(E) Rural capital creation.
(F) Tourism.
(G) Technological linkages among edu-
cational institutions, libraries, and businesses.
(2) EXCLUDED PURPOSES.—The purposes de-
scribed
in
this
subsection
do
not
include
the
following:
(A) Planning by the applicant.
(B) Reimbursement of operating expenses
of county rural development boards or local
governments.
(C) Reimbursement of costs associated
with application for a grant under this section
or the administration of grants made by county
rural development boards with funds provided
under this section.
(c) APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Within 60 days after receipt
of an application submitted under this section, the
Secretary shall determine whether to approve or dis-
approve the application. If the Secretary disapproves
the application, the Secretary shall provide the appli-
cant with the reasons therefore and with suggestions
and recommendations for future applications for
grants under this section.
(2) FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED.—In deter-
mining whether to approve applications for grants
under this section, the Secretary shall give priority
to those applications that document at least 4 of the
following:
(A) That the rural unemployment rate for
the county is greater than the national average
unemployment rate for the United States.
(B) That there is a significant level of
rural poverty in the county.
(C) That there is a record of rural environ-
mental degradation in the county.
(D) That there has been significant migra-
tion from the county.
(E) That the percentage of adult residents
of the county with high school diplomas is less
than the national average of adults with high
school diplomas.
(F) That the economy of the county is ex-
cessively dependent on tobacco or any other sin-
gle crop.
(G) That there has been a decline in the
manufacturing base of the county.
(H) How the proximity to, or the relation-
ship or economic linkages of the county to, a
nearby central regional urban core could be
strengthened through the projects proposed in
the application so as to provide local stability.
(I) A history of improvements and local
commitment to the educational, social, library,
and financial systems of the county.
(J) That the economy of the county is de-
pendent on a single industry.
(3) 
FACTORS
TO
BE
GIVEN
GREATEST
WEIGHT.—In determining whether to approve appli-
cations for grants under this section, the Secretary
shall, subject to paragraph (4), give the greatest pri-
ority to applications that demonstrate—
(A) community commitment to the projects
proposed in the application;
(B) a long-term strategy for rural develop-
ment; and
(C) the ability of the county to achieve
rural economic and social improvement and
stability.
(4) OTHER
REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary
may not approve an application for grants under
this section unless the application demonstrates—
(A) that the applicant, the rural develop-
ment council of the State in which the applicant
is located, the substate regional organization in
the region in which the applicant is located, and
1862 and 1890 land grant institutions in the
State in which the applicant is located have co-
operated in—
(i) identifying regional methods of col-
laboration;
(ii) assessing and documenting the
economic, social, and cultural connections
between
rural
areas
and
metropolitan
entities;
(iii) preparing regional resource as-
sessments;
(iv) encouraging and developing—
(I) collaborative efforts between
the 1862 and 1890 land grant institu-
tions and substate regional organiza-
tions in the State;
(II) memoranda of agreement
among such entities; and
(III) methods for coordination
and communication among such enti-
ties;
(v) developing methods of—