Unless otherwise provided for in a Federal Register notice, RES and EEI grant applications will be processed in accordance with this section. Complete Applications will be evaluated, processed, and subsequently ranked, and will compete for funding, subject to the availability of grant funding.

(a) RES and EEI grant applications. Complete RES and EEI grant applications, regardless of the amount of funding requested (which includes $20,000 or less), are eligible to compete in two competitions each Federal Fiscal Year—a State competition and a National competition.

(1) To be competed in the State and National competitions, Complete Applications must be received by the applicable State Office by 4:30 p.m. local time no later than April 30. If April 30 falls on a weekend or a federally-observed holiday, the next Federal business day will be considered the last day for receipt of a Complete Application. Complete Applications received after this date and time will be processed in the subsequent fiscal year.

(2) All eligible RES and EEI grant applications that remain unfunded after completion of the State competitions will be competed in a National competition.

(b) RES and EEI grant applications requesting $20,000 or less. Complete RES and EEI grant applications requesting $20,000 or less are eligible to compete in up to five competitions—two State competitions and a National competition for grants of $20,000 or less set aside, as well as the two competitions referenced in paragraph (a) of this section (see paragraph (e)(2) of this section).

(1) For Complete RES and EEI grant applications for grants requesting $20,000 or less, there will be two State competitions each Federal Fiscal Year. Complete Applications for $20,000 or less that are received by the Agency by 4:30 p.m. local time on October 31 of the Federal Fiscal Year will be competed against each other. Complete Applications for $20,000 or less that are received by the Agency by 4:30 p.m. local time on April 30 of the Federal Fiscal Year will be competed against each other, including any applications for $20,000 or less that were not funded from the prior competition. If either October 31 or April 30 falls on a weekend or a federally-observed holiday, the next Federal business day will be considered the last day for receipt of a Complete Application. Complete Applications received after 4:30 p.m. local time on April 30, regardless of the postmark on the application, will be processed in the subsequent fiscal year.

(2) All eligible RES and EEI grant applications requesting $20,000 or less that remain unfunded after completion of the State competition for applications received by April 30 will be competed in the National competition.

(c) Ranking of applications. The Agency will rank complete eligible applications using the scoring criteria specific in §4280.120. Higher scoring applications will receive first consideration.

(d) Funding selected applications. As applications are funded, if insufficient funds remain to fund the next highest scoring application, the Agency may elect to fund a lower scoring application. Before this occurs, the Agency will provide the Applicant of the higher scoring application the opportunity to reduce the amount of the Applicant's grant request to the amount of funds available. If the Applicant agrees to lower its grant request, the Applicant must certify that the purposes of the project will be met and provide the remaining total funds needed to complete the project. At its discretion, the Agency may also elect to allow any remaining multi-year funds to be carried over to the next fiscal year rather than selecting a lower scoring application.

(e) Handling of ranked applications not funded. Based on the availability of funding, a ranked application might not be funded. How the unfunded application is handled depends on whether it is requesting more than $20,000 or is requesting $20,000 or less

(1) The Agency will discontinue consideration for funding all complete and eligible applications requesting more than $20,000 that are not selected for funding after the State and National competitions for the Federal Fiscal Year.

(2) All complete and eligible applications requesting $20,000 or less may be competed in up to five consecutive competitions as illustrated below. Example 1: An application that is unfunded in the first State competition of a fiscal year is eligible to be competed in the second State competition and the National competition for grants of $20,000 or less, as well as, the State and National competitions for all grants regardless of the dollar amount being requested, in that fiscal year. Example 2: An application that is first competed in the second State competition of a fiscal year can be competed in the National competition for that fiscal year and the first State competition in the following fiscal year for grants of $20,000 or less. In addition the application may compete in the State and National competitions for all grants regardless of the amount of funding requested, which are referenced in paragraph (a) of this section. The Agency will discontinue for potential funding all application requesting $20,000 or less that are not selected for funding after competing in a total of three State competitions and two national competitions.

(f) Commencement of the project. Not all grant applications that compete for funding will receive an award. Thus, the Applicant assumes all risks if the Applicant chooses to purchase the technology proposed or start construction of the project to be financed in the grant application after the Complete Application has been received by the Agency, but before the Applicant is notified as to whether or not they have been selected for an award.