Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting Applications for the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program, 21327-21329 [2011-9214]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 73 / Friday, April 15, 2011 / Notices
MAP applicants plus, for those groups
participating in the Cooperator program,
the 2-year average share (2010–2011) of
Cooperator marketing plan budgets.
(c) Projected Export Goals (15)
• The total dollar value of projected
exports promoted by the applicant for
2012 compared to;
• The applicant’s requested funding
level;
(d) Accuracy of Past Projections (15)
• Actual exports for 2010 as reported
in the 2012 MAP application compared
to;
• Past projections of exports for 2010
as specified in the 2010 MAP
application.
The Commodity Branches’
recommended funding levels for each
applicant are converted to percentages
of the total MAP funds available and
then multiplied by each weight factor as
described above to determine the
amount of funds allocated to each
applicant.
2. Anticipated Announcement Date:
Announcements of funding decisions
for the MAP are anticipated during
October 2011.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: The FAS will notify
each applicant in writing of the final
disposition of its application. The FAS
will send an approval letter and
program agreement to each approved
applicant. The approval letter and
program agreement will specify the
terms and conditions applicable to the
project, including the levels of MAP
funding and cost-share contribution
requirements.
2. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements: Interested parties should
review the MAP regulations, which are
available at the following URL address:
https://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/
map.asp. Hard copies may be obtained
by contacting the Program Operations
Division.
3. Reporting: The FAS requires
various reports and evaluations from
MAP participants. Reporting
requirements are detailed in the MAP
regulations in section 1485.20(b) and
(c).
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
VII. Agency Contact(s)
For additional information and
assistance, contact the Program
Operations Division, Office of Trade
Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service,
U.S. Department of Agriculture at:
Portals Office Building, Suite 400, 1250
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington,
DC 20024, or by phone: (202) 720–4327,
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:58 Apr 14, 2011
Jkt 223001
or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by e-mail:
podadmin@fas.usda.gov.
Signed at Washington, DC, on the 25th of
March, 2011.
John D. Brewer,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service,
and Vice President, Commodity Credit
Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2011–9217 Filed 4–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–10–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting
Applications for the Foreign Market
Development Cooperator Program
Announcement Type: New.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.600.
SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit
Corporation (CCC) announces that it is
inviting proposals for the 2012 Foreign
Market Development Cooperator
(Cooperator) program. The intended
effect of this notice is to solicit
applications from eligible applicants for
2012 and to award funds in October
2011. The Cooperator program is
administered by personnel of the
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).
DATES: All applications must be
received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Time, May 16, 2011. Applications
received after this date will not be
considered.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Entities wishing to apply for funding
assistance should contact the Program
Operations Division, Office of Trade
Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service,
Portals Office Building, Suite 400, 1250
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington,
DC 20024, or by phone: (202) 720–4327,
or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by e-mail:
podadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is
also available on the FAS Web site at
https://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/
fmdprogram.asp.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Authority: The Cooperator program is
authorized by title VII of the
Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, as
amended. Cooperator program
regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1484.
Purpose: The Cooperator program is
designed to create, expand, and
maintain foreign markets for U.S.
agricultural commodities and products
through cost-share assistance. Financial
assistance under the Cooperator
program will be made available on a
competitive basis and applications will
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
21327
be reviewed against the evaluation
criteria contained herein and in the
Cooperator program regulations. All
U.S. agricultural commodities, except
tobacco, are eligible for consideration.
The FAS allocates funds in a manner
that effectively supports the strategic
decision-making initiatives of the
Government Performance and Results
Act (GPRA) of 1993. In deciding
whether a proposed project will
contribute to the effective creation,
expansion, or maintenance of foreign
markets, the FAS considers whether the
applicant provides a clear, long-term
agricultural trade strategy, and a
program effectiveness time line against
which results can be measured at
specific intervals using quantifiable
product or country goals. The FAS also
considers the extent to which a
proposed project targets markets with
the greatest growth potential. These
factors are part of the FAS resource
allocation strategy to fund applicants
who can demonstrate performance and
address the objectives of the GPRA.
II. Award Information
Under the Cooperator program, the
FAS enters into agreements with eligible
nonprofit U.S. trade organizations to
share the cost of certain overseas
marketing and promotion activities.
Funding priority is given to
organizations that have the broadest
possible producer representation of the
commodity being promoted and that are
nationwide in membership and scope.
Cooperators may receive assistance only
for generic activities that do not involve
promotions targeted directly to
consumers. The program generally
operates on a reimbursement basis.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: To participate
in the Cooperator program, an applicant
must be a nonprofit U.S. agricultural
trade organization.
2. Cost Sharing: To participate in the
Cooperator program, an applicant must
agree to contribute resources to its
proposed promotional activities. The
Cooperator program is intended to
supplement, not supplant, the efforts of
the U.S. private sector. The contribution
must be at least 50 percent of the value
of resources provided by CCC for
activities conducted under the project
agreement.
The degree of commitment of an
applicant to the promotional strategies
contained in its application, as
represented by the agreed cost-share
contributions specified therein, is
considered by the FAS when
determining which applications will be
approved for funding. Cost-share may be
E:\FR\FM\15APN1.SGM
15APN1
21328
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 73 / Friday, April 15, 2011 / Notices
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
actual cash invested or in-kind
contributions, such as professional staff
time spent on design and execution of
activities. The Cooperator program
regulations, including sections 1484.50
and 1484.51, provide detailed
discussion of eligible and ineligible
cost-share contributions.
3. Other: Applications should include
a justification for funding assistance
from the program—an explanation as to
what specifically could not be
accomplished without federal funding
assistance and why participating
organization(s) are unlikely to carry out
the project without such assistance.
IV. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address to Request Application
Package: Organizations are encouraged
to submit their FMD applications to the
FAS through the Unified Export
Strategy (UES) application Internet Web
site. The UES allows applicants to
submit a single consolidated and
strategically coordinated proposal that
incorporates requests for funding and
recommendations for virtually all of the
FAS marketing programs, financial
assistance programs, and market access
programs. The suggested UES format
encourages applicants to examine the
constraints or barriers to trade faced,
identify activities that would help
overcome such impediments, consider
the entire pool of complementary
marketing tools and program resources,
and establish realistic export goals.
Applicants planning to use the
Internet-based system must contact the
FAS/Program Operations Division to
obtain site access information. The
Internet-based application may be found
at the following URL address: https://
www.fas.usda.gov/ues/webapp/.
The FAS highly recommends
applying via the Internet-based
application as this format virtually
eliminates paperwork and expedites the
FAS processing and review cycle.
However, applicants also have the
option of submitting an electronic
version of their application to FAS at
podadmin@fas.usda.gov.
2. Content and Form of Application
Submission: To be considered for the
Cooperator program, an applicant must
submit to the FAS information required
by the Cooperator program regulations
in section 1484.20. In addition, in
accordance with the Office of
Management and Budget’s policy (68 FR
38402 (June 27, 2003)) regarding the
need to identify entities that are
receiving government awards, all
applicants must submit a Dun and
Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) number. An applicant
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:58 Apr 14, 2011
Jkt 223001
may request a DUNS number at no cost
by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS
number request line at 1–866–705–5711.
Incomplete applications and
applications that do not otherwise
conform to this announcement will not
be accepted for review.
The FAS administers various other
agricultural export assistance programs,
including the Market Access Program
(MAP), the Emerging Markets Program,
the Quality Samples Program, and the
Technical Assistance for Specialty
Crops Program. Any organization that is
not interested in applying for the
Cooperator program but would like to
request assistance through one of the
other programs mentioned should
contact the Program Operations
Division.
3. Submission Dates and Times: All
applications must be received by 5 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time, May 16, 2011.
All Cooperator program applicants,
regardless of the method of submitting
an application, also must submit by the
application deadline, an original signed
certification statement as specified in 7
CFR section 1484.20(a)(14) to the
Program Operations Division, Office of
Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Portals Office Building, Suite 400, 1250
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington,
DC 20024. Applications or certifications
received after this date will not be
considered.
4. Funding Restrictions: Certain types
of expenses are not eligible for
reimbursement by the program, and
there are limits on other categories of
expenses. CCC also will not reimburse
unreasonable expenditures or
expenditures made prior to approval.
Full details are available in the
Cooperator program regulations
including sections 1484.54 and 1484.55.
V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria and Review Process:
Following is a description of the FAS
process for reviewing applications and
the criteria for allocating available
Cooperator program funds.
(1) Phase 1—Sufficiency Review and
FAS Divisional Review
Applications received by the closing
date will be reviewed by FAS to
determine the eligibility of the
applicants and the completeness of the
applications. These requirements appear
in sections 1484.14 and 1484.20 of the
Cooperator program regulations.
Applications that meet the requirements
then will be further evaluated by the
appropriate Commodity Branch office of
the FAS/Cooperator Programs Division.
The Commodity Branch will review
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
each application against the criteria
listed in sections 1484.21 and 1484.22
of the Cooperator program regulations.
The purpose of this review is to identify
meritorious proposals and to
recommend an appropriate funding
level for each application based upon
these criteria.
(2) Phase 2—Competitive Review
Meritorious applications then will be
passed on to the Office of the Deputy
Administrator, Office of Trade
Programs, for the purpose of allocating
available funds among the applicants.
Applicants will compete for funds on
the basis of the following allocation
criteria (the number in parentheses
represents a percentage weight factor):
(a) Contribution Level (40)
• The applicant’s 6-year average share
(2007–2012) of all contributions
(contributions may include cash and
goods and services provided by U.S.
entities in support of foreign market
development activities) compared to;
• The applicant’s 6-year average share
(2007–2012) of all Cooperator marketing
plan expenditures.
(b) Past Export Performance (20)
• The 6-year average share (2006–
2011) of the value of exports promoted
by the applicant compared to;
• The applicant’s 6-year average share
(2006–2011) of all Cooperator marketing
plan expenditures plus a 6-year average
share (2006–2011) of MAP
expenditures, if any.
(c) Past Demand Expansion Performance
(20)
• The 6-year average share (2006–
2011) of the total value of world trade
of the commodities promoted by the
applicant compared to;
• The applicant’s 6-year average share
(2006–2011) of all Cooperator marketing
plan expenditures plus a 6-year average
share (2006–2011) of MAP
expenditures, if any.
(d) Future Demand Expansion Goals
(10)
• The projected total dollar value of
world trade of the commodities being
promoted by the applicant for the year
2017 compared to;
• The applicant’s requested funding
level.
(e) Accuracy of Past Demand Expansion
Projections (10)
• The actual dollar value share of
world trade of the commodities being
promoted by the applicant for the year
2010 compared to;
• The applicant’s past projected share
of world trade of the commodities being
E:\FR\FM\15APN1.SGM
15APN1
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 73 / Friday, April 15, 2011 / Notices
promoted by the applicant for the year
2010, as specified in the 2007
Cooperator program application.
The Commodity Branches’
recommended funding levels for each
applicant are converted to percentages
of the total Cooperator program funds
available and then multiplied by each
weight factor to determine the amount
of funds allocated to each applicant.
2. Anticipated Announcement Date:
Announcements of funding decisions
for the Cooperator program are
anticipated during October 2011.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: The FAS will notify
each applicant in writing of the final
disposition of its application. The FAS
will send an approval letter and project
agreement to each approved applicant.
The approval letter and project
agreement will specify the terms and
conditions applicable to the project,
including the levels of Cooperator
program funding, and cost-share
contribution requirements.
2. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements: Interested parties should
review the Cooperator program
regulations, which are available at the
following URL address: https://
www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/
fmdprogram.asp. Hard copies may be
obtained by contacting the Program
Operations Division.
3. Reporting: The FAS requires
various reports and evaluations from
Cooperators. Reporting requirements are
detailed in the Cooperator program
regulations in sections 1484.53, 1484.70,
and 1484.72.
VII. Agency Contact(s)
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
For additional information and
assistance, contact the Program
Operations Division, Office of Trade
Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service,
U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Courier address: Portals Office
Building, Suite 400, 1250 Maryland
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20024, or
by phone: (202) 720–4327, or by fax:
(202) 720–9361, or by e-mail:
podadmin@fas.usda.gov.
Signed at Washington, DC, on the 25th of
March, 2011.
John D. Brewer,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service,
and Vice President, Commodity Credit
Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2011–9214 Filed 4–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–10–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:58 Apr 14, 2011
Jkt 223001
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest;
Nevada; Environmental Impact
Statement for Geothermal Leasing on
the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of Intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Humboldt-Toiyabe
National Forest (HTNF) will prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) to
evaluate certain National Forest System
(NFS) lands for geothermal leasing
availability. The project area includes
NFS lands on the HTNF in Douglas,
Lyon, Mineral, Lander, Nye and White
Pine County, NV.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by May
16, 2011. The draft environmental
impact statement is expected in October
2011 and the final environmental
impact statement is expected in March
2012.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Keith Whaley, Project Manager,
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest,
Bridgeport Ranger District, HC 62 Box
1000, Bridgeport, CA 93517. Comments
may also be sent via e-mail to
comments-intermtn-humboldt-toiyabe
@fs.fed.us or via facsimile to (760) 932–
5899. Comments can be hand-delivered
to: Bridgeport Ranger Station, Highway
395 South, Bridgeport, CA, Attn. Keith
Whaley. Comments received in response
to this Notice of Intent (NOI), including
names and addresses of those who
comment, will be considered part of the
public record for this project and will be
available for public inspection and will
be released, if requested, under the
Freedom of Information Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Keith Whaley, Project Manager,
Bridgeport Ranger District, HC 62 Box
1000, Bridgeport, CA 93517; Telephone:
(760) 932–5821; E-mail:
kwhaley@fs.fed.us.
Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of the proposed action is
to determine if certain lands within the
HTNF may be made available for
geothermal leasing, and if so, to identify
reasonable and necessary conditions to
protect surface resources. The need for
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
21329
the proposed action is to allow the FS
to satisfy their respective statutory and
policy mandates in responding to
requests for the environmentally
responsible development of energy
resources; to address provisions of the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Sections 211
and 222[d][1]); respond to other policy
directives calling for clean and
renewable energy; and to meet the
increasing energy demands of the nation
while reducing reliance on foreign
energy imports, reducing greenhouse
gas emissions, and improving national
security.
Proposed Action
The HTNF would make
approximately 662,700 acres of NFS
lands administratively available for
geothermal leasing. The lands to be
made available encompass the Nevada
portion of the Bridgeport Ranger District
(approximately 659,000 acres), one area
on the Austin Ranger District
(approximately 3,200 acres), one area
(approximately 160 acres) on the
Tonopah District and one area on the
Ely Ranger District (approximately 3,574
acres). Leasing would include
stipulations from Chapter 2 of the
Geothermal Leasing Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (BLM,
October 2008) and other stipulations
determined to be reasonable and
necessary to protect surface resources.
The Decision resulting from this
analysis would not affect any prior
decisions on: (1) Geothermal leases in
effect (2) Regional Forester Consent
Decisions for specific geothermal leases
or (3) lands made available under
previous Forest-Level Availability
Determination Decisions at the time said
Decision is made. In addition, this
analysis does not make any leasing
determination decisions on any lands
being analyzed under a separate
environmental analysis at the time of
this EIS.
Possible Alternatives
The No-Action Alternative: The USFS
would not make an availability
determination on these lands identified
under this analysis. Processing of
geothermal lease applications and
nominations would continue, however,
they would be evaluated on a case-bycase basis under separate NEPA
analyses.
The No Leasing Alternative: The No
Leasing Alternative would not allow
leasing of geothermal resources on the
subject NFS lands. Under this
alternative, lands within the project area
analyzed would not be available for
leasing.
E:\FR\FM\15APN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 73 (Friday, April 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21327-21329]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9214]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting Applications for the
Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program
Announcement Type: New.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.600.
SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces that it is
inviting proposals for the 2012 Foreign Market Development Cooperator
(Cooperator) program. The intended effect of this notice is to solicit
applications from eligible applicants for 2012 and to award funds in
October 2011. The Cooperator program is administered by personnel of
the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).
DATES: All applications must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Time, May 16, 2011. Applications received after this date will not be
considered.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Entities wishing to apply for funding
assistance should contact the Program Operations Division, Office of
Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, Portals Office Building,
Suite 400, 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20024, or by
phone: (202) 720-4327, or by fax: (202) 720-9361, or by e-mail:
podadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is also available on the FAS Web
site at https://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/fmdprogram.asp.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Authority: The Cooperator program is authorized by title VII of the
Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, as amended. Cooperator program
regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1484.
Purpose: The Cooperator program is designed to create, expand, and
maintain foreign markets for U.S. agricultural commodities and products
through cost-share assistance. Financial assistance under the
Cooperator program will be made available on a competitive basis and
applications will be reviewed against the evaluation criteria contained
herein and in the Cooperator program regulations. All U.S. agricultural
commodities, except tobacco, are eligible for consideration.
The FAS allocates funds in a manner that effectively supports the
strategic decision-making initiatives of the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. In deciding whether a proposed project will
contribute to the effective creation, expansion, or maintenance of
foreign markets, the FAS considers whether the applicant provides a
clear, long-term agricultural trade strategy, and a program
effectiveness time line against which results can be measured at
specific intervals using quantifiable product or country goals. The FAS
also considers the extent to which a proposed project targets markets
with the greatest growth potential. These factors are part of the FAS
resource allocation strategy to fund applicants who can demonstrate
performance and address the objectives of the GPRA.
II. Award Information
Under the Cooperator program, the FAS enters into agreements with
eligible nonprofit U.S. trade organizations to share the cost of
certain overseas marketing and promotion activities. Funding priority
is given to organizations that have the broadest possible producer
representation of the commodity being promoted and that are nationwide
in membership and scope. Cooperators may receive assistance only for
generic activities that do not involve promotions targeted directly to
consumers. The program generally operates on a reimbursement basis.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: To participate in the Cooperator program,
an applicant must be a nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade organization.
2. Cost Sharing: To participate in the Cooperator program, an
applicant must agree to contribute resources to its proposed
promotional activities. The Cooperator program is intended to
supplement, not supplant, the efforts of the U.S. private sector. The
contribution must be at least 50 percent of the value of resources
provided by CCC for activities conducted under the project agreement.
The degree of commitment of an applicant to the promotional
strategies contained in its application, as represented by the agreed
cost-share contributions specified therein, is considered by the FAS
when determining which applications will be approved for funding. Cost-
share may be
[[Page 21328]]
actual cash invested or in-kind contributions, such as professional
staff time spent on design and execution of activities. The Cooperator
program regulations, including sections 1484.50 and 1484.51, provide
detailed discussion of eligible and ineligible cost-share
contributions.
3. Other: Applications should include a justification for funding
assistance from the program--an explanation as to what specifically
could not be accomplished without federal funding assistance and why
participating organization(s) are unlikely to carry out the project
without such assistance.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Organizations are
encouraged to submit their FMD applications to the FAS through the
Unified Export Strategy (UES) application Internet Web site. The UES
allows applicants to submit a single consolidated and strategically
coordinated proposal that incorporates requests for funding and
recommendations for virtually all of the FAS marketing programs,
financial assistance programs, and market access programs. The
suggested UES format encourages applicants to examine the constraints
or barriers to trade faced, identify activities that would help
overcome such impediments, consider the entire pool of complementary
marketing tools and program resources, and establish realistic export
goals.
Applicants planning to use the Internet-based system must contact
the FAS/Program Operations Division to obtain site access information.
The Internet-based application may be found at the following URL
address: https://www.fas.usda.gov/ues/webapp/.
The FAS highly recommends applying via the Internet-based
application as this format virtually eliminates paperwork and expedites
the FAS processing and review cycle. However, applicants also have the
option of submitting an electronic version of their application to FAS
at podadmin@fas.usda.gov.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: To be considered for
the Cooperator program, an applicant must submit to the FAS information
required by the Cooperator program regulations in section 1484.20. In
addition, in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget's
policy (68 FR 38402 (June 27, 2003)) regarding the need to identify
entities that are receiving government awards, all applicants must
submit a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS)
number. An applicant may request a DUNS number at no cost by calling
the dedicated toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711.
Incomplete applications and applications that do not otherwise
conform to this announcement will not be accepted for review.
The FAS administers various other agricultural export assistance
programs, including the Market Access Program (MAP), the Emerging
Markets Program, the Quality Samples Program, and the Technical
Assistance for Specialty Crops Program. Any organization that is not
interested in applying for the Cooperator program but would like to
request assistance through one of the other programs mentioned should
contact the Program Operations Division.
3. Submission Dates and Times: All applications must be received by
5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, May 16, 2011. All Cooperator program
applicants, regardless of the method of submitting an application, also
must submit by the application deadline, an original signed
certification statement as specified in 7 CFR section 1484.20(a)(14) to
the Program Operations Division, Office of Trade Programs, Foreign
Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Portals Office
Building, Suite 400, 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20024.
Applications or certifications received after this date will not be
considered.
4. Funding Restrictions: Certain types of expenses are not eligible
for reimbursement by the program, and there are limits on other
categories of expenses. CCC also will not reimburse unreasonable
expenditures or expenditures made prior to approval. Full details are
available in the Cooperator program regulations including sections
1484.54 and 1484.55.
V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria and Review Process: Following is a description of the
FAS process for reviewing applications and the criteria for allocating
available Cooperator program funds.
(1) Phase 1--Sufficiency Review and FAS Divisional Review
Applications received by the closing date will be reviewed by FAS
to determine the eligibility of the applicants and the completeness of
the applications. These requirements appear in sections 1484.14 and
1484.20 of the Cooperator program regulations. Applications that meet
the requirements then will be further evaluated by the appropriate
Commodity Branch office of the FAS/Cooperator Programs Division. The
Commodity Branch will review each application against the criteria
listed in sections 1484.21 and 1484.22 of the Cooperator program
regulations. The purpose of this review is to identify meritorious
proposals and to recommend an appropriate funding level for each
application based upon these criteria.
(2) Phase 2--Competitive Review
Meritorious applications then will be passed on to the Office of
the Deputy Administrator, Office of Trade Programs, for the purpose of
allocating available funds among the applicants. Applicants will
compete for funds on the basis of the following allocation criteria
(the number in parentheses represents a percentage weight factor):
(a) Contribution Level (40)
The applicant's 6-year average share (2007-2012) of all
contributions (contributions may include cash and goods and services
provided by U.S. entities in support of foreign market development
activities) compared to;
The applicant's 6-year average share (2007-2012) of all
Cooperator marketing plan expenditures.
(b) Past Export Performance (20)
The 6-year average share (2006-2011) of the value of
exports promoted by the applicant compared to;
The applicant's 6-year average share (2006-2011) of all
Cooperator marketing plan expenditures plus a 6-year average share
(2006-2011) of MAP expenditures, if any.
(c) Past Demand Expansion Performance (20)
The 6-year average share (2006-2011) of the total value of
world trade of the commodities promoted by the applicant compared to;
The applicant's 6-year average share (2006-2011) of all
Cooperator marketing plan expenditures plus a 6-year average share
(2006-2011) of MAP expenditures, if any.
(d) Future Demand Expansion Goals (10)
The projected total dollar value of world trade of the
commodities being promoted by the applicant for the year 2017 compared
to;
The applicant's requested funding level.
(e) Accuracy of Past Demand Expansion Projections (10)
The actual dollar value share of world trade of the
commodities being promoted by the applicant for the year 2010 compared
to;
The applicant's past projected share of world trade of the
commodities being
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promoted by the applicant for the year 2010, as specified in the 2007
Cooperator program application.
The Commodity Branches' recommended funding levels for each
applicant are converted to percentages of the total Cooperator program
funds available and then multiplied by each weight factor to determine
the amount of funds allocated to each applicant.
2. Anticipated Announcement Date: Announcements of funding
decisions for the Cooperator program are anticipated during October
2011.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: The FAS will notify each applicant in writing of
the final disposition of its application. The FAS will send an approval
letter and project agreement to each approved applicant. The approval
letter and project agreement will specify the terms and conditions
applicable to the project, including the levels of Cooperator program
funding, and cost-share contribution requirements.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: Interested
parties should review the Cooperator program regulations, which are
available at the following URL address: https://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/fmdprogram.asp. Hard copies may be obtained by contacting the
Program Operations Division.
3. Reporting: The FAS requires various reports and evaluations from
Cooperators. Reporting requirements are detailed in the Cooperator
program regulations in sections 1484.53, 1484.70, and 1484.72.
VII. Agency Contact(s)
For additional information and assistance, contact the Program
Operations Division, Office of Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural
Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Courier address: Portals Office Building, Suite 400, 1250 Maryland
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20024, or by phone: (202) 720-4327, or by
fax: (202) 720-9361, or by e-mail: podadmin@fas.usda.gov.
Signed at Washington, DC, on the 25th of March, 2011.
John D. Brewer,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Vice President,
Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2011-9214 Filed 4-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-10-P