The following criteria will be considered in the selection of site development and/or acquisition grant recipients:

(a) Required criteria. Each project must meet the following criteria:

(1) The area is covered by a Rural Development approved plan;

(2) The Rural Development approved plan specifically calls for the site development and/or acquisition;

(3) Other Federal funds that the community could receive for the project are inadequate or not available, and no State or local funds for site development are available to permit development on a timely basis;

(4) The site is to be developed and/or acquired and is to be used for housing, public facilities, or services;

(5) The applicant has title to the site, lease on site, or an option on the site and funds to purchase the site, or is applying for site acquisition funds;

(6) The site will comply with Executive Orders 11988, “Flood Plain Management” and 11990, “Protection of Wetlands;”

(7) An appraisal of the fair market value of the site must have been completed;

(8) Priority has been given in the selection of site to unoccupied or previously mined land;

(9) Class I or Class II farm land was included in the site only if other suitable land was not available;

(10) The land is stable if previously mined; and

(11) Assurance that the requirements set forth in title 7, subtitle A, part 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970) have been met.

(b) Competitive criteria. The following criteria will be considered in the selection of grantees:

(1) Priority assigned and recommended funding level by the Governor in the State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas;

(2) The increase in the number of new employees and the percentage of increase in employment in coal and/or uranium development activities in the year of designation within the approved designated area (years projected will be averaged and treated equally);

(3) The severity of need for housing, public facilities, services that has resulted from coal or uranium development activities in relation to available financial resources within the approved designated area covered by the plan calling for the project;

(4) Local priority for the project;

(5) The amount of effort by State and local government to meet the needs of the area covered by the application as called for in the State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas in relation to available financial resources;

(6) An assessment of the environmental impacts of the project; and

(7) The nature of comments and recommendations of A-95 clearing- house(s).