313.6—Strategic Plans.
(a) General.
An Impacted Community that intends to apply for a grant for implementation assistance under § 313.7 shall develop and submit a Strategic Plan to EDA for evaluation and approval. EDA shall evaluate the Strategic Plan based on the technical requirements set forth in paragraph (c) of this section.
(b) Involvement of private and public entities.
To the extent practicable, an Impacted Community shall consult with the following entities in developing a Strategic Plan:
(2)
Firms, as defined in § 315.2 of this chapter, including small- and medium-sized Firms, within the Impacted Community;
(3)
Local workforce investment boards established under section 117 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2832 );
(4)
Labor organizations, including State labor federations and labor-management initiatives, representing workers in the Impacted Community; and
(5)
Educational institutions, local educational agencies, or other training providers serving the Impacted Community.
(c) Technical requirements.
EDA shall evaluate the Strategic Plan based on the following minimum requirements:
(1)
An analysis of the capacity of the Impacted Community to achieve economic adjustment to the impact(s) of trade;
(2)
An analysis of the economic development challenges and opportunities facing the Impacted Community as well as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing the Impacted Community;
(3)
An assessment of the commitment of the Impacted Community to the Strategic Plan over the long term and the participation and input of members of the Community affected by economic dislocation, including how the Strategic Plan will be integrated effectively with one or more applicable Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (`CEDS') that have been developed in connection with EDA's economic development assistance programs as set out at § 303.7 of this chapter ;
(4)
A description of the role and the participation of the entities described in paragraph (b) of this section in developing the Strategic Plan;
(5)
A description of the projects to be undertaken by the Impacted Community under its Strategic Plan and how such projects will facilitate the Impacted Community's economic adjustment;
(6)
A description of the educational and training programs available to workers in the Impacted Community and the future employment needs of the Community;
(7)
An assessment of the cost of implementing the Strategic Plan, including the timing of funding required by the Impacted Community to implement the Strategic Plan and the method of financing to be used to implement the Strategic Plan; and
(8)
A strategy for continuing the economic adjustment of the Impacted Community after the completion of the projects described in paragraph (c)(5) of this section.
(d) Cost sharing limitation.
Assistance awarded to an Impacted Community to develop a Strategic Plan under this section shall not exceed 75 percent of the cost of developing the Strategic Plan. In order to provide funding to as many merit-worthy Impacted Communities as feasible, EDA may base the amount of the Community's required share on the relative distress caused by the actual or threatened decline in the most recent Civilian Labor Force statistics effective on the date EDA receives an application to develop a Strategic Plan.