31976 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 102 / Thursday, May 26, 2022 / Notices 

10,000 or lower acreage threshold. 

Several of these comments expressed 

concern that landowners with large 

acreages would outcompete and divert 

limited conservation dollars from 

smaller forestry operations that needed 

the financial assistance. Other 

comments expressed strong support for 

the acreage criterion because they 

believe TIMOs or REITs with large 

acreage should be ineligible for 

conservation assistance. Several 

comments identified that State-level 

assistance to family forestry operations 

have a far lower acreage threshold of 

less than a few hundred acres. 

Response: NRCS considered several 

options in response to these comments. 

In particular, NRCS considered: 

(1) Making all forest land eligible; 

(2) Issuing the proposed guidance as 

final with no changes; 

(3) Relying completely on whether 

there is a mill on site to determine 

whether land is industrial; 

(4) Revising the guidance to identify 

exceptions to the mill and acreage 

criteria; or 

(5) Continuing to rely, in part, upon 

AGI and other payment eligibility 

requirements to act as a surrogate for 

identification of industrial land 

holdings. 

NRCS rejected the first option as 

Congress specified that only NIPF lands 

were eligible for certain NRCS 

programs. NRCS also rejected reliance 

on the mill criterion alone as it failed to 

accommodate the last couple decades of 

development in the forestry industry. 

Given the concerns regarding the 

establishment of the acreage criterion, 

NRCS believes that it should maintain 

its reliance upon the mill criterion in 

conjunction with the AGI limitation, 

AGI waiver criteria, and related 

payment attribution eligibility to help 

make NIPF eligibility determinations. 

Mill Criterion 

Comment: NRCS received comments 

with respect to the mill criterion, 

including: 

• Expressing concern about small 

portable mills and impact to family 

operations, 

• Recommending that NRCS use 

output thresholds, 

• Recommending removal of the mill 

criterion entirely, 

• Supporting that the State 

Conservationist defines what constitutes 

a mill, 

• Expressing concern about potential 

inconsistency across States; and 

• Recommending AGI for the mill 

criterion. 

Response: As identified in the large 

NIPF holdings discussion above, NRCS 

believes it should keep the mill criterion 

as it has long been used to assist with 

the identification of NIPF acreage. 

However, since there are small 

operations that have mills, and portable 

mills are used to assist with 

conservation activities (for example, 

wildfire management), NRCS wants to 

take this opportunity to clarify that the 

presence of these mills will not affect 

the parcel’s eligibility as NIPF. 

Current Technical Guidance 

In response to the comments 

summarized above, NRCS will not be 

issuing new technical guidance to 

identify NIPF for program eligibility 

purposes. In particular, NRCS will 

continue to identify forest land 

eligibility using the traditional NIPF 

identification criteria, such as the 

presence of an industrial mill, in 

conjunction with payment eligibility 

criteria that address, in part, the changes 

in forest land ownership by large 

corporate entities. 

Louis Aspey, 

Associate Chief, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–11286 Filed 5–25–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

[Docket No. RHS–22–SFH–0008] 

Notice of Solicitation of Applications 

for the Section 533 Housing 

Preservation Grants for Fiscal Year 

2022 

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, 

Agriculture (USDA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service 

(Agency), a Rural Development (RD) 

agency of the United States Department 

of Agriculture (USDA), announces that 

it is soliciting competitive 

preapplications under the Housing 

Preservation Grant (HPG) program for 

fiscal year (FY) 2022, to make available 

grant funds to sponsoring organizations 

for the repair or rehabilitation of 

housing owned or occupied by low- and 

very-low-income rural citizens under 

the HPG Program. The purpose of this 

notice is to announce the opening and 

closing dates for receipt of 

preapplications for HPG funds from 

eligible applicants, as well as 

submission requirements. Expenses 

incurred in developing preapplications 

will be at the applicant’s cost. 

DATES: Completed applications for 

grants must be submitted according to 

the deadlines outlined below. RHS will 

not consider any preapplications that 

are received after the closing deadline 

regardless of the submission method 

used. 

D Paper submissions: Completed 

paper preapplications must be received 

in the USDA RD State Office no later 

than 4:30 p.m. on July 11, 2022. 

Æ Applicants intending to submit 

paper preapplications using the U.S. 

Postal Service (USPS) must provide 

sufficient time to permit delivery on or 

before the closing deadline date. 

Æ Acceptance by the USPS or private 

mailer does not constitute delivery. 

Æ Postage due preapplications will 

not be accepted 

D Electronic submissions: Completed 

electronic preapplications may be 

submitted using one of the following 

two methods and must be received by 

the USDA RD State Office no later than 

4:30 p.m. on July 11, 2022: 

D Email: To submit preapplications 

by email, contact the Single-Family 

Housing Program Director in the RD 

State Office http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

contact-us/state-offices. Emailed 

submissions must be encrypted and/or 

password protected to ensure personally 

identifiable information is secure. 

D Grants.gov: Instructions for 

submitting preapplications to 

Grants.gov may be found at the 

following website: https://

www.grants.gov 

ADDRESSES: Entities that want to apply 

for assistance may download the 

application documents and 

requirements outlined in this notice 

from: https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

programs-services/single-familyhousing-programs/housingpreservation-grants. Applicants will 

also find the requirements in the HPG 

program regulation found in 7 CFR 1944 

(Subpart N). 

Application information for electronic 

submissions to Grants.gov may be found 

at the following website: http://

www.Grants.gov. 

Applicants may also request paper 

application packages from the RD State 

offices. Contact information can be 

found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

about-rd/state-offices. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mandy Couture, Finance and Loan 

Analyst, Single Family Housing Direct 

Division, Special Programs and New 

Initiatives Branch at (515) 418–2188 

(voice) (this is not a toll-free number) or 

email: Mandy.Couture@usda.gov. You 

may also contact the RD office for the 

state in which the applicant is located. 

A list of RD State Office contacts is 

provided at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

about-rd/state-offices. 


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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority 

This solicitation is authorized 

pursuant to the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act of 2022; 42 U.S.C. 

1490m; Public Law 117–103; and 7 CFR 

1944, subpart N. 

Rural Development: Key Priorities 

The Agency encourages applicants to 

consider projects that will advance the 

following key priorities: 

• Assisting rural communities recover 

economically from the impacts of the 

COVID–19 pandemic, particularly 

disadvantaged communities; 

• Ensuring all rural residents have 

equitable access to RD programs and 

benefits from RD funded projects; and 

• Reducing climate pollution and 

increasing resilience to the impacts of 

climate change through economic 

support to rural communities. 

Additional information regarding 

RD’s funding priorities is available at 

the following website: https://

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

Overview 

Federal Agency Name: Rural Housing 

Service (RHS). 

Funding Opportunity Title: Housing 

Preservation Grants (HPG). 

Announcement Type: Notice of 

Solicitation of Applications (NOSA). 

Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA): 

10.433. 

Funding Opportunity Number: 

USDA–RD–HCFP–HPG–2022. 

Due Date for Applications: 

Preapplications must be submitted no 

later than 4:30 p.m. on July 11, 2022 

using one of the following methods: 

D Paper submissions: The deadline 

for completed paper preapplications to 

be received in the USDA RD State 

Office. Please refer to the DATES and 

ADDRESSES sections of this notice for 

further information. 

D Electronic submissions: Completed 

electronic preapplications must be 

received by email or submitted to 

Grants.gov. Please refer to the DATES and 

ADDRESSESS sections of this notice for 

further information. 

D Expenses incurred in developing 

grant application packages will be at the 

applicant’s cost. 

Other Information: 

Definitions: The definitions 

applicable to this notice may be found 

at 7 CFR 1944.656. 

D Preapplication Awards: The Agency 

will review, evaluate, and score 

preapplications in response to this 

notice based on the provisions in 7 CFR 

1944.679 and as indicated in this notice. 

However, the Agency advises all 

interested parties that the applicant 

bears the burden of cost in preparing 

and submitting a complete 

preapplication in response to this notice 

A. Background 

USDA’s RD Agencies, comprised of 

the Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

(RB–CS), Rural Housing Service (RHS), 

and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), 

are leading the way in helping rural 

America improve the quality of life and 

increase the economic opportunities for 

rural people. 

RHS offers a variety of programs to 

build or improve housing and essential 

community facilities in rural areas. The 

Agency offers loans, grants, and loan 

guarantees for single- and multi-family 

housing, child-care centers, fire and 

police stations, hospitals, libraries, 

nursing homes, schools, first responder 

vehicles and equipment, housing for 

farm laborers and much more. 

Additionally, RHS programs provide 

technical assistance loans and grants in 

partnership with non-profit 

organizations, Indian tribes, state and 

Federal government agencies, and local 

communities. 

B. Program Description 

The HPG program is a grant program 

administered by the Single Family 

Housing program of RHS. It is limited to 

eligible rural areas and to qualified 

entities (such as public agencies, private 

non-profit organizations, and federally 

recognized tribes). Grant funds can be 

used to assist low- and very low-income 

homeowners in repairing and 

rehabilitating their homes in rural areas. 

The program assists cooperative 

housing complexes and rental property 

owners in rural areas in repairing and 

rehabilitating their units if they agree to 

make such units available to very lowand low-income persons. Rental 

property owners can include Section 

515 rental properties if the eligibility 

requirements are met for the HPG 

program. In accordance with 7 CFR 

1944.663, rental property owners must 

agree to make the units repaired or 

rehabilitated available for occupancy to 

very low- or low-income persons for a 

period of not less than five years. The 

minimum five-year rent restriction for 

very low- and low-income tenants will 

only apply to the units that are repaired 

with the HPG funding. Any units within 

the property that were not repaired with 

HPG funding will not be subject to the 

five-year restriction. 

C. Federal Award Information 

Type of Assistance Instrument: The 

funding instrument for the HPG 

program will be a grant agreement. The 

term of the grant can vary from one to 

two years, depending on available funds 

and demand. No maximum or minimum 

grant levels have been established at the 

National level. Applicants should 

contact the RD State Office to determine 

the allocation for their state. 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act 

of 2022 (Pub. L. 117–103) established a 

set-aside for grants located in Rural 

Economic Area Partnership Zones 

(REAP Zones). The State Office will 

indicate on the list submitted to the 

National Office if the preapplication is 

eligible for the REAP Zones set-aside. 

The National Office will then compile a 

national list, rank the REAP Zones 

applicants based on the point 

allocations set forth in this Federal 

Register Notice, and distribute the HPG 

REAP Zones set-aside starting with the 

highest scoring eligible HPG REAP 

Zones applicants. Other funds will be 

distributed under a formula allocation 

to States pursuant to 7 CFR part 1940, 

subpart L, ‘‘Methodology and Formulas 

for Allocation of Loan and Grant 

Program Funds’’ § 1940.578. Decisions 

on funding will be based on 

preapplication scores (see, 7 CFR 

1944.679 (b)). 

Type of Awards: Grants will be made 

to eligible entities who will then 

provide funds that can be used to assist 

low- and very low-income homeowners 

in repairing and rehabilitating their 

homes in rural areas. 

Available Funds: Once determined, 

the FY 22 funding amount will be 

posted on the Agency website: https:// 

www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/ 

single-family-housing-programs/ 

housing-preservation-grants. 

Award Amount: No organization may 

be awarded more than 1⁄2 of a state’s 

allocation, according to § 1944.680. 

Award amounts available in FY 2022 

have not been finalized. 

Due Date for Applications: July 11, 

2022. 

D. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants. Eligible entities 

for these competitively awarded grants 

include State and local governments; 

non-profit corporations, which may 

include, but not be limited to FaithBased and community organizations; 

federally recognized Indian Tribes; and 

consortia of eligible entities. HPG 

applicants who were previously 

selected for HPG funds are eligible to 

submit new preapplications to apply for 

FY 2022 HPG program funds. An 

additional HPG grant may be made 

when the grantee has achieved or nearly 

achieved the goals established for the 

previous or existing grant. The 

commitment of program dollars will be 


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made to selected applicants who have 

fulfilled the necessary requirements for 

obligations. Eligibility requirements can 

be found at 7 CFR 1944.658, 1944.661, 

1944.662, and 1944.686. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching. Pursuant 

to 7 CFR 1944.652, grantees are 

expected to coordinate and leverage 

funding for repair and rehabilitation 

activities; as well as replacement 

housing, with housing and community 

development organizations or activities 

operating in the same geographic area. 

While it is encouraged that HPG funds 

be leveraged with other resources, cost 

sharing or matching is not a requirement 

for the HPG applicant as the HPG 

applicant would not be denied an award 

of HPG funds if all other project 

selection criteria have been met. 

3. Other. Awards made under this 

Notice are subject to the provisions 

contained in the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2022 (Pub. L. 117– 

103) sections 744 and 745, Division E 

‘‘Financial Services and General 

Government Appropriations Act, 2022, 

Title VII ‘‘General Provisions— 

Government-wide,’’ regarding Corporate 

Felony Convictions and Corporate 

Federal Tax Delinquencies. To comply 

with these provisions, only applicants 

that are or propose to be, corporations 

will submit this form as part of their 

preapplication. There are no limits on 

proposed direct and indirect costs. 

Expenses incurred in developing 

preapplications will be at the 

applicant’s cost. 

E. Application and Submission 

Information 

I. Application Requirements: All 

requirements for submission of a preapplication under the Housing 

Preservation Program are subject to 7 

CFR 1944, subpart N. The Agency 

requires applicants to submit the 

following information to make an 

eligibility determination: 

1. A preapplication package; 

(i) A downloadable preapplication 

package for this program is available by 

accessing the website: Grants.gov by 

using a keyword, the program name, or 

Assistance Listing (formerly 

CFDA)10.433. 

(ii) Users of Grants.gov will be able to 

download a copy of the preapplication 

package, complete it offline, and then 

upload and submit the preapplication 

via the Grants.gov site. 

Note: Preapplications will not be 

considered for funding if they do not 

provide sufficient information to 

determine eligibility or are missing 

required elements. 

2. SF–424; 

(i) Made available by contacting any 

RD State Office at the website: http://

www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/stateoffices; or 

(ii) Grants.gov at the following 

website: https://www.grants.gov. 

3. A statement of activities proposed 

by the applicant for its HPG program as 

appropriate to the type of assistance the 

applicant is proposing, including: 

(i) A complete discussion of the type 

of and conditions for financial 

assistance for housing preservation, 

including whether the request for 

assistance is for a homeowner assistance 

program, a rental property assistance 

program, or a cooperative assistance 

program. 

(ii) The process for selecting 

recipients for HPG assistance, 

determining housing preservation needs 

of the dwelling, performing the 

necessary work, and monitoring/ 

inspecting work performed. 

(iii) A description of the process for 

coordinating with other public and 

private organizations and programs that 

provide assistance in rehabilitation of 

historic properties in accordance with 7 

CFR 1944.673. 

(iv) The development standard(s) the 

applicant will use for the housing 

preservation work; and, if not the RD 

standards for existing dwellings, the 

evidence of its acceptance by the 

jurisdiction where the grant will be 

implemented. 

(v) The time schedule for completing 

the program. 

(vi) The staffing required to complete 

the program. 

(vii) The estimated number of very 

low- and low-income minority and nonminority persons the grantee will assist 

with HPG funds; and, if a rental 

property or cooperative assistance 

program, the number of units and the 

term of restrictive covenants on their 

use for very low- and low-income. 

(viii) The geographical area(s) to be 

served by the HPG program. 

(ix) The annual estimated budget for 

the program period based on the 

financial needs to accomplish the 

objectives outlined in the proposal. The 

applicant can use SF–424a to provide 

this information. 

(x) A copy of an indirect cost 

proposal/rate or direct cost policy when 

the applicant has another source of 

federal funding in addition to the RD 

HPG program. 

(xi) A brief description of the 

accounting system to be used. 

(xii) The method of evaluation to be 

used by the applicant to determine the 

effectiveness of its program which 

encompasses the requirements for 

quarterly reports to RD in accordance 

with 7 CFR 1944.683(b) and the 

monitoring plan for rental properties 

and cooperatives (when applicable) 

according to 7 CFR 1944.689. 

(xiii) The source and estimated 

amount of other financial resources to 

be obtained and used by the applicant 

for both HPG activities and housing 

development and/or supporting 

activities. 

(xiv) The use of program income; if 

any, and the tracking system used for 

monitoring same. 

(xv) The applicant’s plan for 

disposition of any security instruments 

held by them as a result of its HPG 

activities in the event of its loss of legal 

status. 

(xvi) Any other information necessary 

to explain the proposed HPG program. 

(xvii) The outreach efforts outlined in 

7 CFR 1944.671(b). 

4. Experience: Complete information 

about the applicant’s experience and 

capacity to carry out the objectives of 

the proposed HPG program 7 CFR 

1944.676(b)(2). 

5. Evidence of Legal Existence: 

Evidence of the applicant’s legal 

existence, including, in the case of a 

private non-profit organization, a copy 

of, or an accurate reference to, the 

specific provisions of state law under 

which the applicant is organized; a 

certified copy of the applicant’s Articles 

of Incorporation and Bylaws or other 

evidence of corporate existence; 

certificate of incorporation for 

applicants other than public bodies; 

evidence of good standing from the state 

when the corporation has been in 

existence one year or more; and the 

names and addresses of the applicant’s 

members, directors and officers. If other 

organizations are members of the 

applicant-organization, or the applicant 

is a consortium, preapplications should 

be accompanied by the names, 

addresses, and principal purpose of the 

other organizations. If the applicant is a 

consortium, documentation showing 

compliance with paragraph (4)(ii) under 

the definition of ‘‘organization’’ in 7 

CFR 1944.656 must also be included. 

6. Audited and Financial Statements: 

For a private non-profit entity, the most 

recent audited statement and a current 

financial statement dated and signed by 

an authorized officer of the entity 

showing the amounts and specific 

nature of assets and liabilities together 

with information on the repayment 

schedule and status of any debt(s) owed 

by the applicant. If the applicant is an 

organization being assisted by another 

private non-profit organization, the 

same type of financial statement should 

also be provided by that organization. 


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7. Narrative Statement: A brief 

narrative statement which includes 

information about the area to be served 

and the need for improved housing 

(including both percentage and the 

actual number of both low-income and 

low-income minority households and 

substandard housing), the need for the 

type of housing preservation assistance 

being proposed, the anticipated use of 

HPG resources for historic properties, 

the method of evaluation to be used by 

the applicant in determining the 

effectiveness of its efforts. 

8. Alleviating Overcrowding 

Statement: A statement containing the 

component for alleviating any 

overcrowding as defined by 7 CFR 

1944.656. 

9. List of Other Activities: A list of 

other activities the applicant is engaged 

in and expects to continue, a statement 

as to any other funding, and whether it 

will have sufficient funds to assure 

continued operation of the other 

activities for at least the period of the 

HPG grant agreement. 

10. Project Selection Criteria: Other 

information necessary to address the 

selection criteria in § 1944.679. 

11. Environmental Compliance 

Agreement: The applicant must submit 

1970–A Exhibit H ‘‘Multi-tier Action 

Environmental Compliance 

Agreement’’. 

12. Public Participation and 

Intergovernmental Review: 

Intergovernmental Review. In 

accordance with 7 CFR 1944.674 (c), the 

HPG program is subject to the 

provisions of Executive Order 12372, 

which requires intergovernmental 

consultation with state and local 

officials. Preapplications from Federally 

recognized Indian tribes are not subject 

to this requirement. 

(i) The applicant must submit written 

statements and related correspondence 

reflecting compliance with 7 CFR 

1944.674(a) regarding consultation with 

local leaders from the county, parish, 

and/or township governments of the 

area where the HPG activities will take 

place for the purpose of assuring that 

the proposed HPG program is beneficial 

and does not duplicate current 

activities. American Indian non-profit 

organization applicants should obtain 

the written concurrence of the tribal 

governing body in lieu of consulting 

with the county governments with the 

program is operated only on tribal land. 

(ii) The applicant is to make its 

statement of activities available to the 

public for comment prior to submission 

to RD pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.674(b). 

The applicant(s) must announce the 

availability of its statement of activities 

for review in a print or online 

newspaper of general circulation in the 

project area and allow at least 15 days 

for public comment. The start of this 15- 

day period must occur no later than 16 

days prior to the last day for acceptance 

of preapplications by USDA RD. 

Federally recognized Indian Tribes, 

pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.674, should 

obtain the written concurrence of the 

tribal governing body in lieu of 

consulting with the county governments 

when the program is operated only on 

tribal land. The preapplication must 

contain a description of how the 

comments (if any were received) were 

addressed. 

13. Equal Opportunity Agreement: 

The applicant must submit an original 

of Form RD 400–1, ‘‘Equal Opportunity 

Agreement’’ and Form RD 400–4, 

‘‘Assurance Agreement’’ in accordance 

with 7 CFR 1944.676. 

Applicants should review 7 CFR part 

1944, subpart N for a comprehensive list 

of all application requirements. 

Preapplications will not be considered 

for funding if they do not provide 

sufficient information to determine 

eligibility or are missing required 

elements. 

II. Submission Information: The 

following information provides 

applicant submission information: 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package. Please refer to the ADDRESSES

section in this notice. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission. Applicants may submit a 

preapplication in paper form or 

electronically (i.e., emailed to the 

applicable Single Family Housing 

Program Director in the RD State Office 

or transmitted via Grants.gov). 

Preapplications must contain all 

required information using only one of 

the submission methods. Applications 

that are submitted in paper form must 

have all forms that requires signatures 

contain an original signature. For 

emailed preapplications, a digital 

signature is acceptable. 

For preapplications transmitted via 

Grants.gov, applicants must follow the 

instructions for this funding 

announcement at: https://

www.grants.gov: 

(i) When entering the Grants.gov 

website, applicants will find 

information about applying 

electronically through the site. As well 

as the hours of operation. Documents 

submitted electronically through 

Grants.gov must include electronic 

signatures. Original signatures may be 

required if funds are awarded. 

(ii) After applying electronically 

through Grants.gov, applicants will 

receive an automatic acknowledgement 

from Grants.gov that contains a 

Grants.gov tracking number. 

Note: Applicants that submit a paper 

preapplication may send it to the State 

Office located in the state where the 

proposed HPG housing project will take 

place. Applicants can find State Office 

contact information at: https://

www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/stateoffices. The State Office will date, and 

time stamp incoming paper 

preapplications to evidence timely 

receipt and upon request and will 

provide the applicant with a written 

acknowledgment of receipt. 

Applicants that receive a grant award 

under this Notice, USDA reserves the 

right to post all information that is not 

protected by the Privacy Act submitted 

as part of the preapplication/application 

package on a public website with free 

and open access to any member of the 

public. 

3. System for Award Management and 

Unique Entity Identifier: 

(i) At the time of application, each 

applicant must have an active 

registration in the System for Award 

(SAM) before submitting its application 

in accordance with 2 CFR 25. To register 

in SAM, entities will be required to 

create a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). 

Instructions for obtaining the UEI are 

available at https://sam.gov/content/ 

entity-registration. 

(ii) 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. 

(iii) Applicants must ensure they 

complete the Financial Assistance 

General Certifications and 

Representations in SAM. 

(iv) Applicants must provide a valid 

UEI in its application, unless 

determined exempt under 2 CFR 25.110. 

(v) 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. 

Completed applications for grants must 

be submitted according to the following 

deadlines and other instructions in the 

DATES section of this notice. 

5. Funding Restrictions: There are no 

limits on proposed direct and indirect 

costs. Expenses incurred in developing 


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preapplications will be at the 

applicant’s cost. 

E. Pre-Application Review Information 

1. Criteria. All eligible and complete 

preapplications for Section 533 HPG 

funds must be filed with the appropriate 

RD State Office and all paper or 

electronic preapplications must meet 

the requirements of this Notice and 7 

CFR part 1944, subpart N. 

Preapplications determined not eligible 

and/or not meeting the selection criteria 

will be notified by the RD State Office. 

2. Review and Selection Process. RD 

State Offices will utilize the following 

threshold project selection criteria for 

applicants in accordance with 7 CFR 

1944.679: 

(a) Providing a financially feasible 

program of housing preservation 

assistance. ‘‘Financially feasible’’ is 

defined as proposed assistance which 

will be affordable to the intended 

recipient or result in affordable housing 

for very low- and low-income persons. 

(b) Serving eligible rural areas with a 

concentration of substandard housing 

for households of very low- and lowincome. 

(c) Being an eligible applicant as 

defined in 7 CFR 1944.658. 

(d) Meeting the requirements of 

consultation and public comment in 

accordance with 7 CFR 1944.674. 

(e) Submitting a complete 

preapplication as outlined in 7 CFR 

1944.676: 

3. Scoring. For applicants meeting all 

the requirements listed above, the RD 

State Offices will use weighted criteria 

in accordance with 7 CFR part 1944, 

subpart N as selection for the grant 

recipients. Each preapplication and its 

accompanying statement of activities 

will be evaluated and, based solely on 

the information contained in the 

preapplication, the applicant’s proposal 

will be numerically rated on each 

criterion within the range provided. The 

highest-ranking applicant(s) will be 

selected based on allocation of funds 

available to the state. 

(1) Points are awarded based on the 

percentage of very low-income persons 

that the applicant proposes to assist, 

using the following scale: 

(i) More than 80%: 20 points 

(ii) 61% to 80%: 15 points 

(iii) 41% to 60%: 10 points 

(iv) 20% to 40%: 5 points 

(v) Less than 20%: 0 points 

(2) The applicant’s proposal may be 

expected to result in the following 

percentage of HPG fund use (excluding 

administrative costs) to total cost of unit 

preservation. This percentage reflects 

maximum repair or rehabilitation with 

the least possible HPG funds due to 

leveraging, innovative financial 

assistance, owner’s contribution, or 

other specified approaches. Points are 

awarded based on the following 

percentage of HPG funds (excluding 

administrative costs) to total funds: 

(i) 50% or less: 20 points 

(ii) 51% to 65%: 15 points 

(iii) 66% to 80%: 10 points 

(iv) 81% to 95%: 5 points 

(v) 96% to 100%: 0 points 

(3) The applicant has demonstrated its 

administrative capacity in assisting very 

low- and low-income persons to obtain 

adequate housing based on the 

following: 

(i) The organization or a member of its 

staff has at least one or more years of 

experience successfully managing and 

operating a rehabilitation or 

weatherization type program: 10 points. 

(ii) The organization or a member of 

its staff has at least one or more years 

of experience successfully managing 

and operating a program assisting very 

low- and low-income persons obtain 

housing assistance: 10 points. 

(iii) If the organization has 

administered grant programs, there are 

no outstanding or unresolved audit or 

investigative findings which might 

impair carrying out the proposal: 10 

points. 

(4) The proposed program will be 

undertaken entirely in rural areas 

outside Metropolitan Statistical Areas 

(MSAs) identified by RD as having 

populations below 10,000 or in remote 

parts of other rural areas (i.e., rural areas 

contained in MSAs with less than 5,000 

population) as defined in 7 CFR 

1944.656: 10 points. 

(5) The program will use less than 20 

percent of HPG funds for administration 

purposes: 

(i) More than 20%: Not eligible 

(ii) 20%: 0 points 

(iii) 19%: 1 point 

(iv) 18%: 2 points 

(v) 17%: 3 points 

(vi) 16%: 4 points 

(vii) 15% or less: 5 points 

(6) The proposed program contains a 

component for alleviating overcrowding 

as defined in 7 CFR 1944.656: 5 points. 

In the event more than one 

preapplication receives the same 

number of points, those preapplications 

will then be ranked based on the actual 

percentage figure used for determining 

the points in item (1) in the ‘‘Scoring’’ 

section of this Notice (7 CFR 1944.679 

(b)(1)). 

Example of 1st tie-break: 

Both Applicants score 80 points 

Applicant X’s percentage in ‘‘Scoring’’ 

section item (a) is 65% 

Applicant B’s percentage in ‘‘Scoring’’ 

section item (a) is 75% 

Applicant B is ranked higher than 

Applicant X 

Applicant B will be funded before 

Applicant X 

Further, if preapplications are still 

tied, then those preapplications still tied 

will be ranked based on the percentage 

figures used for determining the points 

in item (2) in the ‘‘Scoring’’ section of 

this Notice (7 CFR 1944.679 (b)(2)). 

Example of 2nd tie-break: 

Both Applicants score 80 points 

Both Applicants percentage in 

‘‘Scoring’’ section item (a) is 65% 

Applicant X’s percentage in ‘‘Scoring’’ 

section item (b) is 55% 

Applicant B’s percentage in ‘‘Scoring’’ 

section item (b) is 60% 

Applicant X is ranked with a lower 

percentage than Applicant B 

Applicant X will be funded before 

Applicant B 

Further, 7 CFR 1944.679 (c), for 

preapplications where HPG assistance 

to rental properties or co-ops is 

proposed, those still tied will be further 

ranked based on the number of years the 

units are available for occupancy under 

the program (a minimum of five years is 

required). For this part, ranking will be 

based from most to least number of 

years. 

Example of 3rd tie-break: 

Both Applicants score 80 points 

Both Applicants percentage in 

‘‘Scoring’’ section item (a) is 65% 

Both Applicants percentage in 

‘‘Scoring’’ section item (b) is 55% 

Applicant X’s rental unit will be 

available for occupancy under the 

program for10 years 

Applicant B’s rental unit will be 

available for occupancy under the 

program for 5 years 

Applicant X is ranked higher than 

Applicant B 

Applicant X will be funded before 

Applicant B 

If any of the applicants that remain 

tied after the 1st and 2nd tie-breaks are 

offering to assist single family owners, 

then the 3rd tie-break would not be 

applicable, and a lottery would be used 

to select the applicant to be funded. 

If there is still a tie after the first two 

[or three, when applicable] tie-breaks, 

then a lottery system will be used to 

select the applicant to be funded. The 

lottery will be conducted at the National 

Office. The lottery will consist of the 

names of each preapplication with equal 

scores printed onto a same size piece of 

paper, which will then be placed into a 

receptacle that fully obstructs the view 

of the names. The Director of the Single 

Family Housing Loan Division, in the 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 102 / Thursday, May 26, 2022 / Notices 31981 

presence of two witnesses, will draw a 

piece of paper from the receptacle. The 

name on the piece of paper drawn will 

be the applicant to be funded. 

After the award selections are made 

by the National Office, all applicants 

will be notified of the status of their 

preapplications by email or mail with 

Form AD–622, ‘‘Notice of 

Preapplication Review Action.’’ 

Applicants will be given their review 

rights or appeal rights in accordance 

with 7 CFR 1944.682. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices. The Agency 

will notify applicants in writing, 

applicants whose preapplications have 

been selected for funding. At the time of 

notification, the Agency will advise the 

applicant what further information and 

documentation is required along with a 

timeline for submitting the additional 

information. If the Agency determines it 

is unable to select the preapplication for 

funding, the applicant will be informed 

in writing. Such notification will 

include the reasons the applicant was 

not selected. The Agency will advise 

applicants, whose preapplications did 

not meet eligibility and/or selection 

criteria, of their review rights or appeal 

rights in accordance with 7 CFR 

1944.682. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements. 

(a) The following additional 

requirements apply to grantees selected 

for this program: 

(i) Form SF–424 

(ii) Form RD 1940–1, ‘‘Request for 

Obligations of Funds’’ 

(iii) RD Instruction 1944–N Exhibit A, 

‘‘Grant Agreement’’ 

(iv) Letter of Conditions (if applicable) 

(v) Complete Form RD 1942–46, ‘‘Letter 

of Intent to Meet Conditions’’ (if 

applicable) 

(vi) 1940–Q Exhibit A–1 (if applicable) 

(vii) Form SF 3881, ‘‘ACH Vendor 

Payment Enrollment Form’’ 

(viii) Form SF 270, ‘‘Request for 

Advance or Reimbursement’’ 

(ix) Form SF 425, ‘‘Federal Financial 

Report’’ 

(x) RD Instruction 1944–N Exhibits E–1 

and E–2, ‘‘Quarterly (Final) 

Performance Report’’ and ‘‘Quarterly 

(Final Performance Report Guide’’ 

(xi) 1970–B Exhibit D, ‘‘Categorial 

Exclusion Form’’ 

(xii) RD Instruction 1944–N Exhibits F– 

1, ‘‘Grantee’s Process for Identifying 

Properties Requiring Rural 

Development Environmental 

Assessments’’ 

(xiii) RD Instruction 2000–FF 

(xiv) FEMA Form 086–0–32 

(xv) Execute Form SF–LLL, ‘‘Disclosure 

Form to Report Lobbying’’ (if 

applicable) 

The grant recipient must include the 

required nondiscrimination statements 

in any of their advertisements and 

brochures. Grantees will be required to 

collect and maintain data provided by 

recipients on race, sex, and national 

origin and ensure recipients collect and 

maintain this data. Race and ethnicity 

data will be collected in accordance 

with OMB Federal Register notice, 

‘‘Revisions to the Standards for the 

Classification of Federal Data on Race 

and Ethnicity,’’ (62 FR 58782), October 

30, 1997. Data on recipients’ sex will be 

collected in accordance with Title IX of 

the Education Amendments of 1972. 

These items should not be submitted 

with the application but should be 

available upon request by the Agency. 

The applicant and the ultimate 

recipient must comply with Title VI of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of 

the Education Amendments of 1972, 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 

Executive Order 12250, Executive Order 

13166 regarding Limited English 

Proficiency (LEP), and 7 CFR part 1901, 

subpart E. 

(b) The applicant must provide 

evidence of compliance with other 

federal statutes, including but not 

limited to the following: 

(i) Debarment and suspension 

information is required in accordance 

with 2 CFR part 417 (Nonprocurement 

Debarment and Suspension) 

supplemented by 2 CFR part 180, if it 

applies. The section heading is ‘‘What 

information must I provide before 

entering into a covered transaction with 

a Federal agency?’’ located at 2 CFR 

180.335. It is part of OMB’s Guidance 

for Grants and Agreements concerning 

Government-wide Debarment and 

Suspension. 

(ii) 2 CFR parts 200 and 400 (Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards). 

(iii) 2 CFR part 182 (Governmentwide 

Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace 

(Financial Assistance)) and 2 CFR part 

421 (Requirements for Drug Free 

Workplace (Financial Assistance)). 

(iv) Executive Order 13166, 

‘‘Improving Access to Services for 

Persons with Limited English 

Proficiency.’’ For information on limited 

English proficiency and agency-specific 

guidance, go to http://www.lep.gov. 

(v) All applicants will be screened for 

eligibility to participate in the grant 

program using Treasury’s Do Not Pay 

Portal in compliance with the Improper 

Payments Elimination and Recovery 

Improvement Act. 

3. Reporting. After grant approval and 

through grant completion, grantee will 

be required to provide the following on 

a quarterly basis, as indicated in 7 CFR 

part 1944 Subpart N Exhibit A, ‘‘Grant 

Agreement’’: 

(i) SF–425, ‘‘Federal Financial 

Report.’’ 

(ii) 1944–N Exhibit E–1, ‘‘Quarterly 

Performance Report.’’ 

(iv) Bank statements for interest 

bearing bank account if grantee is 

getting cash advances. 

Final award reporting requirements 

can be found in the 1944–N Exhibit A, 

‘‘Grant Agreement’’. Upon grant 

closeout, the grantee will furnish a final 

SF–425, 1944–N Exhibit E–1, and all 

financial, performance and other reports 

required as a condition of the grant. The 

grantee will also provide an audit report 

in accordance with Uniform Audit 

Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 

CFR part 200, subpart F. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

For general questions about this 

notice, please contact your USDA RD 

State Office or the program website 

provided in the ADDRESSES section of 

this notice. 

H. Other Information 

A. Paperwork Reduction Act: In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, the information 

collection requirement contained in this 

notice is approved by the Office of 

Management and Budget under OMB 

Number 0575–0115. 

B. Federal Funding Accountability 

and Transparency Act: All recipients of 

Federal financial assistance are required 

to report information about first tier 

subawards and executive compensation 

(see 2 CFR part 170). You 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) reporting requirements (see 2 CFR 

170.200(b), unless you are exempt under 

2 CFR 170.110(b)). 

C. National Environmental Policy Act: 

This Notice has been reviewed in 

accordance with 7 CFR part 1970, 

§ 1970.55, and it has been determined 

that the environmental process for an 

HPG grant to repair, rehabilitate, or 

replace a dwelling is a multi-tier review. 

Applicants must agree in writing to 

certain conditions prior to obligation of 

financial assistance by the Agency to the 

primary recipient (§ 1970.55(a)(1–4)). 

The applicant must complete and 

provide the Multi-Tier Action 


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31982 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 102 / Thursday, May 26, 2022 / Notices 

Environmental Compliance Agreement, 

RD Instruction 1970–A, Exhibit H. 

In accordance with 7 CFR 1970.51 

(a)(3) and 1970.55, the environmental 

review is a two-step process: The 

approval of the provision of the grant to 

the grantee is categorized as a 

Categorical Exclusion without an 

Environmental Report pursuant to 

1970.55. 

The second step is an environmental 

review performed by the grantee of the 

activity proposed by each ultimate 

recipient. 

Rural Housing Service has entered 

into a Programmatic Memorandum of 

Agreement (PMOA) with the National 

Conference of State Historic 

Preservation Officers and the Advisory 

Council on Historic Preservation to 

implement the specific requirements 

regarding historic preservation 

contained in Section 533 of the Housing 

Act of 1949, 42 U.S.C. 1490(m) of the 

enabling legislation. 

Grantee shall comply with Rural 

Development’s Lead Based Paint 

requirements for Rehabilitation 

contained in subparts of 24 CFR part 35, 

which apply to all HPG rehabilitation 

activities. 

D. Civil Rights Requirements: 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, 

Executive Order 13166 regarding 

Limited English Proficiency (LEP), and 

Executive Order 11246 regarding Equal 

Employment Opportunity. 

E. Non-Discrimination Statement: 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights laws and 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; the USDA 

TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 

(voice and TTY); or the Federal Relay 

Service at (800) 877–8339. 

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 

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/ 

files/documents/usda-programdiscrimination-complaint-form.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. 

Joaquin Altoro, 

Administrator, Rural Housing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–11274 Filed 5–25–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Foreign-Trade Zones Board 

[B–20–2022] 

Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) 46— 

Cincinnati, Ohio; Notification of 

Proposed Production Activity; Patheon 

Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Pharmaceutical 

Products), Cincinnati, Ohio 

Patheon Pharmaceuticals Inc. 

(Patheon) submitted a notification of 

proposed production activity to the FTZ 

Board (the Board) for its facilities in 

Cincinnati, Ohio, within Subzone 46K. 

The notification conforming to the 

requirements of the Board’s regulations 

(15 CFR 400.22) was received on May 

19, 2022. 

Pursuant to 15 CFR 400.14(b), FTZ 

production activity would be limited to 

the specific foreign-status material(s)/ 

component(s) and specific finished 

product(s) described in the submitted 

notification (summarized below) and 

subsequently authorized by the Board. 

The benefits that may stem from 

conducting production activity under 

FTZ procedures are explained in the 

background section of the Board’s 

website—accessible via www.trade.gov/ 

ftz. 

The proposed finished products 

include anti-viral tablets (Nirmatrelvir 

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)), 

anti-viral tablets (Molnupiravir API), 

and insomnia treatment tablets 

(Suvorexant API) (duty free). 

The proposed foreign-status materials 

and components include: Lactose 

monohydrate; colloidal silicon dioxide; 

magnesium stearate; sodium stearyl 

fumarate; Nirmatrelvir API; 

Molnupiravir API; Suvorexant API; 

color film coating formulations 

containing titanium dioxide (24–50%); 

desiccant bag (silica gel); crospovidone; 

croscarmellose sodium; microcrystalline 

cellulose; hydroxypropyl cellulose; 

tubing (silicone); pad (polyethylene 

foam); bags (made of polyethylene); 

drum (high density polyethylene); 

plastic pallets; drum (cardboard); wire 

seal—aluminum; plastic coated wire 

band; and, capsules (vegetable based 

vegan capsules) (duty rate ranges from 

duty-free to 6.5%). The request 

indicates that certain materials/ 

components are subject to duties under 

Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 

(Section 301), depending on the country 

of origin. The applicable Section 301 

decisions require subject merchandise 

to be admitted to FTZs in privileged 

foreign status (19 CFR 146.41). 

Public comment is invited from 

interested parties. Submissions shall be 

addressed to the Board’s Executive 

Secretary and sent to: ftz@trade.gov. The 

closing period for their receipt is July 5, 

2022. 

A copy of the notification will be 

available for public inspection in the 

‘‘Online FTZ Information System’’ 

section of the Board’s website. 

For further information, contact Diane 

Finver at Diane.Finver@trade.gov. 

Dated: May 20, 2022. 

Elizabeth Whiteman, 

Acting Executive Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2022–11333 Filed 5–25–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Bureau of Industry and Security 

Regulations and Procedures Technical 

Advisory Committee; Notice of 

Partially Closed Meeting 

The Regulations and Procedures 

Technical Advisory Committee will 

meet June 14, 2022, at 10:00 a.m., 

Eastern Standard Time, via 

teleconference. The Committee advises 


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