This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

47446 

Vol. 82, No. 196 

Thursday, October 12, 2017 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

October 6, 2017. 

The Department of Agriculture has 

submitted the following information 

collection requirement(s) to OMB for 

review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Comments are 

requested regarding (1) whether the 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (4) 

ways to minimize the 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. 

Comments regarding this information 

collection received by November 13, 

2017 will be considered. Written 

comments should be addressed to: Desk 

Officer for Agriculture, Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB), New Executive Office Building, 

725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 

20502. Commenters are encouraged to 

submit their comments to OMB via 

email to: OIRA_Submission@

OMB.EOP.GOV or fax (202) 395–5806 

and to Departmental Clearance Office, 

USDA, OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, 

Washington, DC 20250–7602. Copies of 

the submission(s) may be obtained by 

calling (202) 720–8958. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor a collection of information 

unless the collection of information 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number and the agency informs 

potential persons who are to respond to 

the collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

Title: National Veterinary Service 

Laboratories; Bovine Spongiform 

Encephalopathy Surveillance Program. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0409. 

Summary of Collection: Under the 

Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 

8301 et seq.) the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is 

authorized, among other things, to carry 

out activities to detect, control, and 

eradicate pests and diseases of livestock 

within the United States. APHIS’ 

National Veterinary Services 

Laboratories (NVSL) safeguard U.S. 

animal health and contribute to public 

health by ensuring that timely and 

accurate laboratory support is provided 

by their nationwide animal health 

diagnostic system. USDA complies with 

the standard set by the World 

Organization for Animal Health for 

bovine spongiform encephalopathy 

surveillance. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

APHIS will collect information using 

forms VS 17–146 and VS 17–146a, BSE 

Surveillance Submission Form/ 

Continuation Sheet and VS 17–131, BSE 

Surveillance Data Collection Form. 

APHIS will use the information 

collected to safeguard the U.S. animal 

health population against BSE. Without 

the information APHIS would be unable 

to monitor and prevent the incursion of 

BSE into the United States. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit; State, Local or Tribal 

Government. 

Number of Respondents: 1,035. 

Frequency of Responses: 

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 3,026. 

Ruth Brown, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2017–22052 Filed 10–11–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Announcement of Grant Application 

Deadlines and Funding Levels for the 

Assistance to High Energy Cost Rural 

Communities Grant Program 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Solicitation of 

Applications (NOSA). 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS), an agency of the United States 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

announces the availability of up to $10 

million in fiscal year 2017 (FY17) and 

application deadlines for competitive 

grants to assist communities with 

extremely high energy costs. These 

grants are made available under the 

authority of section 19 of the Rural 

Electrification Act of 1936, as amended, 

and program regulations. The grant 

funds may be used to acquire, construct, 

extend, upgrade, or otherwise improve 

energy generation, transmission, or 

distribution facilities serving 

communities in which the average 

residential expenditure for home energy 

is at least 275 percent of the national 

average. Grants may also be used for 

programs that install on-grid and offgrid renewable energy systems and 

energy efficiency improvements in 

eligible communities. Grant awards are 

not made directly to individuals or for 

projects that primarily benefit a single 

household or business. This notice 

describes the eligibility and application 

requirements, the criteria that will be 

used by RUS to award funding, and how 

to obtain application materials. 

DATES: You may submit completed grant 

applications on paper or electronically 

according to the following deadlines: 

• Paper applications must be 

postmarked and mailed, shipped, or 

sent overnight, no later than December 

11, 2017, or hand delivered to RUS by 

this deadline, to be eligible under this 

NOSA. Late or incomplete applications 

will not be eligible for FY 2017 grant 

funding. 

• Electronic applications must be 

submitted through Grants.gov no later 

than midnight Eastern Standard Time 

December 11, 2017 to be eligible under 

this notice for FY 2017 grant funding. 

Late or incomplete electronic 

applications will not be eligible. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 2017 / Notices 47447 

• Applications will not be accepted 

by electronic mail. 

Applications will be accepted upon 

publication of this notice until midnight 

(EST) of the closing date of December 

11, 2017. If the submission deadline 

falls on Saturday, Sunday, or a Federal 

holiday, the application is due the next 

business day. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the 2017 

Application Guide, required forms and 

other information on the High Energy 

Cost Grant Program may be obtained by 

the following: 

(1) The program Web site (http://

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

high-energy-cost-grants) or 

(2) Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) 

by searching under Opportunity 

Number RD–RUS–HECG17; or 

(3) Contacting the RUS Electric 

Program at (202) 720–9452 to request 

paper copies of the 2017 Application 

Guide or other materials. 

Completed applications may be 

submitted in the following ways: 

• Paper applications are to be 

submitted to the Rural Utilities Service, 

Electric Programs, United States 

Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., STOP 1560, 

Room 5165 South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1560. 

Applications should be marked 

‘‘Attention: High Energy Cost Grant 

Program.’’ 

• Applications may be submitted 

electronically through Grants.gov. 

Information on how to submit 

applications electronically is available 

on the Grants.gov Web site (http://

www.grants.gov). Applicants must 

successfully pre-register with Grants.gov 

to use the electronic applications 

option. Application information may be 

downloaded from Grants.gov without 

preregistration. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robin Meigel, Finance Specialist, Rural 

Utilities Service, Electric Programs, 

United States Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW., STOP 1568, Room 0270 South 

Building, Washington, DC 20250–1568. 

Telephone (202) 720–9542, Fax (202) 

690–7442, email energy.grants@

wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Agency Name: United States 

Department of Agriculture, Rural 

Utilities Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: Assistance 

to High Energy Cost Rural Communities 

Program. 

Announcement Type: Initial 

announcement. 

Funding Opportunity Number: RD– 

RUS–HECG17. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.859. The 

CFDA title for this program is 

‘‘Assistance to High Energy Cost Rural 

Communities.’’ 

Date: Applications must be 

postmarked and mailed or shipped, or 

hand delivered to the RUS, or filed with 

Grants.gov by December 11, 2017. 

A. Program Description 

The USDA through the Rural Utilities 

Service (‘‘RUS’’) provides grant 

assistance for energy facilities, 

including renewable energy systems and 

energy efficiency improvements, serving 

extremely high energy cost 

communities. This program is 

authorized by section 19 of the Rural 

Electrification Act of 1936, as amended 

(the ‘‘RE Act’’) (7 U.S.C. 918a). Program 

regulations are found at 7 CFR part 

1709. 

This program was established in 2000 

to provide assistance for communities 

most challenged by extremely high 

energy costs, defined by statute as 

average residential home energy 

expenditures that are 275 percent or 

more of the national average. This 

statutory threshold for eligibility is high 

and has the result of limiting the 

availability of this program to extremely 

high cost and typically remote areas. 

RUS periodically establishes eligibility 

benchmarks using the most recent home 

energy data published by the Energy 

Information Administration. This notice 

contains the latest updates to these 

benchmarks. 

The purpose of this program is to 

provide financial assistance for a broad 

range of energy facilities, equipment 

and related activities to offset the 

impact of extremely high home energy 

costs on eligible communities. The 

grants help communities provide basic 

energy needs by financing energy 

infrastructure supporting rural 

prosperity and job creation. Grant funds 

may not be used to pay utility bills or 

to purchase fuel. Nor may grant funds 

be used for education and outreach 

except for training that is directly 

related to energy facilities financed in 

all or part by this program. Upgrades to 

existing facilities are also eligible. Grant 

projects under this program must serve 

an eligible community and not be for 

the primary benefit of an individual 

applicant, household, or business. 

With publication of this notice, USDA 

is making available up to $10 million in 

new competitive grant awards under the 

High Energy Cost Grant Program. This 

notice describes eligibility and 

application requirements for these 

grants. Grants will be awarded 

competitively based on the selection 

criteria in Part E of this notice. 

Priorities Under the authority of 7 

CFR 1709.102(b) and 1709.123, this 

notice establishes several priority 

scoring criteria to support USDA and 

RUS policy objectives. Additional 

points will be awarded for: 

• Projects that provide assistance to 

USDA High Poverty Areas; 

• Projects that serve small rural 

communities; 

• Projects that incorporate 

commercially proven waste heat 

recovery technology; 

• Projects that result in not less than 

a 25% increase in energy efficiency for 

generation assets, this includes 

repowering aging diesel plant; 

• Projects that address extraordinary 

circumstances affecting the eligible high 

energy cost community such as a 

disaster, imminent hazard, unserved 

areas, and other economic hardship; and 

• Projects that serve Substantially 

Underserved Trust Areas. 

More information on scoring and 

priorities is found in Section E of this 

notice. 

B. Federal Award Information 

The RUS Administrator has 

established the application and 

selection requirements under this notice 

pursuant to program regulations at 7 

CFR part 1709 and Uniform Federal 

Grant Regulations at 2 CFR part 200. 

The total amount of funds available for 

high energy cost grants under this notice 

is up to $10 million. The maximum 

amount of grant assistance that may be 

requested or awarded for a grant 

application under this notice is 

$3,000,000. The minimum amount of 

assistance for a grant application under 

this program is $100,000. 

Applicants must provide a complete 

grant application package with a 

narrative grant proposal prepared 

according to the instructions in this 

notice and the 2017 Application Guide, 

including all required forms and 

certifications. The 2017 Application 

Guide is available electronically on the 

program Web site (http://

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

high-energy-cost-grants) link or through 

Grants.gov, or by request from the 

Agency contact. Applicants are advised 

that the application requirements in this 

notice and the 2017 Application Guide 

have been revised from those in the 

NOSA published October 13, 2015 (the 

‘‘2015 Notice’’), and the 2015 

Application Guide. 

No more than one award will be made 

per applicant or project. Applicants may 

submit multiple applications, provided 


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1As used in the notice ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ or ‘‘tribal’’ 

means a Federally recognized Tribe as defined 

under section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 

and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b) to 

include ‘‘* * * any Indian Tribe, band, nation, or 

other organized group or community, including any 

Alaska Native village or regional or village 

corporation as defined in or established pursuant to 

the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act [43 U.S.C. 

1601 et seq.], that is recognized as eligible for the 

special programs and services provided by the 

United States to Indians because of their status as 

Indians.’’ 

each is for a different project, but only 

one award per applicant will be 

approved. 

RUS anticipates making multiple 

awards under this notice. The number 

of grants awarded will depend on the 

number of complete applications 

submitted, the total grant funds 

requested, the quality and 

competitiveness of applications, and the 

availability of funds. There were nine 

grant awards obligated under the 2015 

Notice and these awards ranged from 

$449,808 to $3,000,000. 

The RUS reserves the right not to 

award all the funds made available 

under this notice. The final decision to 

make an award is at the discretion of the 

Administrator (7 CFR 1709.121). The 

Administrator will select finalists for 

grant awards after consideration of the 

applications, the rankings, comments, 

and recommendations of the rating 

panel, and other pertinent information, 

including availability of funds. Upon 

such consideration, the Administrator 

may elect to offer an award of less than 

the full amount of the grant requested 

by an applicant. 

All awards will be made under grant 

agreements with terms and conditions 

established by RUS. Grant agreements 

typically provide for a period of 

performance of three years. Approvals 

of any extensions to the original grant 

term are at the sole discretion of the 

agency. 

No Reconsideration of 2015 

Applications 

The Administrator has determined 

that all applicants must apply under 

this 2017 NOSA. There will be no 

reconsideration of applications 

submitted under the 2015 Notice. The 

evaluation criteria in this NOSA are 

sufficiently different such that 

applications submitted in response to 

the 2015 Notice would be at a 

disadvantage when rated among those 

applications prepared with the current 

criteria in mind. 

Substantially Underserved Trust Areas 

(SUTA) 

This program is subject to the 

provisions for Substantially 

Underserved Trust Areas of 7 U.S.C. 

936f and regulations at 7 CFR part 1700, 

subpart D. This notice provides that five 

points will be added to application 

scores for applications from eligible 

underserved trust areas that have been 

accepted for special consideration by 

the Administrator. Failure to submit the 

separate letter and supporting material 

as described under Part C, Section (1)(ii) 

below will result in no additional points 

being awarded for SUTA consideration. 

This requirement is separate and 

independent of the application itself as 

more fully described below. 

Application Review and Finalist 

Selections 

All timely submitted and complete 

applications will be reviewed for 

eligibility and rated according to the 

criteria described in this notice. 

Applications will be ranked in order of 

their numerical scores and forwarded to 

the RUS Administrator. The RUS 

Administrator is the federal selection 

official for these competitive awards. 

The Administrator will review the 

rankings and the recommendations of 

the rating panel. The Administrator will 

then select grant finalists in rank order 

to the extent of available funds. A letter 

advising the applicant that they are a 

selected finalist is not a binding 

commitment to provide funding. A 

selected finalist is not an awardee until 

the Agency has obligated funds and the 

Administrator has signed the related 

grant agreement (date of grant award). 

Environmental Review and Other PreAward Requirements 

Projects that are selected finalists for 

award will be reviewed for 

environmental impacts and an 

environmental determination pursuant 

to the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) in accordance with 7 CFR 

part 1970. 

Concurrent with this review, 

additional due diligence and risk 

management reviews will be conducted 

by the agency to better assure that the 

representations in the finalist 

applications have a high probability of 

being achieved within a reasonable 

timeframe. Considerations during this 

period may include, but are not limited 

to: 

• The committed availability of 

matching contributions; 

• prior performance of project 

principals with respect to other projects; 

• the commercial acceptance of the 

technology to be funded; and 

• the capacity of project principals to 

complete and operate the project. 

If the outcomes of either the 

environmental review or the due 

diligence and risk management review 

are unsatisfactory, or it is determined 

that the applicant has undertaken 

unacceptable pre-award activities (see 

below), a project may be de-selected and 

the next highest ranked project will be 

considered. 

Funding for Pre-Award Activities 

Under 7 CFR 1709.10(a), Grant funds 

may not be used to pay costs of 

preparing the application package, or for 

any finders’ fees or incentives for 

persons or entities assisting in the 

preparation or submission of an 

application. 

Applicants are cautioned that they 

undertake any pre-award project 

activities at their own risk, as all finalist 

selections are subject to a satisfactory 

environmental review and 

determination before any award can be 

made. Undertaking certain project 

activities before the required 

environmental review is complete could 

result in a finalist being ‘‘de-selected.’’ 

(7 CFR 1709.10). Program regulations 

provide that RUS will not pay any 

project construction costs of the project 

incurred before the date of grant award 

except as provided in 7 CFR 1709.10. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

i. All Applicants 

Applicant eligibility under this 

program is established by the RE Act (7 

U.S.C. 913 and 918a), High Energy Cost 

Grant Program regulations at 7 CFR 

1709.106, and this notice. 

An eligible applicant is any one of the 

following: 

• A legally-organized for-profit or 

nonprofit organization such as, but not 

limited to, a corporation, association, 

partnership (including a limited liability 

partnership), cooperative, or trust; 

• A sole proprietorship; 

• A State or local government, or any 

agency or instrumentality of a State or 

local government, including a 

municipal utility or public power 

authority; 

• An Indian tribe 1, a tribally-owned 

entity, and or Alaska Native 

Corporation; 

• An individual or group of 

individuals applying on behalf of 

unincorporated community 

associations, and not for the primary 

benefit of a single household or 

business; or 

• Any of the above entities located in 

a U.S. Territory or other area authorized 

by law to participate in programs of the 

Rural Utilities Service or under the REA 

Act. 

All applicants must demonstrate the 

legal authority and capacity to enter into 


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2 ‘‘Home energy’’ means any energy source or fuel 

used by a household for purposes other than 

Continued 

a binding grant agreement with the 

Federal Government at the time of the 

award and to carry out the proposed 

grant funded project according to its 

terms to be an eligible applicant. The 

application must include information 

and/or documentation supporting your 

eligibility, legal existence, and capacity 

to enter into a grant agreement. 

Individuals are eligible grant 

applicants under this program. 

However, any proposed grant project 

must provide community benefits and 

not be for the primary benefit of an 

individual household. As a practical 

matter, because this program addresses 

community energy needs and in order to 

readily facilitate compliance with 

Federal grant requirements, individuals 

will likely find it preferable to establish 

an independent legal entity, such as a 

corporation, to actually carry out the 

grant project if the project is selected. 

If the project proponent contemplates 

a structured financing such that a yet to 

be established project entity will be the 

grantee of record or the primary entity 

managing or providing grant services 

under contract to the grantee, this must 

be fully disclosed and explained in the 

original application. Grant awards are 

not transferable. The new entity must be 

in existence and legally competent to 

enter into a grant agreement with the 

Federal Government under appropriate 

State and Federal laws before a final 

grant award can be approved. 

Corporations that have been convicted 

of a Federal felony within the past 24 

months are not eligible applicants. Any 

corporation that has any unpaid federal 

tax liability that has been assessed, for 

which all judicial and administrative 

remedies have been exhausted or have 

lapsed, and that is not being paid in a 

timely manner pursuant to an agreement 

with the authority responsible for 

collecting the tax liability, is not eligible 

for financial assistance. All corporate 

applicants must complete Form AD– 

3030 ‘‘Representations Regarding 

Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent 

Status for Corporate Applicants.’’ 

In addition, under program 

regulations at 7 CFR 1709.7, an 

outstanding judgment obtained against 

an applicant by the United States in a 

Federal Court (other than in the United 

States Tax Court), which has been 

recorded, shall cause the applicant to be 

ineligible to receive a grant or loan 

under this part until the judgment is 

paid in full or otherwise satisfied. 

Before submitting an application, all 

applicants must have an active 

registration with current information in 

the System for Award Management 

(SAM) (previously the Central 

Contractor Registry (CCR)) at https://

www.sam.gov. A Dun and Bradstreet 

(D&B) Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number is a prerequisite for a successful SAM 

registration. It is important to note that 

it takes time for these applications for a 

DUNS number and SAM registration to 

be processed; it is important that those 

considering submitting an application 

under this NOSA give themselves a 

conservative lead time (six weeks is 

recommended) in order to accomplish 

an active SAM registration by the 

application deadline in this NOSA. For 

more information on obtaining a DUNS 

number and SAM registration see Part 

D, Section 3 below. 

ii. Substantially Underserved Trust Area 

Applicants 

This notice provides priority points 

for complete and otherwise eligible 

applications from an entity that has 

been accepted by the Administrator as 

eligible for SUTA consideration 

pursuant to section 306F of the RE Act 

(7 U.S.C. 936f) and regulations 

concerning SUTA applications at 7 CFR 

part 1700, subpart D. An eligible SUTA 

community is located on ‘‘trust lands’’ 

(e.g., an Indian Reservation, Hawaiian 

Homelands, Alaska Regional or Village 

Corporation lands, or other lands held 

in trust by or subject to restrictions 

imposed by the United States) and 

‘‘lacks an adequate level or quality of 

service.’’ 

The applicant must submit a letter to 

the RUS Administrator that it is seeking 

consideration under provisions of 7 CFR 

part 1700, subpart D. The letter must be 

accompanied by a copy of the 

application package submitted in 

response to this notice. The request 

must include all information required 

by the SUTA regulations establishing 

that the project is for an eligible trust 

area, documenting its high need for 

High Energy Cost Grant Program funds, 

and identifying the discretionary 

authorities that it seeks to have applied 

to its application. More information on 

how to document eligibility for SUTA 

consideration may be found in the FY 

2017 Application Guide available at 

https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/ 

initiatives/substantially-underservedtrust-area-suta and 7 CFR part 1700, 

subpart D. 

The Administrator will review the 

request to determine whether the 

applicant is eligible to receive 

consideration under SUTA. RUS will 

notify the applicant in writing whether 

(1) the application has been accepted to 

receive special SUTA consideration or 

(2) the application has not been 

accepted for consideration under the 

SUTA regulation. If the SUTA request is 

not granted, the applicant may 

withdraw its application. If the 

application is still eligible without 

SUTA consideration and the applicant 

does not withdraw the application, RUS 

will review and score the application 

along with others received under this 

notice. 

2. Cost Sharing and Matching 

This grant program has no cost 

sharing or matching funds requirement 

as a condition of eligibility. However, 

RUS will consider other financial 

resources available to the grant 

applicant and any voluntary pledge of 

matching funds or other contributions 

in assessing the applicant’s commitment 

and financial capacity to complete the 

proposed project successfully. If a 

successful applicant proposes to use 

matching funds or other cost 

contributions in its project, the grant 

agreement will include conditions 

requiring documentation of the 

availability of the matching funds and 

actual expenditure of matching funds or 

cost contributions. RUS may require the 

applicant to provide additional 

documentation confirming the 

availability of any matching 

contribution offered prior to approval of 

a project award. If an applicant fails to 

provide timely documentation of the 

availability of matching contributions, 

the RUS may, in its sole discretion, 

decline to award the project if 

uncertainties over availability of the 

match render the project financially 

unfeasible and impose additional 

conditions. 

3. Other 

i. Eligible Communities 

To establish community eligibility, 

the application must (1) clearly identify 

and define the geographic area that will 

be included in the grant project and (2) 

demonstrate that each of the 

communities in the proposed area meets 

one or more of the high energy cost 

benchmarks identified in this Notice. 

The smallest area that may be 

designated as an area is a 2010 Census 

block. Projects must serve eligible 

communities and not be for the primary 

benefit of an individual or business. 

Consult the program regulations at 7 

CFR part 1709 and the 2017 Application 

Guide for definitions used in this 

program. 

The RE Act defines an extremely high 

energy cost community as one in which 

‘‘the average residential expenditure for 

home energy 2 is at least 275 percent of 


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transportation, including electricity, natural gas, 

fuel oil, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas 

(propane), other petroleum products, wood and 

other biomass fuels, coal, wind, and solar energy. 

Fuels used for subsistence activities in remote rural 

areas are also included. 

the national average residential 

expenditure for home energy’’ 7 U.S.C. 

918a. 

RUS periodically establishes 

community eligibility benchmarks 

based on the latest available information 

from the Energy Information 

Administration (EIA) of the U.S. 

Department of Energy. Home energy 

cost benchmarks are calculated for total 

annual household energy expenditures; 

total annual expenditures for individual 

fuels; annual average per unit energy 

costs for primary home energy sources 

and are set at 275 percent of the relevant 

national average household energy 

expenditures. RUS has revised the 

eligibility benchmarks for 2017 based on 

the latest EIA data. The new 

benchmarks are shown in Table 1. 

The EIA’s Residential Energy 

Consumption and Expenditure Surveys 

(RECS) and reports provide the baseline 

national average household energy 

consumption data that were used for 

establishing extremely high energy cost 

community eligibility criteria for this 

grant program. The RECS data base and 

reports provide national and regional 

information on residential energy use, 

expenditures, and housing 

characteristics. EIA published its latest 

available RECS home energy 

expenditure survey results in 2012. RUS 

used the latest EIA data on 2016 

residential energy prices to estimate 

national average household energy costs 

to establish the benchmarks shown in 

Table 1: 

TABLE 1—NATIONAL AVERAGE ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD ENERGY EXPENDITURES AND EXTREMELY HIGH ENERGY COST

ELIGIBILITY BENCHMARKS EFFECTIVE FOR APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED ON OR AFTER OCTOBER 12, 2017 

Fuel 

Estimated national annual 

average household expenditure 

($ per year) 

RUS extremely high energy cost 

benchmark 

(275% of national average) 

($ per year) 

Average Annual Household Expenditure 

Electricity .......................................................................................... $1,420 $3,904 

Natural Gas ...................................................................................... 665 1,828 

Fuel Oil ............................................................................................ 1,056 2,903 

LPG/Propane ................................................................................... 1,131 3,110 

Total Household Energy Use ................................................... 2,017 5,546 

Fuel (units) 2016 national average unit cost 

($ per unit) 

RUS extremely high energy cost 

benchmark 

(275% of national average) 

($ per unit) 

Annual Average Per Unit Residential Energy Costs 

Electricity (Kilowatt hours) ............................................................... $0.126 $0.345 

Natural Gas (thousand cubic feet) .................................................. 10.07 27.69 

Fuel Oil (gallons) ............................................................................. 2.27 6.25 

LPG/Propane (gallons) .................................................................... 2.05 5.64 

Sources: RUS estimates based on latest data from: Energy Information Administration, United States Department of Energy, 2009 Residential 

Energy Consumption Survey Data—Detailed Tables, available at: http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/data/2009/; Average residential energy prices from EIA Monthly Energy Review, available at https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/; EIA Weekly Heating Oil and Propane 

Prices available at https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_wfr_dcus_nus_w.htm and EIA Winter Fuels Outlook 2016 available at https://

www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/special/winter/2016_winter_fuels.pdf. 

Extremely high energy costs in rural 

and remote communities typically result 

from a combination of factors including 

high energy consumption, high per unit 

energy costs, limited availability of 

energy sources, extreme climate 

conditions, and housing characteristics. 

There is diversity in how and the degree 

to which these factors affect a given 

community. 

a. High Energy Cost Benchmarks 

The benchmarks discussed below are 

used to establish threshold energy costs 

which are a fundamental threshold for 

determining community eligibility. 

These benchmarks were calculated by 

RUS using EIA’s latest estimates of 

national average residential energy 

consumption and energy prices. The 

benchmarks recognize the diverse 

factors that contribute to extremely high 

home energy costs in rural 

communities. In some cases there may 

be limited available published data on 

local community energy consumption 

and expenditures. High energy cost 

communities may demonstrate their 

eligibility by using one or more 

benchmarks. A choice of benchmarks is 

allowed so as to reduce the burden on 

potential applicants in meeting this 

requirement for quantifying the high 

cost of energy in their area. 

Communities may qualify based on 

total annual household energy 

expenditures; total annual expenditures 

for commercially-supplied primary 

home energy sources, i.e., electricity, 

natural gas, oil, or propane; or average 

annual per unit home energy costs. 

A community or area will qualify as 

an extremely high cost energy 

community if it meets one or more of 

the energy cost eligibility benchmarks 

described below. 

I. Extremely High Average Annual 

Household Expenditure for Home 

Energy 

The area or community exceeds one 

or more of the following: 

• Average annual residential 

electricity expenditure of $3,904 per 

household; 

• Average annual residential natural 

gas expenditure of $1,828 per 

household; 

• Average annual residential 

expenditure on fuel oil of $2,903 per 

household; 


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3Note: Btu is the abbreviation for British thermal 

unit, a standard energy measure. A Btu is the 

quantity of heat needed to raise the temperature of 

one pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit at or near 

39.2 degrees Fahrenheit. 

• Average annual residential 

expenditure on propane or liquefied 

petroleum gas (LPG) as a primary home 

energy source of $3,110 per household; 

or 

• Average annual residential energy 

expenditure (for all non-transportation 

uses) of $5,546 per household. 

II. Extremely High Average per Unit 

Energy Costs 

The average residential per unit cost 

for major commercial energy sources in 

the area or community exceeds one or 

more of the following: 

• Annual average cost per kilowatt 

hour for residential electricity 

customers of $0.345 per kilowatt hour 

(kWh); 

• Annual average residential natural 

gas price of $27.69 per thousand cubic 

feet; 

• Annual average residential fuel oil 

price of $6.25 per gallon; 

• Annual average residential price of 

propane or LPG as a primary home 

energy source of $5.64 per gallon; or 

• Total annual average residential 

energy cost on a Btu basis of $61.87 per 

million Btu.3

b. Supporting Energy Cost Data 

Benchmark data for each community 

in the designated area must be 

submitted in support of their eligibility 

under this program. The source(s) for 

this data must be identified or 

referenced so as to allow RUS to verify 

these representations in the application. 

Grant applicants are expected to provide 

supporting information sourced in the 

local community, or specific to that 

community, to support their 

applications. 

Generally, the applicant will be 

expected to use historical residential 

energy cost or expenditure information 

for the local energy provider serving the 

community or area to determine 

eligibility. Other potential sources of 

home energy related information 

include Federal and State agencies, 

local community energy providers such 

as electric and natural gas utilities and 

fuel dealers, and commercial 

publications. The 2017 Application 

Guide includes a list of EIA resources 

on residential energy consumption and 

costs that may be of assistance. 

Where information is unavailable or 

does not adequately reflect the actual 

costs for average home energy use in a 

local community, RUS will consider 

estimated commercial energy costs. The 

2017 Application Guide includes 

examples of circumstances where 

estimated energy costs are used. 

In many instances, historical 

community energy cost information can 

be obtained from a variety of public 

sources or from local utilities and other 

energy providers. For example, EIA 

publishes monthly and annual reports 

of residential prices by state and by 

service area for electric utilities and 

larger natural gas distribution 

companies. Average residential fuel oil 

and propane prices are reported 

regionally and for major cities by 

government and private publications. 

Many state agencies also compile and 

publish information on residential 

energy costs to support state programs. 

c. Use of Estimated Home Energy Costs 

An applicant may substitute estimates 

of home energy costs based on 

engineering standards where historical 

community energy cost data are 

incomplete or lacking or where 

community-wide data does not 

accurately reflect the costs of providing 

home energy services in the area, the 

applicant may substitute estimates 

based on engineering standards. The 

estimates should use available 

community, local, or regional data on 

energy expenditures, consumption, 

housing characteristics and population. 

Estimates are also appropriate where the 

area does not presently have centralized 

commercial energy services at a level 

that is comparable to other residential 

customers in the State or region. For 

example, local commercial energy cost 

information may not be available where 

the area is off grid because of the high 

costs of connection. Engineering cost 

estimates reflecting the incremental 

costs of extending service could 

reasonably be used to establish 

eligibility for areas without gridconnected electric service. Estimates 

also may be appropriate where 

historical energy costs do not reflect the 

cost of providing a necessary upgrade or 

replacement of energy infrastructure to 

maintain or extend service that would 

raise costs above one or more 

benchmarks. Information supporting 

high energy cost eligibility is subject to 

independent review by RUS. 

Applications that contain information 

not reasonably based on credible 

sources of information and sound 

estimates will be rejected. Where 

appropriate, RUS may consult standard 

sources to confirm the reasonableness of 

information and estimates provided by 

an applicant in determining eligibility, 

technical feasibility, and adequacy of 

proposed budget estimates. 

ii. Eligible Projects 

Eligible projects must serve an eligible 

community and must include only 

eligible grant purposes. The project 

must serve communities that meet the 

extremely high energy cost eligibility 

requirements described in this notice. 

The applicant must demonstrate that the 

proposed project will benefit the eligible 

communities. Projects that primarily 

benefit a single household or business 

are not eligible. Additional information 

and examples of eligible project 

activities are contained in the 

Application Guide available at https://

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

high-energy-cost-grants. 

iii. Eligible Activities 

Grant funds may be used to acquire, 

construct, extend, upgrade, or otherwise 

improve energy generation, 

transmission, or distribution facilities 

serving eligible communities. All energy 

generation, transmission, and 

distribution facilities and equipment, 

used to provide electricity, natural gas, 

home heating fuels, and other energy 

service to eligible communities are 

eligible. Projects providing or improving 

energy services to eligible communities 

through on-grid and off-grid renewable 

energy projects, energy efficiency, and 

energy conservation projects are 

eligible. A grant project is eligible if it 

improves, or maintains energy services, 

or reduces the costs of providing energy 

services to eligible communities. 

Funds may cover up to the full costs 

of any eligible projects subject to the 

statutory limitation that no more than 4 

percent of grant funds may be used for 

the planning and administrative 

expenses of the grantee. Because of this 

limitation, applicants must detail any 

indirect costs. 

The program regulations at 7 CFR part 

1709 provide more detail on allowable 

use of grant funds, limitations on grant 

funds, and ineligible grant purposes. 

Grant funds may not be used to 

refinance or repay the applicant’s 

outstanding loans or loan guarantees 

under the RE Act. 

In general, grant funds may not be 

used to support projects that primarily 

benefit areas outside of eligible 

communities. However, grant funds may 

be used to finance an eligible 

community’s proportionate share of a 

larger energy project. 

Consistent with USDA policy and 

program regulations, grant funds 

awarded under this program generally 

cannot be used to replace other USDA 

assistance or to refinance or repay 

outstanding loans under the RE Act. 

Grant funds may, however, be used in 


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combination with other USDA 

assistance programs including electric 

loans. Grants may be applied toward 

grantee contributions under other USDA 

programs depending on the specific 

terms of those programs. For example, 

an applicant may propose to use grant 

funds to offset the costs of electric 

system improvements in extremely high 

cost areas by increasing the utility’s 

contribution for line extensions or 

system expansions to its distribution 

system financed in whole or part by an 

electric loan under the RE Act. An 

applicant may propose to finance a 

portion of an energy project for an 

extremely high energy cost community 

through this grant program and secure 

the remaining project costs through a 

loan or loan guarantee from RUS or 

other grant sources. The determination 

of whether a project will be completed 

in this manner will be made solely by 

the Administrator. 

iv. Eligible Technologies 

Grant funds under this program may 

only be used for projects using proven 

and commercially available technology. 

Activities or equipment that would 

commonly be considered as research, 

development, or demonstration, or 

commercialization activities are not 

eligible. RUS, in its sole discretion, will 

determine if a project consists of 

ineligible research, development, 

demonstration, or commercialization 

activities or relies on unproven 

technology, and that determination shall 

be final. 

v. Limitations on Grant Awards 

a. Statutory Limitation on Planning and 

Administrative Expenses 

Section 19(b)(2) of the RE Act 

provides that no more than 4 percent of 

the grant funds for any project may be 

used for planning and administrative 

expenses of the grantee not directly 

related to delivery of the project. RUS 

will not make awards for any such 

expenses exceeding 4 percent of grant 

funds. Because of this limitation, 

applicants must detail any indirect 

costs. 

b. Maximum and Minimum Awards 

For High Energy Cost Grants, the 

maximum amount of grant assistance 

that will be considered for funding per 

grant application under this notice is 

$3,000,000. The minimum amount of 

assistance for a competitive grant 

application under this program is 

$100,000. 

c. Multiple Applications 

Eligible applicants must include only 

one project per application, but the 

project can include many locations. 

Applicants may submit applications for 

multiple projects. An applicant will 

only be awarded funding for one project 

under this notice. The award will be 

made to the highest ranked application 

submitted; other applications from the 

same applicant or project will remain 

unfunded under this notice. 

d. Ineligible Grant Purposes for High 

Energy Cost Grants 

Grant funds cannot be used for: 

Preparation of the grant application, fuel 

purchases, routine maintenance or other 

operating costs, and purchase of 

equipment, structures, or real estate not 

directly associated with provision of 

residential energy services. Program 

regulations at 7 CFR part 1709 have 

additional information on eligible uses 

of grant funds. 

e. Pre-Award Activities During 

Environmental Review 

RUS may refuse to provide an award 

where the selected applicant has taken 

actions in violation of restrictions on 

certain project activities prior to 

completion of pre-award environmental 

review. See Part F, Section 2(i) of this 

Notice and 7 CFR 1970.12. 

f. Consideration of Prior Performance 

RUS may consider prior performance 

of an applicant under any other USDA 

grant in deciding whether an 

application will be reviewed and scored 

under this NOSA. Where the track 

record of an applicant (or principals of 

an applicant) reflects inadequate 

performance as a historical matter, RUS 

may decide to not consider and score 

additional applications from the same 

party. Inadequate performance may 

consist of a disallowance that was never 

recovered by the Government, failure to 

complete a project, failure to respond to 

USDA’s request for information relating 

to a project, or suspension or 

termination of a grant project for 

material failures to comply with the 

terms and conditions of the grant award. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

All applications must be prepared and 

submitted in compliance with this 

notice and the 2017 Application Guide. 

The 2017 Application Guide contains 

additional information on the grant 

programs, sources of information for use 

in preparing applications, examples of 

eligible projects, and copies of the 

required application forms. 

1. Address To Request Application 

Package 

The 2017 Application Guide, copies 

of required forms, and other information 

on the High Energy Cost Grant Program 

are available from these sources: 

i. Via the Internet at the program Web 

site (http://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/high-energy-cost-grants); 

ii. via Grants.gov http://

www.grants.gov (under CFDA No. 

10.859); and 

iii. by request from Robin Meigel, 

Finance Specialist, Rural Utilities 

Service, Electric Program, United States 

Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., STOP 1568, 

Room 0270 South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1568, or 202– 

720–9452, or email Energy.Grants@

wdc.usda.gov. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

Applicants must follow the directions 

in this notice and the 2017 Application 

Guide in preparing and submitting their 

application packages. 

i. Pre-Applications 

This program does not require or 

accept pre-applications. 

ii. The Application as a Whole 

Application packages must be 

prepared consistent with the 

requirements of this notice, the 2017 

Application Guide and program 

regulations at 7 CFR 1709.117. 

Applicants are encouraged to consult 

the Uniform Administrative 

Requirements, Cost Principles, and 

Audit Requirements for Federal Awards 

(2 CFR part 200) for additional 

requirements applicable to grants under 

this program. Application packages that 

do not comply with the eligibility and 

content provisions of this notice will be 

rejected. As used in this notice 

‘‘narrative’’ means a written statement, 

description, or other written material 

prepared by the applicant, for which no 

form exists. 

Format. The completed application 

should be assembled in the order 

specified in this Part D, Section 2(iii) 

below with all pages numbered 

sequentially or by section. Application 

sections and attachments should be 

formatted for 81⁄2 by 11 inch paper 

(letter size) with 1 inch margins. 

Preferred type faces are Times New 

Roman 12, Calibri 11, Arial 11, Verdana 

10 or Courier 10. Narratives may be 

single or double spaced. It is strongly 

recommended that Project Narratives be 

no longer than about 30 pages in length 

(exclusive of required forms and Project 

Summary) with not more than 10 pages 


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of attachments. Paper application 

packages will be scanned; they should 

be printed single-sided on white letter 

size paper. Electronic applications must 

follow formatting directions, including 

acceptable file attachment types, 

specified on Grants.gov. Failure to 

follow these instructions may result in 

rejection of the application. 

Number of copies. A complete paper 

application submission package consists 

of one original application with original 

signatures on all forms and 

certifications and two copies. 

iii. Component Parts of the Application 

The completed application consists of 

the following sections and forms. 

Narrative sections should be formatted 

as indicated above and assembled in the 

sequence specified. Table 2 lists the 

required content and form of a complete 

application. Applicants may use this 

table to assure that their applications are 

complete and assembled in order: 

TABLE 2—REQUIRED CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION PACKAGE

[Component pieces of the application] 

[Complete applications must include all listed sections, forms, and certifications in the order shown in this table] 

Part A. Completed Form SF–424 ‘‘Application for Federal Assistance’’ 

Part B. Project Summary and Eligibility Statement (up to 3 pages total) 

Part C. Project Narrative Proposal 

I. Table of Contents 

II. Executive Summary (1 page) 

III. Project Description (up to 30 pages) 

A. Community Eligibility and Assessment of Community Needs 

B. Project Design, Technical Feasibility and Responsiveness to Community Needs 

C. Applicant Organization and Eligibility 

D. Organizational Capabilities and Project Management Plan 

E. Organizational Experience 

F. Key Staff Experience 

G. Project Goals, Objectives and Performance Measures 

H. Project Reporting Plan 

I. Project Budget and Financial Capability 

J. Rural Economic Development Initiatives 

K. Priority Considerations 

Part D. Additional Required Forms and Certifications 

• Form SF–424B, ‘‘Assurances—Non-Construction Programs’’ or Form SF–424D, ‘‘Assurances—Construction Programs’’ 

• Form SF–LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying Activities’’ 

• Evidence of Active and Unexpired SAM Registration with https://www.sam.gov 

• Rural Utilities Service ‘‘Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matter—Primary Covered Transactions’’ 

• RUS Environmental Questionnaire 

Part E. Supplementary Materials (up to 10 pages) 

a. Application Part A—Completed Form 

SF–424, ‘‘Application for Federal 

Assistance’’ 

This form must be signed by a person 

authorized to submit the proposal on 

behalf of the applicant. Note: All 

applicants, except individuals, must 

include a DUNS number on the SF–424 

to be considered complete. See Section 

3 below in this Part D for information 

on obtaining a DUNS Number. Copies of 

this form are available through the 

RUS’s Web site (http://

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

high-energy-cost-grants) or through 

Grants.gov, or by request from the 

Agency contact listed in Section 1 of 

this Part D above. 

b. Application Part B—Project Summary 

and Eligibility Statement 

The Project Summary and Eligibility 

Statement is a short narrative that 

establishes the application’s eligibility. 

It describes the applicant, the eligible 

high energy cost community, the 

proposed project, and all requested 

priority considerations. The Project 

Summary should be no longer than 

three (3) pages. 

This summary will be used by RUS 

for initial screening purposes only to 

make an initial determination of 

eligibility without reference to other 

sections of the application. After review 

of this Part B, RUS will decide whether 

to accept the application for further 

review and scoring. Application 

packages that do not meet eligibility 

requirements will be rejected. 

Part B will not be referred to for 

purposes of scoring the application. All 

information relating to eligibility and 

scoring must be included in the full 

project narrative proposal more fully 

discussed below. 

In Part B applicants must provide a 

brief summary of the project proposal. 

The project must be described in 

sufficient detail to establish that it is an 

eligible project under the program 

regulations (7 CFR part 1709) and this 

notice. Applicants should take great 

care in preparing this Part B summary 

to include all necessary elements 

relating to eligibility. 

Part B of the Application must 

include the following information. 

I. Applicant Eligibility 

This section of Part B must briefly 

describe the applicant, its capabilities, 

and provide information demonstrating 

that the applicant is an eligible entity 

under program regulations at 7 CFR 

1709.106 and this notice. Part B must 

also state that the applicant is free of 

any debarment or other restriction on 

their ability to contract with the Federal 

government as identified in Part C, 

Section 1(i) of this notice and must also 

state that the applicant has an active 

and unexpired registration with 

www.sam.gov. 

II. Community Eligibility 

This summary must describe the 

eligible community or communities to 

be served by the project including name, 

location, and population based on 2010 

Census. Also required is the name and 

population of the local government 

division (e.g., city, town or county for 

unincorporated areas) where the project 

is located. The Part B Summary must 

specifically identify the average 

community residential energy costs that 

exceed one or more of the benchmark 

criteria for extremely high energy costs 


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as described in this notice. Local energy 

providers and sources of high energy 

cost data and estimates should be 

clearly identified. The 2017 Application 

Guide includes additional information 

and sources that the applicant may find 

useful in establishing community 

eligibility. 

III. Project Eligibility 

Provide a brief overview of the project 

including the project title, total project 

costs, the amount of grant funds 

requested, amount and source of 

matching contributions, major project 

goals and tasks, and the location of 

project activities and facilities to be 

supported with grant funds. It must 

state how the grant project will provide 

benefits to the eligible community and 

offset or reduce the target community’s 

extremely high energy costs. The 

summary should briefly identify any 

state or tribal rural development 

initiative that the project supports. 

IV. Priority Considerations 

List all Priority Considerations for 

which the Applicant is seeking 

additional points in project scoring. 

Priority points to be awarded under this 

notice are set forth in Part E, Section 1 

of this notice. Further discussion of 

Priority Considerations should be 

reserved for Application Part C— 

Proposed Project Narrative. 

V. Contact Information 

The project summary should list the 

Applicant’s name, address, telephone 

number, fax, and email address and 

contact person for the application. 

Include the contact person’s address, 

telephone number, fax and email 

address if different from the applicant. 

c. Application Part C—Proposed Project 

Narrative 

The proposed project narrative 

describes in detail the proposed grant 

project, the project benefits, and the 

proposed budget. Part C follows 

sequentially after Parts A and B in 

assembling the package and contents 

should be assembled and paginated in 

the order described below. 

In preparing the proposed project 

narrative, Applicants must address 

individually and in narrative form each 

of the proposal evaluation and selection 

criteria contained in Part E, Section 1 of 

this notice. The project narrative will be 

scored competitively and the results 

used to rank applications for finalist 

selections. 

The narrative proposal should be 

formatted according to the instructions 

in Part D, Section 2(ii) of this notice. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to 

keep the narrative proposal to no longer 

than approximately 30 pages, exclusive 

of required forms. Successful 

application narratives have been shorter 

in length. Applicants may use the 

Supplementary Materials section to 

include up to ten (10) pages of letters of 

support and other information for 

reviewers. Letters from Members of 

Congress and senior State government 

officials will not count against this page 

limit. 

The project narrative proposal 

includes the following sections 

assembled in the order indicated. 

I. Table of Contents 

Part C of the application package must 

include a Table of Contents immediately 

before the Executive Summary. The 

Table of Contents must provide page 

numbers for all sections, forms, and 

supplemental materials. The Table of 

Contents will help reviewers assure that 

all submitted materials are included in 

the application package and in correct, 

intended order. This section will not be 

scored or counted against proscribed 

page limits. 

II. Executive Summary 

The Executive Summary is a one page 

introduction to the project that briefly 

identifies the applicant, project title, 

amount of grant funds requested, 

eligible communities, the activities and 

facilities to be supported, and how the 

grant project will benefit the community 

and offset or reduce the community’s 

extremely high energy costs. Any 

priority considerations requested should 

be listed. The Executive Summary will 

be used by RUS to prepare project 

descriptions in press releases or other 

announcements and it should list a key 

contact person for the application with 

telephone and fax numbers, mailing 

address and email address. The 

Executive Summary is a required 

component of the application (7 CFR 

1709.117(b)(1)), but will not be scored. 

The Executive Summary immediately 

follows the Table of Contents. 

III. Project Description 

The narrative project description 

should be no longer than 30 pages in 

total and should be prepared using the 

formatting instructions above in this 

Part D, Section 2(ii). 

A. Community Eligibility and 

Assessment of Community Needs 

Identify the area to be served by the 

project and the community or 

communities within the identified area 

that will benefit from the project. 

Identify the local government division 

that administers each community as 

well as the community population. 

Identify the location of the proposed 

project. Show that the proposed 

project’s beneficiaries are communities 

where the average annual residential 

energy costs exceed one or more of the 

benchmark criteria for extremely high 

energy costs as described in Part C, 

Section 3(i) and Table 1 of this notice. 

Local energy providers and sources of 

high energy cost data and estimates 

must be clearly identified. Neither the 

applicant nor the project are required to 

be physically located in the extremely 

high energy cost community, but the 

funded project must serve an eligible 

community. 

The population estimates should be 

based on the 2010 Census available from 

the U.S. Census Bureau. Additional 

information and exhibits supporting 

eligibility and community energy 

sources may be obtained from the U.S. 

Census, the Energy Information 

Administration, other Federal and State 

agencies, or private sources. The 2017 

Application Guide provides additional 

information and sources that are useful 

in establishing community eligibility. 

Identify and analyze the major energy 

challenges that the eligible community 

faces and how their extremely high 

energy costs impair their ability to meet 

these needs or adversely affect other 

aspects of community wellbeing. The 

applicant may, for example, describe 

how socioeconomic, environmental, or 

public policy considerations may affect 

the community’s ability to meet its 

energy needs or influence the choices 

that they may make. 

Address any community 

characteristics or extraordinary 

conditions that reviewers should 

consider in weighing the need for 

assistance. In particular, the narrative 

should address any circumstances that 

may qualify the application for one or 

more of the priority scoring 

considerations established in Part E of 

this notice. Priority considerations 

include high poverty areas, rurality, 

extraordinary conditions or 

circumstances, and whether a request 

for SUTA consideration conforming to 

the requirements of this notice has been 

accepted. 

B. Project Design, Technical Feasibility 

and Responsiveness to Community 

Needs 

The project description narrative must 

describe the proposed project in 

sufficient detail to establish that it is an 

eligible project under program 

regulations at 7 CFR 1709.109–111, and 

the Uniform Administrative 

Requirements, Cost Principles, and 


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4Force Account: The owner hires temporary 

employees to construct the project. Skilled laborers 

are often brought in from around the state and 

others are hired locally. An outside engineering 

firm is often involved in project management, 

construction and grant management. 

5Owner furnished materials + contractor method: 

The Owner purchases materials and bids out all 

construction to a contractor. 

Audit Requirements for Federal Awards 

at 2 CFR part 200, and this notice. 

The applicant must describe the 

project design, construction, materials, 

equipment, and associated activities in 

sufficient detail to support a conclusion 

by reviewers of the project’s eligibility 

and technical feasibility as required by 

program regulations (7 CFR part 1709) 

and this notice. Proposed projects 

involving construction, repair, 

replacement, or improvement of electric 

generation, transmission, and 

distribution facilities must generally be 

consistent with the standards and 

requirements for projects financed with 

loans and loan guarantees under the RE 

Act as set forth in RUS’s Electric 

Programs Regulations and Bulletins and 

may reference these requirements. 

The Applicant’s proposed scope of 

work must include major tasks to be 

performed, any services to be provided 

directly to beneficiaries, a proposed 

timeline for completing each task, and 

an estimate of the overall project 

duration. 

In describing the project plan and 

schedule, applicants must specifically 

identify any regulatory and other 

approvals required by Federal, State, 

local, or tribal agencies, or by private 

entities (as a condition of financing), 

that are necessary to carry out the 

proposed grant project. Failure to list 

required permits and approvals may 

lead to the conclusion by the reviewers 

that the project proponent does not have 

sufficient expertise to develop the 

project. The applicant must provide an 

estimated schedule for obtaining the 

necessary approvals. 

It is essential that the applicant 

describe and quantify how the proposed 

grant project is responsive to the 

community challenges or needs 

described in the preceding section of the 

application. 

C. Applicant Organization and 

Eligibility 

In this section the applicant must 

describe its organizational structure and 

capacity to carry out the project. The 

applicant must establish that is an 

eligible applicant under this program as 

provided in Part C, Section 1(i) above. 

Additionally, the Applicant must 

confirm that it and the project are 

located in the United States, its 

territories, or an eligible insular area. 

This section of the application is 

expected to include a description of the 

applicant entity’s ownership, as 

applicable, when it was established, 

where it operates, its sources of funding, 

whether it is regulated, and in 

addressing the organizational structure, 

identify all subsidiaries, affiliates, or 

parent entities. Describe the financial 

management system that will be used 

for grant activities. Provide evidence 

that the applicant has or will have the 

legal authority to enter into a financial 

assistance relationship with the Federal 

Government. Examples of supporting 

evidence of applicant’s legal existence 

and eligibility include: A reference to or 

copy of the relevant statute, regulation, 

executive order, or legal opinion 

authorizing a State, local, or tribal 

government program, articles of 

incorporation or certificates of 

incorporation or good standing for 

corporate applicants, partnership or 

trust agreements, and board resolutions. 

(These documents will not be counted 

towards any page limitation and should 

be included at the end of the 

Application Package with 

Supplementary Materials.) Applicants 

must also represent that they are free of 

any debarment or other restriction on 

their ability to contract with the Federal 

Government or receive a federal grant. 

D. Organizational Capabilities and 

Project Management Plan 

Provide a narrative describing the 

applicant’s plan for implementing the 

proposed project. Describe the 

organization’s organizational structure, 

method of funding and the expertise on 

the payroll that is relevant to the 

project. Describe how and by whom the 

project will be managed during 

construction and all phases of 

operation. The availability of financial 

statements and other supporting 

documentation about applicant 

financial and legal capacity to carry out 

the project can be referenced here. 

Identify key staff that will be 

responsible for managing the grant 

project and indicate whether outside 

consultants or contractors will be used 

and for what purposes. Describe the 

capabilities of outside consultants or 

contractors that will have a primary role 

in executing the grant project. 

If the applicant proposes to use 

equipment or design, construction or 

other services from non-affiliated 

entities, the application must describe 

how it plans to contract for such 

equipment or services. 

Describe the identities, relationship, 

qualifications, and experience of these 

affiliated and contracted entities. The 

experience and capabilities of these 

affiliated and/or contracted entities will 

be reviewed by the rating panel. 

Indicate whether a force account 

method 4 to deliver the project is 

planned, an owner furnished materials 

+ contractor method,5 or another 

arrangement for accomplishing the 

project is planned. 

Applicants are encouraged to review 

the financial management requirements 

for Federal grantees in 7 CFR part 1709 

and government-wide financial 

assistance regulations at 2 CFR part 200, 

and to address their ability to comply 

with these requirements in their 

applications. 

Overall, this section should provide 

information that will support a finding 

that the overall combination of 

management experience, financial 

management capabilities, resources and 

project structure will enable successful 

completion of the project. 

E. Organizational Experience 

This subsection should include a 

detailed description of the applicant’s 

relevant prior experience and that of 

any other organization that will carry 

out the proposed project. Information 

should be included on past projects, 

success rates, long-term results, and 

community and individual consumer 

benefits. If the applicant has received 

any prior High Energy Cost Grants or 

other Federal funding, a detailed 

description of these awards and past 

performance is required in this section. 

F. Key Staff Experience 

Key managers and staff for the project 

are to be identified above in the 

application component that addresses 

the implementation plan (above). In this 

section, provide more detail on their 

qualifications and experience relating to 

the work they are intended to perform 

for the project. If the applicant has 

identified affiliated entities, contractors, 

or subcontractors to provide services 

under the grant, in this section the 

applicant must describe the identities, 

relationship, qualifications, and 

experience of these affiliated entities, 

contractors or subcontractors. The rating 

panel will consider the experience and 

capabilities of these entities in scoring 

the proposal. If the application is 

selected for funding, key personnel 

provisions may be included in the grant 

agreement as a condition of the award. 

G. Project Goals, Objectives and 

Performance Measures 

Federal grant regulations provide that 

each grant award must include 

establishment of performance goals 


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defined as ‘‘a target level of performance 

expressed as a tangible, measurable 

objective, against which actual 

achievement can be compared’’ (2 CFR 

200.76. See also 2 CFR 200.301, and 

§ 200.308 and 7 CFR 1709.117.) 

Identify and quantify appropriate 

measures of project performance and 

success for this project. These proposed 

performance measures should relate to 

representations in Section B of the 

application that describe how the 

project will meet the needs identified 

for the community and they should be 

quantified. Target performance results 

for these benefits may include, for 

example, quantified expected 

reductions in home or community 

energy costs, the amount by which cost 

increases otherwise projected will be 

avoided, a quantified projection of 

enhanced reliability, or economic or 

social benefits from improvements in 

energy services available to the 

community. Include documentation or 

references to support the quantified 

amounts for projected project benefits. 

H. Project Reporting Plan 

Provide a progress reporting plan that 

describes how the effectiveness of the 

project in delivering its projected 

benefits will be monitored and 

measured periodically and once it is 

complete. This plan should specify who 

will be doing the monitoring and to 

whom the results will be reported. RUS 

will use these proposed performance 

measures and reporting plans to 

establish the performance measures 

incorporated in the grant agreement in 

the event the proposal is selected for an 

award. These suggested performance 

criteria are not binding on the Agency. 

I. Project Budget and Financial 

Capability 

In this subsection the applicant must 

present its proposed project budget for 

the expected life of the project and also 

provide information about its own 

financial capability to support the 

project and manage it in compliance 

with requirements for federal assistance. 

The budget narrative must provide a 

detailed breakdown of all estimated 

costs and allocate these costs among the 

listed tasks in the work plan. The 

narrative and budget exhibits and forms 

must itemize and explain major 

proposed project cost components such 

as, but not limited to, the expected costs 

of design and engineering and other 

professional services, personnel costs 

(salaries/wages and fringe benefits), 

equipment, materials, property 

acquisition, travel (if any), and other 

direct costs, and proposed recovery of 

indirect costs, if any. The budget must 

document that planned administrative 

and other expenses of the project 

sponsor that are not directly related to 

performance of the grant will not total 

more than 4 percent of grant funds. 

The applicant must explain the basis 

for any cost estimates. A pro forma 

operating budget for the three years of 

operations must be included as an 

exhibit in this section. The applicant 

must clearly identify the source and 

amount of any other Federal or nonFederal contributions of funds or 

services that will be used to support the 

proposed project, including any 

program income. 

The detailed budget narrative must be 

accompanied by SF–424A, ‘‘Budget 

Information—Non-Construction 

Programs,’’ or SF–424C ‘‘Budget 

Information—Construction Programs,’’ 

as applicable. All applicants that submit 

applications through Grants.gov must 

use SF–424A. Consistent with the 

requirements of 2 CFR 200.205, the RUS 

must review the financial risk posed by 

applicants. In support of this review, 

applicants must provide additional 

narrative regarding the financial 

capability of their organization 

including, for example: 

1. Financial stability 

2. Quality of management systems 

and ability to meet the management 

standards prescribed under Federal 

grant regulations in 2 CFR part 200; 

3. History of performance in managing 

any other Federal awards, including 

timeliness of compliance with 

applicable reporting requirements, 

conformance to the terms and 

conditions of previous Federal awards, 

and if applicable, the extent to which 

any previously awarded amounts will 

be expended prior to future awards; 

4. Reports and findings from audits 

performed for other Federal assistance 

under 2 CFR part 200, subpart F—Audit 

Requirements or the reports and 

findings of any other available audits; 

and/or 

5. Any contracts with certain parties 

that are debarred, suspended or 

otherwise excluded from or ineligible 

for participation in Federal programs or 

activities. 

Applicants may cross reference 

relevant discussions elsewhere in the 

application in support of their financial 

stability and financial management 

capability. 

J. Rural Economic Development 

Initiatives 

The applicant must address how the 

project will support rural economic 

development in the target area. The 

narrative must describe whether and 

how the proposed project will support 

any rural economic development 

initiatives funded by or carried out in 

cooperation with a State or local agency, 

or an Indian Tribe as required by 7 CFR 

1709.117(b)(11). If it is represented that 

the project supports a rural 

development initiative, the application 

should include confirming 

documentation from the appropriate 

rural development agency. The 

application must identify the extent to 

which its proposed project performance 

is dependent upon or tied to other rural 

development initiatives, funding, or 

approvals. If the project is independent 

of and not coordinated with a state or 

tribal rural development initiative, the 

applicant should clearly indicate this. 

Project narratives that do not address 

this requirement will receive zero points 

under this evaluation criterion. 

K. Priority Considerations 

The Administrator has approved the 

certain priority considerations in 

scoring and ranking applications 

consistent with program regulations at 7 

CFR 1709.123. These priority scoring 

considerations and points to be awarded 

are described in Part E of this notice. In 

order to assure that applicants receive 

all of the priority points for which they 

are eligible, this section should identify 

each priority consideration that the 

applicant is requesting and (with the 

exception of SUTA) provide a brief 

statement of the circumstances that 

make them eligible for the priority 

criterion. Applicants may cross 

reference more detailed information 

elsewhere in the application package. 

Applicants should carefully read Part E 

on scoring priority considerations before 

writing this section. Priority points will 

be awarded for the following: 

• Projects that provide assistance to 

USDA High Poverty Areas 

• Projects that serve small rural 

communities 

• Projects that incorporate 

commercially proven waste heat 

recovery technology 

• Projects that result in not less than 

a 25% increase in energy efficiency for 

generation assets; this includes 

repowering aging diesel plant 

• Projects that address extraordinary 

circumstances affecting the eligible high 

energy cost community such as a 

disaster, imminent hazard, unserved 

areas, and other economic hardship 

• Projects that serve Substantially 

Underserved Trust Areas (Identifying 

this requested priority in the application 

is not sufficient in itself to receive 

SUTA priority points. A separate letter 

request as described in Part C, section 

(1)(ii) of this notice is a prerequisite for 

receiving SUTA priority points.). 


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d. Application Part D—Additional 

Required Forms and Certifications 

The following forms and certifications 

must be executed and included as part 

of the application: 

• SF 424B, ‘‘Assurances—NonConstruction Programs’’ or SF 424D, 

‘‘Assurances—Construction Programs’’ 

(as applicable). All applicants applying 

through Grants.gov must use form SF 

424B. 

• SF LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying 

Activities.’’ All applicants must file this 

disclosure form (2 CFR 418.110). The 

applicant should complete name and 

address information. If no expenditure 

indicate $0, ‘‘none,’’ or ‘‘not applicable’’ 

in the reporting section. 

• Form AD–3030 ‘‘Representations 

Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax 

Delinquent Status for Corporate 

Applicants’’ (for corporate applicants 

only). 

• Rural Utilities Service 

‘‘Certification Regarding Debarment, 

Suspension and Other Responsibility 

Matter—Primary Covered 

Transactions.’’ 

• High Energy Cost Grant Program 

Environmental Questionnaire. This RUS 

environmental questionnaire solicits 

information about project characteristics 

and site-specific conditions that may 

involve environmental, historic 

preservation, and other resources. The 

information will be used by RUS’s 

environmental staff to determine what, 

if any, additional environmental impact 

analyses may be necessary before a final 

grant award may be approved. A copy 

of the environmental questionnaire and 

instructions for completion are included 

in the Application Guide and may be 

downloaded from RUS’s Web site or 

under funding opportunity 

announcement RD–RUS–HECG17 at 

Grants.gov. 

e. Application—Supplementary 

Materials (Not To Exceed 10 Pages) 

Applicants may include additional 

information for reviewers such as letters 

of support and any other supplementary 

materials not included as exhibits in the 

project narrative that support eligibility, 

or priority considerations. Letters from 

Congress and senior State Officials will 

not be counted against any page 

limitations. 

f. SUTA Consideration Requests 

Application formatting and content 

requirements for entities that have 

requested SUTA consideration are 

identical to those for other applicants. 

The letter request and supporting 

materials for SUTA consideration are 

submitted separately from the 

application package to be reviewed by 

the rating panel under this notice. Other 

than listing SUTA consideration as a 

line item in the list of requested priority 

points in the grant application, there is 

no provision for a duplicate discussion 

of the merits of SUTA eligibility in the 

required content and form of the 

application package under this notice. 

See discussion of SUTA above in Part C, 

Section (1)(ii) above and SUTA 

regulations at 7 CFR 1700.108 for 

additional information on what is 

required in the separate SUTA request. 

g. Number of Copies of Submitted 

Applications 

Paper application packages submitted 

to RUS must include the original signed 

application and two (2) copies. 

Only one electronic grant application 

submission through the Grants.gov Web 

site is required. 

iv. Information That Successful 

Applicants Must Submit After 

Notification That They Are a Selected 

Finalist for a Federal Award 

In addition to the information 

required to be submitted in the 

application package, RUS may request 

that applicants who are selected as 

finalists for an award provide additional 

information, analyses, forms and 

certifications before the grant agreement 

is signed and funds are obligated. These 

may include additional information and 

analyses for any environmental reviews 

and clearances under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 

U.S.C. 4321–4370h), other statutes, and 

USDA regulations. As discussed earlier, 

the agency will conduct due diligence 

and risk management reviews with 

respect to the selected finalists and 

additional inquiry on the part of the 

agency may be associated with this 

activity. The successful applicant may 

also be required to submit additional 

certifications required under USDA and 

Government-wide assistance 

regulations. RUS will advise the 

applicant in writing of any additional 

information required. 

3. Dun and Bradstreet Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) Number and 

System for Award Management (SAM) 

The applicant for a grant must supply 

a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number as 

part of an application. The Standard 

Form 424 (SF–424) contains a field for 

the DUNS number. The applicant can 

obtain a DUNS number free of charge by 

calling Dun and Bradstreet. Please see 

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform for 

more information on how to obtain a 

DUNS number or how to verify your 

organization’s number. 

Before submitting an application, the 

applicant must register in the System for 

Award Management (SAM) (formerly 

Central Contractor Registry, (CCR)). 

Applicants must register for the SAM at 

https://www.sam.gov. SAM registration 

must remain active with current 

information at all times while RUS is 

considering an application or while a 

Federal grant award is active. To 

maintain a SAM registration the 

applicant must review and update the 

information in the SAM database 

annually from the date of initial 

registration or from the date of the last 

update. The applicant must ensure that 

the information in the database is 

current, accurate, and complete. 

4. How To Submit—Submission Dates 

and Times 

Applicants may submit applications 

on paper directly to the Agency or 

electronically through Grants.gov. 

• Paper grant applications and SUTA 

consideration requests must be 

postmarked and mailed, shipped, or 

sent overnight to the address provided 

at the top of this notice under 

ADDRESSES no later than the deadline 

published at the top of this notice under 

DATES to be eligible for FY 2017 grant 

funding. RUS will begin accepting 

applications on the date of publication 

of this notice. RUS will accept for 

review all applications postmarked or 

delivered to it by this deadline. 

Applications should be marked 

‘‘Attention: High Energy Cost Grant 

Program.’’ 

For the purposes of determining the 

timeliness of an application RUS will 

accept the following as valid postmarks: 

The date stamped by the United States 

Postal Service on the outside of the 

package containing the application 

delivered by U.S. Mail; the date the 

package was received by a commercial 

delivery service as evidenced by the 

delivery label; the date received via 

hand delivery to RUS headquarters. Late 

applications will not be considered and 

will be rejected. 

RUS will not provide notifications 

acknowledging receipt of paper 

applications. Applicants should retain 

proof of mailing or shipping. 

Applicants are advised that regular 

mail deliveries to Federal Agencies, 

especially of oversized packages and 

envelopes, are frequently delayed by 

increased security screening 

requirements that include irradiation 

which may damage contents. Applicants 

may wish to consider using Express 

Mail or a commercial overnight delivery 

service instead of regular mail. 


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Applicants wishing to hand deliver or 

use courier services for delivery should 

contact an RUS representative in 

advance to arrange for building access. 

If an applicant wishes to submit such 

materials, they should contact an RUS 

representative for additional 

information. 

• Electronic grant applications must 

be filed with www.grants.gov on or 

before the deadline published at the top 

of this notice under DATES to be eligible 

for FY 2017 funding. RUS will review 

electronic applications and use the date 

and time an electronic application was 

posted for submission to Grants.gov to 

determine timeliness. Applications 

received by Grants.gov after the 

deadline will not be eligible for FY 2017 

grant funding and will be rejected. 

Applicants are encouraged to file 

electronic applications in advance of the 

deadline. Applicants encountering 

difficulty filing applications 

electronically must contact Grants.gov 

for assistance. 

Grants.gov will generate a receipt for 

application filing and for transmittal to 

USDA. RUS will not issue a separate 

acknowledgement of receipt. 

Acceptance of an application by 

Grants.gov does not constitute 

acceptance as an eligible and complete 

application by RUS. 

• If the submission deadline falls on 

Saturday, Sunday, or a Federal holiday, 

the application is due the next business 

day. 

5. Intergovernmental Review 

The High Energy Cost Grant Program 

is not subject to Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs’’ as implemented by USDA in 

2 CFR part 415. Applications do not 

have to be submitted to any State 

agencies for review before submittal. 

6. Funding Restrictions 

High Energy Cost Grant program 

funds are subject to certain limitations 

established by Federal statutes, 

regulations, and policies. These 

restrictions may preclude awards or 

reimbursements to certain applicants or 

for certain proposed activities and 

expenditures. 

i. Ineligible Purposes 

Grant funds cannot be used for: 

a. Preparation of the grant application; 

payment of any finder’s fees or 

incentives for assisting in the 

preparation or submission of an 

application; 

b. Purchases of fuel or payment of 

utility bills; 

c. Payment of applicant’s planning 

and administrative costs that exceed 4 

percent of the grant award; 

d. Routine maintenance or other 

operating costs; 

e. Purchase of equipment, structures, 

or real estate not directly associated 

with provision of residential energy 

services; 

f. Project construction costs incurred 

prior to the date of the grant award, 

except as provided in 7 CFR 1709.11(d); 

g. Costs of project development and 

feasibility analyses exceeding 10 

percent of total project costs; 

h. Projects that primarily or only 

consist of educational, outreach, and 

audit or assessment activities and do not 

include a substantial investment in 

physical infrastructure or energy saving 

improvements; 

i. Projects that primarily benefit a 

single household or business; 

j. Projects that primarily benefit areas 

outside of eligible communities; 

k. Research, development, 

demonstration, or commercialization 

activities; 

l. Refinancing or repayment of the 

applicant’s outstanding loans or loan 

guarantees under the Rural 

Electrification Act of 1936, as amended 

(7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.); 

m. Funding of political activities; 

n. Payment of any judgment or debt 

owed to the United States; or 

o. Providing any share or benefit to a 

member of Congress except as provided 

in 7 CFR 1709.20. 

In addition to the foregoing ineligible 

purposes, RUS may refuse to provide an 

award or reimbursement where the 

selected applicant has taken actions in 

violation of restrictions on certain 

project activities prior to completion of 

pre-award environmental review. See 

Part F, Section 2(i) of this notice and 7 

CFR part 1970, or its successor. 

ii. Limits on Indirect Charges and 

Markups 

The program statute expressly caps 

soft costs such as planning studies and 

administrative expenditures at 4% of 

the grant amount. The program 

regulation expressly states that 

development fees are not an eligible 

purpose. The legislative history for this 

program is clear that program dollars are 

for the primary benefit of the ultimate 

beneficiaries of the program. That said, 

the Agency has observed that equipment 

markups, project and grant management 

fees, indirect costs and other soft costs 

to be paid to third party participants are 

not identified as such in the standard 

form SF–424B as is typically required in 

applying for a Federal grant award. The 

details behind these SF–424B budget 

categories often become apparent only 

when the grantee is submitting an 

updated budget as a selected finalist or 

supporting documents for each draw 

request. This program enjoys a diversity 

of program applicants and developers. 

Some are institutional, others are more 

entrepreneurial, such as outside 

engineering firms who oversee and 

manage projects in addition to 

providing design services. Some of these 

program participants typically expect 

that a percentage of each grant will fund 

indirect overhead, others may levy 

surcharges on equipment purchased for 

the project, and some may charge fixed 

or variable project management fees. 

These arrangements result in less grant 

budget dollars being spent directly for 

the benefit of the ultimate project 

beneficiaries. 

The agency recognizes that the 

program and ultimate beneficiaries are 

enriched by the diversity of project 

sponsors, and that these parties are not 

expected to work for free. Nevertheless, 

applicants are put on notice that the 

agency does not expect to fund soft 

costs of this nature that exceed the 

following parameters: 

Indirect overhead charges may not 

exceed 4% (this is differentiated from 

the 4% discussed elsewhere that relates 

to planning and administrative costs 

that are directly charged to the project.) 

Equipment markups may not exceed 

10% inclusive of any exclusive 

distribution rights and may not be 

levied unless the service provider 

provides purchase credit to bridge 

receipt of grant disbursements. 

Project management services may not 

exceed the lower of 8% of the grant or 

the actual cost of management services 

calculated as a function of time and 

hourly pricing. 

Engineering design fees may not 

exceed 10%. 

Regardless of the labels attached to 

costs of this nature, the agency would 

expect the totality of such costs not to 

exceed 30% of the grant budget and may 

be expected to exercise its discretion not 

to fund anything that is not disclosed 

and approved in advance. The standard 

language in the form of grant agreement 

calls for an updated budget and 

implementation plan to be approved by 

the agency as a condition to the first 

advance of grant funds. The budget 

submitted as part of the application is 

not binding on the agency. 

7. Other Submission Requirements 

Grant applications may be submitted 

on paper or electronically. 


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i. Paper Applications 

Paper applications must follow the 

format instructions in Part D, Section 

2(ii) above. A completed paper 

application package must contain all 

required parts in the order indicated in 

the above Section 2 ‘‘Content and Form 

of Application Submission’’ and Table 

2. The paper application package must 

include one original application with 

original signatures on all forms and 

certifications and two complete copies. 

Paper applications must be 

postmarked and mailed, shipped, or 

sent overnight to the address provided 

at the top of this notice under 

ADDRESSES no later than the deadline 

published at the top of this notice under 

DATES. 

ii. Electronic Applications 

Electronic applications must follow 

formatting directions, including 

acceptable file attachment types 

specified on Grants.gov. Failure to 

follow the special instructions for 

electronic applications and Grants.gov 

guidance for attachments may result in 

an unreadable or incomplete application 

which will be rejected. 

Electronic applications must also 

contain all required parts in the order 

indicated in the above Part D, Section 2 

‘‘Content and Form of Application 

Submission’’ and Table 2. 

RUS will not accept applications via 

fax or electronic mail submissions. 

Electronic applications must be 

submitted through Grants.gov on or 

before the deadline published at the top 

of this notice under DATES. 

Supplemental information relating to 

electronic submissions is provided 

below. 

a. Electronic Application materials for 

the High Energy Cost Grant Program 

notice can be found by searching under 

Funding Opportunity Number: 

RD–RUS–HECG17 or Catalog of Federal 

Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 

No. 10.859. In addition to the Grants.gov 

mandatory forms, applicants must 

download, complete, and attach specific 

USDA and High Energy Cost Grant 

instructions, forms, and certifications to 

submit a complete electronic 

application package. Additional forms 

to be downloaded, completed, and 

uploaded to the Grants.gov application 

package include: The RUS ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Debarment, Suspension and 

Other Responsibility Matter—Primary 

Covered Transactions,’’ Form AD–3030 

‘‘Representations Regarding Felony 

Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status 

for Corporate Applicants’’ (for corporate 

applicants only), and the RUS 

Environmental Questionnaire. 

Electronic submissions that do not 

contain these required forms will be 

rejected as incomplete. 

b. Credentials and Authorizations for 

Electronic Applications 

I. System for Award Management 

All applicants must register with the 

System for Award Management. 

Submitting an application through 

Grants.gov requires that your 

organization list in the System for 

Award Management (SAM) (formerly 

Central Contractor Registry, CCR). The 

Agency strongly recommends that you 

obtain your organization’s DUNS 

number and SAM listing well in 

advance of the deadline specified in this 

notice. See https://www.sam.gov for 

more information on SAM and to 

register. 

II. Credentialing and Authorization of 

Applicants 

Grants.gov will also require some 

credentialing and online authentication 

procedures before you can submit an 

application. These procedures may take 

several business days to complete, 

further emphasizing the need for early 

action by applicants to complete the 

sign-up, credentialing and authorization 

procedures at Grants.gov before you 

submit an application at that Web site. 

III. Necessity for Updates 

Some or all of the SAM and 

Grants.gov registration, credentialing 

and authorizations require updates. If 

you have previously registered at 

Grants.gov to submit applications 

electronically, please ensure that your 

registration, credentialing and 

authorizations are up to date well in 

advance of the grant application 

deadline. 

c. Difficulties in Submitting Electronic 

Applications 

RUS encourages applicants who wish 

to apply through Grants.gov to submit 

their applications in advance of the 

deadlines. 

If a system problem occurs or you 

have technical difficulties with an 

electronic application, please use the 

customer support resources available at 

the Grants.gov Web site. 

In case of an electronic filing 

difficulty that cannot be resolved, 

applicants may download application 

materials and complete forms online 

through Grants.gov without completing 

the Grants.gov registration 

requirements. Application materials 

prepared online may be printed and 

submitted in paper to RUS as detailed 

above. 

E. Application Review Information 

This section describes the process and 

application review criteria that the RUS 

will use to evaluate the eligibility and 

merit of the applications packages 

submitted. This notice establishes the 

criteria and weights to be used and the 

evaluation process as provided by 

program regulations at 7 CFR part 1709. 

1. Criteria 

The Administrator of RUS has 

established the merit selection and 

priority consideration criteria for 

evaluating and scoring the applications 

submitted under this notice pursuant to 

program regulations at 7 CFR 1709.102 

and 1709.123. The criteria set forth 

below will be used by one or more 

rating panels to be selected by the 

Assistant Administrator, Electric 

Programs. Additional information on 

how scoring criteria will be applied can 

be found in the 2017 Application Guide. 

The maximum number of points to be 

awarded is 100. The maximum points 

available under project design and 

technical merit criteria are 65. The 

maximum number of points to be 

awarded under priority considerations 

that support USDA and RUS program 

priorities is 35. 

Table 3 shows the selection criteria 

and weights that will be used in scoring 

the 2017 applications: 

TABLE 3—PROJECT MERIT AND PRIORITY CONSIDERATION CRITERIA FOR 2017 NOSA 

Maximum 

points 

Project Design and Technical Merit (up to 65 Points) 

Assessment of Community Needs ...................................................................................................................................................... 15 

Project Design, Technical Feasibility and Responsiveness to Community Needs ............................................................................. 10 

Management Plan ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 

Organizational Experience ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 

Key Staff Experience ........................................................................................................................................................................... 5 


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TABLE 3—PROJECT MERIT AND PRIORITY CONSIDERATION CRITERIA FOR 2017 NOSA—Continued 

Maximum 

points 

Project Goals, Objectives and Performance Measures ...................................................................................................................... 3 

Project Reporting Plan ......................................................................................................................................................................... 2 

Project Budget, Financial Feasibility and matching contributions ....................................................................................................... 10 

State, local, or tribal rural development initiatives .............................................................................................................................. 5 

Priority Considerations (up to 35 points) 

High Poverty Areas Priority ................................................................................................................................................................. 10 

Rurality (Population) ............................................................................................................................................................................ 10 

(A) 50 States and Puerto Rico: 

1. 2,500 or less, 10 points; 

2. Between 2,501 and 5,000, inclusive, 7 points; 

3. Between 5,001 and 10,000, inclusive, 5 points; 

4. Between 10,001 and 20,000, inclusive, 3 points; and 

5. Above 20,000, 0 points. 

(B) Virgin Islands and Pacific Insular Areas, 10 points. 

Waste heat recovery projects that incorporate commercially proven technology .............................................................................. 5 

–OR– 

Energy efficiency projects that result in no less than a 25% increase in energy efficiency for generation assets, which may include projects that repower aging diesel plants. 

Extraordinary circumstances or conditions .......................................................................................................................................... 5 

SUTA Applications ............................................................................................................................................................................... 5 

Total Points ................................................................................................................................................................................... 100 

i. Project Design and Technical Merit 

Criteria (Up to 65 Points Total) 

Reviewers will consider the 

soundness of the applicant’s analysis of 

community needs and benefits, the 

adequacy of the proposed project plan, 

the technical feasibility of the project, 

the adequacy of financial and other 

resources, the competence and 

experience of the applicant and its team, 

project goals and objectives, and 

performance measures. Project 

proposals will be evaluated on how well 

the proposal addresses application 

content requirements and evaluation 

criteria and how well the application 

compares to other applications. A total 

of 65 points may be awarded under the 

following criteria. 

a. Assessment of Community Needs (Up 

to 15 Points) 

Under this criterion, reviewers will 

consider the applicant’s assessment of 

community needs and how the grant 

project addresses those needs and how 

the severity of identified needs 

compares to other applications. 

Reviewers will consider the 

identification and documentation of 

eligible communities, their populations, 

and assessment of community energy 

needs targeted by the grant project. 

Information on the severity of physical 

and economic challenges affecting 

eligible communities will be 

considered. Reviewers will weigh: (1) 

The applicant’s analysis of community 

energy challenges and (2) why the 

applicant’s proposal presents a greater 

need for Federal assistance than other 

competing applications. In assessing the 

applicant’s demonstration of 

community needs, the rating panel will 

consider information in the narrative 

proposal addressing the following: 

I. The burden placed on the 

community and individual households 

by extremely high energy costs. This 

burden may be evidenced by such 

quantitative measures as, for example, 

total energy expenditures, per unit 

energy costs, energy cost intensity for 

occupied space, or energy costs as a 

share of average household income, and 

persistence of extremely high energy 

costs compared to national or statewide 

averages; 

II. The hardships created by limited 

access to reliable and affordable energy 

services; 

III. The availability of other resources 

to support or supplement the proposed 

grant funding; and 

IV. Indications of community support 

for the proposed project solution to their 

energy challenges. 

b. Project Design, Technical Feasibility 

and Responsiveness to Community 

Needs. (Up to 10 Points) 

Reviewers will assess the technical 

and economic feasibility of the project 

and how well its goals and objectives 

address the challenges of the extremely 

high energy cost community. The panel 

will review the proposed design, 

construction, equipment, and materials 

for the community energy facilities in 

establishing technical feasibility. 

Reviewers may propose additional 

conditions on the grant award to assure 

that the project is technically sound. 

Reviewers will consider the adequacy of 

the applicant’s budget and resources to 

carry out the project as proposed and 

how the applicant proposes to manage 

available resources such as other grants, 

program income, and any other 

financing sources to maintain and 

operate a financially viable project once 

the grant period has ended. Reviewers 

may give higher scores to projects that 

are substantially ready to proceed with 

construction or implementation than to 

those that are early in the project 

development process. 

In this section, the applicant will be 

awarded points on the technological 

design of the project. The applicant 

must provide a narrative description of 

the project including a proposed scope 

of work identifying major tasks and 

proposed schedules for task completion, 

a detailed description of the equipment, 

facilities and associated activities to be 

financed with grant funds, the location 

of the eligible extremely high energy 

cost communities to be served, and an 

estimate of the overall duration of the 

project. The Project Design description 

should be sufficiently detailed to 

support a finding of technical 

feasibility. Proposed projects involving 

construction, repair, replacement, or 

improvement of electric generation, 

transmission, and distribution facilities 

must generally be consistent with the 

standards and requirements for projects 

financed with loans and loan guarantees 

under the RE Act as set forth in the 

Agency’s Electric Programs Regulations 

and Bulletins and may reference these 

requirements. 


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C. Management Plan (Up to 10 Points) 

Reviewers will assess the adequacy of 

the proposed management plan against 

the content requirements in this notice 

and in comparison to the quality of 

other applications received. Applicants 

should take care to address all the 

required content materials. Points will 

be awarded for robust management 

plans, and realistic succinct schedules. 

If the applicant proposes to secure 

equipment, design, construction, or 

other services from non-affiliated 

entities, the applicant must briefly 

describe how it plans to procure and/or 

contract for such equipment or services 

consistent with Federal requirements. 

Reviewers will award the highest points 

to applications that fully include all 

required information and support a 

finding that the combination of 

management team’s experience, 

financial management capabilities, 

resources and project structure will 

enable successful completion of the 

project. 

d. Organizational Experience (Up to 5 

Points) 

Reviewers will assess the applicant’s 

demonstrated experience in successfully 

administering and carrying out projects 

comparable to the grant proposal. In lieu 

of direct experience, reviewers will 

consider efforts applicant has taken to 

secure a capacity to provide energy 

services in rural areas. The Agency will 

consider the experience of the project 

team and the effectiveness of the 

program design in compensating for 

lack of extensive experience. If the 

applicant has received any HECG 

funding or other Federal funding, a 

detailed description of past performance 

is required in this section. Points will be 

awarded to organizations with proven 

track records or that have established a 

management structure and team with 

capacity and experience to carry out the 

project. Points will be awarded based on 

how well the applicant addressed the 

content requirements of this notice, the 

quality of the proposed project 

organizational capacity and how the 

proposal compares with other 

applications. 

e. Key Staff Experience (Up to 5 Points) 

Reviewers will assess the quality and 

capacity of the project team to carry out 

the proposal. Reviewers will consider 

whether the key project staff members 

possess demonstrated experience in 

successfully administering and carrying 

out projects that are comparable to the 

grant proposal. Reviewers may consider 

whether the project team includes staff 

or other identified consultants or 

contractors needed to successfully 

complete the project. If the applicant 

proposes to use affiliated entities, 

contractors, or subcontractors to provide 

services funded under the grant, 

reviewers will consider the identities, 

relationship, qualifications, and 

experience of these affiliated entities. 

Points will be awarded based on how 

well the applicant addressed the 

requirements in this notice and how the 

applicant’s proposal compares to other 

applications. 

f. Project Goals, Objectives and 

Performance Measures (Up to 3 Points) 

Applicants must clearly identify 

project goals, objectives and 

performance measures to track the 

progress and success of their proposed 

project. These goals and performance 

measures must be quantitative and 

empirically verifiable. These 

performance measures will be 

incorporated in the grant agreement 

under ongoing reporting requirements 

and used, together with other such data, 

to assess the overall benefits achieved as 

a result of the grant award. Examples of 

quantitative and verifiable results 

include but are not limited to gallons of 

diesel fuel saved annually, together with 

the related (quantified) emission 

reductions, annual reductions in the 

typical household electric bill within 

the community or annual fuel expense 

realized by the utility serving the 

community. Such measures may also 

include projections of avoided costs 

achieved as a result of the project. 

Qualitative descriptions of the benefits 

to be achieved which are not empirical 

in nature will not qualify for these 

points. No points will be awarded for 

this criteria if the application fails to 

identify quantitative, empirically 

verifiable performance measures for the 

proposed project. In the event a project 

proposes to serve previously unserved 

beneficiaries, the project performance 

measures should be quantitative in 

nature as well. Reviewers will assess the 

applicant’s plan to evaluate and report 

on the success and cost-effectiveness of 

financed activities. Reviewers will also 

assess whether applicant’s proposed 

measures provide a quantitative basis 

for tracking project success and whether 

the application provides documentation 

or references to support its statements 

about cost-effectiveness savings and 

improved services. Reviewers will 

award points based on how well the 

applicant meets the requirements of the 

notice, the effectiveness of the proposed 

measures to monitor performance, and 

how the application compares against 

performance objectives incorporated in 

other proposals. 

g. Project Reporting Plan (Up to 2 

Points) 

Reviewers will consider applicant’s 

description of the reporting plan and 

how it contributes to tracking progress 

and performance and the consequences 

if project falls behind schedule. 

Reviewers will assess points based on 

the adequacy of the plan and how well 

it compares to other applications. 

h. Project Budget, Financial Feasibility 

and Matching Contributions (Up to 10 

Points) 

Reviewers will consider whether 

applicant has fully responded to 

requirements of this notice and whether 

the narrative, forms and exhibits 

provide sufficient information to assess 

the adequacy of the project budget and 

the financial feasibility of the project. 

The budget materials must document 

that planned administrative and other 

expenses of the project sponsor that are 

not directly related to performance of 

the grant will not total more than 4 

percent of grant funds. The application 

must also identify the source and 

amount of any other Federal or nonFederal contributions of funds or 

services that will be used to support 

completion of the proposed project. 

Points will be awarded for 

completeness, realistic budget costs, and 

feasibility. Reviewers may consider total 

grant funds requested as a share of total 

project costs in assessing feasibility. All 

matching contributions must be clearly 

identified. No additional points will be 

awarded for matching contribution. 

Reviewers will consider them in 

assessing feasibility and commitment to 

completing the project. Reviewers will 

score the proposal based on how well 

the applicant’s budget submission fully 

complies with requirements of the 

notice and whether project resources, 

including the grant request and 

identified matching contributions, are 

adequate to complete the project as 

proposed. Reviewers will also assess 

how well the applicant’s proposal 

compared with other applications. 

i. State, Local, or Tribal Rural 

Development Initiatives (Up to 5 Points) 

The reviewing panel will assess how 

effectively the proposed project is 

coordinated with State rural 

development initiatives, if any, and is 

consistent with and supports these 

efforts. [Note: The term ‘‘State rural 

development initiatives’’ refers to state 

or tribal programs and not to USDA 

Rural Development programs.] The RUS 

will consider the documentation 

submitted for coordination efforts, 

community support and matching 


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contributions, and State or local 

government recommendations. 

Applicants should identify the extent to 

which the project is dependent on or 

tied to other rural development 

initiatives, funding, and approvals. 

Applicants are advised that they should 

address this criterion explicitly even if 

only to report that the project is not 

coordinated with or supporting a State 

rural development initiative. Failure to 

address this criterion will result in zero 

points awarded. 

ii. Priority Considerations (Up to 35 

Points Total) 

In addition to the points awarded for 

project design and technical merit, all 

proposals will be reviewed and awarded 

additional points based on certain 

characteristics of the project or the 

target community. USDA Rural 

Development Mission Area policies 

generally encourage agencies to give 

priority in their programs to rural areas 

of greatest need and to support other 

Federal policy initiatives. In furtherance 

of these policies, RUS will award 

additional points for the priorities 

identified in this notice. The priority 

criteria and point scores used in this 

notice are consistent with the program 

regulations in 7 CFR part 1709. The 

Agency will give priority consideration 

to areas suffering high poverty, smaller 

rural and remote communities. Projects 

serving communities experiencing 

extraordinary circumstances affecting 

their ability to provide energy services 

may also enjoy priority points. Priority 

points are also available for applications 

that the Administrator has accepted for 

consideration under Substantially 

Underserved Trust Area regulations at 7 

CFR part 1700, subpart D. A maximum 

of 35 total points may be awarded under 

the following priority criteria: 

a. High Poverty Areas (15 Points) 

USDA Rural Development is 

committed to reducing the impacts of 

high and persistent poverty in rural 

communities. The economic hardship of 

extensive and persistent poverty 

exacerbates the impacts of extremely 

high energy costs on families and 

businesses and hampers the 

community’s ability to meet its energy 

needs. In support of this USDA 

initiative, RUS will award 15 priority 

points for projects that serve 

communities in counties that are 

classified as High Poverty or Persistent 

Poverty by the USDA Economic 

Research Service ‘‘Geography of 

Poverty’’ Web page (http://

www.ers.usda.gov/topics/ruraleconomy-population/rural-poverty-wellbeing/geography-of-poverty.aspx) or that 

are located in a county with at least one 

census tract with a poverty rate of 20 

percent or more using data from the 

American Community Survey (ACS) 

that can easily be accessed through the 

Census Bureau American Fact Finder 

Web page (http://factfinder.census.gov/ 

faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml). 

Applicants may use other population 

and income data from the U.S. Census, 

state, or tribal sources if the ACS does 

not contain information for their 

community or project area. In the 

absence of accurate community 

information, the 2017 Application 

Guide provides additional details on 

high poverty areas. Reviewers will 

award 15 points for any application that 

serves one or more high poverty areas 

and that has required supporting 

population information. 

Note on Alternative Economic and 

Population Data for Eligible Territories 

and Insular Areas: RUS recognizes that 

comparable economic and household 

income information may not be 

available for eligible areas that are not 

States. Applicants from these areas 

should provide any public information 

that is readily available on territorial or 

national median household income and 

local community economic 

characteristics and other indication of 

economic challenge posed by extremely 

high energy costs. Applications from 

these areas will be scored based on the 

provided data. 

b. Rurality (Up to 10 Points) 

Consistent with the USDA Rural 

Development policy to target resources 

to smaller rural communities with 

significant needs and recognizing that 

smaller and remote communities are 

often comparatively disadvantaged in 

seeking assistance, RUS has established 

a sliding scale for awarding points based 

on population. RUS has also determined 

to award the full 10 points to 

applications from the Virgin Islands and 

eligible Pacific Insular areas. Reviewers 

will award additional points based on 

the rurality (as measured by population) 

of the project communities to be served 

with grant funds under one of two 

options below. 

I. Applications From the Fifty States 

and Puerto Rico 

Applications from any one of the fifty 

States or Puerto Rico, will be scored 

based on the population of the largest 

incorporated cities, towns, or villages, 

or census designated places included 

within the grant’s proposed project area. 

Points will be awarded based on the 

population of the largest target 

community within the proposed target 

area as follows: 

A. 2,500 or less, 10 points; 

B. Between 2,501 and 5,000, 

inclusive, 7 points; 

C. Between 5,001 and 10,000, 

inclusive, 5 points; 

D. Between 10,001 and 20,000, 

inclusive, 3 points; and 

E. Above 20,000, 0 points. 

Applicants must use the latest 

available population figures from the 

2010 U.S. Census available at American 

Fact Finder (http://

factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/ 

pages/index.xhtml) for every 

incorporated city, town, or village, or 

Census designated place included in the 

project community area. 

II. Applications From the Virgin Islands 

and Pacific Insular Areas (10 Points) 

The priority scoring criteria are 

intended to carry out Rural 

Development policy to give priority to 

areas most challenged by extremely high 

energy costs and those without access to 

substantial alternative economic and 

institutional resources to address these 

challenges, particularly rural, remote, 

and substantially-underserved areas. 

U.S. Census population and economic 

data have been used as proxy measures 

for rurality, remoteness, and economic 

challenges. It has become evident that 

comparable, up to date U.S. Census 

population and economic information 

are not easily available or are 

unavailable for communities in the 

Virgin Islands or Pacific insular areas. 

After consideration, RUS has decided to 

adopt an alternative methodology for 

scoring eligible applications from these 

areas. RUS will assign a rurality score of 

‘‘10’’ to applications from the Virgin 

Islands and eligible insular areas in the 

Pacific. This policy will place these 

applications on an equal footing with 

competing applications from other rural 

and remote areas. 

c. Waste Heat Recovery Projects or 

Energy Efficiency Projects (Up to 5 

Points) 

Reviewers will award up to 5 points 

for waste heat recovery projects where 

the project budget does not include the 

cost of new or re-powered generation. 

Waste heat recovery project costs may 

include duct and other delivery 

infrastructure up to but not within a 

structure wherein the recovered heat 

will be used. Waste heat recovery 

projects must incorporate commercially 

proven technology. 

Energy efficiency projects are also 

eligible for priority points, but only 

those which achieve the 25% 

improvement threshold set by the 

agency. The purpose of this threshold is 

to reserve priority points for projects 


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that meet a reasonably high bar rather 

than award points to project that 

achieve only nominal improvements. In 

order to receive these priority points the 

project scope must demonstrate that the 

efficiencies achieved at the point of 

generation will not be subsequently 

dissipated in distribution; such projects 

may well include distribution and 

weatherization improvements to assure 

the reviewers that efficiency 

improvements will be realized at the 

retail level. 

A project that proposes to repower an 

aging diesel plant with a new generator 

that incorporates waste heat recovery 

would receive 5 points. The purpose of 

this priority category is to allow priority 

points for one or another priority, but 

not allow double points for projects that 

combine both. 

d. Extraordinary Conditions or 

Circumstances (Up to 5 Points) 

The Administrator in his sole 

discretion has decided to provide up to 

5 points for project applications for 

communities that exhibit one or more 

extraordinary conditions or 

circumstances that affect the 

community’s ability to provide energy 

services or to make investments to 

reduce energy use or costs. This priority 

includes considerations that were 

recognized separately under prior 

notices as well as allowing for 

recognition of other extraordinary 

circumstances adversely impacting 

eligible high energy cost communities. 

The 2017 Application Guide has more 

detail on situations that may qualify an 

application for priority points under 

this criterion. Reviewers may award up 

to a total of 5 points, based on their 

assessment of the hardship presented, 

for the following extraordinary 

circumstances: 

I. Disaster 

The community has suffered a natural 

or other disaster that affected critical 

community energy facilities. The 

application must provide details of 

when the disaster occurred, the extent 

of damage, and available resources for 

disaster recovery, including assistance 

from other agencies. 

II. Unserved Energy Needs 

Consistent with the purposes of the 

RE Act, projects that meet unserved or 

underserved energy needs may be 

awarded points under this criterion. 

Examples of proposals that may qualify 

under this priority include projects that 

extend or improve electric or other 

energy services to communities and 

customers that do not have reliable 

centralized or commercial service or 

where many homes remain without 

such service because the costs are 

unaffordable. 

III. Imminent Hazard 

Reviewers may award priority 

consideration for any applications 

including a project to correct a 

condition posing an imminent hazard to 

public safety, welfare, the environment, 

or to a critical community or residential 

energy facility. Examples include 

community energy facilities in 

immediate danger of failure because of 

deteriorated condition, capacity 

limitations, damage from natural 

disasters or accidents, or other 

conditions where impending failure of 

existing facilities or absence of energy 

facilities creates a substantial threat to 

public health or safety, or to the 

environment. 

IV. Extreme Economic Hardship 

Reviewers may award additional 

priority points for projects serving 

communities with conditions creating a 

severe economic hardship to the 

community or the energy provider. The 

hardship must be adequately described 

and documented by the applicant. 

Examples include but are not limited to 

natural disasters, financially distressed 

local industry, and loss of major local 

employer, persistent poverty, 

outmigration, or other conditions 

adversely affecting the local economy, 

or contributing to unserved or 

underserved energy infrastructure needs 

that affect the economic health of the 

community. Applications from eligible 

areas that are not States will be scored 

under this alternative using information 

provided in the Application. The rating 

panel may assign points under this 

criterion, in lieu of awarding points 

based on the percentage of median 

household income. Award of priority 

points under this criterion is in addition 

to any that may be awarded for high 

poverty counties. Applicants may 

qualify under this criterion that do not 

meet the USDA Rural Development high 

poverty counties priority above. 

V. Substantially Underserved Trust 

Areas (5 Points) 

Under SUTA regulations at 7 CFR part 

1700, subpart D, eligible entities may 

request special consideration for 

applications for communities in trust 

areas that lack adequate levels or quality 

of service and are in high need of grant 

assistance. The Administrator, in his 

sole discretion, has determined to award 

5 points to any application from an 

eligible SUTA entity for projects serving 

eligible areas that are also eligible for 

the High Energy Cost Grant Program. To 

receive these points, the entity must 

submit a separate application and 

request for consideration under SUTA 

as provided in Part C, Section 1(ii) of 

this notice above and program 

regulations at 7 CFR part 1700, subpart 

D. The decision to provide SUTA 

consideration to an eligible application 

is solely at the discretion of the 

Administrator. 

Reviewers will award 5 points to any 

project application that has been 

accepted for consideration under SUTA. 

iii. Cost Sharing 

There is no requirement for matching 

contributions under the High Energy 

Cost Grant Program. The Agency has 

determined not to make cost 

contributions a separate scoring 

criterion. Consideration of matching 

contributions may be considered by the 

rating panel in assessing the financial 

capacity to complete the project, budget, 

and rural development initiative 

criteria. 

2. Review and Selection Process 

i. Determining Eligibility 

RUS will review all application 

packages received to determine if they 

were timely submitted on or before the 

deadline published at the top of this 

Notice under DATES. All timely received 

application packages will be reviewed 

for eligibility and completeness. Project 

proposals that contain all required 

application package content in 

acceptable format and that meet 

eligibility criteria will be accepted for 

consideration. Application packages 

that are late, incomplete or ineligible 

will be rejected. 

Applicants will be notified if they 

were found to be ineligible when 

selected finalists are announced. The 

determinations on timeliness, 

completeness and eligibility will be 

final. The rejection notice will provide 

information on any appeals that may 

apply with respect to rejections based 

on eligibility. 

After the application closing date, 

RUS will not consider any unsolicited 

information from the applicant. The 

Agency may contact the applicant for 

additional information or to clarify 

statements in the application required to 

establish applicant or community 

eligibility and completeness. RUS will 

not accept or solicit any additional 

information relating to the technical 

merits and feasibility of the grant 

proposal after the application closing 

date. 

The Agency will look only at the 

three-page narrative in Part B of the 

application package during the initial 


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screening process to determine if the 

applicant, community and project meet 

program eligibility requirements 

established in this notice and program 

regulations. 

ii. Evaluation and Scoring of Eligible 

Applications 

The Agency will use one or more 

rating panels composed of Agency 

employees to review and score eligible 

applications. The panel will evaluate 

and score the applications using the 

selection criteria and weights 

established in this notice along with the 

additional information provided in the 

2017 Application Guide. As part of the 

proposal review and ranking process, 

panel members may make comments 

and recommendations for appropriate 

conditions on grant awards to promote 

successful performance of the grant or to 

assure compliance with other Federal 

requirements. The decision to include 

panel recommendations on grant 

conditions in any grant award will be at 

the sole discretion of the RUS 

Administrator. 

The rating panel members’ individual 

scores for each application will be 

consolidated with those from other 

members to create a total score for each 

application. The panel will forward 

their individual scores and the ranked 

list of projects to the Assistant 

Administrator, Electric Programs, for 

review of consistency with this notice 

and program regulations. The Assistant 

Administrator may refer the ranked list 

or individual project scores back to the 

rating panel or to an individual member 

to correct any apparent error or 

inconsistency (such as awarding a 

higher number of points than allowed) 

or for questions about scoring of 

individual projects. The Assistant 

Administrator will then prepare a 

selection memo for the Administrator 

along with a list of ranked projects. 

iii. Review and Selection of 

Applications 

The RUS Administrator will review 

the application rankings and 

recommendations of the rating panel. 

The Administrator may return any 

application to the rating panel with 

written instruction for reconsideration 

if, in his sole discretion, he finds that 

the scoring of an application is 

inconsistent with this notice and the 

directions provided to the rating panel. 

Following any adjustments to the 

project in ranking, as a result of 

reconsideration, the Administrator will 

select finalists for grant awards. The 

Administrator will consider projects in 

rank order, taking into account the 

applications, the rankings, comments, 

and recommendations of the rating 

panel, and other pertinent information, 

including availability of funds. The 

Administrator may fund grant requests 

in rank order to the extent of available 

funds. Upon consideration of panel 

recommendations and availability of 

funds, the Administrator may, in his 

sole discretion, decide to offer an award 

of less than the full amount of grant 

requested by an applicant. If the 

applicant declines an award, the offer 

will be withdrawn. If at any point in the 

selection process sufficient funds are 

not available to fund the next ranked 

project, the Administrator may, in his 

sole discretion, offer a partial award to 

the next project, or skip over that project 

to the next ranking project that can be 

supported with available funding. The 

Administrator may in his sole 

discretion, make additional awards to 

unfunded applications in rank order if 

additional funds become available. 

Because of the limited amount of 

funds available, no applicant or project 

will receive more than one award under 

this notice. If two projects from the 

same applicant score high enough to 

potentially receive funding, the 

Administrator will select the project 

with the higher score. 

The Administrator may decide based 

on the recommendations of the rating 

panel, or in his sole discretion, that a 

grant award should be made contingent 

upon the applicant satisfying certain 

conditions. For example, RUS will not 

obligate funding for a selected project— 

such as projects requiring extensive 

environmental review and mitigation, 

preparation of detailed site specific 

engineering studies and designs, or 

requiring local permitting, or 

availability of supplemental financing— 

until any such additional conditions are 

satisfied and adequate funds remain 

available. In the event that any selected 

finalist fails to comply with all preaward conditions within the deadlines 

set by RUS, the award selection will be 

withdrawn. 

3. Notice to Applicants Regarding 

Certain Grant Awards 

This notice may result in awards 

where the total Federal share will be 

greater than the simplified acquisition 

threshold (See 2 CFR 200.88) on any 

Federal award under this notice over the 

period of performance (see 2 CFR 

200.88). Therefore, applicants are 

advised that: 

(i) RUS, prior to making a Federal 

award with a total amount of Federal 

share greater than the simplified 

acquisition threshold, is required to 

review and consider any information 

about the applicant that is in the 

designated integrity and performance 

system accessible through SAM 

(currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313); 

(ii) An applicant, at its option, may 

review information in the designated 

integrity and performance systems 

accessible through SAM and comment 

on any information about itself that a 

Federal awarding agency previously 

entered and is currently in the 

designated integrity and performance 

system accessible through SAM; and 

(iii) RUS will consider any comments 

by the applicant, in addition to the other 

information in the designated integrity 

and performance system, in making a 

judgment about the applicant’s integrity, 

business ethics, and record of 

performance under Federal awards 

when completing the review of risk 

posed by applicants as described in 2 

CFR part 200. 

4. Anticipated Announcement and 

Federal Award Dates 

After the Administrator’s decision, 

RUS will notify successful applicants 

that they have been selected as finalists 

for a grant award. This selection is 

subject to continued availability of 

funds and compliance with all postaward requirements including but not 

limited to completion of any additional 

environmental reviews and execution of 

a grant agreement satisfactory to RUS. 

This selection does not bind RUS to 

make a final grant award. Only an RUS 

grant agreement executed by the 

Administrator will constitute a binding 

obligation and commitment of Federal 

funds. Grant funds will not be awarded 

or disbursed until all requirements have 

been satisfied and are contingent on the 

continued availability of funds at the 

time of the award. RUS will advise 

selected applicants of any additional 

requirements or conditions. 

RUS anticipates that award decisions 

will be made within 6 months of the 

closing date, depending on availability 

of funds. Final selection announcements 

will be posted on our Web site (http:// 

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

high-energy-cost-grants). 

5. Appeals 

As discussed above, RUS will reject 

any application that in its sole 

discretion is not complete or that does 

not demonstrate that the applicant, 

community or project is eligible under 

the requirements of this NOSA and 

applicable program regulations. 

Applicants will be notified in writing of 

RUS’s decision. Applicants may appeal 

the eligibility rejection pursuant to 

program regulations on appeals at 7 CFR 

1709.6 for the high energy cost grant 

program. Applicants must appeal in 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 2017 / Notices 47465 

writing to the RUS Administrator within 

10 days after the applicant is notified of 

the determination to reject the 

application. The appeal must state the 

basis for the appeal. Appeals must be 

directed to the Administrator, Rural 

Utilities Service, United States 

Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., STOP 1500, 

Washington, DC 20250–1500. The 

Administrator will review the appeal to 

determine whether to sustain, reverse, 

or modify the original determination by 

the Assistant Administrator. The 

Administrator’s decision shall be final. 

A written copy of the Administrator’s 

decision will be furnished promptly to 

the applicant. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

1. Federal Award Notices 

RUS will notify all applicants in 

writing as to the outcome of their 

application. Successful applicants will 

be advised in writing that they are a 

selected finalist. The receipt of a finalist 

selection letter is not a binding award of 

Federal funds. The selection letter does 

not authorize the applicant to 

commence performance under the 

award. The Agency will advise the 

applicant of any additional 

requirements or pre-award conditions. 

After the pre-award conditions are 

satisfied, the Agency will send a 

conditions letter with all projectspecific terms and conditions to be 

included in the grant agreement. After 

the applicant indicates acceptance of 

these terms and conditions the 

Administrator will approve the award 

and execute the grant agreement. 

Successful applicants will be required 

to sign a grant agreement acceptable to 

the Agency and complete additional 

grant forms and certifications required 

by USDA as part of the process. 

An executed grant agreement and 

satisfaction of all conditions precedent 

to funding are a prerequisite to any 

advance of funds. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements. 

i. Environmental Review and Restriction 

on Certain Activities 

Following the announcement, 

selected applicants will be required to 

submit the appropriate environmental 

review documentation, as outlined in 

the RUS environmental questionnaire 

and to prepare and submit any other 

environmental impact analyses required 

by RUS Environmental Policies and 

Procedures (7 CFR part 1970). 

Successful applicants will be advised 

whether additional environmental 

review requirements apply to their 

proposals. These reviews may result in 

additional project conditions that RUS 

will include in the grant agreement. 

Also, as a condition of any award, 

applicants must also agree to comply 

with conditions imposed on the grant 

project by any other Federal, State, or 

Tribal environmental laws and 

regulations, licenses, or permits. 

In accordance with 7 CFR part 1970, 

applicants are restricted from taking 

actions that may have an adverse 

environmental impact or limit the 

choice of alternatives being considered 

until the environmental review process 

is concluded. If an applicant takes such 

actions, RUS will not award or advance 

grant funds. If the proposed grant 

project involves physical development 

activities or property acquisition, the 

applicant is generally prohibited from 

acquiring, rehabilitating, converting, 

leasing, repairing or constructing 

property or facilities, or committing or 

expending RUS or non-RUS funds for 

proposed grant activities until RUS has 

completed any environmental review in 

accordance with 7 CFR part 1970 or its 

successor, determined that no 

environmental review is required. 

ii. Other Federal Requirements 

High Energy Cost Grant Program 

Regulations (7 CFR part 1709), the 

requirements of this notice, the 2017 

Application Guide and accompanying 

materials establish the appropriate 

administrative and national policy 

requirements for awards under this 

program. These requirements include 

but are not limited to: 

a. Executing a Grant Agreement 

acceptable to the Agency; 

b. Signing Form AD–3031 

(‘‘Assurance Regarding Felony 

Conviction or Tax Delinquent Status for 

Corporate Applicants’’) (for corporate 

applicants only); 

c. Using the forms specified in the 

Grant Agreement for requesting 

advances and reimbursements and 

submitting and maintaining supporting 

documentation of expenditures and 

receipts for use of funds awarded under 

this grant; 

d. Providing quarterly project 

performance activity reports with 

required forms specified in the grant 

agreement until the expiration of the 

project term; 

e. Ensuring that records are 

maintained to document all grant 

supported activities and expenditures 

and matching contributions; 

f. Providing a final project 

performance report after completion of 

construction and one year’s worth of 

operation; 

g. Complying with policies, guidance, 

and requirements as described in the 

following applicable Federal 

regulations, and any successor 

regulations: 

• 2 CFR part 200, Office of 

Management and Budget, Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles, and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards; 

• 2 CFR part 400 United States 

Department of Agriculture, Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles, and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards; 

• 2 CFR part 180 (Office of 

Management and Budget Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Non 

procurement)); 

• 2 CFR part 416 (United States 

Department of Agriculture, General 

Program Administrative Regulations for 

Grants and Cooperative Agreements to 

State and Local Governments); 

• 2 CFR part 417 (United States 

Department of Agriculture, Governmentwide debarment and suspension (nonprocurement)); 

• 2 CFR part 418 (United States 

Department of Agriculture, New 

restrictions on Lobbying); 

• 2 CFR part 421 (United States 

Department of Agriculture, Governmentwide requirements for drug-free 

workplace (grants)); 

• 7 CFR part 15, subpart A United 

States Department of Agriculture, 

Nondiscrimination in Federally 

Assisted Programs of the Department of 

Agriculture—Effectuation of Title VI of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as more 

fully elaborated below); 

• 7 CFR part 1767 Rural Utilities 

Service (Accounting Requirements for 

RUS Electric Borrowers); and 

• 7 CFR part 1773 Rural Utilities 

Service (Policy on Audits of RUS 

Borrowers); and 

h. Civil Rights compliance includes 

but is not limited to the following: 

• Assurance Agreement. Each 

prospective recipient must sign RUS 

Form 266, Assurance Agreement, which 

assures USDA that the recipient is in 

compliance with Title VI of the Civil 

Rights Act of 1964, 7 CFR part 15 and 

other Agency regulations; and that no 

person will be discriminated against 

based on race, color or national origin, 

in regard to any program or activity for 

which the recipient receives Federal 

financial assistance; and that 

nondiscrimination statements are in 

advertisements and brochures. 

• Collect and maintain data provided 

by ultimate recipients on race, sex, and 

national origin and ensure that ultimate 

recipients collect and maintain this 

data. Race and ethnicity data will be 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
47466 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 2017 / Notices 

collect in accordance with OMB Federal 

Register notice, ‘‘Revisions to the 

Standards for the Classification of 

Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity’’ 

(published October 30, 1997 at 62 FR 

58782). Sex data will be collected in 

accordance with Title IX of the 

Education Amendments of 1972. These 

items should not be submitted with the 

application but should be available 

upon request by the Agency. 

• The applicant and the ultimate 

recipient must comply with Title VI of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of 

the Education Amendments of 1972, the 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 

1975, Executive Order 12250, and 7 CFR 

part 1901, subpart E. 

• The applicant and the ultimate 

recipient must comply with Executive 

Order 13166 ‘‘Limited English 

Proficiency.’’ For information on limited 

English proficiency and agency-specific 

guidance, go to hhtp://www.LEP.gov. 

• Construction Contract Equal 

Opportunity Clause. Each prospective 

recipient must execute Form RD 400–1 

which assures USDA that the recipient 

will include the prescribed equal 

opportunity clause in construction 

contracts where Federal financial 

assistance exceeds $10,000. 

Compliance with additional OMB 

Circulars or government-wide 

regulations may be specified in the grant 

agreement. 

3. Reporting. 

i. The grantee must provide periodic 

financial and performance reports under 

USDA grant regulations, program rules 

and the grant agreement. The grantee 

must submit a final project performance 

report. The nature and frequency of 

required reports is established in USDA 

grant regulations and the projectspecific grant agreements. 

ii. The applicant must have the 

necessary processes and systems in 

place to comply with the reporting 

requirements for first-tier sub-awards 

and executive compensation under the 

Federal Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act of 2006 in the event 

the applicant receives funding unless 

such applicant is exempt from such 

reporting requirements pursuant to 2 

CFR 170.110(b). The reporting 

requirements under the Transparency 

Act pursuant to 2 CFR part 170 are as 

follows: 

a. First Tier Sub-Awards of $25,000 or 

more in non-Recovery Act funds (unless 

they are exempt under 2 CFR part 170) 

must be reported by the Recipient to 

http://www.fsrs.gov no later than the 

end of the month following the month 

the obligation was made. Please note 

that a consolidation of eight federal 

procurement systems is currently 

underway, including the Sub-award 

Reporting System (FSRS), into one 

system, the System for Award 

Management (SAM). As a result, the 

FSRS will soon be consolidated into and 

accessed through https://www.sam.gov. 

b. Total Compensation of the 

Recipient’s Executives (5 most highly 

compensated executives) must be 

reported by the Recipient (if the 

Recipient meets the criteria under 2 CFR 

part 170) to https://www.sam.gov by the 

end of the month following the month 

in which the award was made. 

c. Total Compensation of the 

Subrecipient’s Executives. 

The Total Compensation of the 

Subrecipient’s Executives (5 most 

highly compensated executives) must be 

reported by the Subrecipient (if the 

Subrecipient meets the criteria under 2 

CFR part 170) to the Recipient by the 

end of the month following the month 

in which the sub award was made. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact 

The RUS Contact for this grant 

announcement is Robin Meigel, Finance 

Specialist, Rural Utilities Service, 

Electric Programs, United States 

Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., STOP 1568, 

Room 0270–S South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1568. 

Telephone (202) 720–9452, Fax (202) 

690–0717, email: Energy.Grants@

wdc.usda.gov. 

H. Other Information 

1. Disclosure of Information 

All material submitted by the 

applicant or grantee may be made 

available to the public in accordance 

with the Freedom of Information Act (5 

U.S.C. 552) and USDA’s implementing 

regulations at 7 CFR part 1. 

In addition, in compliance with 

statutory requirements for Federal 

spending transparency, USDA will 

announce all Federal awards publicly 

and publish the required information on 

a publicly available OMB-designated 

government-wide Web site (at time of 

publication, www.USAspending.gov). (2 

CFR 200.211). 

2. USDA Non-Discrimination Statement 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights laws and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, the USDA, its 

agencies, offices, and employees, and 

institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discriminating based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/ 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible agency or USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or contact USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at http://

www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_

cust.html and at any USDA office or 

write a letter addressed to USDA and 

provide in the letter all of the 

information requested in the form. To 

request a copy of the complaint form, 

call (866) 632–9992. Submit your 

completed form or letter to USDA by: 

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Office of the Assistant Secretary for 

Civil Rights, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., Stop 9410, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; Fax: (202) 690–7442; 

or, Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Dated: September 19, 2017. 

Christopher A. McLean, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–22042 Filed 10–11–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

[A–351–850] 

Silicon Metal From Brazil: Preliminary 

Affirmative Determination of Sales at 

Less Than Fair Value, Postponement 

of Final Determination, and Extension 

of Provisional Measures 

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce 

(the Department) preliminarily 

determines that silicon metal from 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES