A person will not be held liable for damages or penalties for any act or failure to act resulting directly or indirectly from compliance with any provision of this part, or an official action, even if such provision or action is subsequently declared invalid by judicial or other competent authority.

(a) Persons are required to make and preserve for at least 3 years, accurate and complete records of any transaction covered by this part or an official action.

(b) Records must be maintained in sufficient detail to permit the determination, upon examination, of whether each transaction complies with the provisions of this part or any official action. However, this part does not specify any particular method or system to be used.

(c) Records required to be maintained by this part must be made available for examination on demand by duly authorized representatives of USDA as provided in § 789.51.

(d) In addition, persons must develop, maintain, and submit any other records and reports to USDA that may be required for the administration of the Defense Production Act and other applicable statutes, and this part.

(e) Section 705(d) of the Defense Production Act, as implemented by Executive Order 13603, provides that information obtained under that section which the Secretary deems confidential, or with reference to which a request for confidential treatment is made by the person furnishing such information, will not be published or disclosed unless the Secretary determines that the withholding of this information is contrary to the interest of the national defense. Information required to be submitted to USDA in connection with the enforcement or administration of the Defense Production Act, this part, or an official action, is deemed to be confidential under section 705(d) of the Defense Production Act and will be handled in accordance with applicable Federal law.

(a) This part and all official actions, unless specifically stated otherwise, apply to transactions in any State, territory, or possession of the United States and the District of Columbia.

(b) This part and all official actions apply not only to deliveries to other persons but also include deliveries to affiliates and subsidiaries of a person and deliveries from one branch, division, or section of a single entity to another branch, division, or section under common ownership or control.

(c) This part and its schedules will not be construed to affect any administrative actions taken by USDA, or any outstanding contracts or orders placed based on any of the regulations, orders, schedules, or delegations of authority previously issued by USDA based on authority granted to the President in the Defense Production Act. Such actions, contracts, or orders will continue in full force and effect under this part unless modified or terminated by proper authority.

Except as otherwise provided, all communications concerning this part, including requests for copies of this part and explanatory information, requests for guidance or clarification, and submission of appeals as specified in § 789.61 will be addressed to the Administrator, Farm Service Agency, Room 4752, Mail Stop 0512, USDA, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20250-0512 or email: [email protected]. This address is also to be used for requests for adjustments or exceptions to the Farm Service Agency Deputy Administrator for Management as specified in § 789.60.

The programs listed in this schedule have been approved for priorities and allocations support under this part by the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, or Department of Homeland Security as required by section 202 of Executive Order 13603. They have equal preferential status. USDA has authorized the delegate agencies to use the authorities in this part in support of those programs assigned to them, as indicated below.