eligible applicants 

participating in this program. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligibility Requirements. Eligibility 

requirements for the applicant, 

borrower, lender, and project (as 

applicable) are clarified in 7 CFR part 

4280, subpart B and in 7 CFR part 5001 

and are summarized in this notice. 

Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by 

the time of the competition window will 

preclude the application from 

competing until all eligibility criteria 

have been met. 

2. Eligible Borrowers and Lenders. To 

be eligible for the guaranteed loan 

portion of the program, borrowers must 

meet the eligibility requirements in 7 

CFR 5001.126 and lenders must meet 

the eligibility requirements in 7 CFR 

5001.130. 

3. Eligible Projects. To be eligible for 

the program, a project must meet the 

eligibility requirements specified in 7 

CFR 4280.113 for RES/EEI grant; 7 CFR 

4280.150 for EA/REDA grant; 7 CFR 

4280.137 for RES/EEI combined grant 

and guaranteed loan; and 7 CFR 

5001.106 through 5001.108, as 

applicable, for RES/EEI/EEE loan 

guarantees. For RES/EEI grants: 

a. Applicants are advised against 

starting construction prior to the 

Agency’s completion of its 

environmental review process. Even if 

construction starts before the 

environmental review process is 

completed, the application may 

ultimately be determined to be 

ineligible. 

b. Only projects that have been 

determined by the Agency to have 

technical merit, as determined using the 

procedures specified in 7 CFR 4280.117, 

are eligible for program funding. 

c. Pursuant to the definition of 

Renewable Energy System in 7 CFR 

4280.103, RES projects that include 

components and ancillary infrastructure 

such as flexible fuel pumps or electric 

vehicle charging stations may not be 

networked or utilize network 

management software that allows for 

payment processing as these systems 

include a mechanism for dispensing 

energy at retail. 

4. Cost Sharing or Matching. Matching 

requirements for each type of funding, 

as applicable, are outlined in 7 CFR 

4280.115 (b) for RES/EEI grant; and 7 

CFR 4280.137 for RES/EEI combined 

grant and guaranteed loan. 

5. Other: 

a. Ineligible project costs. 

i. Ineligible project costs are defined 

at: 7 CFR 4280.115(d) for RES/EEI grant 

and combined grant and guaranteed 

loans; 7 CFR 4280.152(c) for EA/REDA 

grant; and 7 CFR 4280.137 (j)(5) and 

5001.122 for RES/EEI/EEE loan 

guarantees. 

ii. Applicants are advised to not incur 

project costs, prior to Agency 

acknowledgement of a complete and 

eligible application. Pursuant to 7 CFR 

4280.115(c) and 7 CFR 4280.152(b), any 

costs incurred prior to your complete 

application date are considered 

ineligible project costs. Final Federal 

grant share amounts are calculated at 

the time of reimbursement and are 

based on the documented total eligible 

project costs. Awardees must provide 

evidence of costs incurred at the time of 

reimbursement. Having ineligible 

project costs could result in receiving a 

lower Federal grant share amount than 

originally requested or approved, or a 

determination that a project is 

ineligible. 

b. Other compliance requirements. 

i. Debarment and Suspension. 

According to 2 CFR parts 180 subpart C 


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and 2 CFR part 417, participants in 

covered transactions must verify that 

the person with whom you intend to do 

business is not excluded or disqualified. 

You, as a participant, may not enter into 

a covered transaction with an excluded 

person, unless the Federal agency for 

the transaction grants an exception. You 

can verify the person with whom you 

intend to do business is not excluded or 

disqualified by checking the System for 

Awards Management (SAM) exclusions, 

collecting a certification from that 

person, or adding a clause or condition 

to the covered transaction with that 

person. 

ii. Federal Laws and Regulations. 

Applicants are subject to all applicable 

Federal laws and regulations, including 

USDA Departmental Regulations. 

Sections D and E of this notice contain 

other compliance requirements. 

iii. Hemp Production. 

A. The Agriculture Improvement Act 

of 2018, Public Law 115–334, as 

amended, (the 2018 Farm Bill) requires 

USDA to promulgate regulations and 

guidelines to establish and administer a 

program for the production of hemp in 

the United States. 

B. In determining eligibility for the 

applicant, project or use of funds, any 

project applying for funding under the 

REAP program and proposing to 

produce, procure, supply or market any 

component of the hemp plant or hemp 

related by-products, or provide 

technical assistance related to such 

products, must have a valid license from 

an approved State, Tribal or Federal 

plan pursuant to section G of the 

Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as 

amended, to be in compliance with 

regulations published by the 

Agricultural Marketing Service at 7 CFR 

part 990, and meet any applicable U.S. 

Food and Drug Administration and U.S. 

Drug Enforcement Administration 

regulatory requirements. Verification of 

valid hemp licenses will occur prior to 

award. In addition, all projects 

proposing to use biomass feedstock from 

any part of the hemp plant must 

demonstrate assurance of an adequate 

supply of the feedstock. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package. Application materials may be 

obtained by contacting the RD Energy 

Coordinator for the State where the 

proposed project will be located, as 

identified via the following link: 

rd.usda.gov/files/RBS_

StateEnergyCoordinators.pdf. In 

addition, for grant applications, 

applicants may obtain electronic grant 

applications for REAP from grants.gov. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission. Applicants seeking to 

participate in this program must submit 

applications in accordance with this 

notice, 7 CFR part 4280 subpart B and 

7 CFR part 5001, as applicable. 

a. Applicants must submit complete 

applications by the dates identified in 

section D.4., of this notice, containing 

all parts necessary for the Agency to 

determine applicant and project 

eligibility, to score the application, and 

to conduct the technical merit 

evaluation, as applicable, in order to be 

considered. The Agency encourages the 

applicant to reach out to their Energy 

Coordinator to determine application 

status. The applicant bears all risk 

should they incur project costs or 

commence construction activities prior 

to Agency notification of a complete and 

eligible application and the completion 

of an environmental review. 

b. Applicants must submit one 

original, hardcopy or electronic 

application to the appropriate RD 

Energy Coordinator for the State where 

the applicant’s proposed project will be 

located, or for grant applications, 

submission may be via grants.gov or 

through other means identified on the 

Agency program website. A list of 

USDA RD State Office Energy 

Coordinators is available via the 

following link: rd.usda.gov/files/RBS_

StateEnergyCoordinators.pdf. 

3. System for Award Management and 

Unique Entity Identifier. 

a. At the time of application, each 

applicant must have an active 

registration in the System for Award 

Management (SAM) before submitting 

its application in accordance with 2 

CFR part 25. 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. 

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. Grant 

applications, guaranteed loan-only 

applications, and combined grant and 

guaranteed loan applications for 

financial assistance may be submitted at 

any time the application window is 

open and will compete accordingly 

based on the application window 

submission deadlines. To be considered 

for funds under this notice, complete 

applications must be received by the 

appropriate USDA RD State Office 

Energy Coordinator, regardless of 

postmark, or via www.grants.gov by 4:30 

p.m. local time on the application 

window submission deadline. The 

complete application date is the date the 

Agency receives the last piece of 

information that allows the Agency to 

determine eligibility and to score, rank, 

and compete the application for 

funding. The Agency will not solicit or 

consider new scoring or eligibility 

information that is submitted after the 

application deadline. The Agency also 

reserves the right to ask applicants for 

clarifying information and additional 

verification of assertions in the 

application. 

The Agency encourages applicants to 

reach out to their Energy Coordinator to 

determine application status. When an 

application window closes, the next 

application window opens on the 

following day, if applicable. An 

application received after the window 

closing date will be considered with 

other complete applications received in 

the next application window. If the 

competition deadline falls on a weekend 

or a federally observed holiday, the next 

Federal business day will be considered 

last day for receipt of a complete 

application. Applications not funded in 

a given competition will rollover to the 

next competition. 

Applications will compete based 

upon on the dollar amount of grant 

request (set aside or unrestricted), the 

percent of Federal grant share to total 

project cost, or if the definition of 

underutilized technologies, as defined 

in section A.3. is met. 

a. RES/EEI grant applications. As 

provided for in 7 CFR 4280.122, the 

Agency, by this notice, is updating 

when applications will be accepted and 

the number of competitions for RES/EEI 

grant applications. All application 

deadlines listed below apply to all 

grants, regardless of the amount 

requested. 

i. Application window opening. The 

Agency will be accepting applications 


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between July 1 and March 31 of each 

year covered under this notice. 

Competition deadlines are outlined 

below. In order to compete for funding 

in a competition cycle outlined below, 

a complete application must be received 

by the Agency before the deadline. 

Applicants may only have one active 

application for assistance per project 

regardless of Fiscal Year. 

ii. Application window closing. The 

Agency will not be accepting 

applications between April 1 and June 

30 of each year covered under this 

notice. If the Agency receives an 

application during this time, it will not 

be reviewed or processed, and the 

application will be returned. 

iii. Application deadlines. 

A. The following additional 

application deadlines are being 

announced for FY 2025: 

(1) December 31, 2024; and 

(2) March 31, 2025. 

B. The following application 

deadlines are being announced for FY 

2026: 

(1) September 30, 2025; 

(2) December 31, 2025; and 

(3) March 31, 2026. 

C. The following application 

deadlines are being announced for FY 

2027: 

(1) September 30, 2026; 

(2) December 31, 2026; and 

(3) March 31, 2027. 

iv. Underutilized technologies. Only 

projects that propose the use of 

underutilized technologies will be 

eligible for set aside funding. Any 

unused underutilized technology set 

aside funding will revert to the general 

program funds on an annual basis. 

v. National Office competition(s). 

National Office pooled competitions 

will be conducted on an as needed basis 

based on when projects are ready to 

compete. State allocated restricted funds 

will be pooled on or about June 1. 

Pooled restricted funds will first be used 

to fund eligible unselected requests of 

$20,000 or less. Any unused restricted 

funds may be made available to 

supplement National Office Reserve 

Account. 

A. State allocated unrestricted funds 

will be pooled on or about August 1. 

Pooled unrestricted funds will first be 

used to fund eligible unselected 

requests of more than $20,000. 

B. Applications may compete in 

National Office competitions provided it 

has competed in at least one State 

competition. 

vi. Incomplete applications. If an 

application is determined to not be a 

complete application according to 7 

CFR 4280.103, the applicant will have 

15 business days to complete their 

application otherwise their application 

will be withdrawn. If the Agency 

requires additional clarification or 

documentation to determine applicant 

or project eligibility, applicants will 

have 15 business days to provide the 

information otherwise their application 

will be withdrawn. Please see Review 

and Selection Process under section E.2. 

for additional information. 

b. EA/REDA grant applications. The 

application deadline date and time for 

the EA/REDA grants as outlined in 7 

CFR 4280.156(a) remains unchanged. 

Complete applications must be received 

by 4:30 p.m. local time on January 31 of 

each year. 

c. RES/EEI and Energy Efficient 

Equipment and Systems (EEE) 

guaranteed loans. Applications are 

competed on an ongoing basis in 

accordance with 7 CFR 5001.315. 

5. Intergovernmental Review. REAP is 

not subject to Executive Order 12372, 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs. 

6. Funding Restrictions. The following 

funding limitations apply to 

applications submitted under this 

notice. 

a. RES/EEI grant funds. IRA funds 

will be available to fund requests that 

do not exceed 50 percent of total eligible 

project costs. Farm Bill funds and 

annual appropriated funds, if any, may 

become available to fund requests that 

do not exceed 25 percent of total eligible 

project costs. 

i. Maximum grant assistance. As 

provided for in 7 CFR 4280.115, 

modification is being made, via this 

notice, to increase the maximum grant 

assistance noted in 7 CFR 

4280.115(a)(3). Projects receiving IRA 

grant funding are eligible for up to 

$1,000,000 for an RES project and 

$500,000 for an EEI project. Applicants 

can compete and be awarded only one 

RES grant and one EEI grant in a FY, 

which includes the grant portion of a 

combined funding request. Applicants 

may only have one active application 

for assistance per project regardless of 

FY. 

Entities that share common 

management or ownership, regardless of 

percent owned, either directly or 

indirectly through another entity or 

person, have an aggregated funding 

limit of $500,000 in EEI awards and $1 

million in RES awards per Federal 

Fiscal Year. 

ii. Maximum request. As provided for 

in 7 CFR 4280.115, modification is 

being made, via this notice, to increase 

the maximum request noted in 7 CFR 

4280.115(a)(2). The maximum request 

for a RES grant application is $1,000,000 

and the maximum request for an EEI 

grant application is $500,000. 

A. Pursuant to section 22002 of the 

IRA, the Federal grant portion of a 

project utilizing IRA funds cannot 

exceed 50 percent of total eligible 

project costs. Applications submitted on 

or after the next business day following 

the publication of the notice are subject 

to the requirements of this notice, 

unless otherwise specified in a 

subsequent Federal Register notice. 

Projects are eligible for up to 50 percent 

Federal grant share from IRA funds if 

the project meets one of the following 

criteria: 

(1) Is a renewable energy system or 

retrofit of a renewable energy system 

that produces zero greenhouse gas 

emissions (carbon dioxide (CO2), 

methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), or 

fluorinated gases) at the project level; 

(2) Is located in an Energy Community 

as defined in 26 U.S.C. 45(b)(11)(B), and 

as determined by the Department of 

Energy; 

(3) Is an energy efficiency 

improvement project; or 

(4) Is a project proposed from an 

eligible Tribal corporation or other 

Tribal Business entities (including 

Tribal agriculture operations) as 

described in 7 CFR part 4280. 

All other applications, such as 

biomass and biogas projects, are eligible 

for up to 25 percent Federal grant share 

from IRA funds. The Federal grant 

portion of a project utilizing 

appropriations bills, continuing 

resolutions, or supplemental 

appropriations bills, cannot exceed 25 

percent of total eligible project costs. 

Sources of REAP grant funds cannot be 

combined to fund a project. Loan and 

grant combination applications may use 

IRA grant funds and mandatory Farm 

Bill loan funds to fund a project. 

B. For RES grants, the minimum 

request is a total project cost threshold 

of $10,000; therefore, at 25 percent 

funding the minimum grant request is 

$2,500, and at 50 percent funding the 

minimum grant request is $5,000. The 

maximum grant request is $1,000,000. 

For EEI grants, the minimum request is 

a total project cost threshold of $6,000, 

therefore at 25 percent funding the 

minimum grant request is $1,500 and at 

50 percent funding the minimum grant 

request is $3,000. The maximum grant 

request is $500,000. These minimum 

and maximum limits also apply to the 

grant portion of a combined funding 

request. 

C. For RES/EEI/EEE loan guarantees 

or the loan guaranteed portion of a 

combined funding request, the 

minimum REAP guaranteed loan 

amount is $5,000, and the maximum 


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amount of a guaranteed loan to be 

provided to a borrower is $25 million. 

REAP guaranteed loan requests and 

combined grant and guaranteed loan 

requests will not exceed 75 percent of 

total eligible project costs, with the 

portion of any grant requests under this 

notice not exceeding 25, or 50 percent 

of total eligible project costs, as 

applicable to the source of grant funds 

and grant funding provisions as 

outlined in this notice. 

iii. Disbursement. Pursuant to section 

22002(c) of the IRA, the Secretary shall 

not enter into a loan agreement that may 

result in a disbursement after September 

30, 2031, or a grant with an outlay after 

September 30, 2031. Applicants should 

plan accordingly. 

b. EA/REDA applications. 

i. Applicants may submit only one EA 

grant application and one REDA grant 

application in a FY. Separate 

applications must be submitted for EA 

funding and REDA funding. If an 

application is submitted for both EA 

and REDA funding or if an application’s 

scope of work includes both EA and 

REDA activities, it will be determined 

ineligible for competition. The 

maximum aggregate amount of EA and 

REDA grant awards to any one recipient 

cannot exceed $100,000 in a FY. 

ii. Applicants that have received one 

or more grants under this program must 

have made satisfactory progress per 7 

CFR 4280.110(a) before being 

considered for funding. 

iii. The 2018 Farm Bill mandates that 

the recipient of an EA grant must 

require the agricultural producer or 

rural small business receiving the 

energy audit to pay at least 25 percent 

of the cost of the energy audit, which 

shall be retained by the grantee for the 

cost of the audit. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria. Unless otherwise specified 

in a subsequent Federal Register notice, 

all complete applications received on or 

after the next business day following the 

publication of this notice will be scored 

in accordance with the following. 

a. RES/EEI grant applications and 

RES/EEI combined grant and loan 

guarantee requests received between 

March 31, 2023, and September 30, 

2024, or the business day before 

publication of this notice whichever 

happens last will be scored according to 

the notice published in the Federal 

Register on March 31, 2023, at 88 FR 

19239. 

b. As provided for in 7 CFR 4280.121, 

the Agency, by this notice, is updating 

RES/EEI grants and RES/EEI combined 

grant and loan guarantee scoring 

criteria. Applications submitted on or 

after the next business day following the 

publication of the notice will be scored 

based on the criteria identified below. 

i. Existing business and size of 

request, 7 CFR 4280.121(e) and (g) will 

be removed from the scoring criteria. 

ii. Project is located in a 

Disadvantaged Community or a 

Distressed Community (15 points will 

be added). A Disadvantaged Community 

will be determined by the Agency by 

using the Council on Environmental 

Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice 

Screening Tool (which is incorporated 

into the USDA look-up map) which 

identifies communities burdened by 

climate change and environmental 

injustice. Additionally, all communities 

within the boundaries of federally 

recognized Tribes and Alaska Native 

Villages will also be determined to be 

Disadvantaged Communities by the 

Agency. Distressed Community will be 

determined by the Agency by using the 

Economic Innovation Group’s 

Distressed Communities Index (which is 

incorporated into the USDA look-up 

map), which uses several socioeconomic measures to identify 

communities with low economic 

wellbeing. To determine if your project 

is located in a Disadvantaged 

Community or a Distressed Community, 

please use the following USDA look-up 

map: ruraldevelopment

.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/ 

index.html?id=4acf083be4c44bb

7864d90f97de0c788. Points will be 

awarded if any portion of the project 

site is located within a disadvantaged or 

distressed communities. 

iii. Environmental benefits, 7 CFR 

4280.121(a) is being increased to a 

maximum of 10 points, and points will 

be awarded as follows: All projects 

which do not produce greenhouse gases 

at the project level will be awarded five 

(5) points and may be considered for up 

to a maximum of 10 points. Applicants 

must provide a detailed narrative or 

analysis to support additional 

environmental benefits. One point will 

be awarded for each of the five subcriteria for documented environmental 

benefit supported by the project. Each 

additional benefit must be directly 

attributable to the RES/EEI project and 

assessed at the project level; (1) does not 

convert farmland; (2) does not 

contribute to deforestation or addresses 

fire hazards on forest lands; (3) 

documented water conservation; (4) 

complies with EPA’s renewable fuel 

standards; and (5) at least 25 percent of 

project components are biobased. 

iv. Commitment of funds, 7 CFR 

4280.121(c) is being decreased to a 

maximum of 10 points. 

v. State Director and Administrator 

priority points, 7 CFR 4280.121(h) have 

been modified as shown in item F.1.e. 

below. 

vi. The remaining scoring criteria, 

energy generated, replaced or saved; 

previous grantees and borrowers; and 

simple payback, 7 CFR 4280.121 (b), (d), 

and (f), respectively, remain as stated in 

the regulation. 

c. EA/REDA grants will be scored 

based on 7 CFR 4280.155. 

d. RES/EEI/EEE guaranteed loans will 

be scored based on 7 CFR 5001.319 and 

item F.1.e. below. 

e. State Director or Administrator 

priority points are found in 7 CFR 

4280.121(h), 4280.137(h), and 

5001.319(g). For the purposes of this 

notice, the State Director or 

Administrator at their discretion may 

award up to 10 priority points 

maximum. The maximum of 5 points 

will be awarded for projects which 

meets the following criterion: 

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 rd.usda.gov/ 

priority-pointsrd.usda.gov/prioritypoints), an applicant would receive 

priority points: 

• The project is located in or serving 

a community with score 0.75 or above 

on the SVI; 

• The applicant 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. 

• The application is 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 rd.usda.gov/prioritypointsrd.usda.gov/priority-points) to 

determine if your project qualifies for 

priority points. 

Up to an additional 5 points may be 

awarded based on the following criteria: 

i. Selecting the application helps 

achieve geographic diversity, which 

may include points based upon the size 

of the funding request; 

ii. The applicant is a member of an 

unserved or underserved population. 

A. Owned by a veteran, including but 

not limited to individuals as sole 


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proprietors, members, partners, 

stockholders, etc., of not less than 20 

percent. To receive points, applicants 

must provide a statement in their 

application to indicate that owners of 

the project have veteran status; or 

B. Owned by a member of a socially 

disadvantaged group, which are groups 

whose members have been subjected to 

racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice 

because of their identity as members of 

a group without regard to their 

individual qualities. To receive points, 

the application must include a 

statement in their application to 

indicate that the owners of the project 

are members of a socially disadvantaged 

group; 

iii. The proposed project is in a 

federally declared major disaster area. 

Declarations must be within the last 2 

calendar years; or 

iv. The proposed project is located in 

A. An area where 20 percent or more 

of its population is living in poverty 

over the last 30 years, as defined by the 

United States Census Bureau, or 

B. An area that has experienced longterm population decline, or loss of 

employment. 

Except for veteran and socially 

disadvantaged group status, all other 

priority points are based upon project 

location specific criteria which will be 

documented automatically by the 

Agency. State Director or Administrator 

priority points for a REAP application 

cannot exceed 10 points total. 

2. Review and Selection Process. Each 

application will be reviewed for 

completeness. If an application does not 

meet the definition of complete 

application, according to 7 CFR 

4280.103, the Agency will send a 

notification identifying those parts of 

the application that are incomplete, and 

no further action will be taken on the 

application. 

The Agency will give 15 business 

days for applicants to provide the 

missing documentation. The application 

will be withdrawn, and the applicant 

notified if the required documentation 

is not received within the 15 business 

days or if the information submitted by 

the deadline is insufficient. 

Application processing will continue 

if all documentation is received timely 

and is sufficient to meet the definition 

of a complete application. 

Once an application is deemed 

complete, the Agency will review for 

applicant and project eligibility as well 

as for financial and technical feasibility. 

If the Agency requires additional 

clarification or documentation, the 

Agency will send a notification and give 

a second 15 business day window for 

the applicant to provide the information 

needed for applicant and project 

eligibility and financial and technical 

feasibility. 

The application will be withdrawn, 

and the applicant notified if the 

required information is not received 

within the 15 business days or if the 

information submitted by the deadline 

is insufficient. 

Application processing will continue 

if all information is received timely and 

is sufficient for determining applicant 

and project eligibility as well as for 

financial and technical feasibility. The 

applicant will then receive a 

notification of the eligibility review 

outcome. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

a. Each applicant and/or lender, as 

applicable, will be notified of the 

Agency’s decision on their application. 

b. If selected for funding, applicants 

will receive a notification from the 

Agency via postal service or email. 

Selection notification does not ensure 

grant approval. If selected, a Letter of 

Conditions will be prepared establishing 

conditions that must be agreed to by the 

applicant before any obligation of funds 

can occur. Letters of Condition will be 

sent with Form RD 1942–46, ‘‘Letter of 

Intent to Meet Conditions’’, and Form 

RD 1940–1, ‘‘Request for Obligation of 

Funds.’’ Applicants must complete, 

sign, and return Form RD 1942–46 and 

RD 1940–1 if they accept the conditions 

of the grant. 

c. If not selected for funding, a 

notification will be provided via postal 

service or email and will include any 

review and or appeal rights. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

a. Additional Requirements. 

i. Additional requirements that apply 

to applicants selected for a program 

award can be found in 7 CFR part 4280, 

subpart B, or 7 CFR part 5001; the 

Grants and Agreements regulations of 

the Department of Agriculture codified 

in 2 CFR parts 180, 200, 400, 415, 417, 

418, 421; 2 CFR part 25, and successor 

regulations to these parts. The following 

additional completed documents are 

required for Applicants selected for a 

program award: 

A. RD 4280–2, ‘‘Financial Assistance 

Agreement.’’ 

B. Form RD–400–4, ‘‘Assurance 

Agreement.’’ 

C. Form RD–400–1 ‘‘Equal 

Opportunity Agreement.’’ 

D. SF LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying 

Activities,’’ if applicable. 

b. Build America, Buy America Act. 

Funding to Non-Federal Entities. 

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 IIJA. 

Any requests for waiver of these 

requirements must be submitted 

pursuant to USDA’s guidance available 

online at usda.gov/ocfo/federalfinancial-assistance-policy/ 

USDABuyAmericaWaiver. 

c. Geospatial Data. 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 usda.gov/directives/dr-3465– 

001andusda.gov/directives/dm-3465– 

001. 

d. Transparency Act Reporting. All 

recipients of Federal financial assistance 

are required to report information about 

first-tier subawards and executive 

compensation in accordance with 2 CFR 

part 170. If an applicant does not have 

an exception pursuant to 2 CFR 170.105, 

the applicant must then ensure that they 

have the necessary processes and 

systems in place to comply with the 

reporting requirements to receive 

funding. 

e. Race, ethnicity, and gender. The 

Agency is requesting that each applicant 

provide race, ethnicity, and gender 

information about the applicant. The 

information will allow the Agency to 

evaluate its outreach efforts to 

underserved and under-represented 

populations. Applicants are encouraged 

to furnish this information with their 

application but are not required to do 

so. An applicant’s eligibility or the 

likelihood of receiving an award will 

not be impacted by furnishing or not 

furnishing this information. 

3. Reporting. The Agency will service 

RES and EEI grants in accordance with 

7 CFR 4280.124 and 2 CFR part 400. The 

following will be required, as indicated 

in the Financial Assistance Agreement, 

and specified at 7 CFR 4280.124(i): 

a. An SF–425, ‘‘Federal Financial 

Report,’’ and a project performance 

report will be required on a semiannual 

basis (due 30 working days after end of 

the semiannual period) between grant 

approval and completion (i.e., 

construction) of the project. For the 

purposes of this grant, semiannual 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 200 / Wednesday, October 16, 2024 / Notices 83455 

periods end on June 30 and December 

31 of each year. The project 

performance reports shall include the 

elements prescribed in the Financial 

Assistance Agreement. 

b. Form RD 4280–3D, ‘Annual 

Outcome Project Performance 

Certification’ as outlined in 7 CFR 

4280.124(i)(3), must be provided by 

grantee once the project has been 

constructed. 

c. A final project and financial status 

report must be provided within 120 

days after the expiration or termination 

of the grant as outlined in 7 CFR 

4280.124(i)(2)(ii). 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

For general questions about this 

announcement, please contact Jonathan 

Burns at CPgrants@usda.gov or (774) 

678–7238. The Agency website also 

provides up to date contact information 

at rd.usda.gov/programs-services/ 

energy-programs/rural-energy-americaprogram-renewable-energy-systemsenergy-efficiency-improvementguaranteed-loans. 

H. Other Information 

1. Paperwork Reduction Act. In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, 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 0570–0067. 

2. National Environmental Policy Act. 

All recipients under this notice are 

subject to the requirements of 7 CFR 

part 1970. 

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 A 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. Signage. The Awardee is 

encouraged to display USDA standard 

infrastructure investment signage, 

available for download from the 

Agency, during construction of the 

project. Expenditures for such signage 

shall be a permitted eligible cost of IRA 

funded projects. 

7. Nondiscrimination Statement. In 

accordance with Federal civil rights law 

and USDA civil rights regulations and 

policies, the USDA, its Agencies, 

offices, and 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, or 

staff office; or the 711 Relay Service. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, a complainant should 

complete a Form AD3027, USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint 

Form, which can be obtained online at 

https://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–3027 form or 

letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

(i) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; or 

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

7442; or 

(iii) 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. 2024–23854 Filed 10–15–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Census Bureau 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; Census Household Panel 

Topical 13 and Topical 14 Operations 

On July 12, 2024, the Department of 

Commerce received clearance from the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 to 

conduct the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth 

Census Household Panel topical 

operations (OMB No. 0607–1025, Exp. 

6/30/26). The Census Household Panel 

is designed to ensure availability of 

frequent data collection for nationwide 

estimates on a variety of topics for a 

variety of subgroups of the population. 


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