§ 1780.9 - Eligible loan and grant purposes.

§ 1780.9 Eligible loan and grant purposes.

Loan and grant funds may be used only for the following purposes:

(a) To construct, enlarge, extend, or otherwise improve rural water, sanitary sewage, solid waste disposal, and storm wastewater disposal facilities.

(b) To construct or relocate public buildings, roads, bridges, fences, or utilities, and to make other public improvements necessary for the successful operation or protection of facilities authorized in paragraph (a) of this section.

(c) To relocate private buildings, roads, bridges, fences, or utilities, and other private improvements necessary for the successful operation or protection of facilities authorized in paragraph (a) of this section.

(d) For payment of other utility connection charges as provided in service contracts between utility systems.

(e) When a necessary part of the project relates to those facilities authorized in paragraphs (a), (b), (c) or (d) of this section the following may be considered:

(1) Loan or grant funds may be used for:

(i) Reasonable fees and costs such as: legal, engineering, administrative services, fiscal advisory, recording, environmental analyses and surveys, possible salvage or other mitigation measures, planning, establishing or acquiring rights;

(ii) Costs of acquiring interest in land; rights, such as water rights, leases, permits, rights-of-way; and other evidence of land or water control or protection necessary for development of the facility;

(iii) Purchasing or renting equipment necessary to install, operate, maintain, extend, or protect facilities;

(iv) Cost of additional applicant labor and other expenses necessary to install and extend service; and

(v) In unusual cases, the cost for connecting the user to the main service line.

(2) Only loan funds may be used for:

(i) Interest incurred during construction in conjunction with multiple advances or interest on interim financing;

(ii) Initial operating expenses, including interest, for a period ordinarily not exceeding one year when the applicant is unable to pay such expenses;

(iii) The purchase of existing facilities when it is necessary either to improve service or prevent the loss of service;

(iv) Refinancing debts incurred by, or on behalf of, an applicant when all of the following conditions exist:

(A) The debts being refinanced are a secondary part of the total loan;

(B) The debts were incurred for the facility or service being financed or any part thereof; and

(C) Arrangements cannot be made with the creditors to extend or modify the terms of the debts so that a sound basis will exist for making a loan; and

(v) Prepayment of costs for which RUS grant funds were obligated.

(3) Grant funds may be used to restore loan funds used to prepay grant obligated costs.

(f) Construction incurred before loan or grant approval.

(1) Funds may be used to pay obligations for eligible project costs incurred before loan or grant approval if such requests are made in writing by the applicant and the Agency determines that:

(i) Compelling reasons exist for incurring obligations before loan or grant approval;

(ii) The obligations will be incurred for authorized loan or grant purposes; and

(iii) The Agency's authorization to pay such obligations is on the condition that it is not committed to make the loan or grant; it assumes no responsibility for any obligations incurred by the applicant; and the applicant must subsequently meet all loan or grant approval requirements, including environmental and contracting requirements.

(2) If construction is started without Agency approval, post-approval in accordance with this section may be considered, provided the construction meets applicable requirements including those regarding approval and environmental matters.

(g) Water or sewer service may be provided through individual installations or small clusters of users within an applicant's service area. The approval official should consider items such as: quantity and quality of the individual installations that may be developed; cost effectiveness of the individual facility compared with the initial and long term user cost on a central system; health and pollution problems attributable to individual facilities; operational or management problems peculiar to individual installations; and permit and regulatory agency requirements.

(1) Applicants providing service through individual facilities must meet the eligibility requirements in § 1780.7.

(2) The Agency must approve the form of agreement between the applicant and individual users for the installation, operation, maintenance and payment for individual facilities.

(3) If taxes or assessments are not pledged as security, applicants providing service through individual facilities must obtain security necessary to assure collection of any sum the individual user is obligated to pay the applicant.

(4) Notes representing indebtedness owed the applicant by a user for an individual facility will be scheduled for payment over a period not to exceed the useful life of the individual facility or the RUS loan, whichever is shorter. The interest rate will not exceed the interest rate charged the applicant on the RUS indebtedness.

(5) Applicants providing service through individual or cluster facilities must obtain:

(i) Easements for the installation and ingress to and egress from the facility if determined necessary by RUS; and

(ii) An adequate method for denying service in the event of nonpayment of user fees.

(h) A borrower is permitted to use up to 10 percent of the amount provided under this part to construct, improve, or acquire broadband infrastructure related to the project financed, subject to the requirements of 7 CFR part 1980, subpart M.

[62 FR 33478, June 19, 1997, as amended at 85 FR 57081, Sept. 15, 2020]