(a) Each borrower with an approved RUS electric program loan as of October 12, 2004 shall perform an initial VRA of its electric system no later than July 12, 2005. Additional or periodic VRA's may be necessary if significant changes occur in the borrower's system, and records of such additional assessments shall be maintained by the borrower.

(b) Each applicant that has submitted an application for an RUS electric program loan or grant prior to October 12, 2004, but whose application has not been approved by RUS by such date, shall perform an initial VRA of its electric system in accordance with §1730.27(a).

(c) Each applicant that submits an application for an RUS electric program loan or grant between October 12, 2004 and July 12, 2005 shall perform an initial VRA of its electric system in accordance with §1730.27(a).

(d) Each applicant that submits an application for an RUS electric program loan or grant on or after July 12, 2005 shall include with its application package a letter certification that such applicant has performed an initial VRA of its electric system. Additional or periodic VRA's may be necessary if significant changes occur in the borrower's system, and records of such additional assessments shall be maintained by the borrower.

(e) The VRA shall include identifying:

(1) Critical assets or facilities considered necessary for the reliability and security of the electric power grid as described in §1730.21(c);

(2) Facilities that if damaged or destroyed would cause significant risk to the safety and health of the public;

(3) Critical assets or infrastructure owned or served by the borrower's electric system that are determined, identified and communicated as elements of national security by the consumer, State or Federal government;

(4) External system impacts (interdependency) with loss of identified system components;

(5) Threats to facilities and assets identified in paragraphs (e)(1), (e)(2), (e)(3), and (e)(4) of this section;

(6) Criticality and risk level of the borrower's system;

(7) Critical asset components and elements unique to the RUS borrower's system; and

(8) Other threats, if any, identified by an individual borrower.

[69 FR 60541, Oct. 12, 2004]