Notice2023-16745
Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Emergency Grain Storage Facility Assistance Program (EGSFP)
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 7, 2023
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentFarm Service Agency
Abstract
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is announcing an increase in the initial funding for EGSFP to $80 million, which will be the final funding amount for the program, from the initially announced $20 million due to the high demand for EGSFP. FSA published a notice of funding availability (NOFA) notice on March 16, 2023, announcing the availability of $20 million for EGSFP. EGSFP provides financial assistance to eligible grain producers who were affected by an eligible disaster event that damaged or destroyed local commercial grain elevators. EGSFP is cost-share assistance to construct storage facilities needed to meet on-farm grain storage capacity and handling needs necessary to support the marketing of grain for producers. This notice updates the initial funding amount for the program from $20 million to $80 million and closes the application period for the program due to the current volume of applications received. This notice will not change any other information in the original EGSFP NOFA.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 150 (Monday, August 7, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 150 (Monday, August 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52109-52110]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16745]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Farm Service Agency
[Docket ID FSA-2022-0014]
Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Emergency Grain
Storage Facility Assistance Program (EGSFP)
AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability; amendment.
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SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is announcing an increase in the
[[Page 52110]]
initial funding for EGSFP to $80 million, which will be the final
funding amount for the program, from the initially announced $20
million due to the high demand for EGSFP. FSA published a notice of
funding availability (NOFA) notice on March 16, 2023, announcing the
availability of $20 million for EGSFP. EGSFP provides financial
assistance to eligible grain producers who were affected by an eligible
disaster event that damaged or destroyed local commercial grain
elevators. EGSFP is cost-share assistance to construct storage
facilities needed to meet on-farm grain storage capacity and handling
needs necessary to support the marketing of grain for producers. This
notice updates the initial funding amount for the program from $20
million to $80 million and closes the application period for the
program due to the current volume of applications received. This notice
will not change any other information in the original EGSFP NOFA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Danielle L. Cooke, (202) 720-1919;
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d296b3bcbbb7bebeb7fc91bdbdb9b792a7a1b6b3fcb5bda4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1f5b7e71767a73737a315c7070747a5f6a6c7b7e31787069">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals who require alternative means for
communication should contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 720-2600
(voice).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Federal Register on March 16, 2023
(88 FR 16230-16235) (referred to in this document as the March EGSFP
NOFA), FSA announced the funding to implement EGSFP. At that time the
funding level was announced as $20 million. FSA received a greater than
expected number of applications and has not yet made any payments under
EGSFP. FSA is replacing the initial funding level with a funding level
of $80 million, an increase of $60 million due to the high demand for
EGSFP.
EGSFP provides financial assistance to eligible grain producers who
were affected by an eligible disaster event that damaged or destroyed
local commercial grain elevators. EGSFP is cost-share assistance to
construct storage facilities needed to meet on-farm grain storage
capacity and handling needs necessary to support the marketing of grain
for producers.
The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is making available $80
million to FSA to provide financial assistance to grain producers
through EGSFP to assist with marketing disruptions and limited storage
capacity caused by eligible disaster events in affected counties from
December 1, 2021, through August 1, 2022. The $80 million funding for
the EGSFP assistance will remain available until expended. FSA has no
plans to further increase the funding for EGSFP. Due to the high demand
for EGSFP assistance and limited funding, FSA will not accept new EGSFP
applications after August 7, 2023. The increased funding level
announced by this notice will enable FSA to fund additional eligible
applications that have already been received. However, the high demand
for EGSFP assistance means that FSA will not be able to approve and
fund all eligible applications that have already been received by FSA
at this time and any additional applications received after this date
would likewise not be funded. As explained in the March EGSFP NOFA:
DAFP has the authority to modify application deadlines and other
requirements or EGSFP provisions not specified in law in cases where
DAFP determines it is equitable to do so and where it does not
adversely affect the operation of EGSFP. Therefore, as explained above,
DAFP has determined that the original application deadline has been
modified and is now August 7, 2023.
This notice will not change any other information stated in the
March EGSFP NOFA.
Congressional Review Act
For major rules, the Congressional Review Act requires a delay in
the effective date for 60 days from the date of publication to allow
for Congressional review. This NOFA is not a major rule under the
Congressional Review Act, as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). Therefore,
this NOFA does not require a 60-day delay in implementation.
Environmental Review
The environmental impacts have been considered in a manner
consistent with the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347), the regulations of the Council on
Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the FSA regulations
for compliance with NEPA (7 CFR part 799).
The purpose of EGSFP is to establish assistance to help
agricultural producers in affected counties, including those in
Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South
Dakota, and Tennessee, purchase and build on-farm grain storage and
purchase drying and handling equipment necessary due to marketing and
storage disruptions caused by devastating natural disaster events from
December 1, 2021, through August 1, 2022. The limited discretionary
aspects of EGSFP do not have the potential to impact the human
environment as they are administrative. Accordingly, these
discretionary aspects are covered by the categorical exclusions in 7
CFR 799.31(b)(6)(iii) that applies to price support programs, provided
no extraordinary circumstances are found to exist. As such, the
implementation of EGSFP and the participation in EGSFP do not
constitute major Federal actions that would significantly affect the
quality of the human environment, individually or cumulatively.
Therefore, FSA will not prepare an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement for this action and this document serves
as documentation of the programmatic environmental compliance decision
for this Federal action.
Zach Ducheneaux,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 2023-16745 Filed 8-3-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-E2-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on August 7, 2023.
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