Emergency Request

January 19, 2022
TO:

Danielle Jones
Senior Desk Officer
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

THROUGH: Levi Harrell
USDA Information Collection Officer
FROM: Michele Brooks
Director, Regulations Management Division
Innovation Center, Rural Development, USDA

MICHELE
BROOKS

Digitally signed by
MICHELE BROOKS
Date: 2022.01.19
08:40:33 -05'00'

SUBJECT: Request for Emergency Approval of a New Information Collection Request
for Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Rural Energy Pilot Program (REPP)
The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS), an agency of the Rural Development (RD)
Mission Area (Agencies) within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is seeking
emergency review and approval of a new information collection for the Notice of Funding
Opportunity (NOFO) for the Rural Energy Pilot Program. The Agency is expecting to publish the
NOFO, which includes the 60-day notice, in the Federal Register on January 19, 2022.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116–260) appropriated $10 million
to remain available until expended for the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a pilot program to
provide financial assistance for rural communities to further develop renewable energy. In
compliance with the requirements of 5 CFR § 1320.13, this request for emergency approval is
essential for RBCS to fulfill its responsibility to administer the Rural Energy Pilot Program. It will
support one of Rural Development’s key priorities to reduce climate pollution and increase
resilience to the impact of climate change through economic support to rural communities
The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (Agency) will announce via a Notice of Funding
Opportunity the availability of up to $10 million in competitive grants awarded to Rural Energy
Community Partnerships to further develop renewable energy to help meet our nation’s energy
needs and combat climate change while prioritizing environmental justice, racial equity, and
economic opportunity.
Cost-share grants of up to 80 percent of total eligible project costs but not more than $2
million will be made available to assist eligible entities with planning, installing, equipping, and
maintaining community scale distributed/renewable energy technologies/systems/resources.

Targeted Assistance Priority will be afforded to the following applicant entities as defined in the
REPP NOFA:
•
Distressed Rural Communities;
•
Distressed Energy Communities;
•
Communities with High Energy Burdens;
•
Centers for Disease Control - Socially Vulnerable Communities;
•
Qualified Opportunity Zone Communities; and
•
(If not already included above) Rural Communities enduring Racial Inequity
and/or Environmental Injustice, e.g. “EJ 40 Communities.”
Consideration for Alternative Renewable Energy Technologies is also afforded to
communities that plan/execute/deploy renewable energy generation technologies other than solar
photovoltaic of at least 40 percent of total generation capacity; as measured by megawatts of
alternative generation capacity / megawatts of total generation capacity.
USDA is requesting approval of this new collection package on January 19, 2022.
Failure to collect proper information from borrowers will hinder the implementation of the
program as well as the selection of recipients, and result in improper determinations of assistance
as well as encumber customer service.
The 60-day notice for comments is included in the NOFO, and comments on the Rural
Energy Pilot Program information collection package is requested in order to submit the regular
request to obtain a 3-year approval from OMB after receiving the 6-month OMB emergency
approval. Due to the need to consider comments received and then issue another notice for the
Federal Register for an additional thirty days of comment, RBCS would not be able to complete
the information collection process without the emergency clearance. Please note that after the
60-day comment period closes, RBCS will submit the regular collection package for a 3-year
approval addressing any comments received.
In compliance with OMB regulations (5 CFR Part 1320), which implements the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), the information collection and recordkeeping requirements
that may be imposed by this section are submitted to OMB for emergency review and approval.
Attached are the supporting statement and spreadsheet for the regulation.

In summary, the expeditious implementation of this program is a priority for the
Administration. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Michele
Brooks, Director, Regulations Management Division, Innovation Center, Rural Development by
telephone at (202) 690-1078 or by email at [email protected] or Lauren Cusick, Chief,
Branch 2, Regulations Management Division, Innovation Center, Rural Development by
telephone at (202) 720-1414 or email at [email protected].
Thank you in advance for your quick review and response to us.