In preparing its statement of activities, the applicant is responsible for consulting with leaders from the county, parish and/or township governments of the area where HPG activities will take place for the purpose of assuring that the proposed HPO program is beneficial and does not duplicate current activities. American Indian nonprofit organization applicants should obtain the written concurrence of the tribal governing body in lieu of consulting with the county governments when the program is operated only on tribal land.

The applicant must also make its statement of activities available to the public for comment. The applicant must announce the availability of its statement of activities for review in a newspaper of general circulation in the project area and allow at least 15 days for public comment. The start of this 15-day period must occur no later than 16 days prior to the last day for acceptance of preapplications by Rural Development.

The HPG program is subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, which requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local officials. These requirements are set forth in U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations 7 CFR part 3015, subpart V, and RD Instruction 1970-I, ‘Intergovernmental Review,’ available in any Agency office or on the Agency's Web site. Prospective applicants for HPG grants must submit its statement of activities to the State single point of contact prior to submitting their preapplication to Rural Development. Evidence of submittal of the statement of activities to the State single point of contact is to be submitted with a preapplication. Comments and recommendations made through the intergovernmental review process are for the purpose of assuring consideration of State and local government views. The name of the State single point of contact is available from any Rural Development office. This section does not apply to American Indian tribes, bands, groups, etc., as noted in § 1944.656 of this subpart.