104972 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 247 / Thursday, December 26, 2024 / Notices 

Signed at Washington, DC, December 18, 

2024. 

Joseph J. Prusacki, 

Associate Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30750 Filed 12–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business Cooperative Service 

[DOCKET #: RBS–24–BUSINESS–0008] 

Notice of Funding Opportunity for the 

Timber Production Expansion 

Guaranteed Loan Program for Fiscal 

Year 2024 

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBCS or Agency), 

a Rural Development (RD) agency of the 

United State Department of Agriculture 

(USDA), announces the acceptance of 

applications and availability of funding 

under the Timber Production Expansion 

Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP) for 

fiscal year (FY) 2024. These guaranteed 

funds will be made available to eligible 

lenders to make loans to eligible 

borrowers seeking to establish, reopen, 

retrofit, expand, or improve a sawmill or 

other wood processing facility, in close 

proximity to a unit of United States 

Forest Service (USFS) National Forest 

System lands, including Indian forest 

land or rangeland, identified as high 

priority or very high priority on the map 

accessible using the following link: 

www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/ 

5d6d9d9922a8486f83d51d40835f1870. 

This program will have in excess of 

$200 million available beginning in FY 

2025 utilizing funding provided under 

the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 

Act. All applicants are responsible for 

any expenses incurred in developing 

their applications. 

DATES: Completed applications may be 

submitted beginning December 26, 

2024. Applications will be accepted 

until funds are exhausted. 

ADDRESSES: Applicants are encouraged 

to contact the Agency to discuss projects 

and ask any questions about the 

program or application process. Entities 

wishing to apply for assistance may 

download the application documents 

and requirements delineated in this 

notice from: rd.usda.gov/ 

onerdguarantee. Applications will only 

be accepted electronically. 

Applicants are encouraged to contact 

their respective RD State Office for an 

email contact to submit an electronic 

application. A list of the USDA RD State 

Office contacts can be found at: 

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Shaun Stehr at TPEP@usda.gov, Loan 

and Grant Analyst, RBCS, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Mail Stop 

3201, Room 5803-South, Washington, 

DC 20250–3201; or call 717–675–0038. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Awarding Agency Name: 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: Timber 

Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan 

Program. 

Announcement Type: Notice of 

Funding Opportunity (NOFO). 

Assistance Listing: 10.385. 

Dates: Applications will be accepted 

beginning December 26, 2024. 

Applications will be accepted until all 

funds are expended. 

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): 

• Addressing Climate Change and 

Environmental Justice; Reducing 

climate pollution and increasing 

resilience to the impacts of climate 

change through economic support to 

rural communities. 

• Advancing Racial Justice, PlaceBased Equity, and Opportunity; 

Ensuring all rural residents have 

equitable access to RD programs and 

benefits from RD funded projects. 

• Creating More and Better Market 

Opportunities; Assisting rural 

communities recover economically 

through more and better market 

opportunities and through improved 

infrastructure. 

A. Program Description 

1. Purpose of the Program. The TPEP 

will provide financial assistance 

through loan guarantees to lenders 

providing loans to entities seeking to 

establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or 

improve a sawmill or other wood 

processing facility in close proximity to 

a unit of USFS National Forest System 

lands, including Indian forest land or 

rangeland, that has been identified as 

high or very high priority for ecological 

restoration if the presence of a sawmill 

or other wood-processing facility would 

substantially decrease or does 

substantially decrease the cost of 

conducting ecological restoration 

projects involving vegetation removal 

on the unit of land. These units of USFS 

National Forest System lands must be 

classified as being a high or very high 

priority for ecological restoration 

involving vegetation removal, due to the 

risk of unnaturally severe wildfires, or 

insect or disease infestation. The 

Agency will consider a facility to be in 

close proximity of the requisite unit of 

land if it is within two hundred fifty 

(250) miles of the area identified as high 

or very high priority for ecological 

restoration. TPEP facilities will 

purchase and process byproducts from 

ecosystem restoration projects. 

2. Statutory and Regulatory Authority: 

The TPEP program is authorized by 

section 40804(d)(3)—Ecosystem 

Restoration—of the Infrastructure 

Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117– 

58) which directs USFS to provide 

financial assistance to entities seeking to 

establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or 

improve a sawmill or other wood 

processing facility that is in close 

proximity to a unit of United States 

Forest Service (USFS) National Forest 

System lands, including Indian forest 

land or rangeland, that has been 

identified as high or very high priority 

for ecological restoration and that is 

using ecological byproducts from the 

unit of land. Further, the TPEP program 

is in response to White House Executive 

Order 14081 on advancing the domestic 

bioeconomy, the USDA report Building 

a Resilient Biomass Supply, (usda.gov/ 

media/press-releases/2024/03/14/usdaoutlines-vision-strengthen-americanbioeconomy-through-more), and the 

subsequent deliverables outlined in the 

report’s Implementation Framework. 

The TPEP program is operating as a 

pilot program and will be administered 

under 7 CFR part 5001. TPEP is 

designed and implemented in a manner 

similar to the Business and Industry 

(B&I) Guaranteed loan program with 

minor changes to meet the needs of the 

timber industry. An interagency 

agreement between the USFS and RBCS 

will allow RBCS to implement the TPEP 

program in the interest of the USFS. 

3. Definitions. The definitions 

applicable to this notice are published 

in 7 CFR 5001.3. For the purpose of this 

notice only: 

(a) Wood Processing Facility means a 

facility that produces solid wood 

products (including lumber, posts and 

poles), engineered wood products 

(including plywood, veneer panels, and 

mass timber products), biomass energy 

products (heat, power, combined heat 

and power, and biochar), and fuel 

products (firewood, wood pellets, 

briquettes, and liquid biofuels). 

(b) High Priority for Ecological 

Restoration means publicly owned 

USFS National Forest System lands, 

including Indian forest land or 

rangeland, that have been identified by 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 247 / Thursday, December 26, 2024 / Notices 104973 

USFS as high risk for wildfire or insect 

or disease infestation. USDA Forest 

Service mapping can be found at 

www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/ 

5d6d9d9922a8486f83d51d40835f1870. 

4. Application of Awards. The Agency 

will review, evaluate, and score 

applications received in response to this 

notice based on the provisions found in 

7 CFR part 5001 Subpart A as indicated 

in this notice. Awards under TPEP will 

be made on a first come, first served 

basis using specific selection criteria 

contained in 7 CFR part 5001. The 

Agency advises all interested parties 

that the applicant bears the full burden 

in preparing and submitting an 

application in response to this notice. 

5. Accounting Terms. Accounting 

terms not otherwise defined in this 

notice shall have the definition ascribed 

to them under Generally Accepted 

Accounting Principles (GAAP). 

B. Federal Award Information 

Type of Award: Loan Guarantee. 

Available Funds: An excess of $200 

million will be available beginning in 

FY 2025. RBCS may, at its discretion, 

increase the total level of funding 

available from any available source 

provided the awards meet the 

requirements of the statute which made 

the funding available to the Agency. 

Award Amounts: The Administrator 

has established that the maximum loan 

amount is $25 million and there is no 

minimum loan amount. 

Due Date for Applications: 

Applications will be accepted until 

funds are expended. 

Anticipated Award Date: Beginning 

not earlier than one month post 

announcement. 

Performance Period: Guaranteed loans 

are governed by the loan terms. 

Type of Assistance Instrument: Loan 

note guarantee. 

Loan guarantee limits: 

(a) Loan amount. The total amount of 

guaranteed loans under this notice to 

one borrower, including the aggregate 

amount of guaranteed loans to affiliate 

entities dependent upon another’s 

operations and generation of revenue for 

loan repayment, must not exceed $25 

million. 

(b) Percentage of guarantee. The 

percentage of guarantee will be 90 

percent. 

(c) Guarantee Fees. Guarantee fees, as 

determined under 7 CFR 5001.454, are 

not applicable to the TPEP program. The 

guaranteed loan will not have guarantee 

origination fees or annual guarantee 

service fees. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligibility Requirements. The 

eligibility requirements for the 

borrower, lender, and project (as 

applicable) are clarified in 7 CFR part 

5001 and are summarized in this notice. 

2. Eligible Borrowers and Lenders. To 

be eligible for a loan guarantee under 

TPEP, a lender must meet the eligibility 

requirements in 7 CFR 5001.130. The 

borrower must meet the requirements 

specified in 7 CFR 5001.126(a) and (d) 

at the time of each guaranteed loan’s 

approval and through issuance of the 

loan note guarantee. In addition, the 

borrower must be: 

(a) An entity engaged in or proposing 

to engage in establishing, reopening, 

retrofitting, expanding, or improving a 

sawmill or other wood-processing 

facility. For purposes of this notice, an 

eligible borrower entity may include a 

forest worker, logger, heavy equipment 

operator, material handler, or other 

professional entity responsible for 

purchasing and processing ecosystem 

restoration byproducts. 

(b) Eligible borrowers must use 

ecosystem restoration byproducts from 

Federal or Tribal lands that USFS 

identified as high or very high priority 

for ecological restoration involving 

vegetation removal and must procure a 

significant amount of raw materials 

from Federal or Tribal lands. High 

priority designated lands can be found 

using the TPEP Priority Areas 

dashboard at the following link: 

www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/ 

5d6d9d9922a8486f83d51d40835f1870. 

3. Eligible Activities. Establishing, 

reopening, retrofitting, expanding, or 

improving a sawmill or other wood 

processing facility that is in close 

proximity to a unit of USFS National 

Forest System lands identified as high 

or very high priority for ecological 

restoration and that uses ecosystem 

restoration byproducts from an 

identified unit of USFS National Forest 

System lands, if the presence of a 

sawmill or other wood-processing 

facility would substantially decrease or 

does substantially decrease the cost of 

conducting ecological restorations 

projects involving vegetation removal 

on the unit of land. The Agency will 

consider a facility to be in close 

proximity of the requisite unit of land 

if it is within two hundred fifty (250) 

miles of the area identified as high or 

very high priority for ecological 

restoration. 

4. Eligible Uses of Funds/Eligible 

projects. To be eligible for the program, 

a project must meet the eligibility 

requirements of 7 CFR 5001.121(c) and 

those specified in this notice. Borrowers 

must demonstrate, to the Agency’s 

satisfaction, that guaranteed loan funds 

will be used to establish, reopen, 

retrofit, expand, or improve a sawmill or 

other wood processing facility that is in 

close proximity to a unit of USFS 

National Forest System lands that USFS 

identified as high or very high priority 

for ecological restoration and that uses 

ecological restoration byproducts from 

the high or very high priority unit of 

land. The following are additional 

eligible uses of guaranteed funds: 

(a) Lender fees, as determined under 

7 CFR 5001.403. 

(b) Professional service fees and 

charges, provided the Agency approves 

the amounts as reasonable and 

customary in the area and fees for 

construction permits and licenses. 

(c) Feasibility studies and business 

plans. 

(d) Interest (including interest on 

interim financing) during the period 

before the first principal payment 

becomes due or when the facility 

becomes income producing, whichever 

is earlier. 

(e) Refinancing in accordance with 7 

CFR 5001.102(d). Unless the amount to 

be refinanced is owed directly to the 

Federal Government or is federally 

guaranteed, no more than 50 percent of 

loan funds may be used to refinance 

existing debt. 

5. Cost Sharing or Matching. There are 

no cost sharing or matching 

requirements associated with this 

guarantee. 

6. Other. 

(a) Ineligible project costs. Ineligible 

project costs are in accordance with 7 

CFR 5001.122. 

(b) Approved Lenders. Lenders that 

have met the requirements and have 

received approval under 7 CFR 

5001.130 are prequalified to lend under 

TPEP. 

(c) Debarment and Suspension. 

Applicants are not eligible if they have 

been debarred or suspended or 

otherwise excluded from, or ineligible 

for, participation in Federal assistance 

programs under 2 CFR parts 180 and 

417. Applicants will be required to 

comply with the requirement in 2 CFR 

180.335. Lenders are responsible for 

verification of the borrower’s status. 

Verification can be done at sam.gov. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package. The TPEP Application Guide 

and copies of necessary forms and 

samples, are available at 

www.rd.usda.gov/onerdguarantee. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission. Applicants seeking to 

participate in this program must submit 

an application in accordance with this 

notice and 7 CFR part 5001, as 

applicable. 


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Carefully review this notice, 7 CFR 

parts 5001.301, 5001.302, 5001.303 and 

5001.306, and the TPEP Application 

Guide, which collectively detail all 

required items for a complete 

application. Submitted applications and 

any accompanying materials become 

Federal records by law and cannot be 

returned to you. 

Applicants may submit complete 

applications, until funds are expended, 

containing all parts necessary for the 

Agency to determine applicant and 

project eligibility, and to score the 

application in order to be considered. 

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 their application, unless 

determined exempt under 2 CFR 25.110. 

(e) TheAgencywillnot make anaward 

until the applicant has complied with 

all SAM requirements including 

providing the UEI. If an applicant has 

not fully complied withthe 

requirements by the time theAgency is 

ready to make anaward, theAgency may 

determine that the applicant is not 

qualified to receive aFederalaward and 

use that determination as a basis for 

making aFederalaward to another 

applicant. 

4. Submission Dates and Times. 

Applications for loan guarantees may be 

submitted at any time on an ongoing 

basis and applications will be accepted 

on a first come first served basis until 

all funds are expended. RBCS also 

reserves the right to ask applicants for 

clarifying information and additional 

verification of assertions in the 

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, including, a county, 

municipality, town, township, village, 

or other unit of general government, 

including Tribal governments, below 

the State level. 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: 

whitehouse.gov/omb/management/ 

office-federal-financial-management/. 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. Applications 

must be for eligible purposes as defined 

in Section C.3. of this notice and must 

comply with the guaranteed loan fund 

limitations found in 7 CFR 5001.406(c). 

7. Other Submission Requirements. 

(a) Approved Multi-State Lenders. 

Lenders will upload all loan guarantee 

applications and servicing requests, 

regardless of loan amount to the OneRD 

Teams Portal. 

(b) Non-Multi-State Lenders. All other 

lenders, other than designated MultiState Lenders, will submit applications 

to the State Office electronically. State 

office contacts can be found at 

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

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria. All eligible and complete 

applications will be evaluated and 

scored based on the selection criteria 

and weights contained in this notice 

and in 7 CFR 5001.318. Failure to 

address any of the application criteria 

will result in the application being 

determined ineligible, and the 

application will not be considered for 

funding. 

In addition to the scoring criteria 

outlined in 7 CFR 5001.318, there will 

be an additional 10 points that may be 

awarded for projects that address 

wildfire risk reduction or that provide 

documented justification for the 

following RD key priority categories: 

(a) Assisting rural communities 

recover economically through more and 

better market opportunities and through 

improved infrastructure. An applicant 

would receive priority points if the 

project is located in or 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. 

(b) 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 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 (or other documentation 

of Consent consistent with the laws, 

procedures or practices of a Tribe or 

Tribes) that the applicant is proposing 

to serve. 

• The application is from or 

benefiting a Rural Partner’s Networks 

(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 for 

priority points. 

(c) 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 

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

applicants will receive priority 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; 

• If the project is located in or serves 

an Energy Community as defined by the 

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA); and 

• If applicants can demonstrate 

through a written narrative how the 

proposed climate-impact projects will 

improve the livelihoods of community 

residents and meet pollution mitigation 

or clean energy goals, including benefits 

calculated using the social cost of 

carbon estimates developed by the 

Environmental Protection Agency. 

2. Review and Selection Process. The 

Agency will review each complete 


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application to make a formal 

determination as to the eligibility of the 

borrower, lender, project, and 

guaranteed loan purpose and proposed 

use of funds; whether there is a 

reasonable assurance of repayment 

ability; whether sufficient collateral and 

equity exists; and whether the proposed 

guaranteed loan complies with all 

applicable statutes and regulations. The 

Agency will comply with provisions in 

7 CFR 5001.315, ‘‘Application 

evaluation and award provisions’’, for 

the review and selection process. 

The Agency reserves the right to offer 

the applicant less than the funding 

requested. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

Application Outcomes. TPEP loans 

will be processed in accordance with 7 

CFR part 5001. RBCS reserves the right 

to make no awards if all applications are 

ineligible, incomplete or do not meet 

the established program objectives and 

priorities. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

(a) Build America, Buy America 

(BABA). 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 (BABA) within the 

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

(Pub. L. 117–58), and its implementing 

regulations at 2 CFR part 184. Any 

requests for waiver of these 

requirements must be submitted 

pursuant to USDA’s guidance available 

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

USDABuyAmericaWaiver. 

(b) 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- 

001 and usda.gov/directives/dm-3465- 

001. 

(c) Exception authority. The 

Administrator may, on a case-by-case 

basis grant an exception to any 

requirement or provision of this notice, 

provided that such an exception is in 

the best financial interests of the Federal 

Government. Exercise of this authority 

cannot be in conflict with applicable 

law. 

(d) Appeals. The provisions of 7 CFR 

5001.5 will apply to appeals under this 

notice. Funding of successfully 

appealed applications will be limited to 

available funding. 

(e) General lender responsibilities. 

The provisions of 7 CFR 5001.6 will 

apply to general lender responsibilities 

under this notice. 

(f) Approvals, regulations, and forms. 

The provisions of 7 CFR 5001.8 will 

apply to approvals, regulations and 

forms under this notice. 

(g) Eligible lenders. To become a 

lender under this notice, the lending 

entity must meet the requirements 

specified in 7 CFR 5001.130, ‘‘Lender 

eligibility requirements.’’ Lenders 

approved by the Agency as an eligible 

lender under 7 CFR 5001.130 and that 

are in compliance with 7 CFR 5001.132 

‘‘Maintenance of approved lender 

status’’ and the requirements of this 

notice, are eligible lenders under this 

notice. Lenders must continue to 

comply with the requirements of 7 CFR 

5001.132. 

(h) Lender’s agreement. Agency 

approval of the lender will be evidenced 

by an outstanding lender’s agreement, 

between the Agency and the lender as 

referenced in 7 CFR 5001.131. When 

approved to participate as a lender 

under this notice, the lender must 

execute a lender’s agreement before the 

Agency will issue a loan note guarantee. 

(i) Access to records. The lender must 

permit representatives of the Agency (or 

other agencies of the United States) to 

inspect and make copies of any records 

of the lender pertaining to Agency 

guaranteed loans during regular office 

hours of the lender or at any other time 

upon agreement between the lender and 

the Agency. In addition, the lender must 

cooperate fully with Agency oversight 

and monitoring of all lenders involved 

in any manner with any guarantee to 

ensure compliance with this notice. 

Such oversight and monitoring will 

include, but is not limited to, reviewing 

lender records and meeting with 

lenders. 

(j) Guarantee provisions. The 

provisions of 7 CFR 5001.450 will apply 

to guarantees provided under this 

notice. 

(k) Participation or assignment of 

guaranteed loan. The provisions of 7 

CFR 5001.408 will apply to guarantees 

provided under this notice. 

(l) Repurchase from holder. The 

provisions of 7 CFR 5001.511 will apply 

to guarantees provided under this 

notice. 

3. Reporting 

The provisions of 7 CFR 5001.502 

Oversight and Monitoring and the 

provisions of 7 CFR 5001.504 Financial 

Reports will apply to guarantees 

provided under this notice. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 

For general questions about this 

announcement, please contact Shaun 

Stehr at TPEP@usda.gov or 202–594– 

6454. Program website also provide up 

to date contact information at 

rd.usda.gov/onerdguarantee. 

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 0572–0155. 

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 Impact Analysis. RD 

has reviewed this notice in accordance 

with USDA Regulation 4300–4, Civil 

Rights Impact Analysis,’’ to identify any 

major civil rights impacts the notice 

might have on program participants on 

the basis of age, race, color, national 

origin, sex, disability, gender identity 

(including gender expression), genetic 

information, political beliefs, sexual 

orientation, marital status, familial 

status, parental status, veteran status, 

religion, reprisal and/or resulting from 

all or a part of an individual’s income 

being derived from any public 

assistance program. This notice is 

within a Guarantee-based program. 

Guarantees are not covered under title 

VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 

section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, and title IX of the Education 

Amendments Act of 1972, as amended, 

when the Federal assistance does not 

include insurance or interest credit 

loans. Lenders must comply with other 

applicable Federal laws, including 

Equal Employment Opportunities, the 

Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair 


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Housing Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 

1964. Guaranteed loans that involve the 

construction of or addition to facilities 

must comply with the Architectural 

Barriers Act Accessibility Standard. The 

borrower and lender are responsible for 

ensuring compliance with these 

requirements. 

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, or 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–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, 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA 

Rural Development. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30651 Filed 12–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–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; Current Population Survey, 

School Enrollment Supplement 

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection, 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, invites the general public and 

other Federal agencies to comment on 

proposed, and continuing information 

collections, which helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. The purpose of this 

notice is to allow for 60 days of public 

comment on the proposed extension of 

the Current Population Survey, School 

Enrollment Supplement, prior to the 

submission of the information collection 

request (ICR) to OMB for approval. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before February 24, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments by 

email to the Current Population Surveys 

Branch email address at dsd.cps@

census.gov. Please reference the CPS 

School Enrollment Supplement in the 

subject line of your comments. You may 

also submit comments, identified by 

Docket Number USBC–2024–0035, to 

the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: 

https://www.regulations.gov. All 

comments received are part of the 

public record. No comments will be 

posted to https://www.regulations.gov 

for public viewing until after the 

comment period has closed. Comments 

will generally be posted without change. 

All Personally Identifiable Information 

(for example, name and address) 

voluntarily submitted by the commenter 

may be publicly accessible. Do not 

submit Confidential Business 

Information or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. You may submit 

attachments to electronic comments in 

Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF 

file formats. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

specific questions related to collection 

activities should be directed to Kyra 

Linse, Survey Director, Current 

Population Surveys via the internet at 

dsd.cps@census.gov, or by phone at 

301–763–9280. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The Census Bureau plans to request 

clearance from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for the 

collection of data concerning the School 

Enrollment Supplement to be conducted 

in conjunction with the October Current 

Population Survey (CPS). The Census 

Bureau and the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics (BLS) sponsor the basic annual 

school enrollment questions, which 

have been collected annually in the CPS 

for over 50 years. The current clearance 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1