Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 158 / Thursday, August 14, 2008 / Notices 47581 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. 

All responses to this notice will 

become a matter of public record and be 

summarized in the request for OMB 

approval. 

Signed at Washington, DC, August 4, 2008. 

Joseph T. Reilly, 

Associate Administrator. 

[FR Doc. E8–18793 Filed 8–13–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

Gulf Crossing Pipeline Company, LLC; 

Gulf South Pipeline Company LP; 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission (FERC), Docket Nos. 

CP07–398–000, CP07–398–001, CP07–

399–000, CP07–400–000, CP07–401–

000, CP07–402–000, CP07–403–000, 

FERC EIS 0218F; March 21, 2008 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of the 

record of decision. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969; the Council on 

Environmental Quality Guidelines (40 

CFR part 1500); and the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service 

Guidelines (7 CFR part 650); the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, has decided 

to subordinate its rights, acquired under 

the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), to 

allow the Gulf Crossing Pipeline 

Company, LLC to cross NRCS held 

conservations easements associated 

with the Gulf Crossing Project in 

Madison Parish, LA and Fannin, Texas. 

On June 19, 2007, Gulf Crossing 

Pipeline Company LLC (Gulf Crossing) 

and Gulf South Pipeline Company LP 

(Gulf South) jointly filed an application 

under section 7C of the Natural Gas Act 

(NGA) for authorization to construct and 

operate facilities to be known as the 

Gulf Crossing Project which constitutes 

four compressor stations and an 

interstate natural gas pipeline. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission (FERC) has prepared a final 

environmental impact statement (EIS) to 

fulfill requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The 

purpose of this document was to make 

public the analysis of the environmental 

impacts that would likely result from 

the construction and operation of the 

proposed project. The NRCS 

participated as a cooperating agency in 

the preparation of the EIS. 

The project will affect approximately 

three (3) NRCS held Wetlands Reserve 

Program (WRP) easements by creating a 

50 ft. permanent right of way (within a 

100 ft. construction right of way) that 

extends for approximately 356.3 miles 

of which 4.6 miles is over lands 

encumbered under WRP easements 

located in Madison, Louisiana and 

Fannin, Texas. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kevin D. Norton, State Conservationist, 

Natural Resources Conservation Service, 

3737 Government Street, Alexandria, 

Louisiana 71302; telephone (318) 473–

7751. 

A limited number of copies of the 

Record of Decisions (ROD) are available 

to fill single copy requests at the above 

address. Basic data evaluated for the 

ROD are on file and may be reviewed by 

contacting Kevin D. Norton. 

Dated: August 6, 2008. 

Kevin D. Norton, 

State Conservationist. 

[FR Doc. E8–18803 Filed 8–13–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Economic Development Administration 

[Docket No.: 0808071081–81082–01] 

Solicitation of Proposals and 

Applications for the FY 2008 

Supplemental Appropriations Disaster 

Relief Opportunity Pursuant to Act of 

June 30, 2008, Public Law 110–252, 122 

Stat. 2323 (2008) 

AGENCY: Economic Development 

Administration (EDA), Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

applications. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 703 of the 

Public Works and Economic 

Development Act of 1965, as amended 

(42 U.S.C. 3233), EDA announces 

general policies and application 

procedures for the FY 2008 

Supplemental Appropriations Disaster 

Relief Opportunity. This investment 

assistance will help devise long-term 

economic redevelopment strategies and 

carry out implementation activities and 

public works projects to address 

economic development challenges in 

regions impacted by the Midwest storms 

and floods or other recent natural 

disasters. 

DATES: Proposals (also known as preapplications) are accepted on a 

continuing basis and applications are 

invited and processed as received. 

Generally, up to two months are 

required for EDA to reach a final 

decision after receipt of a complete 

application that meets all requirements. 

Proposals or applications (as 

appropriate) received after the date of 

publication of this notice will be 

processed in accordance with the 

requirements set forth herein until 

superseded by the terms of a federal 

funding opportunity (FFO) 

announcement posted on http:// 

www.grants.gov and publication of the 

related notice in the Federal Register. 

Pre-Application and Application 

Submission Requirements: Proponents 

are advised to read carefully the 

instructions contained in the complete 

FFO announcement for this request for 

proposals and applications, and in the 

Pre-Application for Investment 

Assistance (Form ED–900P) and 

Application for Investment Assistance 

(Form ED–900A). Please note that the 

requirements for the pre-application are 

different from the requirements for the 

application. It is the sole responsibility 

of the proponent to ensure that the preapplication or application (as 

appropriate) is complete and received 

by EDA. The content of the preapplication or the application (as 

appropriate) is the same for paper 

submissions as it is for electronic 

submissions. EDA will not accept 

facsimile transmissions of preapplications or applications. 

For projects under this notice and 

request for proposals and applications, 

a pre-application normally is required. 

However, given the exigent 

circumstances that exist as a result of 

the Midwest storms and floods and 

other recent natural disasters, the EDA 

regional office may in some 

circumstances waive the pre-application 

requirement for applicants in those 

affected regions and allow those 

applicants to submit an application only 

(no pre-application). Therefore, please 

contact the appropriate EDA regional 

office listed below for instructions as to 

whether you need to complete a preapplication or an application. The 

regional office staff will provide 

application instructions. 

All relevant forms may be accessed 

and downloaded at the following Web 

sites: (i) Forms ED–900P and ED–900A 

at http://www.eda.gov/ 

InvestmentsGrants/Application.xml; (ii) 

Standard Forms (SF) at either 


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www.grants.gov or at http:// 

www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/ 

Application.xml; and (iii) Department of 

Commerce (CD) forms at http:// 

ocio.os.doc.gov/ITPolicyandPrograms/ 

Electronic_Forms/index.htm. 

Proponents are advised that in 

October 2008, EDA anticipates 

introducing a single-step application 

process that will obviate use of the 

current Forms ED–900P and ED–900A. 

At that time, EDA will publish new 

application procedures in line with the 

new single-step application in the 

Federal Register and will post 

information about those procedures at 

http://www.eda.gov. 

Addresses and Telephone Numbers 

for EDA’s Regional Offices: If you have 

a project that will be located in one of 

the disaster-impacted regions declared 

under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

(42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) (Stafford Act), 

please contact the appropriate regional 

office listed below. 

Economic Development Administration, 

Atlanta Regional Office, 401 West 

Peachtree Street, NW., Suite 1820, 

Atlanta, Georgia 30308, Telephone: 

(404) 730–3002, Fax: (404) 730–3025, 

Serves: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, 

Kentucky, Mississippi, North 

Carolina, South Carolina and 

Tennessee. 

Economic Development Administration, 

Austin Regional Office, 504 Lavaca 

Street, Suite 1100, Austin, Texas 

78701, Telephone: (512) 381–8144, 

Fax: (512) 381–8177, Serves: 

Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, 

Oklahoma and Texas. 

Economic Development Administration, 

Chicago Regional Office, 111 North 

Canal Street, Suite 855, Chicago, 

Illinois 60606, Telephone: (312) 353–

7706, Fax: (312) 353–8575, Serves: 

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, 

Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and 

Muscatine and Scott counties, Iowa. 

Economic Development Administration, 

Denver Regional Office, 410 17th 

Street, Suite 250, Denver, Colorado 

80202, Telephone: (303) 844–4714, 

Fax: (303) 844–3968, Serves: 

Colorado, Iowa (excluding Muscatine 

and Scott counties), Kansas, Missouri, 

Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, 

South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. 

Economic Development Administration, 

Philadelphia Regional Office, Curtis 

Center, 601 Walnut Street, Suite 140 

South, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

19106, Telephone: (215) 597–4603, 

Fax: (215) 597–1063, Serves: 

Connecticut, Delaware, District of 

Columbia, Maine, Maryland, 

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New 

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, 

Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, 

U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West 

Virginia. 

Economic Development Administration, 

Seattle Regional Office, Jackson 

Federal Building, Room 1890, 915 

Second Avenue, Seattle, Washington 

98174, Telephone: (206) 220–7660, 

Fax: (206) 220–7669, Serves: Alaska, 

American Samoa, Arizona, California, 

Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Marshall 

Islands, Micronesia, Nevada, Northern 

Mariana Islands, Oregon, Republic of 

Palau and Washington. 

Application Submission Formats: Preapplications or applications may be 

submitted either (i) in paper (hardcopy) 

format at the applicable regional office 

address provided below; or (ii) 

electronically in accordance with the 

procedures provided on 

www.grants.gov. 

Paper Submissions: Under this 

competitive solicitation, a proponent 

may submit a completed pre-application 

or application (as appropriate) to the 

applicable regional office listed above 

under ‘‘Addresses and Telephone 

Numbers for EDA’s Regional Offices.’’ A 

proponent advised by the regional office 

to complete a pre-application should 

download and print copies of the Form 

ED–900P and the Form SF–424 

(Application for Federal Assistance) at 

http://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/ 

Application.xml, complete Parts I, II and 

III of Form ED–900P and Form SF–424, 

and attach the project narrative 

statement requested in section IV.B.1. of 

the FFO announcement. The narrative 

statement should be clearly labeled to 

identify each addressed topic listed in 

section IV.B.1. of the FFO 

announcement. A proponent advised to 

complete an application should follow 

the instructions provided by the 

regional office at the time it is so 

advised. 

Proponents choosing this option must 

submit one (1) original and two (2) 

copies of the completed pre-application 

or application (as appropriate) via postal 

mail, shipped overnight or handdelivered to the applicable regional 

office, unless otherwise directed by EDA 

staff. Department of Commerce mail 

security measures may delay receipt of 

United States Postal Service mail for up 

to two weeks. Therefore, proponents 

who wish to submit paper applications 

are advised to use guaranteed overnight 

delivery services. 

Electronic Submissions: Proponents 

may submit pre-applications or 

applications (as appropriate) 

electronically in accordance with the 

instructions provided by the EDA 

regional office and the instructions 

provided at http://www.grants.gov/ 

applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp. The 

preferred file format for electronic 

attachments (e.g., the project narrative 

statement and exhibits to Form ED–

900P) is portable document format 

(PDF); however, EDA will accept 

electronic files in Microsoft Word, 

WordPerfect, Lotus or Excel formats. 

Applicants should access the 

following link for assistance in 

navigating www.grants.gov and for a list 

of useful resources: http:// 

www.grants.gov/applicants/ 

applicant_help.jsp. If you do not find an 

answer to your question under 

‘‘Applicant FAQS’’ at http:// 

www.grants.gov/applicants/ 

applicant_faqs.jsp, try consulting the 

Applicant User Guide. If you still 

cannot find an answer to your question, 

contact www.grants.gov via e-mail at 

support@grants.gov or telephone at 

1–800–518–4726. The hours of 

operation for www.grants.gov are 

Monday–Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (ET) 

(except for Federal holidays). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

additional information or for a paper 

copy of the complete FFO 

announcement, contact the appropriate 

EDA regional office listed above. EDA’s 

Internet Web site at www.eda.gov also 

contains additional information on EDA 

and its programs. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background Information: With 

funding made available through the 

Supplemental Appropriations Disaster 

Relief Opportunity, EDA intends to 

award investments in regions 

experiencing severe economic distress 

as a result of flooding, storms or 

tornadoes such as those experienced in 

the Midwest, or other recent natural 

disasters. Pursuant to this notice, EDA 

solicits proposals and applications for 

Economic Adjustment Assistance 

investments under the Public Works 

and Economic Development Act of 

1965, as amended (PWEDA) (42 U.S.C. 

3121 et seq.). Through the Economic 

Adjustment Assistance program (CFDA 

No. 11.307), selected applicants will 

utilize EDA’s flexible set of program 

tools to develop and implement on a 

regional basis long-term economic 

redevelopment strategies for the 

recently disaster-impacted regions in 

the United States. 

The Economic Adjustment Assistance 

program can provide a wide range of 

technical, planning and infrastructure 

assistance in regions experiencing 

adverse economic changes that may 

occur suddenly or over time. This 

program is designed to respond 


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adaptively to pressing economic 

recovery issues, and is well suited to 

help address challenges such as those 

faced by the regions affected by the 

Midwest storms and floods and other 

recent natural disasters. Assistance can 

support development of a strategy 

(through a ‘‘strategy grant’’) to alleviate 

economic dislocation caused by the 

disaster or support project 

implementation (through an 

‘‘implementation grant’’), such as 

funding improvements for 

infrastructure. 

EDA recognizes that urgent 

infrastructure rebuilding needs exist 

throughout the regions affected by 

recent natural disasters. In addition, 

tensions often arise in the wake of a 

disaster between advocates of 

immediate infrastructure rebuilding and 

advocates of rebuilding infrastructure 

pursuant to a long-term redevelopment 

strategy. In EDA’s experience with postdisaster recovery, the most effective 

long-term infrastructure rebuilding 

efforts are based on a long-term 

development or redevelopment strategy, 

established either before or after the 

disaster. For this reason, EDA 

encourages the submission of 

applications geared to the development 

and implementation of long-term, 

regionally-based, collaborative 

economic redevelopment strategies. In 

addition, EDA will regard applications 

for infrastructure that are substantively 

supported by such a strategy as more 

competitive and worthy of funding than 

applications for infrastructure that are 

not so supported. Applications for 

rebuilding damaged infrastructure that 

are not demonstrably supported by a 

long-term plan will not be viewed as 

competitive. EDA will evaluate and 

select applications according to the 

information set out below under 

‘‘Evaluation Criteria.’’

This notice and request for proposals 

and applications is pursuant to Act of 

June 30, 2008, Public Law 110–252, 122 

Stat. 2323 (2008). Please access the 

separate FFO announcement posted at 

www.grants.gov on February 21, 2008 

for information regarding funding 

priorities, application and selection 

processes, time frames and evaluation 

criteria for EDA’s regular Economic 

Adjustment Assistance and Public 

Works investments, which are funded 

under the FY 2008 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 110–161, 

121 Stat. 1844 (2007)). Additional 

information may be found on EDA’s 

Internet Web site at http://www.eda.gov. 

EDA will evaluate and select 

applications according to the 

information set forth below under 

‘‘Evaluation Criteria’’ and ‘‘Funding 

Priorities’’ and in section V. of the FFO 

announcement. 

Electronic Access: The complete FFO 

announcement for the FY 2008 

Supplemental Appropriations Disaster 

Relief Opportunity is available at 

www.grants.gov and at http:// 

www.eda.gov. 

Funding Availability: Under the Act 

of June 30, 2008, Public Law 110–252, 

122 Stat. 2323 (2008), EDA received 

$100,000,000 as a supplemental 

appropriation for disaster assistance 

(Disaster Appropriation). Although the 

impetus for this appropriation was the 

storms and flooding experienced this 

year in the Midwest region of the United 

States, the law establishes that the funds 

must be used in regions covered by a 

major disaster declaration under the 

Stafford Act, ‘‘as a result of recent 

natural disasters.’’ For purposes of this 

competitive solicitation, EDA interprets 

‘‘recent’’ to mean disaster declarations 

starting January 1, 2008 for incident 

periods occurring through June 30, 

2008, the date of enactment of the 

Disaster Appropriation. 

As set out below, EDA will allocate 

funds for the Supplemental 

Appropriations Disaster Relief 

Opportunity from the Disaster 

Appropriation among its six regional 

offices, located in Atlanta, Austin, 

Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia and 

Seattle. See also section II.B. of the FFO 

announcement. The funds are provided 

for the necessary expenses related to the 

following three activities: (i) Disaster 

relief; (ii) long-term recovery; and (iii) 

restoration of infrastructure. 

Approximate Allocation per Regional 

Office: 

Atlanta Regional Office—$8.8 

Austin Regional Office—$13.8 

Chicago Regional Office—$21.4 

Denver Regional Office—$52.6 

Philadelphia Regional Office—$2.3 

Seattle Regional Office—$1.0 

At a later date, EDA may adjust the 

allocation to the regional offices, based 

on its experience in administering the 

supplemental appropriation to ensure 

funds are used to maximum effect, or to 

adjust to unforeseen changes in recovery 

efforts. 

Statutory Authority: The statutory 

authority for the Economic Adjustment 

Assistance program is section 209 of 

PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 3149). Unless 

otherwise provided in this notice or in 

the FFO announcement, applicant 

eligibility, program objectives and 

priorities, application procedures, 

evaluation criteria, selection 

procedures, and other requirements for 

all programs are set forth in EDA’s 

regulations (codified at 13 CFR chapter 

III). EDA’s regulations and PWEDA are 

available at http://www.eda.gov/ 

InvestmentsGrants/Lawsreg.xml. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.307, 

Economic Adjustment Assistance. 

Applicant Eligibility: Pursuant to 

PWEDA, eligible applicants for and 

eligible recipients of EDA investment 

assistance under this announcement 

include a(n): (i) District Organization; 

(ii) Indian Tribe or a consortium of 

Indian Tribes; (iii) State, city or other 

political subdivision of a State, 

including a special purpose unit of a 

State or local government engaged in 

economic or infrastructure development 

activities, or a consortium of political 

subdivisions; (iv) institution of higher 

education or a consortium of 

institutions of higher education; or (v) 

public or private non-profit organization 

or association acting in cooperation 

with officials of a political subdivision 

of a State. See section 3 of PWEDA (42 

U.S.C. 3122) and 13 CFR 300.3. 

EDA is not authorized to provide 

grants directly to individuals or to forprofit entities seeking to start or expand 

a private business. Such requests may 

be referred to State or local agencies, or 

to non-profit economic development 

organizations. 

For the Supplemental Appropriations 

Disaster Relief Opportunity, EDA will 

consider proposals or applications (as 

appropriate) submitted by eligible 

applicants located in or acting on behalf 

of the disaster-affected regions, 

including one or more institutions of 

higher education; one or more of the 

States, cities or other units of local 

government; and economic 

development organizations, including 

but not limited to regional multijurisdictional District Organizations and 

public or private non-profit 

organizations working in cooperation 

with private for-profit organizations, 

local businesses and industry leaders. 

Economic Distress Criteria: Pursuant 

to the Disaster Appropriation, regional 

eligibility is predicated upon the 

Presidential declarations of disaster 

areas and/or disaster declarations issued 

by the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA), as listed in section 

III.B. of the FFO announcement. 

Cost Sharing Requirement: As stated 

above, the disaster declarations issued 

by FEMA provide EDA with the 

requisite determination of eligibility 

under section 703 of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 

3233). Similar to the cost-sharing 

required under that Act, EDA expects to 

fund seventy-five (75) percent of the 

eligible cost of such assistance. The 

remaining twenty-five (25) percent must 

be borne by the recipient or provided to 


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the recipient by a third-party as a 

contribution for the purposes of and 

subject to the terms of the award. In 

accordance with statutory authority 

under section 703 of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 

3233), EDA may, in certain instances, 

increase the investment rate up to a 

maximum of one hundred (100) percent. 

EDA will be particularly inclined to 

fund the regional strategy grants (as 

mentioned under ‘‘Background 

Information’’ above) at an investment 

rate of one hundred (100) percent. In 

determining whether to increase the 

federal share above seventy-five (75) 

percent, EDA will consider whether the 

applicant has exhausted its effective 

taxing or borrowing capacity, or other 

indicia of dire need. Therefore, the 

applicant must include a narrative that 

fully describes and defines the ‘‘region’’

in which the proposed project will be 

located and is responsible for 

demonstrating to EDA, by providing 

statistics and other appropriate 

information, the nature and level of 

economic distress in the region. See 

section IV.B.1. of the FFO 

announcement for information 

regarding the project narrative. 

While cash contributions are 

preferred, in-kind contributions, 

consisting of contributions of space, 

equipment, or services, or forgiveness or 

assumptions of debt, may provide the 

required non-federal share of the total 

project cost. See section 204(b) of 

PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 3144). EDA will 

fairly evaluate all in-kind contributions, 

which must be eligible project costs and 

meet applicable federal cost principles 

and uniform administrative 

requirements. Funds from other federal 

financial assistance awards are 

considered matching share funds only if 

authorized by statute, which may be 

determined by EDA’s reasonable 

interpretation of the statute. See 13 CFR 

300.3. The applicant must show that the 

matching share is committed to the 

project for the project period, will be 

available as needed and is not 

conditioned or encumbered in any way 

that precludes its use consistent with 

the requirements of EDA investment 

assistance. See 13 CFR 301.5. 

Intergovernmental Review: Proposals 

or applications for assistance under 

EDA’s programs are subject to the State 

review requirements imposed by 

Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’

Evaluation and Selection Procedures: 

EDA’s six regional offices conduct all 

pre-application and application review 

for EDA’s Economic Adjustment 

Assistance investments. Each preapplication or application (as 

appropriate) is circulated by a project 

officer within the applicable EDA 

regional office for review and 

comments. When the necessary input 

and information are obtained, the preapplication or application (as 

appropriate) is considered by the 

regional office’s investment review 

committee (IRC), which is comprised of 

regional office staff. The IRC discusses 

the pre-application or application (as 

appropriate) and evaluates it (i) using 

the general evaluation criteria set forth 

in 13 CFR 301.8; and (ii) to determine 

if it meets the program-specific award 

and application requirements provided 

in 13 CFR 307.2 and 307.4 for Economic 

Adjustment Assistance. The general 

evaluation criteria also are provided 

below under ‘‘Evaluation Criteria.’’

In the case of a pre-application, after 

completing its evaluation, the IRC 

recommends to the Selecting Official, 

who is the Regional Director, whether 

an application should be invited, 

documenting its recommendation in 

meeting minutes or in the investment 

summary or the project proposal 

summary and evaluation form. The 

Selecting Official will consider the 

evaluations provided by the IRC and the 

degree to which one or more of the 

funding priorities provided below are 

included, in making the decision as to 

which proponents should be invited to 

submit formal applications for 

investment assistance. 

If a proponent is selected to submit a 

full application, the appropriate 

regional office will provide application 

materials and guidance in completing 

them. The proponent generally will 

have thirty (30) days to submit the 

completed application materials to the 

regional office. EDA staff will work with 

the proponent to resolve application 

deficiencies. EDA will notify the 

applicant if EDA accepts a completed 

application, and it is forwarded for final 

review and processing in accordance 

with EDA and Department of Commerce 

procedures. 

Unsuccessful proponents will be 

notified by postal mail that their 

proposals were not recommended for 

funding. Unsuccessful proposals will be 

retained in the EDA regional office in 

accordance with EDA’s record retention 

schedule. 

Evaluation Criteria: EDA will select 

investment proposals or applications (as 

appropriate) competitively based on the 

investment policy guidelines and 

funding priority considerations listed 

below. EDA will evaluate the extent to 

which a project embodies the maximum 

number of investment policy guidelines 

and funding priorities possible and 

strongly exemplifies at least one of each. 

All investment proposals or 

applications (as appropriate) will be 

competitively evaluated primarily on 

their ability to satisfy one (1) or more of 

the following investment policy 

guidelines, each of which are of 

equivalent weight and also are set forth 

in 13 CFR 301.8. 

1. Be market-based and results driven. 

An EDA investment will capitalize on a 

region’s competitive strengths and will 

positively move a regional economic 

indicator measured on EDA’s Balanced 

Scorecard, such as: An increased 

number of higher-skill, higher-wage 

jobs; increased tax revenue; or increased 

private sector investment. 

2. Have strong organizational 

leadership. An EDA investment will 

have strong leadership, relevant project 

management experience, and a 

significant commitment of human 

resources talent to ensure a project’s 

successful execution. 

3. Advance productivity, innovation 

and entrepreneurship. An EDA 

investment will embrace the principles 

of entrepreneurship, enhance regional 

industry clusters, and leverage and link 

technology innovators and local 

universities to the private sector to 

create the conditions for greater 

productivity, innovation, and job 

creation. 

4. Look beyond the immediate 

economic horizon, anticipate economic 

changes, and diversify the local and 

regional economy. An EDA investment 

will be part of an overarching, long-term 

comprehensive economic development 

strategy that enhances a region’s success 

in achieving a rising standard of living 

by supporting existing industry clusters, 

developing emerging new clusters, or 

attracting new regional economic 

drivers. 

5. Demonstrate a high degree of local 

commitment by exhibiting: 

• High levels of local government or 

non-profit matching funds and private 

sector leverage; 

• Clear and unified leadership and 

support by local elected officials; and 

• Strong cooperation between the 

business sector, relevant regional 

partners and local, State and Federal 

governments. 

Funding Priorities: Although the 

Stafford Act declarations serve as a 

finding of regional economic distress for 

purposes of eligibility under this 

competitive solicitation, EDA will give 

priority to projects that will render the 

maximum amount of economic 

revitalization based on satisfaction of 

one or more of the following core 

criteria (investment proposals or 

applications that meet more than one 


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core criterion will be given more 

favorable consideration): 

1. Investments in support of longterm, coordinated and collaborative 

regional economic development 

approaches: 

• Establish comprehensive regional 

economic development strategies that 

identify promising opportunities for 

long-term economic growth. 

• Exhibit demonstrable, committed 

multi-jurisdictional support from 

leaders across all sectors: 

i. Public (e.g., mayors, city councils, 

county executives, senior state 

leadership); 

ii. Institutional (e.g., institutions of 

higher learning); 

iii. Non-profit (e.g., chambers of 

commerce, development organizations); 

and 

iv. Private (e.g., leading regional 

businesses, significant regional industry 

associations). 

• Generate quantifiable positive 

economic outcomes. 

2. Investments that support 

innovation and competitiveness: 

• Develop and enhance the 

functioning and competitiveness of 

leading and emerging industry clusters 

in an economic region. 

• Advance technology transfer from 

research institutions to the commercial 

marketplace. 

• Bolster critical infrastructure (e.g., 

transportation, communications, 

specialized training) to prepare 

economic regions to compete in the 

world-wide marketplace. 

3. Investments that encourage 

entrepreneurship: 

• Cultivate a favorable 

entrepreneurial environment consistent 

with regional strategies. 

• Enable economic regions to identify 

innovative opportunities among growthoriented small- and medium-size 

enterprises. 

• Promote community and faithbased entrepreneurship programs aimed 

at improving economic performance in 

an economic region. 

4. Support strategies that link regional 

economies with the global marketplace: 

• Enable businesses and local 

governments to understand that ninetyfive (95) percent of our potential 

customers do not live in the United 

States. 

• Enable businesses, local 

governments and key institutions (e.g., 

institutions of higher education) to 

understand and take advantage of the 

numerous free trade agreements. 

• Enable economic development 

professionals to develop and implement 

strategies that reflect the competitive 

environment of the 21st Century global 

marketplace. 

The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for 

Grants and Cooperative Agreements: 

The administrative and national policy 

requirements for all Department of 

Commerce awards, contained in the 

Department of Commerce Pre-Award 

Notification Requirements for Grants 

and Cooperative Agreements, published 

in the Federal Register on February 11, 

2008 (73 FR 7696), are applicable to this 

competitive solicitation. 

Paperwork Reduction Act: This 

document contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The 

use of Forms ED–900P (Pre-Application 

for Investment Assistance) and ED–

900A (Application for Investment 

Assistance) has been approved by the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) under the control number 0610–

0094. The use of Form SF–424 

(Application for Financial Assistance) 

has been approved under OMB control 

number 4040–0004. Notwithstanding 

any other provision of law, no person is 

required to respond to, nor shall any 

person be subject to a penalty for failure 

to comply with, a collection of 

information subject to the requirements 

of the PRA unless that collection of 

information displays a currently valid 

OMB control number. 

Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory 

Planning and Review): This notice has 

been determined to be not significant for 

purposes of Executive Order 12866. 

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism): 

It has been determined that this notice 

does not contain policies with 

Federalism implications as that term is 

defined in Executive Order 13132. 

Administrative Procedure Act/ 

Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior notice 

and an opportunity for public comments 

are not required by the Administrative 

Procedure Act or any other law for rules 

concerning grants, benefits, and 

contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). Because 

notice and opportunity for comment are 

not required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or 

any other law, the analytical 

requirements of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are 

inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory 

flexibility analysis has not been 

prepared. 

Dated: August 8, 2008. 

Otto Barry Bird, 

Chief Counsel, Economic Development 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E8–18794 Filed 8–13–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–24–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Foreign–Trade Zones Board 

[Docket 44–2008] 

Foreign–Trade Zone 77 Memphis, 

Tennessee, Application for Subzone, 

Black & Decker Corporation(Power 

Tools, Lawn and Garden Tools, and 

Home Products Distribution), Jackson, 

Tennessee 

An application has been submitted to 

the Foreign–Trade Zones Board (the 

Board) by the City of Memphis, grantee 

of FTZ 77, requesting special–purpose 

subzone status for the tools and home 

products warehousing/distribution 

facilities of Black & Decker Corporation, 

in Jackson, Tennessee. The application 

was submitted pursuant to the 

provisions of the Foreign–Trade Zones 

Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a–81u), 

and the regulations of the Board (15 CFR 

part 400). It was formally filed on 

August 5, 2008. 

The Black & Decker site, consisting of 

a manufacturing plant (2 bldgs., 482,000 

sq. ft.) and a distribution center (1 

building, 675,000 sq. ft.) on 177 acres, 

is located at the intersection of Highway 

45 North and Passmore Lane in Jackson, 

Tennessee. The facilities (700 

employees) are used for the quality 

inspection, kitting, repackaging, order 

fulfillment, warehousing and 

distribution of power tools, lawn and 

garden tools, home products and related 

products and accessories; activities 

which Black & Decker is proposing to 

perform under FTZ procedures. Some 

75 percent of the components are 

sourced abroad. About 5 to 10 percent 

of production is currently exported. 

None of the activities which Black & 

Decker is proposing to perform under 

zone procedures would constitute 

manufacturing or processing under the 

FTZ Board’s regulations. 

Zone procedures would exempt Black 

& Decker from Customs duty payments 

on foreign products that are re–

exported. On domestic sales, the 

company would be able to defer 

payment until merchandise is shipped 

from the facility. The company may also 

realize certain logistical benefits related 

to the use of direct delivery and weekly 

customs entry procedures. The 

application indicates that FTZ 

procedures would be used to support 

Black & Decker’s Tennessee–based 

distribution activity in competition with 

facilities abroad. 

In accordance with the Board’s 

regulations, Diane Finver of the FTZ 

staff is designated examiner to 

investigate the application and report to 

the Board. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES