Rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities

This final rule establishes the policies and procedures pertaining to 20 rural enterprise communities designated by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (Secretary) as authorized by the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (Agriculture Appropriations Act 1999) (Round IIS). This rule also contains the policies and procedures for implementing the grant program authorized by section 766 of the Agriculture Appropriations Act 1999 (USDA EZ/EC grants). Additionally, this rule clarifies post-designation procedures that rural empowerment zones and enterprise communities must follow to maintain their standing. Finally, this final rule amends the regulation to reflect that two new rural empowerment zones were authorized by the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000 (Round III).