57250 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Foreign Agricultural Service 

Refined Sugar Re-Export Program 

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Request for comment. 

The Foreign Agricultural Service 

(FAS) requests comments on a proposed 

temporary waiver of certain provisions 

of the Refined Sugar Re-Export Program. 

Due to Hurricane Katrina, major 

disruptions to some U.S. sugar refining 

operations have occurred and seriously 

impacted sugar trade, including exports. 

In response, and using the waiver 

authority under sugar re-export program 

found at 7 CFR 1530.113 for licensed 

refiners, FAS proposes to temporarily 

extend from 90 days to 270 days the 

period in which licensed refiners must 

export or transfer an equivalent amount 

of refined sugar, after entering a 

quantity of raw can sugar, if such entry 

results in a positive balance to their 

license. Comments are welcomed 

regarding whether the waiver should be 

made or not, or about details of the 

terms of such a proposed waiver. 

Comments to this notice should be 

submitted within October 5, 2005 to 

Ron Lord, Deputy Director, Import 

Policies and Programs Division, Foreign 

Agricultural Service, USDA, 202–720–

2916, by fax to 202–720–0876, or by 

e-mail to Ronald.lord@usda.gov. 

Dated: September 21, 2005. 

W. Kirk Miller, 

Acting Administrator, Foreign Agricultural 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 05–19577 Filed 9–29–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Request for Proposals for Woody 

Biomass Utilization Grant—Hazardous 

Fuel Reduction on National Forest 

System Lands 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Request for Proposals. 

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, 

State and Private Forestry, Technology 

Marketing Unit, located at the Forest 

Products Laboratory, requests proposals 

for forest products projects that increase 

the use of woody biomass from or near 

national forest lands. The woody 

biomass utilization grant program is 

intended to help improve forest 

restoration activities by using and 

creating markets for small-diameter 

material and low-valued trees removed 

from hazardous fuel reduction activities. 

These funds are targeted to help 

communities, entrepreneurs, and others 

turn residues from hazardous fuel 

reduction projects into marketable forest 

products and/or energy products. 

DATES: Pre-application Deadline: Close 

of business December 1, 2005. 

Full application Deadline: Close of 

business March 1, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: All pre- and full-application 

packages must be sent to the following 

address: ATTN: Shawn Lacina, Grants 

and Agreements Specialist, Forest 

Products Laboratory, 507 Highland 

Ave., Madison, WI 53705–2398. More 

detailed information regarding what to 

include in the pre- and full-application 

and definitions of terms are available at 

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/tmu (under 

Woody Biomass Grants). Paper copies of 

the information are also available by 

contacting the USDA Forest Service, 

S&PF Technology Marketing Unit, 

Madison, Wisconsin. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Shawn Lacina, Grants and Agreements 

Specialist, (608) 231–9282, e-mail to 

slacina@fs.fed.us, or; technical 

questions, contact Susan LeVan-Green, 

Program Manager, (608) 231–9504, 

e-mail to slevan@fs.fed.us. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To meet 

the shared goals of Public Law 108–148 

Healthy Forest Restoration Act, Public 

Law 109–190 the Energy Policy Act of 

2005, and Public Law 109–54 

Appropriation Act of 2006, the agency 

is requesting proposals to address the 

nationwide challenge in dealing with 

low-valued material removed from 

hazardous fuel reduction activities. The 

Woody Biomass Utilization Grant 

Program has a pre-application 

submission process, and upon 

notification, selected pre-applicants will 

be asked to submit a full application. 

Goals of the grant program are the 

following: 

• Help reduce management costs by 

increasing value of biomass and other 

forest products generated by hazardous 

fuel treatments. 

• Create incentives and/or reduce 

business risk for increased use of 

biomass from or near national 

forestlands (must include National 

Forest System lands, however, may also 

include other lands such as, Bureau of 

Land Management, Tribal, State, local, 

and private). 

• Institute projects that target and 

help remove economic and market 

barriers to using small-diameter trees 

and woody biomass. 

• Require a Forest Service letter of 

support for the woody biomass grant 

project on or near National Forest 

System lands. 

Woody Biomass Grants Program 

1. Eligibility Information. a. Eligible 

Applicants. Eligible applicants are State, 

local, and Tribal governments, school 

districts, communities, non-profit 

organizations, businesses, companies, 

corporations, or special purpose 

districts, e.g., public utilities districts, 

fire districts, conservation districts, or 

ports. Only one application per business 

or organization will be accepted. 

Construction projects involving a 

permanent building or infrastructure 

item, such as roads, are not allowed. 

b. Cost Sharing (Matching 

Requirement). Applicants must 

demonstrate at least a 20% match from 

non-Federal sources, which can include 

cash or in-kind contributions. 

2. Duns Number. All applicants must 

include a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B), 

Data Universal Numbering System 

(DUNS) number in their full 

application. For the purpose of this 

requirement, the applicant is the entity 

that meets the eligibility criteria and has 

the legal authority to apply for an 

award. For assistance in obtaining a 

DUNS number at no cost, call the DUNS 

number request line (1–866–705–5711) 

or register on-line at https:// 

eupdate.dnb.com/requestoptions/ 

government/ccrreg/. 

3. Award Information. At least $4.0 

million are available for granting under 

this program. Individual grants will not 

be less than $50,000 or more than 

$250,000. Successful applicants will be 

announced by April 1, 2006. The 

maximum length of the award is 3 years 

from the date of award. Written, 

quarterly financial and semi-annual 

performance reports will be required. 

4. Application Review Process. A twostep technical evaluation process is 

used for applications submitted under 

this solicitation. The first step requires 

the applicant to submit a preliminary 

application (pre-application). Preapplications are evaluated on the 

evaluation criteria discussed in Section 

5. 

A review panel of technical experts 

from Federal agencies judges the preapplications. Panel members 

independently review the preapplications according to the evaluation 

criteria and point system. A total of 100 

points is possible. As a result of this 

preliminary review, successful preapplications are invited to submit a fullapplication package. Unsuccessful preapplicants are removed from further 

consideration for funding under this 

solicitation. In either case, a letter of 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 57251 

notification is provided to each 

applicant. 

The second step requires the 

applicant to submit a full-application 

package, which is evaluated based on 

the same evaluation criteria as the 

preliminary application. The fullapplication package is evaluated for 

technical and financial feasibility. The 

reviewers discuss, rank, and make 

recommendations to an Executive 

Steering Committee of Senior Federal 

officials. 

5. Evaluation Criteria and Point 

System. a. Impact on National Forest 

System Lands Hazardous Fuel 

Reduction Activities: Total Points 40. 

• Fire Regime Condition Class 

(http://www.frcc.gov). 

• Direct, tangible benefits with and 

without the grant (e.g., increased acres 

treated for hazardous fuel treatments, 

increased value of raw material removed 

from hazardous fuel treatments, reduced 

cost per acre, etc). 

• Indirect, intangible benefit (such as 

air quality benefits, water quality 

benefits, socio-economic impacts, 

wildlife habitat, and watershed 

improvements). 

b. Technical Approach Work Plan: Total 

Points 25 

• Technical feasibility of the 

proposed work 

• Adequacy and completeness of the 

proposed tasks 

• Likelihood of meeting project 

objectives 

• Reasonableness of time schedule 

• Identified deliverables/tasks 

• Timeliness—timeframe of the 

project 

• Evaluation and monitoring plan 

c. Financial Feasibility: Total Points 25 

• Realistic budget and timeframe 

• Thorough financial documentation 

(see description of required 

documentation under financial 

feasibility, Section 7. c.) 

• Level of matching funds for the 

grant 

d. Qualifications and Experience of 

Applicant: Total Points 10 

• Experience, capabilities (technical 

and managerial) 

• Demonstrated capacity 

If there are no technical or financial 

problems for the project, full points are 

given. If there are minor deficiencies, 

which could limit success, midway 

points are given. If there are major 

deficiencies, which could render the 

project unsuccessful, minimum points 

are given. 

6. Pre-Application Information. a. PreApplication Submission. Preapplications are required. Specific 

content and submission requirements 

for the pre-application are as follows: 

Each submittal must be composed of 

three paper copies (single-sided) of the 

pre-application plus one electronic copy 

on a CD or 3.5-inch diskette in Microsoft 

Word for PCs or pdf format. Paper 

copies of the pre-application must be on 

8.5-by 11-inch plain white paper with a 

minimum font size of 11 letters per 

inch. Top, bottom, and side margins 

must be no less than three-quarters of an 

inch. All pages must be clearly 

numbered. The paper copies of the 

application package should be stapled 

with a single staple at the upper lefthand corner. No other bindings are 

accepted. 

b. Pre-Application Content. Assemble 

information in the following order: 

Cover page, project summary, project 

narrative, statement of need, project 

coordinator(s) and partner(s), goals and 

objectives, technical approach work 

plan, impact on National Forest System 

lands on hazardous fuels treatments, 

evaluation and monitoring plan, budget 

justification narrative, budget, and 

appendices. The project narrative 

should provide a clear description of the 

work to be performed. It should address 

the technical approach work plan under 

criteria 2 in Section 5. The project 

narrative is limited to 5 pages, 

excluding cover page, and does not 

include the budget justification, budget, 

or appendices. 

The discussion of the impact on 

National Forest System lands is a 

critical component because these 

proposals are aimed at helping the 

Forest Service increase the number of 

acres treated under hazardous fuel 

treatments (as defined under the 

Healthy Forest Restoration Act, Pub. L. 

108–148) and decrease the cost. 

Applicants should describe qualitatively 

and quantitatively how the project 

would decrease Forest Service 

hazardous fuel removal costs and/or 

increase the price one might offer for the 

woody biomass. Specifically, proposals 

should address the following: 

• Fire Regime Condition Class 

(http://www.frcc.gov). 

• What Forest Service is currently 

doing with material removed from 

hazardous fuel activities. 

• What would be done with this 

material if grant is awarded. 

• Anticipated outcomes and measures 

of success. 

• Documentation of costs and benefits 

of project as a result of the award (see 

financial templates on http:// 

www.fpl.fs.fed.us). 

• Documentation of intangible 

benefits. Examples of the information 

requested are listed on the Technology 

Marketing Unit’s Web site at http:// 

www.fpl.fs.fed.us/tmu (under Woody 

Biomass Grants). 

• Long-Term Benefits of Project: 

Applicant should address the length of 

time the benefits and impacts are 

anticipated (e.g., project will have longterm consequences, such as equipment 

improvements, or a one-time benefit, 

such as a subsidy.) 

• Expansion capability: Does the 

project have the potential to expand the 

application to additional forest 

treatment areas or to use more of the 

wood from treatments for higher valued 

uses? 

A full description of each content 

item can be obtained from the 

Technology Marketing Unit’s Web site 

at http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/tmu (under 

Woody Biomass Grants), or by calling 

the telephone number in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section, 

or by writing to the address in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

c. Pre-Application Delivery. Preapplications must be post marked by 

December 1, 2005, and received no later 

than 5 p.m. Central Standard Time on 

December 8, 2005, by the Technology 

Marketing Unit at the Forest Products 

Laboratory. Hand-delivered, e-mail, or 

fax applications shall not be accepted. 

No exceptions allowed. Please send preapplications to the address listed in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

7. Full-Application Information. 

USDA Forest Service will request full 

applications only from those applicants 

selected in the pre-application process. 

a. Full-Application Submission. 

Specific content and submission 

requirements for the full application are 

as follows: Each submittal must be 

composed of three paper copies (singlesided) of the full application plus one 

electronic copy on a CD or 3.5-inch 

diskette in Microsoft Word for PCs or 

pdf format. Paper copies of the full 

application must be on 8.5- by 11-inch 

plain white paper with a minimum font 

size of 11 letters per inch. Top, bottom, 

and side margins must be no less than 

three-quarters of an inch. All pages must 

be clearly numbered. The paper copies 

of the application package should be 

stapled with a single staple at the upper 

left-hand corner. Other bindings will 

not be accepted. 

b. Full-Application Content. 

Assemble information in the following 

order: Cover page, project summary, 

project narrative, statement of need, 

project coordinator(s) and partner(s), 

goals and objectives, technical approach 

work plan, impact on National Forest 

System lands on hazardous fuels 

treatments, environmental 

57252 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 

documentation, project work plan and 

timeline, social impacts, evaluation and 

monitoring, equipment description, 

budget justification, budget 

requirements, financial feasibility, and 

appendices. The project narrative 

should provide a clear description of the 

work to be undertaken and how it will 

be accomplished. It should address the 

technical approach work plan under 

criteria 2 listed in Section 5. The project 

narrative is limited to a total of 10 pages 

excluding cover page, budget 

justification, budget, appendices and 

financial documentation. 

c. Detailed Financial Information. 

Detailed financial information is 

requested to assess the potential and the 

capability of the applicant. Financial 

information remains confidential. The 

financial information should provide a 

general overview of historical financial 

performance, projections (Pro Forma), 

and cash flow statements. Standard 

principles should be used for 

developing the required financial 

information. Strong applications have 

benefited from the use of a certified 

accountant to develop this information. 

Applicants should refer to the 

Technology Marketing Unit’s Web site 

for the financial information templates, 

as well as an example http:// 

www.fpl.fs.fed.us/tmu (under Woody 

Biomass Grants). 

d. Full-Application Delivery. Full 

applications must be postmarked by 

March 1, 2006, and received no later 

than 5 p.m. Central Standard Time on 

March 8, 2006, by the Technology 

Marketing Unit at the Forest Products 

Laboratory. Hand-delivered, e-mail, or 

fax applications shall not be accepted. 

No exceptions allowed. Please send preapplications to the address listed in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

8. Appendices. The following 

information must be included in the 

appendix of the pre-application and the 

full-application package: 

a. Letter of Support and Biomass 

Availability From Local USDA Forest 

Service District Ranger or Forest 

Supervisor: This letter must describe the 

status of National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA), acres, timeframes, available 

volumes, and opportunities for 

applicant to access these volumes. 

b. Letters of Support From Partners, 

Individuals, or Organizations: Letters of 

support should be included in an 

appendix and are intended to display 

the degree of collaboration occurring 

between the different entities engaged in 

the project. These letters must include 

commitments of cash or in-kind services 

from all partners and must support the 

amounts listed in the budget. Each letter 

of support should be limited to one page 

in length. 

c. Key Personnel Qualifications: 

Qualifications of the project manager 

should be included in an appendix. 

Qualifications are limited to two pages 

in length and should contain the 

following: resume, biographical sketch, 

references, and demonstrated ability to 

manage the grant. 

Dated: September 26, 2005. 

Kent P. Connaughton, 

Associate Deputy Chief, State and Private 

Forestry. 

[FR Doc. 05–19546 Filed 9–29–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc.; 

Notice of Extension of Public Scoping 

Comment Period 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of extension of public 

scoping comment period. 

SUMMARY: Upon request the Rural 

Utilities Service (RUS) agrees to extend 

the public scoping comment period by 

30 days prior to the preparation of an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) in 

connection to a project proposed by 

Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

(AECI), with headquarters in 

Springfield, Missouri. A previous notice 

was published in the Federal Register 

on August 10, 2005 announcing RUS’s 

intent to prepare an EIS and to hold 

public scoping meetings. The proposal 

consists of the construction and 

operation of a nominal 660 megawatt 

coal-based electrical generating plant 

and associated transmission facilities. A 

proposed and an alternate site both near 

the Missouri River in the northwest 

quadrant of Missouri have been 

identified by AECI. AECI is requesting 

RUS to provide financing for the 

proposal. 

DATES: Send comments to RUS, at the 

address listed below on or before 

October 28, 2005. 

A Site Selection Study and Macro 

Corridor Study Report, prepared by 

Associated Electric Cooperative, is 

available for public review on the RUS 

Web site http://www.usda.gov/rus/ 

water/ees/eis.htm, at Associated Electric 

Cooperative offices at, 2814 S. Golden, 

Springfield, Missouri 65807, and at the 

following public repositories: 

Cameron Public Library, 312 N. Chestnut St., 

Cameron, MO 64429, Phone 816/632–2311. 

Concordia Library, 709 S. Main St., 

Concordia, MO 64020, Phone: 660/463–

2277. 

Hale Library & Museum, 321 Main St., Hale, 

MO 64643, Phone: 660/565–2617. 

Mid-Continent Public Library, Kearney 

Branch, 100 S. Platte-Clay Way, Kearney, 

MO 64060–7640, Phone: 816/628–5055. 

Macon Public Library, 210 N. Rutherford St., 

Macon, MO 63552, Phone: 660/385–3314. 

Maryville Public Library, 509 N. Main St., 

Maryville, MO 64468, Phone 660/582–

5281. 

Little Dixie Regional Library, 111 N. 4th St., 

Moberly, MO 65270, Phone: 660/263–4426. 

Oregon Public Library, 103 S. Washington 

St., Oregon, MO 64473, Phone: 660/446–

3586. 

Dulany Memorial Library, 501 S. Broadway, 

Salisbury, MO 65281, Phone: 660/388–

5712. 

Carrollton Public Library, 1 N. Folger St., 

Carrollton, MO 64633, Phone: 660/542–

0183. 

Mid-Continent Public Library, Excelsior 

Springs Branch, 1460 Kearney Road, 

Excelsior Springs, MO 64024–1746, Phone: 

816/630–6721 

Robertson Memorial Library, 19 W. 20th St., 

Higginsville, MO 64037, Phone: 660/584–

2880. 

Lexington Library, 1008 Main St., Lexington, 

MO 64067, Phone: 660/259–3071. 

Marshall Public Library, 214 N. Lafayette, 

Marshall, MO 65340, Phone: 660/886–

3391. 

DeKalb County Public Library, 201 N. Polk 

St., Maysville, MO 64469, Phone: 816/449–

5695. 

Mound City Public Library, 205 E. 6th St., 

Mound City, MO 64470, Phone: 660/442–

5700. 

Ray County Library, 219 S. College St., 

Richmond, MO 64085, Phone: 816/470–

3291. 

Rolling Hills Consolidated Library, 

Savannah, 514 W. Main St., Savannah, MO 

64485, Phone: 816/324–4569. 

Boonslick Regional Library Sedalia Branch 

219 W. 3rd St., Sedalia, MO 65301, Phone: 

660/827–7323. 

Carnegie Library 316 Massachusetts St., St. 

Joseph, MO 64504, Phone: 816/238–0526. 

East Hills Library 502 N. Woodbine Road, 

Suite A, St. Joseph, MO 64506, Phone: 816/ 

236–2136. 

Washington Park Library 1821 N. Third St., 

St. Joseph, MO 64505, Phone: 816/232–2052. 

Boonslick Regional Library 950 E. Main St., 

Warsaw, MO 65355, Phone: 660/438–5211. 

Sedalia Public Library 311 W. Third St., 

Sedalia, MO 65301, Phone: 660/826–1314. 

Downtown Library 927 Felix St., St. 

Joseph, MO 64501, Phone: 816/232–7729. 

Rolling Hills Consolidated Library: 

Eastside 1904 N. Belt Highway, St. Joseph, 

MO 64506, Phone: 816/232–5479. 

Sweet Springs Public Library 323 Spring 

St., Sweet Springs, MO 65351, Phone: 660/ 

335–4314. 

Norborne Public Library 109 East 2nd 

Street, Norborne, MO 64668, Voice: (816) 

594–3514. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephanie Strength, Environmental 

Protection Specialist, RUS, Engineering