(a) DOE shall annually allocate fiscal year funds available for support among the 10 standard Federal Regions, according to the following formula;

(1) Two-thirds to be allocated according to population; and

(2) One-third to be allocated according to the number of proposals received, per hundred thousand of population of the Region, which meet the requirements set forth in § 470.14(a).

(b) The minimum annual level of support for projects for each State within a Region shall be 10 percent of the fiscal year funds allocated to the Region, divided by the number of States in the Region.

(c) For the purposes of this section, population shall be determined by the most current complete national series, as published by the United States Bureau of the Census in Current Population Reports, P-25, P-26, or related series, except where data from the decennial census conducted by the Bureau of the Census is more current.