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Notices Federal Register

61275 

Vol. 79, No. 197 

Friday, October 10, 2014 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

[OES–2014–0001] 

Announcement of Requirements and 

Registration for the U.S. Tall Wood 

Building Prize Competition 

AGENCY: USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Agriculture in a cooperative partnership 

with the Softwood Lumber Board and 

the Binational Softwood Lumber 

Council is conducting a prize 

competition funding initiative to 

support the demonstration of tall wood 

buildings in the United States. The U.S. 

Tall Wood Building Prize Competition 

(the ‘‘Competition’’) is being conducted 

to showcase the architectural and 

commercial viability of advanced wood 

products in tall building construction in 

order to support employment 

opportunities in rural communities, 

maintain the health and resiliency of the 

Nation’s forests, and advance 

sustainability in the built environment. 

Using wood obtained through 

sustainable forestry practices in green 

building applications promotes a 

healthy environment and a strong 

economy. The timber industry is an 

important job creator and supports 

hundreds of local communities, many of 

them rural. A recent life cycle analysis 

found that harvesting, transporting, 

manufacturing, and using wood in 

lumber and panel products in building 

yields fewer air emissions—including 

greenhouse gases—than the resource 

extraction, manufacture, and use of 

other common building materials. 

There are barriers to being the first to 

adopt new building materials and 

systems, most notably the costs of 

analyzing novel design and engineering 

alternatives and verifying that these 

solutions comply with applicable 

code(s). The funds made available for 

the Competition will support costs 

associated with pioneering the use of 

advanced wood products and systems in 

tall buildings and open the door for 

more widespread adoption of the 

innovative materials. 

The objective of the Competition is to 

identify one or more proponents with 

existing viable projects and capable 

design and construction teams willing 

to convert their existing project from a 

traditionally constructed tall building to 

a design and construction approach 

using advanced wood building 

materials, new composite or hybrid 

wood methods, and/or existing proven 

alternative solution techniques. 

The Competition prize purse will be 

awarded to selected proponent(s) to 

cover the incremental costs of 

converting from traditional construction 

to wood construction. The selected 

proponent(s) will be the team 

demonstrating the best ability to utilize 

new scientific data, to develop technical 

expertise, and to use incremental 

funding to safely design, specify, and 

construct a building of a minimum of 

eighty feet (80’) in height (not including 

a reinforced concrete podium) in the 

United States of America that can 

showcase the application, practicality, 

and sustainability of innovative wood 

based structural building solutions in 

tall building construction. 

DATES:

Competition Submission Period: 

October 9, 2014–December 8, 2014. 

Evaluation and Judging: December 8, 

2014–January 2015. 

Verification of Potential Winner(s:) 

January 2015. 

Announcement of Winner(s) & 

Signing of Preliminary Funding 

Agreement(s): February 2015. 

The Competition Submission Period 

begins October 9 at 10:00 a.m. ET and 

ends December 8, 2014 at 12:00 a.m. ET. 

The Competition Sponsor’s computer, 

set to Eastern Time, is the official timekeeping device for this Competition. 

Competition dates are subject to 

change at the discretion of the 

Competition Sponsor. Entries submitted 

before or after the Competition 

Submission Period will not be reviewed 

or considered for award. 

Competition Questions, Changes, and 

Results 

Changes or updates to the 

Competition rules will be posted and 

can be viewed at the Competition Web 

site at: 

www.tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org. 

Questions about the Competition can 

be directed by email to the Competition 

Sponsor at: Oscar Faoro, Project 

Manager, U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize 

Competition, OscarFaoro@

tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org. 

Results of the Competition will be 

announced on or about February 2015 

on the Competition Web site: 

www.tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Competition Partners and Competition 

Sponsor 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(‘‘USDA’’) is the department of the U.S. 

Federal government that provides 

leadership on food, agriculture, natural 

resources, forestry, rural development, 

nutrition, and other issues related to 

agriculture in America. Web site: 

www.usda.gov 

The Softwood Lumber Board (‘‘SLB’’) 

is an industry funded Check-off Program 

established in cooperation with the 

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service 

to promote the benefits and uses of 

softwood lumber products in outdoor, 

residential, and non-residential 

construction. Programs supported by the 

SLB focus on increasing the demand for 

softwood lumber products in the United 

States. Web site: 

www.softwoodlumberboard.org 

The Canadian and U.S. Federal 

governments established the Binational 

Softwood Lumber Council (‘‘BSLC’’) as 

part of the 2006 Softwood Lumber 

Agreement ‘‘to promote increased 

cooperation between the U.S. and 

Canadian softwood lumber industries 

and to strengthen and expand the 

market for softwood lumber products in 

both countries’’. The BSLC is a leading 

funder of efforts to increase the use of 

softwood lumber products as part of the 

shift to green building. Sustainably 

harvested softwood lumber products 

from North America create jobs in rural 

communities, sequester significant 

amounts of carbon, and help reduce the 

overall environmental footprint of a 

home or building. Web site: 

www.softwoodlumber.org 

Collectively the USDA, SLB, and 

BLSC are the ‘‘Competition Partners.’’ 

The SLB is the ‘‘Competition Sponsor.’’ 

The Competition Sponsor, in 

coordination with the Competition 

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61276 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 197 / Friday, October 10, 2014 / Notices 

Partners, will make all decisions related 

to the development, management, and 

implementation of the Competition. 

The Competition Sponsor and the 

winning Project Proponent Team(s) will 

enter into funding agreement(s) after the 

Competition that will govern the 

obligations of the Project Proponent 

Team, the process for submitting 

Eligible Expenses, and disbursements 

from and administration of the Prize 

Purse. A sample Funding Agreement 

can be found on the Competition Web 

site: 

www.tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org. 

Eligibility Rules for Participating in the 

Competition 

The competition is open to Project 

Proponent Teams consisting of real 

estate developers, institutions (e.g., 

universities), and other corporations or 

legal organizations (e.g., partnerships or 

nonprofit organizations), and their 

design and construction team partners. 

Each team member must be either: 

(1) Individuals that are part of the 

Project Proponent Team must be 

residents of the 50 United States, the 

District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the 

U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and 

American Samoa; or 

(2) Corporations, institutions, or other 

legal entities that are part of the Project 

Proponent Team must be organized in 

and maintain a primary place of 

business in any jurisdiction specified in 

(1). 

Project Proponent Teams shall 

identify a single lead applicant 

individual or entity in their Competition 

entries (the ‘‘Team Lead’’). The Team 

Lead is responsible for providing and 

meeting all entry and evaluation 

requirements. 

All proposed projects must be located 

in one of the 50 United States, the 

District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the 

U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, or American 

Samoa. 

To be eligible to win the Competition, 

Project Proponent Team members must 

not be suspended, debarred, or 

otherwise excluded from doing business 

with the U.S. Federal Government. 

A Project Proponent Team shall not 

be deemed ineligible because the Project 

Proponent Team used Federal facilities 

or consulted with Federal employees in 

preparing its submission to the 

Competition if the facilities and 

employees are made available to all 

Project Proponent Teams on an 

equitable basis. 

None of the Competition Partners or 

any of their respective affiliates, 

subsidiaries, or any other company or 

entity involved with the design, 

production, execution, or distribution of 

the Competition is eligible. None of the 

Competition Partners’ employees may 

participate as members of a Project 

Proponent Team. 

Non-USDA Federal employees acting 

in the capacity of their Federal 

employment are not eligible members of 

a Project Proponent Team. Non-USDA 

Federal employees acting in their 

personal capacity should consult with 

their respective office of ethics to 

determine whether their permission as a 

member of a Project Proponent Team is 

permissible. 

Registration Process for Participants 

Project Proponent Teams may begin 

submitting Competition entries at 10:00 

a.m. EST on October 9, 2014 to the 

Submit page of the Competition Web 

site at: 

www.tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org. 

Competition entries must be 

submitted no later than 12:00 a.m. on 

December 7, 2014 to the Submit page of 

the Competition Web site at: 

www.tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org. 

Formatting 

• Entries must be in pdf format. 

• Entries must include a table of 

contents and be consecutively 

paginated. 

• Entries must include a cover letter 

containing the information set out in 

below in the Mandatory Elements 

section, subsection A. 

• Entries must not exceed 30 pages or 

20 megabytes including appendices. 

• Entries must be in English. 

• All accounting figures contained in 

entries must be in U.S. dollars. 

Entries submitted late will not be 

evaluated or considered for award. 

Entries sent to the Competition 

Sponsor or Competition Partners in any 

manner other than through the Submit 

page of the Competition Web site will 

not be evaluated or considered for 

award. 

Entries that do not comply with the 

formatting requirements will not be 

evaluated or considered for award. 

Competition Award(s) 

The Prize Purse is a combined pool 

from the Competition Partners of $2 

million. The Prize Purse may increase, 

but will not decrease. Any increases in 

the Prize Purse will be posted on the 

Competition Web site and published in 

the Federal Register. The Prize Purse 

will be used to fund one or more 

awards; the number of awards made 

will depend on the estimated amount of 

Eligible Expenses proposed by the 

winning Project Proponent Team(s). 

Award(s) will be made to the winning 

Project Proponent Team(s) to cover 

incremental costs of transitioning their 

building from a traditional structure to 

a wood structure, i.e., those costs 

incurred only because of the Project 

Proponent Team’s innovative use of 

wood products in the demonstration 

structure. 

Incremental costs that may be paid for 

using the award(s) from the Prize Purse 

are the Eligible Expenses listed below. 

The winning Project Proponent Team(s) 

will be required to enter into a postCompetition funding agreement 

(‘‘Funding Agreement’’) with the 

Competition Sponsor, and to submit 

incremental costs for approval as 

Eligible Expenses prior to receiving 

disbursements of funds from the Prize 

Purse. 

The winning Project Proponent 

Team(s) is encouraged to seek 

additional sources of funding beyond 

the Prize Purse to promote the project’s 

transition from a traditional structure to 

a wood structure. 

All costs incurred in the preparation 

of Competition entries are to be borne 

by Project Proponent Teams. Entry 

preparation costs will not be a Prize 

Purse Eligible Expense. 

Eligible Expenses 

The following types of incremental 

costs of transitioning the winning 

Project Proponent Team(s) building 

from a traditional structure to a wood 

structure will be eligible for 

reimbursement from the awarded Prize 

Purse funds. 

Schematic Design, Design Development, 

and Construction Drawings 

• Architecture. 

Æ Concept and design development. 

• Engineering. 

Æ Incremental preliminary evaluation 

of possible structural solutions and 

building serviceability related issues. 

Æ Incremental design expenses 

related to the design of the wood 

structure. 

Æ Integration of novel solutions when 

detailing structural documents for 

tendering and construction. 

• Fire safety and protection. 

Æ Fire and building safety strategies, 

related issues, and possible solutions. 

• Building enclosure. 

Æ Examination of issues and detailing 

solutions related to the building’s 

exterior facade. 

• Mechanical and electrical 

interfaces. 

Æ Strategies and issue resolutions 

related to system integration. 

• Secondary impact and preliminary 

cost analysis related to use of wood 

products, components and systems, and 

related construction methodologies. 

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Research, Testing, and Other Required 

Support by Third Parties 

• Research. 

Æ Related to acoustic, fire, seismic, 

vibration, connections, building envelop 

assembly materials, and construction 

techniques. 

• Modeling and testing. 

Æ Costs associated with product, 

component, and/or system modeling 

and testing. 

Building System Code Acceptance, 

Final Cost Analysis and Approvals 

• Architecture and engineering. 

Æ Comprehensive resolution of design 

issues. 

• Final code review, final cost 

analysis, and preparation of documents 

and peer review process costs. 

• Additional design modeling or 

testing requirements. 

• Final documents and presentations 

to the Local Authority(ies) for building 

permit approvals. 

• Other project approval costs. 

Construction 

• Project construction fees associated 

with wood construction that would not 

otherwise be required. 

• Quality control, site inspection, and 

site safety costs. 

• Weather protection costs related to 

protecting materials and constructed 

assemblies during the building process. 

• Fire protection and site security 

costs. 

• Risk management related costs. 

Related Activities and Other Costs Not 

Noted but Directly Attributable to the 

Development and Construction of a 

Wood Solutions for the Project 

• Incremental supervision and trade 

training associated with the proposed 

wood solution(s). 

• Instrumentation during 

construction and ongoing monitoring 

costs associated with building 

performance of critical wood 

components or assemblies. 

• Extra-ordinary course of 

construction insurance premiums and 

other extra-ordinary insurance costs 

which can be clearly defined. 

• Construction site access requested 

by the Competition Partners that may 

cause the proponent to incur additional 

costs; i.e., construction disruption and 

additional site safety requirements that 

may result from visitor tours or 

promotional events. 

Mandatory Entry Elements 

All Competition entries must include 

information addressing all of the 

mandatory elements. Any entry that 

fails to include information addressing 

all of the mandatory elements will not 

be considered for award. 

A. Each Competition entry must 

include a cover letter that (1) 

affirmatively represents that the Project 

Proponent Team has read and consents 

to be governed by the Competition rules 

and meets the eligibility requirements, 

and (2) clearly lists the following project 

and Project Proponent Team 

information: 

• A brief description of the project, 

including location details, proposed 

occupancy, proposed building height, 

and proposed construction start date; 

• The name of the title holder for the 

property site being considered for the 

project; 

• The members of the Project 

Proponent Team, the Team Lead, key 

contacts and contact details for the 

Team Lead, and a brief description of 

the relationship amongst and 

agreements in place between the Team 

Lead and members of the Project 

Proponent Team; 

• The estimated amount of Eligible 

Expenses attributable to transitioning 

the project from traditional construction 

to wood construction; and 

• A clear statement that the Project 

Proponent Team commits to have some 

wood material sourced from and 

manufactured by domestic Rural 

Sources. 

B. Each Competition entry must 

include information addressing the 

following elements: 

1. Project Specifics and Details 

Competition entries must include the 

following details about the proposed 

project: 

• The legal description of the parcel 

of land proposed for use as the project 

site; 

• The name of the title holder for the 

parcel of land proposed for use as the 

project site; 

Æ If the title holder is not a member 

of the Project Proponent Team, include 

a description of the agreement(s) 

entered into with the title holder for use 

of the parcel of land proposed for use 

as the project site; 

• Current and proposed zoning of the 

parcel of land proposed for use as the 

project site; 

• Status of required development 

permit(s) for both the project site and 

the project itself; 

• A project site plan; 

• A project rendering; and 

• A description of the proposed 

accessibility and visibility of the project 

on a national architectural scale. 

2. Business Case for Project 

Competition entries must include 

information setting out the Project 

Proponent Team’s business case, 

specifically: 

• Project Proponent Team’s 

experience with building development, 

tall building design and construction; 

• The proposed project financing 

plan; 

• A preliminary project budget; 

• The estimated amount of Eligible 

Expenses attributable to transitioning 

the project from traditional construction 

to wood construction; 

• A reasonably detailed schedule of 

when and where Eligible Expenses 

would be incurred, outlining how the 

Prize Purse will be utilized. The 

schedule shall include dates of expected 

Prize Purse funding requests; 

• A planned timeline of project 

development and construction; 

• A narrative describing how the 

proposed wood solution and project 

compares with other more commonly 

used structural solutions and buildings 

in the market; and 

• A summary discussing market 

research and estimating the regional 

demand for the residential, commercial, 

institutional, or industrial spaces 

included in the proposed project. 

Competition entries also must include 

information about the local 

authority(ies) having jurisdiction over 

the project and/or project site (‘‘Local 

Authority(ies)’’): 

• Name(s) of and contact information 

for the Local Authority(ies) having 

jurisdiction over the project and/or 

project site; 

• A discussion of the previous 

experience of the Local Authority(ies) 

approving projects using a code 

alternate approach; 

Æ Note that Project Proponent Team 

experience working with the Local 

Authority(ies) on a prior successfully 

completed code alternate project will be 

evaluated more highly than a general 

discussion of the code alternate 

experience of the Local Authority(ies) 

with other developers; and 

• Project Proponent Teams must 

request from the Local Authority(ies) a 

letter (letters) indicating a willingness 

on the part of the Local Authority(ies) 

to engage with the Project Proponent 

Team in a cooperative effort to develop 

a code alternate solution for the 

proposed project. 

Æ If the Local Authority(ies) cannot 

provide the requested letter(s) before the 

deadline for submission of Competition 

entries, the Project Proponent Team 

instead may include a written 

description detailing the engagement 

the Project Proponent Team has had to 

date with the Local Authority(ies) and 

the nature of the response(s) received 

from the Local Authority(ies). 

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D Note: Competition entries with the 

requested letter(s) will be evaluated 

more highly than those without. 

D Note: The Project Proponent 

Team(s) that is evaluated highest will be 

required to provide the requested 

letter(s) prior to being officially selected 

as the Competition winner(s) and 

awarded the Prize Purse. 

3. Proposed Wood Solution 

Competition entries must include 

information setting out the Project 

Proponent Team’s proposed wood 

solution, specifically: 

• Proposed structural system; 

Æ Detailed information about the 

feasibility of the proposed structural 

solution being proposed for the project; 

e.g., has it been used commonly 

elsewhere; has it previously been tested 

and applied, or is it experimental and 

still requiring research, analysis, 

modeling, and testing; 

• A preliminary concept of the 

proposed structural solution with 

information about available research to 

support the solution, or the possible 

breadth of analysis or testing 

requirements needed to validate the 

solution; and 

4. Sustainability 

Competition entries must include 

information about the project’s 

sustainability, specifically: 

• A narrative detailing the project’s 

environmental impact or footprint, and 

the sustainability elements featured in 

the project; 

• The narrative must address the 

anticipated levels of impact of the 

proposed project from a sustainability 

and performance perspective including 

references to life cycle assessment, 

inventory, impact and costing, carbon 

sequestration, embodied energy and 

expected energy usage. 

5. Rural Economic Ties 

Competition entries must include 

information setting out the project’s ties 

to stimulating the rural economy, 

specifically: 

• An economic narrative describing 

the potential of the project and/or wood 

materials used in the project to 

positively impact the U.S. rural 

economy; 

• A proposed plan for working with 

Competition Sponsor to develop a postproject Tall Wood Building 

Demonstration Report, for use within 

the building industry, that details 

lessons learned and makes 

recommendations about building tall 

wood structures in the United States; 

and 

• A statement detailing the Project 

Proponent Team’s commitment to have 

some of the wood material used in the 

proposed wood solution sourced from 

and manufactured by domestic (U.S.) 

Rural Sources. 

Æ Note: ‘‘Rural Sources’’ are sources 

in any areas other than: (1) A city or 

town that has a population of greater 

than 50,000 inhabitants; and (2) the 

urbanized area contiguous and adjacent 

to such a city or town, as defined by the 

U.S. Bureau of the Census using the 

2010 census of the United States. 

D The following Web site can be used 

as a general non-guaranteed guide to 

assist in determining whether or not a 

particular area is likely rural: http://

eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/

welcomeAction.do. 

Optional Entry Elements 

Competition entries are not required 

to include information addressing the 

optional elements, but including 

information addressing all of the 

optional elements will increase chances 

of winning. 

Entries that include information 

addressing some or all of the optional 

elements will be evaluated more highly 

than entries that do not address any of 

the optional elements. 

1. Project Specific Details 

Competition entries should include 

additional detailed project information, 

specifically: 

• The proposed building enclosure, 

and information about how enclosure 

issues might be resolved for the specific 

location, design, and occupancy of the 

proposed project. 

2. Business Case for Project 

Competition entries should include 

additional information setting out the 

Project Proponent Team’s business case, 

specifically: 

• The curricula vitae of the Project 

Proponent Team design team member(s) 

and/or key consultants; and 

• Examples of past projects designed 

and completed that are similar to the 

proposed project in form and scale. 

3. Proposed Wood Solution 

Competition entries should include 

additional information about the 

proposed wood solution, specifically: 

• The potential advantages and/or 

costs savings of the proposed structural 

system and the overall project from a 

constructability and competitive 

perspective over traditional methods of 

building tall structures including but 

not limited to; land utilization, 

integrated and detailed design; 

prefabrication opportunities, and speed 

of erection impacting directly or 

indirectly other inter-related secondary 

or tertiary aspects of construction. 

• A fire protection strategy for the 

project, and detailed information about 

the proposed fire protection systems 

and/or fire resistance applications 

proposed, and whether the proposed 

systems/applications have been 

successfully used in wood structures 

elsewhere or are experimental. 

4. Sustainability 

In addition to the information 

requested with the mandatory elements, 

competition entries should include 

information about the project’s 

sustainability, specifically: 

• Any sustainable timber harvest 

practices, certifications, or other land 

management information pertinent to 

anticipated product use. 

5. Rural Economic Ties 

Competition entries should include 

additional information setting out the 

project’s ties to stimulating the rural 

economy, specifically: 

• Details about where key structural 

and architectural wood products and 

related materials or complementary 

products will be sourced, produced, or 

fabricated, and the extent to which these 

materials will come from domestic 

(U.S.) Rural Sources. 

Evaluation, Judging, and Selection of 

Winner(s) 

The Competition Sponsor will screen 

all entries for eligibility and inclusion of 

all the mandatory elements. Entries 

from Project Proponent Teams that do 

not meet the eligibility requirements set 

out above in the Eligibility Rules for 

Participating in the Competition section 

and/or that fail to include one or more 

of the mandatory elements set out above 

in the Mandatory Entry Elements 

section will not be evaluated or 

considered for award. 

Eligible and complete entries will be 

judged by a fair and impartial panel of 

individuals (the ‘‘Judging Panel’’) from 

the Competition Partners and from 

outside organizations with expertise in 

tall building design and construction. 

Competition entries that include 

information about only the mandatory 

elements can earn an evaluated base 

score of up to 100%. Competition 

entries that include information about 

some or all of the optional elements can 

earn an evaluated base plus bonus score 

of up to 125%. The Judging Panel will 

evaluate and score each eligible 

Competition entry, and will recommend 

for award to the Competition Partners 

the entry(ies) with the highest combined 

base plus bonus score(s). The 

Competition Partners will, in their sole 

discretion, make award based on 

consideration of the Judging Panel’s 

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evaluations and recommendations and 

the anticipated contribution of the 

winning entry(ies) to fostering 

transformative change in building 

practices through replicable or iconic 

demonstration and the anticipated 

unique contributions of the winning 

entry(ies) to rural economic 

opportunity. The Competition Partners 

reserve the right to select other than the 

highest scoring entry(ies) for award. The 

Competition Partners, in their sole 

discretion, may identify competition 

finalists prior to a final award 

determination. The Judging Panel will 

evaluate entries based upon the 

following mandatory criteria: 

1. Project Specifics and Details— 

Mandatory Element Criteria—15% 

• Viability of the proposed project— 

based on site ownership, site 

parameters, site zoning, the stage of 

design development as presented, and 

the stage of the development permit(s) 

as described. 

• Ability of the project to foster 

transformative change in the built 

environment—based on the project’s 

iconic architecture or engineering, or 

high profile accessibility or visibility. 

2. Business Case for Project—Mandatory 

Element Criteria—30% 

• The Project Proponent Team’s 

summary of experience with building 

development and tall building design 

and construction 

• Viability of the Project Proponent 

Team’s business case—presentation of 

financial metrics, base assumptions, 

demand estimation for the project’s 

space, market analysis, budgets, 

partnership agreements, regional or 

national socio-economic impact of the 

project, etc.; and based on an estimated 

summary of ‘Eligible Expenses’. 

• Project Timeline—proposed 

schedules with realistic estimated 

project completion dates that are nearer 

in the future will be evaluated more 

highly than proposed schedules with 

estimated project completion dates that 

are further in the future and/or are 

unrealistic. 

• Willingness and ability of the Local 

Authority(ies) to cooperate with the 

Project Proponent Team—based on the 

letter(s) from or descriptions of 

engagement with the Local 

Authority(ies). 

D Competition entries with letter(s) 

will be evaluated more highly than 

entries with only descriptions of the 

engagement between the Project 

Proponent Team and the Local 

Authority(ies) 

3. Proposed Wood Solution—Mandatory 

Element Criteria—25% 

• Viability of the proposed wood 

structural solution—based on the 

system and materials proposed, the 

level of detail provided about the 

proposed system, the demonstrated 

feasibility of the system, and the 

practicality of the proposed system and 

its potential for repeat use in the 

industry. 

4. Sustainability—Mandatory Element 

Criteria—15% 

• Amount of reduction in 

environmental footprint over a similar 

building constructed using traditional 

materials. 

• Amount and types of sustainability 

elements featured in the project. 

• Feasibility of realizing the 

estimated levels of impact of the project 

from a sustainability and performance 

perspective. 

5. Rural Economic Ties—Mandatory 

Element Criteria—15% 

• Feasibility of realizing positive 

impacts to the U.S. rural economy from 

the project and/or wood materials used 

in the project—based on demonstration 

of the project’s potential to be a catalyst 

for supporting emerging demand for 

new domestic rural manufacturing and 

employment opportunities. 

• Quality of the plan for development 

of a Tall Wood Building Demonstration 

Report (A Case Study). 

• Creation of direct rural economic 

opportunity related to the project— 

based on documentation of commitment 

to source wood materials from U.S. 

Rural Sources. 

The Judging Panel will evaluate 

entries based upon the following 

optional element criteria: 

1. Project Specifics and Details— 

Optional Element Criteria—Bonus 5% 

• A description of the proposed 

building enclosure solution and its 

viability. 

2. Business Case for Project—Optional 

Element Criteria—Bonus 5% 

• Project Proponent Team’s past 

experience with completed design and 

construction of projects that are similar 

to the proposed project in form and 

scale. 

3. Proposed Wood Solution—Optional 

Element Criteria—Bonus 5% 

• A reasonably detailed estimate of 

construction costs and savings 

comparing the proposed wood solution 

to other traditional methods and 

materials for the proposed project. 

• A description of the fire protection 

strategy being proposed and its viability. 

4. Sustainability—Optional Element 

Criteria—Bonus 5% 

• Documentation that links the wood 

materials and products to be sourced for 

the proposed project to sustainable 

timber harvest practices, certifications, 

or other sustainable land management 

initiatives. 

5. Rural Economic Ties—Optional 

Element Criteria—Bonus 5% 

• Competition entries that go beyond 

a commitment statement to include 

details of how and where in rural 

America wood materials will be sourced 

will be evaluated more highly than less 

detailed entries. 

Additional Rules and Conditions 

A. General Conditions 

By entering the Competition, each 

Project Proponent Team guarantees that 

its entry complies with all applicable 

Federal and state laws and regulations. 

Each Project Proponent Team 

warrants that its entry is free of viruses, 

spyware, malware, or any other 

malicious, harmful, or destructive 

device. Project Proponent Teams 

submitting entries containing any such 

device will be held liable and may be 

prosecuted to the fullest extent of the 

law. 

Entries containing any matter which, 

in the sole discretion of Competition 

Sponsor, is indecent, defamatory, in 

obvious bad taste, which demonstrates a 

lack of respect for public morals or 

conduct, which promotes 

discrimination in any form, which 

shows unlawful acts being performed, 

which is slanderous or libelous, or 

which adversely affects the reputations 

of Competition Sponsor or any of the 

Competition Partners will not be 

accepted. If the Competition Sponsor, in 

its sole discretion, finds any entry to be 

unacceptable then such entry shall be 

deemed disqualified and will not be 

evaluated or considered for award. 

The winning Project Proponent 

Team(s) must comply with all 

applicable laws and regulations 

regarding Prize Purse receipt and 

disbursement. The winning Project 

Proponent Team(s) also must comply 

with all terms and conditions of the 

Funding Agreement(s) to be entered into 

between the winning Project Proponent 

Team(s) and the Competition Sponsor. 

Competition Sponsor’s failure to 

enforce any term of any applicable rule 

or condition shall not constitute a 

waiver of that term. 

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61280 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 197 / Friday, October 10, 2014 / Notices 

B. Entry Conditions & Release 

By entering the Competition, each 

Project Proponent Team agrees to: (1) 

Comply with and be bound by all 

applicable rules and conditions, and the 

decisions of the Competition Sponsor 

and Competition Partners, which are 

binding and final in all matters relating 

to this Competition; (2) release and hold 

harmless the Competition Sponsor and 

the Competition Partners and all their 

respective past and present officers, 

directors, employees, agents, and 

representatives (collectively the 

‘‘Released Parties’’) from and against 

any and all claims, expenses, and 

liability arising out of or relating to the 

Project Proponent Team’s entry or 

participating in the Competition and/or 

the Project Proponent Team’s 

acceptance, use, or misuse of the Prize 

Purse or recognition. 

The Released Parties are not 

responsible for: (1) Any incorrect or 

inaccurate information, whether caused 

by Project Proponent Teams, printing 

errors, or by any of the equipment or 

programming associated with or used in 

the Competition; (2) technical failures of 

any kind, including, but not limited to, 

malfunctions, interruptions, or 

disconnections in phone lines or 

network hardware or software; (3) 

unauthorized human intervention in 

any part of the entry process for the 

Competition; (4) technical or human 

error that may occur in the 

administration of the Competition or the 

processing of entries; or (5) any injury 

or damage to persons or property that 

may be caused, directly or indirectly, in 

whole or in part, from Project Proponent 

Team’s participation in the Competition 

or receipt or use or misuse of the Prize 

Purse. If for any reason a Project 

Proponent Team’s entry is confirmed to 

have been deleted erroneously, lost, or 

otherwise destroyed or corrupted, 

Project Proponent Team’s sole remedy is 

to submit another entry in the 

Competition. 

C. Termination and Disqualification 

Competition Sponsor reserves the 

authority to cancel, suspend, and/or 

modify the Competition, or any part of 

it, if any fraud, technical failures, or any 

other factor beyond Competition 

Sponsor’s reasonable control impairs 

the integrity or proper functioning of the 

Competition, as determined by 

Competition Sponsor in its sole 

discretion. 

Competition Sponsor reserves the 

right to disqualify any Project Proponent 

Team it believes to be tampering with 

the entry process or the operation of the 

Competition or to be acting in violation 

of any applicable rule or condition. 

Any attempt by any person to 

undermine the legitimate operation of 

the Competition may be a violation of 

criminal and civil law, and, should such 

an attempt be made, Competition 

Sponsor reserves the authority to seek 

damages from any such person to the 

fullest extent permitted by law. 

D. Verification of Potential Winner(s) 

All potential competition winners are 

subject to verification by competition 

sponsor whose decisions are final and 

binding in all matters related to the 

competition. 

Potential winner(s) must continue to 

comply with all terms and conditions of 

the Competition rules, and winning is 

contingent upon fulfilling all 

requirements. The potential winner(s) 

will be notified by email and/or 

telephone. If a potential winner cannot 

be contacted, or if the notification is 

returned as undeliverable, the potential 

winner forfeits. In the event that a 

potential winner, or an announced 

winner, is found to be ineligible or is 

disqualified for any reason, the 

Competition Sponsor may make award, 

instead, to the next runner up, as 

previously determined by the Judging 

Panel. 

Prior to awarding the Prize Purse, 

USDA will verify that the potential 

winner(s) is/are not suspended, 

debarred, or otherwise excluded from 

doing business with the U.S. Federal 

Government. Suspended, debarred, or 

otherwise excluded parties will not be 

eligible to win the Competition. 

Prior to being awarded the Prize Purse 

the potential winner(s) must: 

1. Provide the letter(s) of cooperation 

from the Local Authority(ies); 

2. Complete a certification of 

eligibility attesting to the Project 

Proponent Team’s fulfillment of all the 

eligibility requirements (the certification 

form will be provided to the potential 

winner(s) by Competition Sponsor); 

3. Enter into a Funding Agreement 

with Competition Sponsor. The Funding 

Agreement governs the obligations of 

the Project Proponent Team, including 

the addition of the United States of 

America as a named insured on general 

liability and umbrella insurance 

policies; the process for submitting 

Eligible Expenses; and disbursements 

from and administration of the Prize 

Purse. A sample Funding Agreement 

can be found on the Competition Web 

site: 

www.tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org. 

E. Intellectual Property 

By entering the Competition, each 

Project Proponent Team warrants that it 

is the author and/or authorized owner of 

its entry, and that the entry is wholly 

original with the Project Proponent 

Team (or is an improved version of an 

existing project plan that the Project 

Proponent Team is legally authorized to 

enter into the Competition), and that the 

submitted entry does not infringe any 

copyright, patent, or any other rights of 

any third party. Each Project Proponent 

Team agrees to hold the Released Parties 

harmless for any infringement of 

copyright, trademark, patent, and/or 

other real or intellectual property right 

that may be caused, directly or 

indirectly, in whole or in part, from 

Project Proponent Team’s participation 

in the Competition. 

All legal rights in any materials 

produced or submitted in entering the 

Competition are retained by the Project 

Proponent Team and/or the legal holder 

of those rights. Entry into the 

Competition constitutes express 

authorization for Competition Sponsor, 

Competition Sponsor’s staff, 

Competition Partners’, Competition 

Partners’ staff, and the Judging Panel to 

review and analyze any and all aspects 

of submitted entries, including any 

trade secret or proprietary information 

contained in or evident from review of 

the submitted entries. 

Legal rights in materials produced 

during design and construction of the 

winning project(s) will be negotiated as 

part of the Funding Agreement entered 

into between Competition Sponsor and 

the winning Project Proponent Team(s). 

A sample Funding Agreement, 

containing draft intellectual property 

language, can be found on the 

Competition Web site: 

www.tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org. 

F. Publicity & Availability of Project for 

Demonstration Purposes 

By entering the Competition, each 

Project Proponent Team consents, as 

applicable, to Competition Sponsor’s 

and Competition Partners’ use of the 

names, likenesses, photographs, voices, 

and/or opinions of each member of the 

Project Proponent Team both 

individually and collectively, and 

disclosure of their hometowns and 

States for promotional purposes in any 

media, worldwide, without further 

payment or consideration. 

During construction of the winning 

project(s) and for a period of three (3) 

years after completion, upon advance 

notice, the Project Proponent Team shall 

provide the Competition Sponsor or 

Competition Partners’ representatives, 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 197 / Friday, October 10, 2014 / Notices 61281 

and any representatives’ guests, 

reasonable access to any premises where 

the project takes place (i) to assess the 

project’s progress or any element 

thereof; and/or (ii) to showcase the 

project as a demonstration of the 

capabilities of wood structural products 

in tall building construction. 

G. Privacy & Disclosure Under FOIA 

Personal and contact information is 

not collected for commercial or 

marketing purposes. Information 

submitted throughout the Competition 

will be used only to communicate with 

Project Proponent Teams regarding 

entries and/or the Competition. 

Project Proponent Teams entries to 

the Competition may be subject to 

disclosure under the Freedom of 

Information Act (‘‘FOIA’’). If a Project 

Proponent Team believes that all or part 

of its Competition entry is protected 

from release under FOIA (e.g., if the 

information falls under FOIA exemption 

#4 for ‘‘trade secrets and commercial or 

financial information obtained from a 

person [that is] privileged or 

confidential’’) the Project Proponent 

Team will be responsible for clearly 

marking the page(s)/section(s) of 

information it believes are protected. 

Dated: October 3, 2014. 

Doug O’Brien, 

Acting Under Secretary, Rural Development. 

[FR Doc. 2014–24198 Filed 10–9–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Information Collection; Locatable 

Minerals 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice, request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Forest Service is seeking comments 

from all interested individuals and 

organizations on the extension of a 

currently approved information 

collection, 36 CFR part 228, subpart A— 

Locatable Minerals. 

DATES: Comments must be received in 

writing on or before December 9, 2014 

to be assured of consideration. 

Comments received after that date will 

be considered to the extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this 

notice should be addressed to: Forest 

Service, Director, Minerals and Geology 

Management Staff, Mail Stop 1140, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250. 

Comments also may be submitted via 

facsimile to 703–605–1575 or by email 

to: jdemaagd@fs.fed.us. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice may be made available to the 

public through relevant Web sites and 

upon request. For this reason, please do 

not include in your comments 

information of a confidential nature, 

such as sensitive personal information 

or proprietary information. If you send 

an email comment, your email address 

will be automatically captured and 

included as part of the comment that is 

placed in the public docket and made 

available on the Internet. Please note 

that responses to this public comment 

request containing any routine notice 

about the confidentiality of the 

communication will be treated as public 

comments that may be made available to 

the public notwithstanding the 

inclusion of the routine notice. 

The public may inspect the draft 

supporting statement and/or comments 

received at 201 14th Street SW., 

Washington, DC during normal business 

hours. Visitors are encouraged to call 

ahead to 703–605–4545 to facilitate 

entry to the building. The public may 

request an electronic copy of the draft 

supporting statement and/or any 

comments received be sent via return 

email. Requests should be emailed to 

jdemaagd@fs.fed.us. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

DeMaagd, Assistant Director, Minerals 

and Geology Management, at 303–275– 

5473. Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

twenty-four hours a day, every day of 

the year, including holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: 36 

CFR Part 228, Subpart A—Locatable 

Minerals. 

OMB Number: 0596–0022 

Expiration Date of Approval: January 

31, 2015. 

Type of Request: Extension without 

change of a currently approved 

collection. 

Abstract: This collection of 

information is necessary to ensure that 

the environmental impacts associated 

with locatable mineral operations on 

National Forest System (NFS) lands are 

minimized to the extent practicable. The 

Forest Service regulations at 36 CFR 

228.5 require mining operators, with 

some exceptions, to notify the 

authorized Forest Service officer of their 

intent to conduct a locatable mineral 

operation on NFS lands by filing a 

Notice of Intent or Plan of Operations. 

36 CFR 228.10 requires mining 

operators to submit a Cessation of 

Operation when mining operations are 

temporarily ceased, other than for 

seasonal closure. 

There is not a required format for the 

information collection, but all 

information identified in 36 CFR part 

228 must be included. Form FS–2800– 

5, Plan of Operations for Mining 

Activities on National Forest System 

Lands, is available for use by mining 

operators to simplify this process. The 

information required in a Plan of 

Operations, detailed in 36 CFR 228.4(c), 

(d), and (e), includes: 

1. The name and legal mailing address 

of operators (and claimants if they are 

not the same) and their lessees, assigns, 

or designees. 

2. A map or sketch showing 

information sufficient to locate: 

a. The proposed area of operations on 

the ground. 

b. Existing and/or proposed roads or 

access routes to be used in connection 

with the operation as set forth in 36 CFR 

228.12 on access. 

c. The approximate location and size 

of areas where surface resources will be 

disturbed. 

3. Information sufficient to describe 

the: 

a. Type of operations proposed and 

how they would be conducted. 

b. Type and standard of existing and 

proposed roads or access routes. 

c. Means of transportation used or to 

be used as set forth in 36 CFR 228.12. 

d. Period during which the proposed 

activity will take place. 

e. Measures to be taken to meet the 

requirements for environmental 

protection in 36 CFR 228.8. 

A Notice of Intent is required, as 

detailed in 36 CFR 228.4(a)(2), to 

include information sufficient to 

identify the area involved, the nature of 

the proposed operation, the route of 

access to the area of operations, and the 

method of transport. A Cessation of 

Operations is required, as detailed in 36 

CFR 228.10, to include verification of 

intent to maintain structures, 

equipment, and other facilities; 

expected reopening date; and an 

estimate of extended durations of 

operations. 

These collections of information are 

crucial to protecting surface resources, 

including plants, animals, and their 

habitat, as well as public safety on NFS 

lands. The authorized Forest Service 

officer will use the collected 

information to ensure that the 

exploration, development, and 

production of mineral resources are 

conducted in an environmentally 

sensitive manner; that these mineral 

operations are integrated with the 

planning and management of other 

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