Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2003/08/05/03-19696/emergency-and-imminent-community-water-assistance-grants
Timestamp: 2015-07-05 12:56:29
Document Index: 260229363

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1778', 'art 1700', 'art 1', 'art 1778', 'art 1778', 'ART 1778', '§ 1778', '§ 1778', '§ 1778', 'art 3017', 'art 3015', '§ 1778', '§ 1778', '§ 1780', 'art 1780', '§ 1778', '§ 1778', '§ 1951', 'art 1951', 'art 1951', '§ 1780', 'art 1780', '§ 1778']

Federal Register | Emergency and Imminent Community Water Assistance Grants
Publication Date: Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Dates: This rule will become effective September 19, 2003, unless we receive written adverse comments or written notice of intent to submit adverse comments on or before September 4, 2003. If we receive such comments or notice, we will publish a timely document in the Federal Register withdrawing the rule. A second public comment period will not be held. Parties interested in commenting on this action should do so at this time.
Effective Date: 09/19/2003
-46081 (5 pages)
0572-AB90
Document Number: 03-19696
Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/03-19696 Related Topics
The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is amending its regulation governing Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants (ECWAG). This action is needed to comply with requirements set forth in the 2002 Farm Bill. The intended effect is to amend the regulation so that it allows eligibility for the program to be extended to situations where an emergency is considered imminent.
Information Collection and Record Keeping Requirements
List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1778
This rule will become effective September 19, 2003, unless we receive written adverse comments or written notice of intent to submit adverse comments on or before September 4, 2003. If we receive such comments or notice, we will publish a timely document in the Federal Register withdrawing the rule. A second public comment period will not be held. Parties interested in commenting on this action should do so at this time.
Submit adverse written comments or notice of intent to submit adverse comments to F. Lamont Heppe, Jr., Program Development and Regulatory Analysis, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., STOP 1522, Room 5168, South Building, Washington, DC 20250, telephone number (202) 720-9550 or via facsimile transmission to (202) 720-4120. RUS requires a signed original and three copies of all comments (7 CFR Part 1700). All comments received will be made available for inspection in room 4034, South Building, Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. (7 CFR part 1.27(b)). Comments regarding the information and recordkeeping requirement must be received by October 6, 2003.
Robin Pulkkinen, Loan Specialist, Water and Environmental Programs, Rural Utilities Service, Room 2229 South Building, Stop 1570, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20250-1570. Telephone: (202) 720-9636, FAX: (202) 690-0649, E-mail: rpulkkin@rus.usda.gov.
RUS has determined that this rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, as defined in the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The amendments reflect changes needed to comply with requirements set forth in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.
Information Collection and Record Keeping Requirements Back to Top
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), RUS invites comments on this information collection for which RUS intends to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). These requirements have been approved by emergency clearance under OMB Control Number 0572-0110.
Comments on this notice must be received by October 6, 2003.
All responses to this information collection and recordkeeping notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record. National Environmental Policy Act Certification Back to Top
The program described by this proposed rule is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Programs under number 10.763—Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants. This catalog is available on a subscription basis from the Superintendent of Documents, the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 20402-9325, telephone number (202) 512-1800. This program is subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372 which requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local officials.
This rule contains no Federal mandates (under the regulatory provision of title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995) for State, local, and tribal governments or the private sector. Therefore, this rule is not subject to the requirements of section 202 and 205 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
This action amends the existing regulation for the Emergency Community Water Assistance Grant Program to allow grants to be made before an emergency has actually occurred.
The ECWAG program was authorized by the Rural Development Act of 1972. The grants are made to public bodies, nonprofit corporations, and Indian tribes for the purpose of improving rural living standards and for other purposes that create safe and affordable drinking water in rural areas or towns with a population not exceeding 10,000 inhabitants.
Under the revised regulation, grants may be made for situations where an emergency is imminent, but has not yet occurred. Applicants will be expected to furnish evidence that an emergency is expected to occur. The 2002 Farm Bill also increased the limit for the category of projects covering repairs and significant maintenance to $150,000.
List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1778 Back to Top
Loan program—housing and community development
Therefore, the Rural Utilities Service revises 7 CFR part 1778 to read as follows:
PART 1778—EMERGENCY AND IMMINENT COMMUNITY WATER ASSISTANCE GRANTS Back to Top
1778.1 General.
1778.2 [Reserved]
1778.3 Objective.
1778.4 Definitions.
1778.5 [Reserved]
1778.6 Eligibility.
1778.7 Project priority.
1778.8 [Reserved]
1778.9 Uses.
1778.10 Restrictions.
1778.11 Maximum grants.
1778.12 [Reserved]
1778.13 Set-aside.
1778.14 Other considerations.
1778.15-1778.20 [Reserved]
1778.21 Application processing.
1778.22 Planning development and procurement.
1778.23 Grant closing and disbursement of funds.
1778.24-1778.30 [Reserved]
1778.31 Performing development.
1778.32 [Reserved]
1778.33 [Reserved]
1778.34 Grant servicing.
1778.35 Subsequent grants.
1778.36 [Reserved]
1778.37 Forms, Instructions and Bulletins.
1778.38—1778.99 [Reserved]
1778.100 OMB control number.
Rural areas. Includes any area not in a city or town with a population in excess of 10,000 inhabitants, according to the latest decennial census of the United States. located in any of the fifty States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Western Pacific Territories, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Significant decline in quality. A significant decline in quality of potable water occurs when the present community source or delivery system does not meet, as a result of an emergency, the current SDWA requirements. For a private source or delivery system a significant decline in quality occurs when the water is no longer potable as a result of an emergency. As used in this Subpart, the term significant decline in quality may also include a situation where a significant decline is likely to occur within one year from the date of the filing of an application.
(b) In the case of grants made to alleviate a significant decline in quantity or quality of water available from the water supplies of rural residents, the applicant must demonstrate that the decline occurred within two years of the date the application was filed with the Agency. This would not apply to grants made for repairs, partial replacement, or significant maintenance on an established water system. In situations involving imminent decline, evidence must be presented to demonstrate that the decline is likely to occur within one year of the date the application is filed with the Agency.
(5) Acute shortage. Grants made in accordance with § 1778.11(b) of this part to assist an established water system remedy an acute shortage of quality water or correct a significant decline in the quantity or quality of water that is available—10 points.
(6) Discretionary. In certain cases the Administrator may assign up to 30 points for items such as geographic distribution of funds, rural residents hauling water, severe contamination levels, etc.
(k) Provide potable water to communities through means other than those covered above for not to exceed 120 days when a more permanent solution is not feasible in a shorter time frame.
(1) Assist any city or town with a population in excess of 10,000 inhabitants according to the most recent decennial census of the United States. Facilities financed by RUS may be located in non-rural areas. However, loan and grant funds may be used to finance only that portion of the facility serving rural areas, regardless of facility location.
(2) Assist a rural area that has a median household income in excess of the statewide nonmetropolitan median household income according to the most recent decennial census of the United States.
(8) Refinance existing indebtedness, except for short-term debt incurred in accordance with § 1778.9(h).
(a) At least 70 percent of all grants made under this grant program shall be for projects funded in accordance with § 1778.11(a).
(b) At least 50 percent of the funds appropriated for this grant program shall be allocated to rural areas with populations not in excess of 3,000 inhabitants according to the most recent decennial census of the United States.
(e) Governmentwide debarment and suspension (nonprocurement) and requirements for drug-free work place. All projects must comply with the requirements set forth in the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations 7 CFR part 3017 and RD Instruction 1940-M.
(f) Intergovernmental review. All projects funded under this part are subject to Executive Order 12372 (3 CFR, 1983 Comp., p. 197), which requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local officials. These requirements are set forth in U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations 7 CFR part 3015, Subpart V, and RD Instruction 1940-J.
§§ 1778.15—1778.20 [Reserved]
(a) The material submitted with the application should include the Preliminary Engineering Report, population and median household income of the area to be served, description of project, and nature of emergency that caused the problem(s) being addressed by the project. The documentation must clearly show that the applicant has had a significant decline in the quantity or quality of potable water or an acute shortage of potable water, or that such a decline or shortage is imminent, and that the proposed project will eliminate or alleviate the problem. For projects to be funded in accordance with § 1778.11 (a), evidence must be furnished that a significant decline in quantity or quality occurred within two years before filing the application with the Agency, or is expected to occur within one year after filing the application.
(a) Grants will be closed in accordance with § 1780.45 of part 1780 of this chapter.
(b) After filing an application in accordance with § 1778.21 and when immediate action is necessary, the State Program Official may concur in an applicant's request to proceed with construction before funds are obligated provided the RUS environmental requirements are complied with. The applicant must be advised in writing that:
§ 1778.32-33 [Reserved]
(a) Grants will be serviced in accordance with § 1951.215 of subpart E of part 1951 of this title and subpart O of part 1951 of this title.
(b) The grantee will provide an audit report in accordance with § 1780.47 of part 1780 of this chapter.
Subsequent grants will be processed in accordance with the requirements set forth in this part. The initial and subsequent grants made to complete a previously approved project must comply with the maximum grant requirements set forth in § 1778.11.
[FR Doc. 03-19696 Filed 8-4-03; 8:45 am]