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Grant Community.com Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Descriptions |
CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC
ASSISTANCE
10.901: Resource Conservation and Development
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| PROGRAM AND AWARD | FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS |
| ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS | FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO. |
| APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS | INFORMATION CONTACTS |
| RELATED PROGRAMS | ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS |
| PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS | POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS |
Applicant Eligibility: State and local governments and nonprofit organizations with authority to plan or carry out activities relating to resource use and development in multijurisdictional areas. This program is also available in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam and Mariana Islands.
Beneficiary Eligibility: State and local governments and nonprofit organizations within areas designated as RC&D areas by the Secretary of Agriculture with authority to plan or carry out activities relating to resource use and development in multijurisdictional areas.
Credentials/Documentation: Applicant agency(ies) and nonprofit organizations must document that application is made as a result of official action of the governing body. Applications are honored only from agencies for which applicant eligibility has been established. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments.
Preapplication Coordination: This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the Single Point of Contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102.
Application Procedure: Written application must be in the form suggested in the National Resource Conservation and Development Manual. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedure: Details of the procedure are available from State and field offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Deadlines: by October 1.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: Indeterminate. Authorization of applications is dependent upon the level of appropriations for the program each year.
Appeals: Not applicable.
Renewals: Not applicable.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals: Proposals for projects are judged on relevance of the project to the individual RC&D's area plan goals and objectives. Criteria for setting priorities are usually published in the RC&D area plan or are available from the local sponsors of the RC&D area. Proposals for projects should be submitted to the local USDA designated RC&D area. If an area does not exist, contact the field or state office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Examples of Funded Projects: The following examples reflect the concepts that make RC&D a truly unique government program. These concepts include: The value of public/private partnerships in making the best use of limited resources; the value of grass-roots involvement in making decisions about local issues; bringing USDA agencies together to focus on the same problems and opportunities; the ability to leverage limited federal dollars with private funds to accomplish goals; and achieving a balance between rural economic development and natural resource protection. The Potomac Headwaters RC&D Council in West Virginia helped two soil conservation districts, a county, and several fire departments plan and implement a project to improve safety and reduce fire insurance rates. These partners have invested just over $40,000 into the installation of 76 dry fire hydrants. This has resulted in over 5,000 home owners annually saving more than $875,000 on insurance premiums. The increased safety due to quicker response time will be measured in reduced property losses. The Trailblazer RC&D has helped over 60 percent of Louisiana reach what is commonly called the "superhighway" or Internet. They negotiated local access dates that are affordable to all people in the area. They also provided eight free workshops on how to use the Internet. About 500 people have participated. Complimentary subscriptions have been offered to the other RC&Ds in the State. Trailblazer has also placed a home page on the Internet with connections with several home pages of foundations, agencies, databases, and other RC&Ds. The Cherokee Hills RC&D in Oklahoma organized a business development program that includes services of a business planner that assists the person with development of a business plan and other needed records. This helps them when they apply to the loan pool that has been established. The loan pool of $236,000 was established by a partnership of the Cherokee Hills RC&D, Rural Development, BancFirst of Oklahoma, Forest Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service. One hundred, 20 applications for assistance have resulted in 18 loans (16 to Native Americans) from the loan pool and two from conventional sources. This has created 12 new and six expanded businesses resulting in 31 new jobs. Almost 1,000 hours of time have been invested by volunteers such as council members, banking institutions, and the Loan Review Committee to develop the pool and implement the project. The Two Rivers RC&D in Illinois is helping landowners develop alternate sources of income with a pilot project entitled: "Access Illinois Outdoors." They partnered with the Rural Development and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to provide three field coordinators and an office administrator who match the landowner profiles to the land user profiles. The landowner is provided three to four land user profiles to select from to arrange for goods and services. This has resulted in 140 landowners with 42,000 acres taking part in the program. Profiles of 450 land users have led to 140 of them reaching agreement with 50 landowners. This has resulted in landowners forming 50 alternate business that generate over $250,000 of income per year. The Cocopai RC&D in Arizona has helped the Kaibab-Paiute Reservation improve the quality of the natural resources on the reservation. The council helped develop agreements that made it possible for the reservation and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to utilize $141,000 of 319(h) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program funds from Arizona's allocation for a demonstration. The project included planting 47,000 trees that control stream bank erosion and will provide resources for weaving baskets. A complete range management plan was developed for 30,000 acres. The needed improvements have created six jobs that will last three years on this project and then move to other ranches as the increased income is shown. The demonstration will keep over 500 tons of sediment from damaging property on the reservation each year. The Tennessee Valley RC&D identified the problem of unsuitable soils for septic drain fields causing limitations for many businesses and residential homes. The council working with the Tri-County Health Department, NRCS, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the Alabama A&M developed a demonstration of wetlands to treat effluent from septic tanks to assist businesses comply with health needs. Three companies were selected for the demonstration; a Dairy Queen restaurant, a sign company, and a tree stand manufacturer. The State Department of Health developed standards, the NRCS Plant Materials Center provided wetland plants, the Tri-County Health Department provided technical assistance, TVA and Alabama A&M monitored the project, and the businesses paid the cost with some assistance from the NRCS. The demonstration resulted in the acceptance of wetlands for treating septic tank effluent, bringing three businesses into compliance with Health Department regulations, and saving the jobs associated with the businesses. Twenty part-time jobs were saved at the Dairy Queen wile six jobs were saved at the tree stand company. The demonstration resulted in the sign company not only retaining 25 jobs, but the business actually expanded and added 17 new jobs. The wetland was approved for treating effluent in the area. An additional six businesses and 40 residences are now installing systems. Job creation, a healthy environment, and the rural setting are providing for a quality life for the Tennessee Valley RC&D people. The Big Country RC&D in Texas initiated a demonstration project to provide an alternate to placing paper in sanitary landfills, to address nonpoint source pollution, wind erosion, and to improve productivity of cropland soils. Newspaper was pelleted and applied to cropland at the rate of five tons per acre to achieve a 30 percent ground cover on the five acre plots. One site was on sandy loan soil designated as a Highly Erodible Soil due to wind erosion and the second site was on a clay loan soil subject to water erosion. EPA, NRCS, National Soil Dynamics Laboratory of Auburn, Alabama, Mitchell County Economic Development Board, and the Scurry County Board of County Development cooperated with the RC&D on the project. The analysis of the project shows that soil loss from sediment was reduced 41 percent surface runoff reduced 20 percent and wind erosion reduced 50 percent. At the same time, cotton yield increased 32 percent. Samples of cotton collected at mid-bloom on cotton showed no accumulations of heavy metals. The Black River-St. Lawrence RC&D, in partnership with regional development groups, studied the demand for wood products in the furniture industry in Canada. They also studied the limitations of the Northern New York forest industries. Cooperating with NRCS, the New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation and Economic Development, Key Bank, and other forest industry development groups, a series of workshops was conducted. Over 300 people representing 198 forest industries attended the workshops. This resulted in an increase of 200 portable band saw mills and kilns. One firm indicated that their profits have increased over 30 percent. Another firm has established an export market in Milan, Italy.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance: Financial assistance is not available at this time.
Completed projects by local citizens to improve the economy and quality of living in RC&D areas totaled 41,003 as of September 30, 1999. These include natural resource improvement, community improvement, recreation or tourism, information/education, forestry, water quality, economic development, fish and wildlife, marketing/merchandising, and waste utilization projects.
Federal Agency: NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, (DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE )
Type of Assistance: Advisory Services and Counseling.
Obligations: (Financial Assistance) FY 99 $398,000; FY 00 est $19,971; and FY 01 est $0. (Salaries and Expenses) FY 99 $34,710,179; FY 00 est $35,816,353; and FY 01 est $36,205,000.
Budget Account Number: 12-1010-0-1-302.
Authorization: Public Law 97-98, 95 Stat. 1213.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature: "Assistance available from the Natural Resources Conservation Service," AIB-345; "Resource Conservation and Development Manual, 390 - V, Third Ed.
Regional or Local Office: State and field offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service are listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog. For loans, contacts should be made with the Rural Development office serving the county in which the RC&D project is located.
Headquarters Office: Deputy Chief for Programs, Resource Conservation and Community Development Division, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013. Phone: (202) 720-2241. FTS is not available. (Home Page)
(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)
Formula and Matching Requirements: When financial assistance is available local or State agencies must provide land rights needed for the installation of all projects. RC&D grant assistance (up to 25 percent not to exceed $50,000 of the total project cost) may be provided for a project. Local or State agencies generally must provide ten percent of the total cost and be responsible for any needed operation and maintenance. Loan assistance may be provided for the local share of project cost.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: Not applicable.
Uses and Use Restrictions: Technical assistance is available only to RC&D sponsors within areas authorized by the Secretary of Agriculture for assistance. Technical assistance is available for the planning and installation of approved projects specified in RC&D area plans, for land conservation, water management, community development and environmental enhancement elements.
Reports: Periodic inspections and reports are required to insure that structural projects for which Federal financial assistance has been provided are being properly operated and maintained in accordance with agreements.
Audits: In accordance with the provisions of 7 CFR Part 3052, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," which implement OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 7 CFR 3052.
Records: None.
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Last Updated, November, 2000
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