Railroad Safety Technology Program Grant Program, 15484-15485 [2010-6889]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
15484
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 59 / Monday, March 29, 2010 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 6934]
Waiver of Restriction on Assistance to
the Central Government of Uzbekistan
Related to Budget Transparency
Pursuant to section 7086(c)(2) of the
Department of State, Foreign
Operations, and Related Programs
Appropriations Act, 2010 (Division F,
Pub. L. 111–117) (‘‘the Act’’), and
Department of State Delegation of
Authority Number 245–1, I hereby
determine that it is important to the
national interest of the United States to
waive the requirements of section
7086(c)(1) of the Act with respect to the
Government of Uzbekistan, and I hereby
waive such restriction.
This determination shall be reported
to the Congress, and published in the
Federal Register.
Dated: March 22, 2010.
Jacob J. Lew,
Deputy Secretary of State for Management
and Resources.
[FR Doc. 2010–6910 Filed 3–26–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–46–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA–2010–005–N–5]
Railroad Safety Technology Program
Grant Program
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Funds Availability,
Solicitation of Applications.
cprice-sewell on DSK89S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Rail Safety Technology
Program is a newly authorized program
under the Rail Safety Improvement Act
of 2008 (RSIA) (Pub. L. 110–432;
October 16, 2008). The program
authorizes the Department of
Transportation to provide grants to
passenger and freight rail carriers,
railroad suppliers, and State and local
governments for projects that have a
public benefit of improved railroad
safety and efficiency. The program
makes available $50,000,000 in Federal
funds. This grant program has a
maximum 80 percent Federal and
minimum 20 percent grantee cost share
(cash or in-kind) match requirement.
DATES: FRA will begin accepting grant
applications 10 days after publication of
this Notice of Funding Availability in
the Federal Register. Applications may
be submitted until July 1, 2010. Reviews
will be conducted immediately
VerDate Nov<24>2008
09:18 Apr 05, 2010
Jkt 220001
following the solicitation close date.
Selection announcements will be made
on or around September 3, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Applications for grants
under this Program must be submitted
electronically to Grants.gov (https://
www.grants.gov) following the detailed
procedures in the grant application
package online. The Grants.gov Web site
allows organizations to find and apply
electronically for competitive grant
opportunities from all Federal grantmaking agencies. Any entity wishing to
submit an application pursuant to this
notice should immediately initiate the
process of registering with Grants.Gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Those interested in responding to this
solicitation are strongly encouraged to
first call Dr. Mark Hartong, FRA, Senior
Electronics Engineer (Phone: (202) 493–
1332; e-mail: Mark.Hartong@dot.gov), or
Mr. David Blackmore, FRA, Program
Manager–Advanced Technologies
(Phone: (312) 835–3903, e-mail:
David.Blackmore@dot.gov), to discuss
the prospective idea, its potential
responsiveness to the solicitation, and
potential for FRA interest. Taking this
action could forestall costly efforts by
interested parties whose proposed work
may not be of interest to FRA under this
grant. Non-technical inquiries should be
directed to the Grants Officer, Ms.
Jennifer Capps (Phone: (202) 493–0112,
e-mail: Jennifer.Capps@dot.gov).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority and Funding: The Railroad
Safety Technology Program (RSTP)
authorized under section 105 of the RSIA
(Division A, Pub. L. 110–432) (49 U.S.C.
20158), authorizes the appropriation of $50
million annually for fiscal years (FY) 2009
through 2013. The Transportation, Housing
and Urban Development, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010
provided $50 million for this purpose.
Eligible Organizations: Title 49 U.S.C.
20158 provides that ‘‘Grants shall be
made under this section to eligible
passenger and freight railroad carriers,
railroad suppliers, and State and local
governments for projects * * * that
have a public benefit of improved safety
and network efficiency.’’
To be eligible for assistance, entities
must have either received approval of
the Technology Implementation Plans
(TIP) and Positive Train Control
Implementation Plans (PTCIP) required
by 49 U.S.C. 20156(e)(2) and 20157, or
demonstrate to the satisfaction of FRA
that they are currently developing the
required plans. Preference will be given
in the following order:
1. Entities that have completed and
received FRA approval of both their TIP
and PTCIP.
PO 00000
Frm 00084
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
2. Entities that have completed and
received FRA approval of their PTCIP.
3. Entities that have submitted their
PTCIP to FRA for approval.
4. Entities that have certified to FRA
progress towards completion of their
PTCIP and TIP.
5. All other entities.
Collaborative project submissions by
freight and passenger carriers, suppliers,
and State and local governments on
eligible projects will be evaluated more
favorably.
Eligible Projects: Grant awards will
focus on using technologies or methods
that are ready for deployment, or of
sufficient technical maturity that they
can be made ready for deployment
within the 24 months of the grant
award. FRA will give preference to
collaborative projects by multiple
railroads that have active railroad
carrier and sponsoring public authority
participation in the following order:
Priority 1: Projects that:
(a) Support the resolution of
Northeast Corridor Positive Train
Control (PTC) interoperability issues,
(b) Support the resolution of mixed
freight and passenger PTC
interoperability issues in the Los
Angeles Basin, or
(c) Facilitate sharing of PTC
communications infrastructure and
spectrum.
Priority 2: Projects that:
(a) Support high-speed passenger
operations using general freight PTC
technologies,
(b) Optimize PTC deployment on the
core 2015 PTC territory, or
(c) Support PTC deployment on non2015 core PTC territory.
Priority 3: All other projects.
Selection Criteria: Applications will
be evaluated and ranked based on both
technical and cost/price factors.
Technical Factors (75% overall
weighting):
1. Responsiveness to Solicitation
Intent and Requirements (20%): Degree
to which proposal meets the conceptual
intent and submission requirements of
the solicitation.
2. Significance for Implementing
Interoperable PTC Deployment and Fit
with FRA Mission (30%): Degree to
which successful implementation of
proposed idea would make
interoperable PTC deployment more
technically or economically practical
(includes contribution to cost
effectiveness, reliability, safety,
availability, or maintainability), and fit
within FRA’s primary mission of
ensuring the safety of the Nation’s
approximately 700 railroads.
3. Technical Merit (20%): Degree to
which proposed ideas exhibit a sound
E:\FR\FM\29MRN1.SGM
29MRN1
cprice-sewell on DSK89S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 59 / Monday, March 29, 2010 / Notices
scientific and engineering basis; how
well the proposed ideas could be
practically applied in, and would be
compatible with, the railroad
environment; and perceived likelihood
of technical and practical success.
4. Key Personnel and Supporting
Organization (15%): The technical
qualifications and demonstrated
experience of key personnel proposed to
lead and perform the technical efforts;
qualifications of primary and supporting
organizations to fully and successfully
execute proposal plan within proposed
timeframe and budget.
5. Collaborative Efforts (15%): The
degree to which proposed effort is
supported by multiple entities and the
applicability and availability of results
to the larger railroad industry.
Cost/Price Factor (25% overall
weighting):
1. Affordability and degree to which
proposed effort appears to be a good
value for the amount of funding
requested. This includes the
reasonableness and realism of the
proposed costs (60%).
2. The extent of proposed cost sharing
or cost participation under the proposed
effort (exclusive of the applicant’s prior
investment) (40%).
All evaluation factors other than cost
or price, when combined, are
significantly more important than cost
or price alone. Technical evaluation is
appreciably more important than cost or
price and, as such, greater consideration
shall be given to technical excellence
rather than cost or price alone. An offer
must be found acceptable under all
applicable evaluation factors to be
considered eligible for award. Awards
will be made to responsible applicants
whose offers provide the best value to
the Government in terms of technical
excellence, cost or price, and
performance risk to include consistency
and accord with the objectives of the
solicitation and FRA’s expressed areas
of interest.
Requirements and Conditions for
Grant Applications: Detailed
application requirements and
conditions may be found in the grant
application guidance (RSS–RSTG–
FY2010–1) for this solicitation on
Grants.gov.
Information Collection: The Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), under
emergency clearance procedures, has
approved the information collection
associated with the Rail Safety
Technology Program for 6 months. The
approval number for this collection of
information is OMB No. 2130–0587, and
the expiration date is September 30,
2010. FRA will be publishing a Notice
in the Federal Register shortly in which
the agency will be seeking regular OMB
VerDate Nov<24>2008
09:18 Apr 05, 2010
Jkt 220001
Clearance for this collection of
information. Such approvals are
normally good for 3 years. FRA will
publish a Notice for this second OMB
approval once it is obtained.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 23,
2010.
Brenda Moscoso,
Acting Associate Administrator for Railroad
Safety/Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010–6889 Filed 3–26–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
[Docket ID PHMSA–2010–0097]
Pipeline Safety: Workshop on
Guidelines for Integrity Assessment of
Cased Pipe
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of workshop.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: PHMSA is holding a
workshop on the integrity assessment of
cased pipe for pipelines subject to
integrity management program
requirements. The workshop is intended
to discuss PHMSA’s recently issued
guidance ‘‘Guidelines for Integrity
Assessment of Cased Pipe in Gas
Transmission Pipelines’’ and related
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
The latest guidelines and FAQs are
available online at: https://
primis.phmsa.dot.gov/gasimp/
documents.htm. The workshop focus
will be for the public, pipeline
operators, trade associations, and others
to address ideas and concerns with
using External Corrosion Direct
Assessment integrity evaluation
methods and use of other technologies
to assess pipelines in casings located
within high consequence areas.
The workshop will be held at the
Sheraton Inner Harbor, 300 South
Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 on
April 28, 2010.
ADDRESSES: The April 28, 2010, cased
pipe workshop will be held at the
Sheraton Inner Harbor, 300 South
Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.
The meeting room will be posted at the
hotel on the day of the workshop.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Max
Kieba at (202) 493–0595, or by e-mail at
max.kieba@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Registration: Members of the public may
attend this free workshop. The
workshop will not be webcast. Hotel
reservations under the ‘‘U.S. Department
PO 00000
Frm 00085
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
15485
of Transportation’’ room block for the
night of April 27, 2010, can be made by
contacting the hotel directly at 1–800–
325–3535. A daily base rate of $161.00
is available for the night of April 27,
2010. For this rate, room reservations
must be made by April 13, 2010.
To help assure that adequate space is
provided, all attendees are encouraged
to register for the workshop at: https://
primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/
MtgHome.mtg?mtg=64. Name badge
pick-up and on-site registration will be
available starting at 7:30 a.m. with the
workshop taking place from 8:30 a.m.
until approximately 5 p.m. Refer to the
meeting Web site for updated agenda
and times at https://
primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/
MtgHome.mtg?mtg=64. All workshop
presentations will be available on the
meeting Web site within 30 days
following the workshop.
Comments: Members of the public
may also submit written comments,
either before or after the workshop.
Comments should reference Docket ID
PHMSA–2010–0097. Comments may be
submitted in the following ways:
• E-Gov Web Site: https://
www.regulations.gov. This site allows
the public to enter comments on any
Federal Register notice issued by any
agency. Follow the instructions for
submitting comments.
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
• Mail: Docket Management System,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W12–
140, Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: DOT Docket
Management System, Room W12–140,
on the ground floor of the West
Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.,
Washington, DC between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays.
Instructions: Identify the Docket ID at
the beginning of your comments. If you
submit your comments by mail, please
submit two copies. If you wish to
receive confirmation that PHMSA has
received your comments, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard. Internet
users may submit comments at https://
www.regulations.gov. Note: Comments
will be posted without changes or edits
to https://www.regulations.gov including
any personal information provided.
Please see the Privacy Act heading in
the Regulatory Analyses and Notices
section of the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for additional information.
Privacy Act Statement: Anyone may
search the electronic form of all
comments received for any of our
dockets. You may review DOT’s
complete Privacy Act Statement in the
E:\FR\FM\29MRN1.SGM
29MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 59 (Monday, March 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15484-15485]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6889]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2010-005-N-5]
Railroad Safety Technology Program Grant Program
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Funds Availability, Solicitation of Applications.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Rail Safety Technology Program is a newly authorized
program under the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) (Pub. L.
110-432; October 16, 2008). The program authorizes the Department of
Transportation to provide grants to passenger and freight rail
carriers, railroad suppliers, and State and local governments for
projects that have a public benefit of improved railroad safety and
efficiency. The program makes available $50,000,000 in Federal funds.
This grant program has a maximum 80 percent Federal and minimum 20
percent grantee cost share (cash or in-kind) match requirement.
DATES: FRA will begin accepting grant applications 10 days after
publication of this Notice of Funding Availability in the Federal
Register. Applications may be submitted until July 1, 2010. Reviews
will be conducted immediately following the solicitation close date.
Selection announcements will be made on or around September 3, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Applications for grants under this Program must be submitted
electronically to Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov) following the
detailed procedures in the grant application package online. The
Grants.gov Web site allows organizations to find and apply
electronically for competitive grant opportunities from all Federal
grant-making agencies. Any entity wishing to submit an application
pursuant to this notice should immediately initiate the process of
registering with Grants.Gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Those interested in responding to this
solicitation are strongly encouraged to first call Dr. Mark Hartong,
FRA, Senior Electronics Engineer (Phone: (202) 493-1332; e-mail:
Mark.Hartong@dot.gov), or Mr. David Blackmore, FRA, Program Manager-
Advanced Technologies (Phone: (312) 835-3903, e-mail:
David.Blackmore@dot.gov), to discuss the prospective idea, its
potential responsiveness to the solicitation, and potential for FRA
interest. Taking this action could forestall costly efforts by
interested parties whose proposed work may not be of interest to FRA
under this grant. Non-technical inquiries should be directed to the
Grants Officer, Ms. Jennifer Capps (Phone: (202) 493-0112, e-mail:
Jennifer.Capps@dot.gov).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority and Funding: The Railroad Safety Technology Program
(RSTP) authorized under section 105 of the RSIA (Division A, Pub. L.
110-432) (49 U.S.C. 20158), authorizes the appropriation of $50
million annually for fiscal years (FY) 2009 through 2013. The
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act of 2010 provided $50 million for this purpose.
Eligible Organizations: Title 49 U.S.C. 20158 provides that
``Grants shall be made under this section to eligible passenger and
freight railroad carriers, railroad suppliers, and State and local
governments for projects * * * that have a public benefit of improved
safety and network efficiency.''
To be eligible for assistance, entities must have either received
approval of the Technology Implementation Plans (TIP) and Positive
Train Control Implementation Plans (PTCIP) required by 49 U.S.C.
20156(e)(2) and 20157, or demonstrate to the satisfaction of FRA that
they are currently developing the required plans. Preference will be
given in the following order:
1. Entities that have completed and received FRA approval of both
their TIP and PTCIP.
2. Entities that have completed and received FRA approval of their
PTCIP.
3. Entities that have submitted their PTCIP to FRA for approval.
4. Entities that have certified to FRA progress towards completion
of their PTCIP and TIP.
5. All other entities.
Collaborative project submissions by freight and passenger
carriers, suppliers, and State and local governments on eligible
projects will be evaluated more favorably.
Eligible Projects: Grant awards will focus on using technologies or
methods that are ready for deployment, or of sufficient technical
maturity that they can be made ready for deployment within the 24
months of the grant award. FRA will give preference to collaborative
projects by multiple railroads that have active railroad carrier and
sponsoring public authority participation in the following order:
Priority 1: Projects that:
(a) Support the resolution of Northeast Corridor Positive Train
Control (PTC) interoperability issues,
(b) Support the resolution of mixed freight and passenger PTC
interoperability issues in the Los Angeles Basin, or
(c) Facilitate sharing of PTC communications infrastructure and
spectrum.
Priority 2: Projects that:
(a) Support high-speed passenger operations using general freight
PTC technologies,
(b) Optimize PTC deployment on the core 2015 PTC territory, or
(c) Support PTC deployment on non-2015 core PTC territory.
Priority 3: All other projects.
Selection Criteria: Applications will be evaluated and ranked based
on both technical and cost/price factors.
Technical Factors (75% overall weighting):
1. Responsiveness to Solicitation Intent and Requirements (20%):
Degree to which proposal meets the conceptual intent and submission
requirements of the solicitation.
2. Significance for Implementing Interoperable PTC Deployment and
Fit with FRA Mission (30%): Degree to which successful implementation
of proposed idea would make interoperable PTC deployment more
technically or economically practical (includes contribution to cost
effectiveness, reliability, safety, availability, or maintainability),
and fit within FRA's primary mission of ensuring the safety of the
Nation's approximately 700 railroads.
3. Technical Merit (20%): Degree to which proposed ideas exhibit a
sound
[[Page 15485]]
scientific and engineering basis; how well the proposed ideas could be
practically applied in, and would be compatible with, the railroad
environment; and perceived likelihood of technical and practical
success.
4. Key Personnel and Supporting Organization (15%): The technical
qualifications and demonstrated experience of key personnel proposed to
lead and perform the technical efforts; qualifications of primary and
supporting organizations to fully and successfully execute proposal
plan within proposed timeframe and budget.
5. Collaborative Efforts (15%): The degree to which proposed effort
is supported by multiple entities and the applicability and
availability of results to the larger railroad industry.
Cost/Price Factor (25% overall weighting):
1. Affordability and degree to which proposed effort appears to be
a good value for the amount of funding requested. This includes the
reasonableness and realism of the proposed costs (60%).
2. The extent of proposed cost sharing or cost participation under
the proposed effort (exclusive of the applicant's prior investment)
(40%).
All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are
significantly more important than cost or price alone. Technical
evaluation is appreciably more important than cost or price and, as
such, greater consideration shall be given to technical excellence
rather than cost or price alone. An offer must be found acceptable
under all applicable evaluation factors to be considered eligible for
award. Awards will be made to responsible applicants whose offers
provide the best value to the Government in terms of technical
excellence, cost or price, and performance risk to include consistency
and accord with the objectives of the solicitation and FRA's expressed
areas of interest.
Requirements and Conditions for Grant Applications: Detailed
application requirements and conditions may be found in the grant
application guidance (RSS-RSTG-FY2010-1) for this solicitation on
Grants.gov.
Information Collection: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB),
under emergency clearance procedures, has approved the information
collection associated with the Rail Safety Technology Program for 6
months. The approval number for this collection of information is OMB
No. 2130-0587, and the expiration date is September 30, 2010. FRA will
be publishing a Notice in the Federal Register shortly in which the
agency will be seeking regular OMB Clearance for this collection of
information. Such approvals are normally good for 3 years. FRA will
publish a Notice for this second OMB approval once it is obtained.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 23, 2010.
Brenda Moscoso,
Acting Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety/Chief Safety
Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-6889 Filed 3-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
