Additional Requirements

Below are listed additional requirements for applications to be eligible. For additional assistance contact your state's USDA Rural Energy Coordinator, they can provide information on eligibility and program details, assistance with filling out applications, and advance action on environmental reviews for projects of concern.

Financial Need

Grant applicants must demonstrate financial need. This is not required for guaranteed loans. Demonstrated financial need is met if the applicant is unable to finance the project from its own and commercially available resources without grant assistance, or that the project proposed by the applicant cannot achieve the income and cashflows to sustain it financially over the long term without grant assistance. An acceptable demonstration of financial need is a letter from the applicant's lending institution indicating that financing for the project is contingent upon grant assistance. For applicants applying under the Simplified Application Process in the regulation, the applicant may demonstrate financial need through a signed certification. As always, check with your Rural Energy Coordinator to be sure.

Replicability and Commercial Status

Eligible projects must be replicable and must use a technology that is pre-commercial or commercially available. If an applicant is applying under the Simplified Application Process, the technology for the project must be commercially available. Projects using technologies that are still in the research and development process are not eligible. In general, a technology is deemed to have emerged from the research and development process once it has been successfully demonstrated at full-scale operation for an adequate time period.

Complete Application

Applications missing key data will be deemed incomplete, and therefore, ineligible. By submitting your application early, you can work with your Rural Energy Coordinator to ensure your application is complete.

Environmental Requirements

All applicants must complete Form RD 1940-20, ``Request for Environmental Information.'' All applicants will be responsible for providing all information necessary for the Agency to do a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review and analysis. Any environmental review must be completed prior to the USDA State Office forwarding the application to the National Office funding consideration. For the 2006 Notice of Funds Availability, all environmental assessments for grant applications must be completed by July 3, 2006. If the State Rural Development Office is unable to complete the environmental assessment by that date, the application will not be considered for funding.