Announcement of Loan Refinancing Procedures, and Deadlines for the Refinancing of Federal Financing Bank Loans Pilot Program (Refinancing Program), 48476-48480 [2017-22623]
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48476
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 82, No. 200
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
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Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request; 30-Day Federal
Register Notice; National Agricultural
Statistics Service
Title: Fast Track Generic Clearance for
the Collection of Qualitative Feedback
on Customer Satisfaction Surveys.
OMB Control Number: 0535—New.
Summary of Collection: Executive
Order 12862 directs Federal agencies to
provide service to the public that
matches or exceeds the best service
available in the private sector.
Improving National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS) programs
requires ongoing assessment of service
delivery, by which we mean systematic
review of the operation of a program,
the quality, usability, and ease of
accessing our surveys and public
information compared to a set of
explicit or implicit standards, as a
means of contributing to the continuous
improvement of the program.
Need and Use of the Information: The
information collection activity will
garner qualitative customer and
stakeholder feedback in an efficient,
timely manner, in accordance with the
Administration’s commitment to
improving service delivery. By
qualitative feedback we mean
information that provides useful
insights on perceptions and opinions,
but are not statistical surveys that yield
quantitative results that can be
generalized to the population of study.
This feedback will provide insights into
customer or stakeholder perceptions,
experiences and expectations, provide
an early warning of issues with service,
or focus attention on areas where
communication, training or changes in
operations might improve delivery of
products or services. These collections
will allow for ongoing, collaborative and
actionable communications between
NASS and its customers and
stakeholders. It will allow feedback to
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contribute directly to the improvement
of program management.
Feedback collected under this generic
clearance will provide useful
information, but it will not yield data
that can be generalized to the overall
population. This type of generic
clearance for qualitative information
will not be used for quantitative
information collections that are
designed to yield reliably actionable
results, such as monitoring trends over
time or documenting program
performance. Such data uses require
more rigorous designs that address: The
target population to which
generalizations will be made, the
sampling frame, the sample design
(including stratification and clustering),
the precision requirements or power
calculations that justify the proposed
sample size, the expected response rate,
methods for assessing potential nonresponse bias, the protocols for data
collection, and any testing procedures
that were or will be undertaken prior
fielding the study. Depending on the
degree of influence the results are likely
to have, such collections may still be
eligible for submission for other generic
mechanisms that are designed to yield
quantitative results.
Description of Respondents: Farms;
Business or other for-profit; Not-forprofit Institutions and State, Local or
Tribal Government.
Number of Respondents: 120,000.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 8,375.
Charlene Parker,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017–22613 Filed 10–17–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–20–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Announcement of Loan Refinancing
Procedures, and Deadlines for the
Refinancing of Federal Financing Bank
Loans Pilot Program (Refinancing
Program)
Rural Development, Rural
Utilities Service (RUS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice of solicitation for letters
of intent.
AGENCY:
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The Rural Utilities Service
(RUS), an agency of the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), is
soliciting Letters of Intent and opening
a window for a pilot program to
refinance a loan, or any part thereof,
consisting of one or more whole but not
partial advance(s), made under a loan by
the Federal Financing Bank (FFB) and
guaranteed by RUS. RUS is announcing
the process for the Refinancing of
Federal Financing Bank Loans Pilot
Program (Refinancing Program) made to
RUS Electric Program borrowers
operating as an electric utility (Eligible
entity). This notice describes the
eligibility requirements, the process and
deadlines, and the criteria that will be
used by RUS to assess refinancing
requests from Eligible entities with
outstanding FFB debt. The Refinancing
Program will refinance a higher interest
rate loan or a portion thereof i.e., one or
more advance under a FFB loan at the
interest rate available as of the date of
the advance of the new FFB loan used
to refinance the outstanding FFB loan.
A new FFB loan will be advanced to
prepay the FFB loan. A maximum
amount for refinancing per Eligible
entity is also being announced. The new
FFB loan will be made for the amount
identified solely by FFB and RUS to
prepay the outstanding FFB loan
together with the required prepayment
premium, if applicable. In order to
maximize the Refinancing Program and
the benefits to electric consumers, the
Eligible entity will have the option of
paying the prepayment premium or
rolling the amount into the new FFB
loan. The Refinancing Program is made
available under Section 749 of the
Public Law 115–31, Consolidated
Appropriations, Act 2017 (section 749).
DATES: To be considered for this
program, borrowers must submit their
documentation no later than the dates
set forth herein. Failure to comply with
the following deadlines will prevent
RUS from considering the borrower for
the Refinancing Program.
Step 1: To be considered for the
Refinancing Program an Eligible entity
must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), as
provided herein, in an electronic
Portable Document Format (PDF) by
electronic mail (email) to REFINANCEEP@RD.usda.gov no later than 11:59
p.m. (EST) on November 17, 2017. Late
or incomplete Letters of Intent will not
be considered by RUS for this
SUMMARY:
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Refunding Program. No exceptions will
be made.
Step 2: RUS will evaluate all LOI’s
received by the deadline identified
above. If the dollar amount for all
eligible requests is less than the total
dollar amount authorized by Congress
for this pilot program requests will be
processed in the order in which they
were received. If the amount requested
exceeds the total amount authorized by
Congress, RUS will prioritize all
requests, in the manner stated below.
Step 3: An Eligible entity will be
notified of its acceptance by means of an
Invitation to proceed. Only, after a
borrower is notified of its acceptance for
the Refinancing Program, will an
estimate of the amount due, including
the prepayment premium, if any, be
provided. An Eligible entity will have
seven (7) business days to notify RUS of
its intent to proceed to refinance and
whether the prepayment premium, if
any, will be paid, in full, or rolled into
the new FFB loan. If RUS has not been
notified of such intent to proceed,
within the time limit, the request will be
denied. See below for the additional
steps necessary to document and
complete the refinancing.
Copies of this NOSA and
other information on the Refinancing
Program may be obtained by:
(1) Contacting Jonathan Claffey at
(202) 692–0093, to request a copy of this
Notice.
(2) Sending an electronic mail (email)
to jon.claffey@wdc.usda.gov. The email
must be identified as Refinancing
Program Notice of Solicitation for
Applications in the subject field.
(3) The Letter of intent must be
submitted by the Eligible entity in an
electronic PDF (PDF) not to exceed 10
Megabytes (10 MB) by electronic mail
(email) to REFINANCE-EP@RD.usda.gov
before the deadline set forth herein. No
paper letters of intent will be accepted.
(4) RUS may request additional
information from an Eligible entity, if
necessary.
ADDRESSES:
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jonathan Claffey, Office of the Assistant
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service,
Rural Development, United States
Department of Agriculture, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., STOP 1560
Room 5165–S, Washington, DC 20250;
Telephone: (202) 720–9545; Email:
jon.claffey@wdc.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
Federal Agency: Rural Utilities
Service (RUS), USDA.
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Funding Opportunity Title:
Refinancing Pilot Program (Refinancing
Program).
Announcement Type: Requests for
Letter of intent.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) Number: Not
applicable.
Dates: Submit the Letter of intent on
or before November 17, 2017.
Administrative Procedure Act
Statement
This Notice of Solicitation for Letters
of Intent (NOSA) is being issued
without advance rulemaking or public
comment. The Administrative
Procedure Act of 1946, as amended (5
U.S.C. 553) (APA), has several
exemptions to rulemaking requirements.
Among them is an exception for a
matter relating to ‘‘loans, grants,
benefits, or contracts.’’ Furthermore, the
30 day effective date policy is accepted
for ‘‘good cause.’’
USDA has determined, consistent
with the APA that making these funds
available under this NOSA for the
Refinancing Program is in the public
interest since the Consolidated
Appropriations Act 2017, (Pub. L. 115–
31) appropriated a budget authority of
$600,000,000 on the condition that
refinancing involved will benefit the
ratepayers of the Eligible entity. As
such, the timely submission and
processing of all requests and
documents is necessary in order to
maximize the savings and benefit rural
ratepayers. Delays in processing
requests would most likely have the
effect of decreasing the potential savings
resulting from such refinancing of
outstanding debt. In order to do this, the
Agency decided to move forward with
developing procedures for the
Refinancing Program within a NOSA
instead of rulemaking in order to meet
the statutory mandate to implement this
new program. The Agency intends to
test this new program this year with
available funds under this NOSA and
will revisit it if permanent authority for
the program is granted
Information Collection and
Recordkeeping Requirements
There are no new information
collection or recordkeeping
requirements. All information collection
and recordkeeping requirements are
contained in previously approved
paperwork packages covering various
Electric Program regulations.
Definitions
For the purpose of the Refinancing
Program, the following terms have the
following meanings:
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48477
Administrator means the
Administrator of the Rural Utilities
Service, an agency under the Rural
Development mission area of the United
States Department of Agriculture.
Advance means amounts advanced by
FFB from time to time pursuant to a
Future Advance Promissory Note
payable to FFB and guaranteed by RUS
made under a FFB loan.
Conditional commitment letter means
the notification issued by the
Administrator to an Eligible entity
advising it of the estimated terms,
conditions and amount of the new FFB
loan.
Eligible entity means a RUS Electric
Program borrower operating as an
electric utility with an unpaid and
outstanding FFB loan.
FFB means the Federal Financing
Bank.
FFB loan means all or one or more,
whole Advance made under a loan or
loans made by FFB and guaranteed by
RUS.
Invitation to proceed means the
written notification issued by RUS to
the Eligible entity that the Letter of
Intent was reviewed and accepted and
inviting the Eligible entity to advance to
the next steps in the process in the
Refinancing Program.
Letter of Intent means a signed letter
issued by an Eligible entity notifying
RUS of its intent to refinance a FFB loan
containing the information required by
RUS.
Additional Items in Supplementary
Information
A. Program Description
B. Federal Award Information
C. Eligibility Information
D. Submission Information
E. Agency Review of Letter of Intent and
Process for Proceeding
F. Federal Awarding Agency Contact
G. Other Information
A. Program Description
This is a pilot program authorized
under section 749 of the Public Law
115–31, Consolidated Appropriations
Act 2017 (section 749). Pursuant to
section 749, RUS announces this pilot
program which authorizes no more than
$600 million in funds from loans made
by the Federal Financing Bank (FFB)
that are guaranteed under section 306 of
the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (the
Act) to be used for refinancing debt
pursuant to section 306C of the Act,
including any associated prepayment
penalties and prepayment or refinance
premium.
Eligible entities must demonstrate
that the refinancing of the FFB loan will
benefit its rate payers. No waiver of any
prepayment premium will be granted;
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however, an Eligible entity may include
the prepayment premium in the new
FFB loan amount used for refinancing
(the remaining principal balance
outstanding plus interest and any
prepayment premium). The amount of
the new FFB loan will be the estimated
amount necessary for such purpose.
Any amount not required to pay in full
to refinance the unpaid and outstanding
FFB loan will be rescinded by RUS and
not available for Advance without any
further action required by the Eligible
entity. As such, time is of the essence
in documenting and advancing the new
FFB loan.
Refinancing of a FFB loan under the
Refinancing Program is not subject to
section (c)(4) of section 306C of the Act
(7 U.S.C. 936C(c)(4), which prohibits
refinancing a FFB loan with a maturity
date that exceeds the years remaining on
the FFB loan before refinancing. Under
the Refinancing Program, an Eligible
entity will be allowed to a select a
maturity (not to exceed the final
maturity date) for the Advance made
under the new FFB note and select a
new final maturity date not to exceed
thirty-five (35) years. This additional
flexibility and new final maturity date
will further financially benefit the
Eligible entity and its ratepayers. RUS
will evaluate the requested FFB loan
final maturity date to ensure that RUS
continues to be adequately secured and
that the new FFB loan will be repaid in
the time agreed upon. In order to
maximize the Refinancing Program, an
Eligible entity will have the option of
paying the prepayment premium, if any,
on the due date or rolling the
prepayment premium into the amount
of the new FFB loan.
B. Federal Award Information
Type of Award: Loan.
Fiscal Year 2017 Funds: Not more
than $600 million.
Authority: The Refinancing Program is a
pilot program to be carried out by the Rural
Utilities Service pursuant to Section 749 of
the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2017,
Public Law 115–31, May 5, 2017.
C. Eligibility Information
Eligible entity, as defined above.
D. Submission Information
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1. Letter of Intent
Interested parties must send an email
to the contact listed in FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
Notice to obtain an electronic sample of
the Letter of intent. The sample Letter
of intent can also be found online using
the following web address: https://
www.rd.usda.gov/Refinancing/.
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2. Content of Letter of Intent
An Eligible entity must submit the
required information in its Letter of
Intent (LOI). FFB loan refinancing will
be processed in a multi-step process as
described herein. An Eligible entity
must submit all the information
identified in the Letter of Intent
‘‘Request for Refinancing of FFB Loan’’
available online at the following web
address: https://www.rd.usda.gov/
Refinancing/.
a. Letter of Intent. The following
information (information is available on
borrower’s quarterly Statement of
Account and Transactions (bill)) must
be included in the LOI (as noted above
incomplete LOI’s will not be
considered) so please review for
completeness of information:
i. FFB loan identification of each
Future Advance Promissory Note
payable to FFB (for example, ‘‘R8’’) and
the Note Designation (ex 00000000423,
00000000000425), including the
following:
(A) Identify the FFB Advance
identifier (account number ex. H0015,
H0045) of each Advance that will be
refinanced;
(B) Specify whether one or more
Advance will be refinanced (partial
advances will not be considered);
(C) Identify the date of each Advance
that will be refinanced;
(D) Identify the interest rate of each
Advance;
(E) Specify the amount outstanding
for each Advance that will be refinanced
on latest quarterly bill;
(F) List all Advances in order of their
refinancing priority (due to cap
identified below) (all FFB loans
intended to be refinanced should be
prioritized and listed in case additional
funds are available for this Refinancing
Program); and
(G) A contact name, number and
email.
ii. Short narrative demonstrating how
the refinancing of the FFB loan will
benefit its rate payers including, but not
limited, to estimated savings to
ratepayers, increased investment in
energy efficiency or plant
modernization, other factors resulting
from savings associated with the
refinancing, etc.
iii. Requested final maturity date for
the new FFB loan. The requested final
maturity date must be for a period not
to exceed thirty-five years. An Eligible
entity must submit a certification stating
that the remaining useful life of its
electric system is equal to or exceeds the
new requested final maturity date and,
that the requested final maturity date
does not exceed the term of its
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wholesale power contract with its
members or with its generation and
transmission supplier. If the remaining
useful life of its electric system or the
wholesale power contract term is less
than the final maturity date requested,
the final maturity date will be modified
for a shorter period.
b. After evaluating the request and the
information specified below, RUS will
send an Invitation to proceed
identifying the FFB loan that will be
refinanced and describing the next steps
in the process. Additionally, RUS
together with FFB will provide an
estimate of the maximum principal
amount of the new FFB loan needed to
refinance the selected FFB loan and the
estimated amount of the prepayment
premium, if any. An Eligible entity will
make its regularly scheduled quarterly
payment on the FFB loan. The initial
estimate will be for the first business
day after the end of the quarter.
However, an Eligible entity may select
another date in the quarter that is not
the last day of the quarter to refinance
its FFB loan. If a day other than the first
day is chosen, all accrued interest,
applicable fees and premium are due
and payable on or before the refinancing
day. RUS and FFB retain the right to
move the refinancing date to another
business day in the quarter if there are
too many to process on any one day.
c. An Eligible entity will have seven
business days to confirm, in writing,
(including email) its intent to proceed
with the refinancing, whether it will pay
the prepayment premium, in full, on the
refinancing date or roll the amount into
the new FFB loan and a final
prioritization of only the previously
RUS accepted and identified FFB loan,
up to the cap amount.
d. Upon receipt of the confirmation of
the intent to proceed, an Eligible entity
will receive a Conditional commitment
letter that must be executed and the
terms, conditions, if any, and the
amount of the FFB loan accepted by the
Eligible entity. The Eligible entity will
then receive an FFB note and RUS
Reimbursement note to execute. If
necessary, authentication by its
indenture trustee will be required. A
supplemental indenture or other
security instrument and related
documents may be required to secure
the FFB note and RUS Reimbursement
note.
e. An Eligible entity must return the
executed FFB note and RUS
Reimbursement note together with its
Advance Request, attached as Annex A
to the FFB note, and any other required
loan documents in a timely manner, as
set forth in Section E. 3. d. The Advance
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Request, specifying the chosen options,
should be marked ‘‘REFINANCING.’’
3. Compliance With Other Federal
Statutes
No additional compliance verification
is necessary.
4. Funding Restriction
See below.
5. Submission Requirements
The refinancing process consists of
several steps.
a. To be considered for the
Refinancing Program for this fiscal year,
a Borrower must submit its mandatory
Letter of intent, that complies with the
requirements in section D (2) of this
Notice, in a PDF file, not to exceed 10
MB in size, by electronic mail (email) to
REFINANCE-EP@RD.usda.gov no later
than 11:59 p.m. (EST) on November 17,
2017.
b. By submitting the Letter of intent,
the Eligible entity indicates to RUS that
it intends to participate in the
Refinancing Program, as described
above and as identified in the LOI. RUS
by extending an Invitation to proceed to
an Eligible entity in the queue, a LOI
does not obligate the Eligible entity to
proceed. However, Eligible entities will
only have seven business days to notify
RUS whether it will proceed, as
described above.
c. The borrower must execute and
return new FFB note and any other
required documents.
E. Agency Review of Letter of Intent
and Process for Proceeding
1. Letter of Intent
RUS will consider complete Letters of
Intent as they are received. Letters of
intent will be reviewed by RUS for
completeness.
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2. Processing of Requests, Prioritization,
and Maximum Refinancing Amount
(a) Processing Requests and
Prioritization. RUS will evaluate all
LOI’s received by the deadline
identified above. If the dollar amount
for all eligible requests is less than the
total dollar amount authorized by
Congress for this Refinancing Program,
requests will be processed in the order
in which they were received. If the
amount requested exceeds the total
amount authorized by Congress, RUS
will prioritize all requests based on the
following criteria:
(i) First, by the highest cumulative
weighted average interest rate on the
FFB loan to be refinanced; and
(ii) Second, by the order in which the
request was received.
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(b) Maximum amount to any one
Eligible entity. An Eligible entity may
request any dollar amount and number
of FFB loans for refinancing and are
encouraged to do so. However, in order
to ensure the widest practical use of the
appropriated funds and that the greatest
number of ratepayers are benefited, each
Eligible entity will be limited to $100
million of refinancing. As such, an
Eligible entity in its LOI should
additionally list, in order, its priority for
the requested refinancing. RUS, in its
sole discretion, reserves the right to
reduce an Eligible entity’s maximum
amount to $75 million if the total
amount requested by all Eligible entities
exceeds the authorized amount by 50
percent or more to maximize the use of
the funds and benefit more Eligible
entities and electric consumers/
ratepayers. Due to the nature of
potential changes in interest rates, time
is of the essence in processing and
documenting requests under the
Refinancing Program, including
returning to RUS the new FFB note,
Reimbursement note and all other
required documents.
If, after considering all eligible
requests Refinancing Program funds
remain available or otherwise become
available, RUS will consider requests
greater than $100 million based on the
order in which the LOI was received up
to an additional $100 million for each
Eligible entity.
If additional funds are authorized for
the Refinancing Program or for
refinancing of FFB debt pursuant to
section 306C of the Act, RUS reserves
the right, in its sole discretion, to
consider the requests received pursuant
to this NOSA or to issue a new notice.
3. Process
a. After evaluating the request and the
information specified below, RUS will
send an Invitation to proceed
identifying the Advance accepted for
refinancing and describing the next
steps in the process. Additionally, RUS
together with FFB will provide an initial
estimate of the amount of the new FFB
loan needed to refinance the selected
Advance and the estimated amount of
the prepayment premium, if any. An
Eligible entity will make its regularly
scheduled quarterly payment in the full
amount. The estimate will be for the
first business day after the end of the
quarter. However, an Eligible entity may
select another date in the quarter that is
not the last day of the quarter to
refinance its Advance. RUS and FFB
retain the right to move the refinancing
date to another business day in the
quarter if RUS and FFB determine that
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48479
there are too many to process on any
one day.
b. An Eligible entity will have seven
business days to confirm, in writing,
(including email) its intent to proceed
with the refinancing, whether it will pay
the prepayment premium, in full, on the
refinancing date or roll the amount into
the new FFB loan, and a final
prioritization of an Advance after
reviewing the prepayment premium, if
any, up to the cap amount. An Eligible
entity will not be allowed to add or
substitute an Advance based on the
estimate. However, an Advance can be
deleted from the final refinancing prior
to receipt by the Eligible entity of the
new FFB note. The final total amount
necessary to refinance the FFB loan will
be provided by RUS two business days
before the scheduled refinancing date.
c. Upon receipt of the confirmation of
the intent to proceed, an Eligible entity
will receive a Conditional commitment
letter that must be executed and
accepted. After that, a new FFB note
and RUS Reimbursement note will be
sent for execution. If necessary, both
notes will need to be authenticated by
the Eligible Entity’s indenture trustee. A
supplemental indenture or other
security instrument any related
documents may be required to secure
the FFB note and RUS Reimbursement
note. If the prepayment premiums will
be financed, the maximum principal
amount of the FFB note will be rounded
up two percent to be sufficient to prepay
the amount in full. RUS reserves the
right to change the rounding amount
from two percent, if it determines that
two percent is insufficient to
accomplish the refinancing due to
interest rate volatility. If the maximum
principal amount of the executed FFB
note is insufficient to cover all amounts
due, according to the final amount
provided two days in advance of the
refinancing date, the Eligible entity is
required to pay the deficient amount in
full on or before the refinancing date.
d. An Eligible entity must return the
executed FFB note and RUS
Reimbursement note together with its
Advance Request and any other
required documents in a timely manner.
FFB will require five days to purchase
the FFB note after RUS has reviewed
and processed the FFB note. The
Advance Request, specifying the options
chosen, by the Eligible entity, should be
marked ‘‘REFINANCING.’’ An Eligible
entity will have the option of submitting
no more than two Advance Requests (for
ex. one for a short term maturity and
one long term maturity or one for a long
term maturity date not to exceed the
final maturity date). If two are submitted
they must be submitted simultaneously,
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dated the same date, same Advance
request date, and together the amount
cannot exceed the maximum principal
amount of the FFB note. No funds will
be advanced directly to the Eligible
entity but will be advanced to prepay
the FFB loan, as agreed upon. As such,
if all documents have not been returned
to RUS by the 15th day of the third
month of the quarter, the refinancing
date will be moved to the first day of the
next quarter.
F. Federal Awarding Agency Contact
Jonathan Claffey, Office of the
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service,
Rural Development, United States
Department of Agriculture, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., STOP 1510,
Room 5136–S, Washington, DC 20250–
1510; Telephone: (202) 720–0736;
Email: jon.claffey@wdc.usda.gov.
G. Other Information
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil
rights law 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 https://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:
a. Mail: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20250–9410;
b. Facsimile: (202) 690–7442; or
c. Email: program.intake@usda.gov.
d. USDA is an equal opportunity
provider, employer, and lender.
Dated: October 12, 2017.
Christopher A. McLean,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–22623 Filed 10–17–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economic Development Administration
Notice of Petitions by Firms for
Determination of Eligibility To Apply
for Trade Adjustment Assistance
Economic Development
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
AGENCY:
Notice and opportunity for
public comment.
ACTION:
The Economic Development
Administration (EDA) has received
petitions for certification of eligibility to
apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance
from the firms listed below.
Accordingly, EDA has initiated
investigations to determine whether
increased imports into the United States
of articles like or directly competitive
with those produced by each of these
firms contributed importantly to the
total or partial separation of the firm’s
workers, or threat thereof, and to a
decrease in sales or production of each
petitioning firm.
SUMMARY:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
LIST OF PETITIONS RECEIVED BY EDA FOR CERTIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY FOR TRADE ADJUSTMENT
ASSISTANCE
[10/1/2017 through 10/9/2017]
Date
accepted for
investigation
Firm name
Firm address
Copper John Corporation ...............
173 State Street, Auburn, NY
13021.
17499
South
Dolan
Street,
Kincheloe, MI 49788.
10/3/2017
145 Cane Creek Industrial Park
Road, Suite 100, Fletcher, NC
28732.
10/5/2017
Superior
LLC.
Fabrication
Company,
ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Diamond Brand Gear Company ....
Any party having a substantial
interest in these proceedings may
request a public hearing on the matter.
A written request for a hearing must be
submitted to the Trade Adjustment
Assistance for Firms Division, Room
71030, Economic Development
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, Washington, DC 20230, no
later than ten (10) calendar days
following publication of this notice.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:50 Oct 17, 2017
Jkt 244001
10/4/2017
Product(s)
The firm manufactures bow sights and release aids
for the archery market.
The firm manufactures heavy duty steel components
and assemblies, such as masts for forklift trucks
and components for medical imaging equipment.
The firm manufactures cut and sewn camping and
military gear.
These petitions are received pursuant to
section 251 of the Trade Act 1974, as
amended.
Please follow the requirements set
forth in EDA’s regulations at 13 CFR
315.9 for procedures to request a public
hearing. The Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance official number
and title for the program under which
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
these petitions are submitted is 11.313,
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms.
Irette Patterson,
Program Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2017–22507 Filed 10–17–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–WH–P
E:\FR\FM\18OCN1.SGM
18OCN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 18, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48476-48480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22623]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Announcement of Loan Refinancing Procedures, and Deadlines for
the Refinancing of Federal Financing Bank Loans Pilot Program
(Refinancing Program)
AGENCY: Rural Development, Rural Utilities Service (RUS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice of solicitation for letters of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is soliciting Letters of
Intent and opening a window for a pilot program to refinance a loan, or
any part thereof, consisting of one or more whole but not partial
advance(s), made under a loan by the Federal Financing Bank (FFB) and
guaranteed by RUS. RUS is announcing the process for the Refinancing of
Federal Financing Bank Loans Pilot Program (Refinancing Program) made
to RUS Electric Program borrowers operating as an electric utility
(Eligible entity). This notice describes the eligibility requirements,
the process and deadlines, and the criteria that will be used by RUS to
assess refinancing requests from Eligible entities with outstanding FFB
debt. The Refinancing Program will refinance a higher interest rate
loan or a portion thereof i.e., one or more advance under a FFB loan at
the interest rate available as of the date of the advance of the new
FFB loan used to refinance the outstanding FFB loan. A new FFB loan
will be advanced to prepay the FFB loan. A maximum amount for
refinancing per Eligible entity is also being announced. The new FFB
loan will be made for the amount identified solely by FFB and RUS to
prepay the outstanding FFB loan together with the required prepayment
premium, if applicable. In order to maximize the Refinancing Program
and the benefits to electric consumers, the Eligible entity will have
the option of paying the prepayment premium or rolling the amount into
the new FFB loan. The Refinancing Program is made available under
Section 749 of the Public Law 115-31, Consolidated Appropriations, Act
2017 (section 749).
DATES: To be considered for this program, borrowers must submit their
documentation no later than the dates set forth herein. Failure to
comply with the following deadlines will prevent RUS from considering
the borrower for the Refinancing Program.
Step 1: To be considered for the Refinancing Program an Eligible
entity must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), as provided herein, in an
electronic Portable Document Format (PDF) by electronic mail (email) to
REFINANCE-EP@RD.usda.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. (EST) on November 17,
2017. Late or incomplete Letters of Intent will not be considered by
RUS for this
[[Page 48477]]
Refunding Program. No exceptions will be made.
Step 2: RUS will evaluate all LOI's received by the deadline
identified above. If the dollar amount for all eligible requests is
less than the total dollar amount authorized by Congress for this pilot
program requests will be processed in the order in which they were
received. If the amount requested exceeds the total amount authorized
by Congress, RUS will prioritize all requests, in the manner stated
below.
Step 3: An Eligible entity will be notified of its acceptance by
means of an Invitation to proceed. Only, after a borrower is notified
of its acceptance for the Refinancing Program, will an estimate of the
amount due, including the prepayment premium, if any, be provided. An
Eligible entity will have seven (7) business days to notify RUS of its
intent to proceed to refinance and whether the prepayment premium, if
any, will be paid, in full, or rolled into the new FFB loan. If RUS has
not been notified of such intent to proceed, within the time limit, the
request will be denied. See below for the additional steps necessary to
document and complete the refinancing.
ADDRESSES: Copies of this NOSA and other information on the Refinancing
Program may be obtained by:
(1) Contacting Jonathan Claffey at (202) 692-0093, to request a
copy of this Notice.
(2) Sending an electronic mail (email) to jon.claffey@wdc.usda.gov.
The email must be identified as Refinancing Program Notice of
Solicitation for Applications in the subject field.
(3) The Letter of intent must be submitted by the Eligible entity
in an electronic PDF (PDF) not to exceed 10 Megabytes (10 MB) by
electronic mail (email) to REFINANCE-EP@RD.usda.gov before the deadline
set forth herein. No paper letters of intent will be accepted.
(4) RUS may request additional information from an Eligible entity,
if necessary.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonathan Claffey, Office of the
Assistant Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, Rural Development,
United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW.,
STOP 1560 Room 5165-S, Washington, DC 20250; Telephone: (202) 720-9545;
Email: jon.claffey@wdc.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
Federal Agency: Rural Utilities Service (RUS), USDA.
Funding Opportunity Title: Refinancing Pilot Program (Refinancing
Program).
Announcement Type: Requests for Letter of intent.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: Not
applicable.
Dates: Submit the Letter of intent on or before November 17, 2017.
Administrative Procedure Act Statement
This Notice of Solicitation for Letters of Intent (NOSA) is being
issued without advance rulemaking or public comment. The Administrative
Procedure Act of 1946, as amended (5 U.S.C. 553) (APA), has several
exemptions to rulemaking requirements. Among them is an exception for a
matter relating to ``loans, grants, benefits, or contracts.''
Furthermore, the 30 day effective date policy is accepted for ``good
cause.''
USDA has determined, consistent with the APA that making these
funds available under this NOSA for the Refinancing Program is in the
public interest since the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2017, (Pub.
L. 115-31) appropriated a budget authority of $600,000,000 on the
condition that refinancing involved will benefit the ratepayers of the
Eligible entity. As such, the timely submission and processing of all
requests and documents is necessary in order to maximize the savings
and benefit rural ratepayers. Delays in processing requests would most
likely have the effect of decreasing the potential savings resulting
from such refinancing of outstanding debt. In order to do this, the
Agency decided to move forward with developing procedures for the
Refinancing Program within a NOSA instead of rulemaking in order to
meet the statutory mandate to implement this new program. The Agency
intends to test this new program this year with available funds under
this NOSA and will revisit it if permanent authority for the program is
granted
Information Collection and Recordkeeping Requirements
There are no new information collection or recordkeeping
requirements. All information collection and recordkeeping requirements
are contained in previously approved paperwork packages covering
various Electric Program regulations.
Definitions
For the purpose of the Refinancing Program, the following terms
have the following meanings:
Administrator means the Administrator of the Rural Utilities
Service, an agency under the Rural Development mission area of the
United States Department of Agriculture.
Advance means amounts advanced by FFB from time to time pursuant to
a Future Advance Promissory Note payable to FFB and guaranteed by RUS
made under a FFB loan.
Conditional commitment letter means the notification issued by the
Administrator to an Eligible entity advising it of the estimated terms,
conditions and amount of the new FFB loan.
Eligible entity means a RUS Electric Program borrower operating as
an electric utility with an unpaid and outstanding FFB loan.
FFB means the Federal Financing Bank.
FFB loan means all or one or more, whole Advance made under a loan
or loans made by FFB and guaranteed by RUS.
Invitation to proceed means the written notification issued by RUS
to the Eligible entity that the Letter of Intent was reviewed and
accepted and inviting the Eligible entity to advance to the next steps
in the process in the Refinancing Program.
Letter of Intent means a signed letter issued by an Eligible entity
notifying RUS of its intent to refinance a FFB loan containing the
information required by RUS.
Additional Items in Supplementary Information
A. Program Description
B. Federal Award Information
C. Eligibility Information
D. Submission Information
E. Agency Review of Letter of Intent and Process for Proceeding
F. Federal Awarding Agency Contact
G. Other Information
A. Program Description
This is a pilot program authorized under section 749 of the Public
Law 115-31, Consolidated Appropriations Act 2017 (section 749).
Pursuant to section 749, RUS announces this pilot program which
authorizes no more than $600 million in funds from loans made by the
Federal Financing Bank (FFB) that are guaranteed under section 306 of
the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (the Act) to be used for
refinancing debt pursuant to section 306C of the Act, including any
associated prepayment penalties and prepayment or refinance premium.
Eligible entities must demonstrate that the refinancing of the FFB
loan will benefit its rate payers. No waiver of any prepayment premium
will be granted;
[[Page 48478]]
however, an Eligible entity may include the prepayment premium in the
new FFB loan amount used for refinancing (the remaining principal
balance outstanding plus interest and any prepayment premium). The
amount of the new FFB loan will be the estimated amount necessary for
such purpose. Any amount not required to pay in full to refinance the
unpaid and outstanding FFB loan will be rescinded by RUS and not
available for Advance without any further action required by the
Eligible entity. As such, time is of the essence in documenting and
advancing the new FFB loan.
Refinancing of a FFB loan under the Refinancing Program is not
subject to section (c)(4) of section 306C of the Act (7 U.S.C.
936C(c)(4), which prohibits refinancing a FFB loan with a maturity date
that exceeds the years remaining on the FFB loan before refinancing.
Under the Refinancing Program, an Eligible entity will be allowed to a
select a maturity (not to exceed the final maturity date) for the
Advance made under the new FFB note and select a new final maturity
date not to exceed thirty-five (35) years. This additional flexibility
and new final maturity date will further financially benefit the
Eligible entity and its ratepayers. RUS will evaluate the requested FFB
loan final maturity date to ensure that RUS continues to be adequately
secured and that the new FFB loan will be repaid in the time agreed
upon. In order to maximize the Refinancing Program, an Eligible entity
will have the option of paying the prepayment premium, if any, on the
due date or rolling the prepayment premium into the amount of the new
FFB loan.
B. Federal Award Information
Type of Award: Loan.
Fiscal Year 2017 Funds: Not more than $600 million.
Authority: The Refinancing Program is a pilot program to be
carried out by the Rural Utilities Service pursuant to Section 749
of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2017, Public Law 115-31, May
5, 2017.
C. Eligibility Information
Eligible entity, as defined above.
D. Submission Information
1. Letter of Intent
Interested parties must send an email to the contact listed in FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this Notice to obtain an
electronic sample of the Letter of intent. The sample Letter of intent
can also be found online using the following web address: https://www.rd.usda.gov/Refinancing/.
2. Content of Letter of Intent
An Eligible entity must submit the required information in its
Letter of Intent (LOI). FFB loan refinancing will be processed in a
multi-step process as described herein. An Eligible entity must submit
all the information identified in the Letter of Intent ``Request for
Refinancing of FFB Loan'' available online at the following web
address: https://www.rd.usda.gov/Refinancing/.
a. Letter of Intent. The following information (information is
available on borrower's quarterly Statement of Account and Transactions
(bill)) must be included in the LOI (as noted above incomplete LOI's
will not be considered) so please review for completeness of
information:
i. FFB loan identification of each Future Advance Promissory Note
payable to FFB (for example, ``R8'') and the Note Designation (ex
00000000423, 00000000000425), including the following:
(A) Identify the FFB Advance identifier (account number ex. H0015,
H0045) of each Advance that will be refinanced;
(B) Specify whether one or more Advance will be refinanced (partial
advances will not be considered);
(C) Identify the date of each Advance that will be refinanced;
(D) Identify the interest rate of each Advance;
(E) Specify the amount outstanding for each Advance that will be
refinanced on latest quarterly bill;
(F) List all Advances in order of their refinancing priority (due
to cap identified below) (all FFB loans intended to be refinanced
should be prioritized and listed in case additional funds are available
for this Refinancing Program); and
(G) A contact name, number and email.
ii. Short narrative demonstrating how the refinancing of the FFB
loan will benefit its rate payers including, but not limited, to
estimated savings to ratepayers, increased investment in energy
efficiency or plant modernization, other factors resulting from savings
associated with the refinancing, etc.
iii. Requested final maturity date for the new FFB loan. The
requested final maturity date must be for a period not to exceed
thirty-five years. An Eligible entity must submit a certification
stating that the remaining useful life of its electric system is equal
to or exceeds the new requested final maturity date and, that the
requested final maturity date does not exceed the term of its wholesale
power contract with its members or with its generation and transmission
supplier. If the remaining useful life of its electric system or the
wholesale power contract term is less than the final maturity date
requested, the final maturity date will be modified for a shorter
period.
b. After evaluating the request and the information specified
below, RUS will send an Invitation to proceed identifying the FFB loan
that will be refinanced and describing the next steps in the process.
Additionally, RUS together with FFB will provide an estimate of the
maximum principal amount of the new FFB loan needed to refinance the
selected FFB loan and the estimated amount of the prepayment premium,
if any. An Eligible entity will make its regularly scheduled quarterly
payment on the FFB loan. The initial estimate will be for the first
business day after the end of the quarter. However, an Eligible entity
may select another date in the quarter that is not the last day of the
quarter to refinance its FFB loan. If a day other than the first day is
chosen, all accrued interest, applicable fees and premium are due and
payable on or before the refinancing day. RUS and FFB retain the right
to move the refinancing date to another business day in the quarter if
there are too many to process on any one day.
c. An Eligible entity will have seven business days to confirm, in
writing, (including email) its intent to proceed with the refinancing,
whether it will pay the prepayment premium, in full, on the refinancing
date or roll the amount into the new FFB loan and a final
prioritization of only the previously RUS accepted and identified FFB
loan, up to the cap amount.
d. Upon receipt of the confirmation of the intent to proceed, an
Eligible entity will receive a Conditional commitment letter that must
be executed and the terms, conditions, if any, and the amount of the
FFB loan accepted by the Eligible entity. The Eligible entity will then
receive an FFB note and RUS Reimbursement note to execute. If
necessary, authentication by its indenture trustee will be required. A
supplemental indenture or other security instrument and related
documents may be required to secure the FFB note and RUS Reimbursement
note.
e. An Eligible entity must return the executed FFB note and RUS
Reimbursement note together with its Advance Request, attached as Annex
A to the FFB note, and any other required loan documents in a timely
manner, as set forth in Section E. 3. d. The Advance
[[Page 48479]]
Request, specifying the chosen options, should be marked
``REFINANCING.''
3. Compliance With Other Federal Statutes
No additional compliance verification is necessary.
4. Funding Restriction
See below.
5. Submission Requirements
The refinancing process consists of several steps.
a. To be considered for the Refinancing Program for this fiscal
year, a Borrower must submit its mandatory Letter of intent, that
complies with the requirements in section D (2) of this Notice, in a
PDF file, not to exceed 10 MB in size, by electronic mail (email) to
REFINANCE-EP@RD.usda.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. (EST) on November 17,
2017.
b. By submitting the Letter of intent, the Eligible entity
indicates to RUS that it intends to participate in the Refinancing
Program, as described above and as identified in the LOI. RUS by
extending an Invitation to proceed to an Eligible entity in the queue,
a LOI does not obligate the Eligible entity to proceed. However,
Eligible entities will only have seven business days to notify RUS
whether it will proceed, as described above.
c. The borrower must execute and return new FFB note and any other
required documents.
E. Agency Review of Letter of Intent and Process for Proceeding
1. Letter of Intent
RUS will consider complete Letters of Intent as they are received.
Letters of intent will be reviewed by RUS for completeness.
2. Processing of Requests, Prioritization, and Maximum Refinancing
Amount
(a) Processing Requests and Prioritization. RUS will evaluate all
LOI's received by the deadline identified above. If the dollar amount
for all eligible requests is less than the total dollar amount
authorized by Congress for this Refinancing Program, requests will be
processed in the order in which they were received. If the amount
requested exceeds the total amount authorized by Congress, RUS will
prioritize all requests based on the following criteria:
(i) First, by the highest cumulative weighted average interest rate
on the FFB loan to be refinanced; and
(ii) Second, by the order in which the request was received.
(b) Maximum amount to any one Eligible entity. An Eligible entity
may request any dollar amount and number of FFB loans for refinancing
and are encouraged to do so. However, in order to ensure the widest
practical use of the appropriated funds and that the greatest number of
ratepayers are benefited, each Eligible entity will be limited to $100
million of refinancing. As such, an Eligible entity in its LOI should
additionally list, in order, its priority for the requested
refinancing. RUS, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to reduce
an Eligible entity's maximum amount to $75 million if the total amount
requested by all Eligible entities exceeds the authorized amount by 50
percent or more to maximize the use of the funds and benefit more
Eligible entities and electric consumers/ratepayers. Due to the nature
of potential changes in interest rates, time is of the essence in
processing and documenting requests under the Refinancing Program,
including returning to RUS the new FFB note, Reimbursement note and all
other required documents.
If, after considering all eligible requests Refinancing Program
funds remain available or otherwise become available, RUS will consider
requests greater than $100 million based on the order in which the LOI
was received up to an additional $100 million for each Eligible entity.
If additional funds are authorized for the Refinancing Program or
for refinancing of FFB debt pursuant to section 306C of the Act, RUS
reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to consider the requests
received pursuant to this NOSA or to issue a new notice.
3. Process
a. After evaluating the request and the information specified
below, RUS will send an Invitation to proceed identifying the Advance
accepted for refinancing and describing the next steps in the process.
Additionally, RUS together with FFB will provide an initial estimate of
the amount of the new FFB loan needed to refinance the selected Advance
and the estimated amount of the prepayment premium, if any. An Eligible
entity will make its regularly scheduled quarterly payment in the full
amount. The estimate will be for the first business day after the end
of the quarter. However, an Eligible entity may select another date in
the quarter that is not the last day of the quarter to refinance its
Advance. RUS and FFB retain the right to move the refinancing date to
another business day in the quarter if RUS and FFB determine that there
are too many to process on any one day.
b. An Eligible entity will have seven business days to confirm, in
writing, (including email) its intent to proceed with the refinancing,
whether it will pay the prepayment premium, in full, on the refinancing
date or roll the amount into the new FFB loan, and a final
prioritization of an Advance after reviewing the prepayment premium, if
any, up to the cap amount. An Eligible entity will not be allowed to
add or substitute an Advance based on the estimate. However, an Advance
can be deleted from the final refinancing prior to receipt by the
Eligible entity of the new FFB note. The final total amount necessary
to refinance the FFB loan will be provided by RUS two business days
before the scheduled refinancing date.
c. Upon receipt of the confirmation of the intent to proceed, an
Eligible entity will receive a Conditional commitment letter that must
be executed and accepted. After that, a new FFB note and RUS
Reimbursement note will be sent for execution. If necessary, both notes
will need to be authenticated by the Eligible Entity's indenture
trustee. A supplemental indenture or other security instrument any
related documents may be required to secure the FFB note and RUS
Reimbursement note. If the prepayment premiums will be financed, the
maximum principal amount of the FFB note will be rounded up two percent
to be sufficient to prepay the amount in full. RUS reserves the right
to change the rounding amount from two percent, if it determines that
two percent is insufficient to accomplish the refinancing due to
interest rate volatility. If the maximum principal amount of the
executed FFB note is insufficient to cover all amounts due, according
to the final amount provided two days in advance of the refinancing
date, the Eligible entity is required to pay the deficient amount in
full on or before the refinancing date.
d. An Eligible entity must return the executed FFB note and RUS
Reimbursement note together with its Advance Request and any other
required documents in a timely manner. FFB will require five days to
purchase the FFB note after RUS has reviewed and processed the FFB
note. The Advance Request, specifying the options chosen, by the
Eligible entity, should be marked ``REFINANCING.'' An Eligible entity
will have the option of submitting no more than two Advance Requests
(for ex. one for a short term maturity and one long term maturity or
one for a long term maturity date not to exceed the final maturity
date). If two are submitted they must be submitted simultaneously,
[[Page 48480]]
dated the same date, same Advance request date, and together the amount
cannot exceed the maximum principal amount of the FFB note. No funds
will be advanced directly to the Eligible entity but will be advanced
to prepay the FFB loan, as agreed upon. As such, if all documents have
not been returned to RUS by the 15th day of the third month of the
quarter, the refinancing date will be moved to the first day of the
next quarter.
F. Federal Awarding Agency Contact
Jonathan Claffey, Office of the Administrator, Rural Utilities
Service, Rural Development, United States Department of Agriculture,
1400 Independence Avenue SW., STOP 1510, Room 5136-S, Washington, DC
20250-1510; Telephone: (202) 720-0736; Email: jon.claffey@wdc.usda.gov.
G. Other Information
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil rights law 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 https://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:
a. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington,
DC 20250-9410;
b. Facsimile: (202) 690-7442; or
c. Email: program.intake@usda.gov.
d. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Dated: October 12, 2017.
Christopher A. McLean,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-22623 Filed 10-17-17; 8:45 am]
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