Notice2025-05063
Notice of Publication of RUS List of Eligible Countries
Primary source
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Published
March 26, 2025
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentRural Utilities Service
Abstract
The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture is issuing this notice to revise the list of eligible countries for purchases made by RUS Telecommunications and Electric Program awardees by adding Japan to the list of RUS Eligible Countries published on May 23, 2024, and to reflect the November 2023 RUS Eligible Countries published by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) as detailed in the Supplementary Information Section of this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 57 (Wednesday, March 26, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 57 (Wednesday, March 26, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13729-13730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-05063]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
[Docket #: RUS-24-AGENCY-0015]
Notice of Publication of RUS List of Eligible Countries
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development Agency
of the United States Department of Agriculture is issuing this notice
to revise the list of eligible countries for purchases made by RUS
Telecommunications and Electric Program awardees by adding Japan to the
list of RUS Eligible Countries published on May 23, 2024, and to
reflect the November 2023 RUS Eligible Countries published by the
Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) as detailed in
the Supplementary Information Section of this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For Electric Program matters: Donald Junta, Deputy Assistant
Administrator, Office of Customer Service and Technical Assistance,
RUS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, STOP 1569, 1400 Independence Ave.
SW, Washington, DC 20250-1569. Telephone number (202) 720-1900, Email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#85c0e9e0e6f1f7ece6d5f7eae2f7e4e8c6f0f6f1eae8e0f7d6e0f7f3ece6e0c5f7e1abf0f6e1e4abe2eaf3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5a1f363f392e2833390a28353d283b37192f292e35373f28093f282c33393f1a283e742f293e3b743d352c">[email protected]</span></a>.
For Telecommunications Program matters: La'Kenya Walter, Deputy
Assistant Administrator, Policy and Outreach Division, RUS, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, STOP 1590, 1400 Independence Ave. SW,
Washington, DC 20250-1590. Telephone number (202) 720-0733, Email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9dc9f8f1f8fef2f0cdd2d9d8dfdde8eef9fcb3faf2eb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5501303930363a38051a11101715202631347b323a23">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: RUS published a notice in the Federal Register on
February 18, 1997, at 62 FR 7205 that the Uruguay Round Agreements Act,
(108 Stat. 4954, Pub. L. 103-465, December 8, 1994), amended the ``Buy
American'' provision, (7 U.S.C. 903 note) of the Rural Electrification
Act of 1936, as amended (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) (the ``RE Act''). Under
the amendment, the USTR is authorized to determine which countries are
eligible to have their products receive the same treatment as
manufactured and unmanufactured products produced in the United States.
RUS publishes a new notice in the Federal Register to reflect any
updates by the USTR. The last notice to update the list was published
May 23, 2024, at 89 FR 45629.
[[Page 13730]]
Eligible Countries: Based on the updates to the list of eligible
countries found at the following USTR Link: <a href="http://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/assets/procurement/Rural%20Utilities%20Service_Electric%20and%20Telecom_11.23%20Final.pdf">ustr.gov/sites/default/files/assets/procurement/Rural%20Utilities%20Service_Electric%20and%20Telecom_11.23%20Final.pdf</a>,
the following are the eligible countries for the RUS Telecommunications
and Electric Program awardees:
For Telecommunications Program awardees, eligible countries are:
Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chinese
Taipei, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy,
Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico,
Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, North Macedonia,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South
Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.
For Electric Program awardees, eligible countries are: Armenia,
Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile,
Chinese Taipei, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Panama, Peru, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Korea,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.
For Electric and Telecommunications Program awardees: Eligibility
of contracts with certain countries may be limited by contract amount
or other restrictions. Awardees should reach out to the appropriate
program individual as shown in the For Further Information Section of
this notice for additional information.
The USTR may at any time declare one or more additional countries
to be ``eligible countries'' for either Electric or Telecommunications
Program awardees. Each RUS awardee is responsible for assuring that its
procurement complies with the requirements of the RE Act ``Buy
American'' provision.
Christopher A. McLean,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, USDA, Rural Development.
[FR Doc. 2025-05063 Filed 3-25-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P
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