Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands Program, 5617-5627 [2012-2260]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 23 / Friday, February 3, 2012 / Notices
business hours are Monday through
Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MST.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
hereby given that the FHWA and other
Federal agencies have taken final agency
actions by issuing licenses, permits and
approvals for the following highway
project in the State of Utah: The Logan
200 East Minor Arterial Project, Cash
How To Obtain Copies
County, Utah, project number HPP–
A copy of the proposed TSO–C151c
LC05(29), Federal Lead Agency: Federal
may be obtained via the information
Highway Administration.
contained in the section titled FOR
Project Description: The Selected
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, or from
Alternative (Build Alternative 2A)
the FAA Internet Web site at: https://
implements a transportation project
www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/.
consisting of: (1) A new signalized
intersection, including one through
Issued in Washington, DC, on January 31,
travel lane for all approaching
2012.
directions, center turn lanes, right turn
Susan J. M. Cabler,
lanes, and designated pedestrian
Assistant Manager, Aircraft Engineering
crosswalks; (2) the installation of two
Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
pedestrian under crossings locations; (3)
[FR Doc. 2012–2464 Filed 2–2–12; 8:45 am]
construction of a roadway, with a slope
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
to accommodate a change in elevation
between Center Street and 100 South,
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION and retaining walls to retain roadway
fills; (4) termination of Pioneer Avenue
in a cul-de-sac and access for all
Federal Highway Administration
existing uses would be maintained; (5)
Notice of Final Federal Agency Action
road resurfacing, restriping to establish
on Proposed Highway in Utah
uniform roadway cross-section
throughout the corridor, reconstruction
AGENCY: Federal Highway
of curb and gutter, and installation of
Administration (FHWA), DOT.
storm drainage facilities as needed to
ACTION: Notice of Limitations on Claims
convey drainage; (6) reconstruction of
for Judicial Review of Actions by FHWA the intersection of 200 south and 200
and other Federal Agencies.
east and widening the southern leg to
match the northern roadway width and
SUMMARY: This notice announces actions
reconfiguration of intersection controls;
taken by the FHWA and other Federal
(7) widening, with an 11-foot center
agencies that are final within the
turn lane, two 11-foot travel lanes, two
meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(I)(1). The
11- foot parking/bike lanes, 2.5-foot curb
actions relate to a proposed
and gutter, 8-foot park strips, 5-foot
transportation improvement project
sidewalks, and 1-foot buffers behind
(Logan 200 East, minor arterial project)
sidewalks; and (8) construction of
in Logan, Cache County in the State of
intersection improvements, including
Utah. These actions grant licenses,
left-turn lanes for both east/westbound
permits, and approvals for the project.
travel on 200 East, and a right-turn lane
DATES: By this notice, the FHWA is
westbound.
advising the public of final agency
The actions by the FHWA and other
actions subject to 23 U.S.C. 139(I)(1). A
Federal agencies, and the laws under
claim seeking judicial review of the
which such actions were taken, are
FHWA actions on the highway project
described in the Environmental
will be barred unless the claim is filed
Assessment (EA) for the project,
on or before August 1, 2012. If the
approved on January 13, 2011, in the
Federal law that authorizes judicial
FHWA Finding of No Significant Impact
review of a claim provides a time period (FONSI) issued on January 12, 2012, and
of less than 180 days for filling such
in other documents in the FHWA
claim, then that shorter time period still administrative record. The EA, FONSI,
applies.
and other documents in the FHWA
administrative record are available by
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
contacting the FHWA at the address
FHWA: Mr. Edward Woolford,
provided above.
Environmental Program Manager,
This notice applies to all Federal
Federal Highway Administration, 2520
agency decisions as of the issuance date
West 4700 South, Suite 9A, Salt Lake
of this notice and all laws under which
City, Utah 84129; telephone (801) 955–
3524; email: Edward.Woolford@dot.gov. such actions were taken, including but
not limited to:
The FHWA Utah Division’s regular
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threshold height, allowing for
consistency in the altitude call out.
e. Clarification of TAWS position
requirements (See Proposed Paragraphs
5.0 through 5.6).
f. All GPS requirements are
unchanged from the TSO–C151b
requirement.
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5617
1. General: National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) [49 U.S.C. 4321–
4351]; Federal-Aid Highway Act [23
U.S.C. 109 and 23 U.S.C. 128];
2. Air: Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401–
7671(q)];
3. Land: Section 4(f) of the
Department of Transportation Act of
1966 [49 U.S.C. 303];
4. Wildlife: Endangered Species Act
[16 U.S.C 1531–1544 and Section 1536];
Migratory Bird Treaty Act [16 U.S.C.
703–712];
5. Historic and Cultural Resources:
Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966, as amended
[16 U.S.C.470 (f) et seq.];
6. Social and Economic: Civil Rights
Act of 1964 [42 U.S.C. 2000(d)–
2000(d)(1); Farmland Protection Policy
Act (FPPA) [7 U.S.C. 4201–4209];
7. Wetlands and Water Resources:
Safe Drinking Water Act [42 U.S.C. 300f
et seq.]; TEA–21 Wetlands Mitigation
[23 U.S.C. 103(b)(6)(m), 133(b)(11);
Flood disaster Protection Act [42 U.S.C.
4001–129].
8. Executive Orders: E.O. 11990,
Protection of Wetlands; E.O. 11988,
Floodplain Management; E.O. 12898,
Federal Actions to address
Environmental Justice in Minority
Populations and Low Income
Populations; E.O. 13175, Consultation
and Coordination with Indian and
Tribal Governments; E.O. 13112,
Invasive Species. Nothing in this notice
creates a cause of action under these
Executive Orders.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning
and Construction. The regulations
implementing Executive Order 12372
regarding intergovernmental consultation on
Federal programs and activities apply to this
program.)
Authority: 23 U.S.C. 139(I)(1)
Issued on: January 23, 2012.
James C. Christian,
Division Administrator, Salt Lake City.
[FR Doc. 2012–2428 Filed 2–2–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–RY–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Alternative Transportation in Parks
and Public Lands Program
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in
Parks Program Announcement of FY
2011 and Partial 2012 Project
Selections.
AGENCY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 23 / Friday, February 3, 2012 / Notices
The U.S. Department of
Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) announces the
selection of projects, funded with Fiscal
Year (FY) 2011 and 2012
appropriations, and previously
unallocated prior year funds, for the
Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks
program, as authorized by Section 3021
of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible,
Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A
Legacy for Users of 2005 (SAFETEA–
LU) and its extensions, and codified in
49 U.S.C. 5320. The Paul S. Sarbanes
Transit in Parks program funds capital
and planning expenses for alternative
transportation systems in parks and
public lands. Federal land management
agencies and State, tribal and local
governments acting with the consent of
a Federal land management agency are
eligible recipients.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Project sponsors who are State, local, or
tribal entities may contact the
appropriate FTA regional office at
https://www.fta.dot.gov/ for grantspecific issues. Project sponsors who are
a Federal land management agency or a
specific unit of a Federal land
management agency should work with
the contact listed below at their
headquarters office to coordinate the
availability of funds to that unit.
• National Park Service: Mark H
Hartsoe, Mark_H_Hartsoe@nps.gov; tel:
SUMMARY:
(202) 513–7025, fax: (202) 371–6675,
mail: 1849 C Street NW., (MS2420);
Washington, DC 20240–0001.
• Fish and Wildlife Service: Nathan
Caldwell, Nathan_Caldwell@fws.gov,
tel: (703) 358–2205, fax: (703) 358–2517,
mail: 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 634;
Arlington, VA 22203.
• Forest Service: Rosana Barkawi,
rosanabarkawi@fs.fed.us, tel: (703) 605–
4509, mail: 1400 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20250–1101.
• Bureau of Land Management: Victor
F. Montoya, Victor_Montoya@blm.gov,
tel: (202) 912–7041, mail: 1620 L Street,
WO–854, Washington, DC 20036.
For general information about the
Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks
program, please contact Adam Schildge,
Office of Program Management, Federal
Transit Administration, at
adam.schildge@dot.gov, (202) 366–0778.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FTA
announces the selection of projects for
the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks
Program for Fiscal Years 2011 and 2012.
As proposed in the Notice of Funding
Availability (NOFA) published on
March 10, 2011, FTA is including
available FY 2012 funding in this
selection of projects. Once additional
FY 2012 funding becomes available,
FTA may select additional projects from
the FY 2011 applicants; publish an
additional FY 2012 NOFA; incorporate
such funds into a future FY 2013 NOFA;
or pursue a combination of the above.
A total of $26,844,035 was
appropriated for FTA’s Paul S. Sarbanes
Transit in Parks program in Fiscal Year
(FY) 2011. Of this amount, $26,709,535
is available for project awards and
$134,500 is reserved for oversight
activities. An additional $633,845 is
available for project awards in FY 2011
from funds appropriated in 2006, 2008
and 2010. This includes funds
previously reserved for other authorized
program activities and funds returned
from previously awarded projects. The
total amount available for FY 2011 is
$27,343,380.
The Surface and Air Transportation
Programs Extension Act of 2011
provided $13,450,000 for the program
for the period of October 1, 2011
through March 31, 2012, which is
approximately half of the FY 2011 fullyear amount. From this amount, a total
of $67,530 is reserved for oversight
activities in FY 2012. With the addition
of $55,965 in previously unavailable FY
2011 contract authority and $26,985 in
funds returned from previously awarded
projects, a total of $13,465,420 is
available for project awards. The
combined total amount of funding for
project awards in FY 2011 and 2012 at
the time of this announcement is
$40,808,800.
FY 2011 & FY 2012 PAUL S. SARBANES TRANSIT IN PARKS PROGRAM
FY 2011
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Appropriation ....................................................................................................................................................
Oversight Deduction (0.5%) ............................................................................................................................
FY 2011 Contract Authority .............................................................................................................................
Prior Year Unobligated Funds .........................................................................................................................
Available for Grants .........................................................................................................................................
A total of 106 applicants requested
$91.1 million, which is more than three
times the amount announced in FY
2011 and more than twice the total
amount currently available, indicating
high competition for funds. A joint
review committee of the U.S.
Department of Interior, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Forest
Service and DOT evaluated the project
proposals based on the criteria defined
in 49 U.S.C. 5320(g)(2). Final selections
were made through a collaborative
process.
The goals of the program are to
conserve natural, historical, and cultural
resources; reduce congestion and
pollution; improve visitor mobility and
accessibility; enhance visitor
experience; and ensure access to all,
including persons with disabilities,
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through alternative transportation
projects. The projects selected to use FY
2011 and 2012 funding represent a
diverse set of capital and planning
projects across the country, ranging
from bus purchases to installation of
Intelligent Transportation Systems
(ITS), and are listed in Table 1.
Applying for Funds
Recipients who are State or local
government entities will be required to
apply for Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in
Parks program funds electronically
through FTA’s electronic grant award
and management system, TEAM. These
entities are assigned discretionary
project IDs as shown in Table I and
Table II of this notice. The content of
these grant applications must reflect the
approved proposal. (Note: Applications
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$26,844,035
(134,500)
............................
633,845
27,343,380
FY 2012
$13,450,000
(67,530)
55,965
26,985
13,465,420
for the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks
program do not require Department of
Labor Certification.) Upon grant award,
payments to grantees will be made by
electronic transfer to the grantee’s
financial institution through FTA’s
Electronic Clearing House Operation
(ECHO) system. Staff in FTA’s Regional
offices are available to assist applicants.
Recipients who are Federal land
management agencies will be required
to enter into an interagency agreement
(IAA) with FTA. FTA will administer
one IAA with each Federal land
management agency receiving funding
through the program for all of that
agency’s projects. Consistent with
section 9.5.2a of the ‘‘Department of
Transportation Financial Management
Policies Manual (October 24, 2006),
funds awarded to Federal land
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 23 / Friday, February 3, 2012 / Notices
management agencies through
interagency agreements remain available
for a period of five years from execution
of the agreement. Individual units of
Federal land management agencies
should work with the contact at their
headquarters office listed above to
coordinate the availability of funds to
that unit.
Program Requirements
Section 5320 requires funding
recipients to meet certain requirements.
Requirements that reflect existing
statutory and regulatory provisions can
be found in the document ‘‘Alternative
Transportation in Parks and Public
Lands Program: Requirements for
Recipients’’ available at
www.fta.dot.gov/transitinparks. These
requirements are incorporated into the
grant agreements and inter-agency
agreements used to fund the selected
projects.
Pre-Award Authority
Pre-award authority allows an agency
that will receive a grant or interagency
agreement to incur certain project costs
prior to receipt of the grant or
interagency agreement and retain
eligibility of the costs for subsequent
reimbursement after the grant or
agreement is approved. The recipient
assumes all risk and is responsible for
ensuring that all conditions are met to
retain eligibility, including compliance
with Federal requirements such as the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), SAFETEA–LU planning
requirements, and provisions
established in the grant contract or
Interagency Agreement. This automatic
pre-award spending authority, when
triggered, permits a grantee to incur
costs on an eligible transit capital or
planning project without prejudice to
possible future Federal participation in
the cost of the project or projects. Under
the authority provided in 49 U.S.C.
5320(h), FTA is extending pre-award
authority for FY 2011 and 2012 Paul S.
Sarbanes Transit in Parks projects
announced in this notice effective
January 17, 2012 when the projects were
publicly announced.
The conditions under which preaward authority may be utilized are
specified below:
a. Pre-award authority is not a legal or
implied commitment that the project(s)
will be approved for FTA assistance or
that FTA will obligate Federal funds for
those projects. Furthermore, it is not a
legal or implied commitment that all
items undertaken by the applicant will
be eligible for inclusion in the project(s).
b. All FTA statutory, procedural, and
contractual requirements must be met.
This includes adherence to Federal
planning requirements for recipients of
FTA grants, National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) requirements, and
Federal competitive procurement
requirements.
c. No action will be taken by the
grantee that prejudices the legal and
administrative findings that the Federal
Transit Administration must make in
order to approve a project.
d. Local funds expended pursuant to
this pre-award authority will be eligible
for reimbursement if FTA later makes a
grant or interagency agreement for the
project(s). Local funds expended by the
grantee prior to the January 17, 2012
public announcement will not be
eligible for credit toward local match or
reimbursement. Furthermore, the
expenditure of local funds on activities
such as land acquisition, demolition, or
construction, prior to the completion of
the NEPA process, would compromise
FTA’s ability to comply with Federal
environmental laws and may render the
project ineligible for FTA funding.
e. When a grant for the project is
subsequently awarded, the Financial
Status Report in TEAM–Web must
indicate the use of pre-award authority,
and the pre-award item in the project
information section of TEAM should be
marked ‘‘yes.’’
Reporting Requirements
All recipients must submit quarterly
reports to FTA containing the following
information:
(1) Narrative description of project(s);
and,
(2) discussion of all budget and
schedule changes.
The headquarters office for each Federal
land management agency should collect
a quarterly report for each of the
projects delineated in the interagency
agreement and then send these reports
by email to Adam Schildge, FTA,
mailto: adam.schildge@dot.gov.
Examples can be found on the program
Web site at https://www.fta.dot.gov/
transitinparks. State, local and tribal
governments will provide this
information to FTA via the TEAM–Web
system for projects that are funded
through FTA grants.
The quarterly reports are due to FTA
on the dates noted below:
Covering
1st Quarter Report ................................................
2nd Quarter Report ...............................................
3rd Quarter Report ...............................................
4th Quarter Report ................................................
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Quarter
October 1–December 31 .........................................................
January 1–March 31 ...............................................................
April 1–June 30 .......................................................................
July 1–September 31 ..............................................................
In order to allow FTA to compute
aggregate program performance
measures FTA requires that all
recipients of funding for capital projects
under the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in
Parks program submit the following
information as a part of their fourth
quarter report:
D Annual visitation to the relevant
land unit;
D Annual number of persons who use
the alternative transportation system
(ridership/usage);
D An estimate of the number of
vehicle trips mitigated based on
alternative transportation system usage
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and the typical number of passengers
per vehicle;
D Cost per passenger; and,
D A note of any special services
offered for those systems with higher
costs per passenger but more amenities.
Oversight
Recipients of FY 2011 and FY 2012
Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks
program funds will be required to
certify that they will comply with all
applicable Federal and FTA
programmatic requirements. FTA direct
grantees will complete this certification
as part of the annual Certification and
Assurances package, and Federal Land
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Due date
January 30.
April 30.
July 30.
October 30.
Management Agency recipients will
complete the certification by signing the
interagency agreement. This
certification is the basis for oversight
reviews conducted by FTA.
The Secretary of Transportation and
FTA have elected not to apply the
triennial review requirements of 49
U.S.C. 5307(h)(2) to Paul S. Sarbanes
Transit in Parks program recipients that
are other Federal agencies. Instead,
working with the existing oversight
systems at the Federal Land
Management Agencies, FTA will
perform periodic reviews of specific
projects funded by the Paul S. Sarbanes
Transit in Parks program. These reviews
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will ensure that projects meet the basic
statutory, administrative, and regulatory
requirements as stipulated by this notice
and the certification. To the extent
possible, these reviews will be
coordinated with other reviews of the
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project. FTA direct grantees of Paul S.
Sarbanes Transit in Parks program funds
(State, local and tribal government
entities) will be subject to all applicable
triennial, State management, civil rights,
and other reviews.
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Issued in Washington, DC, January 27,
2012.
Peter Rogoff,
Administrator.
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[FR Doc. 2012–2260 Filed 2–2–12; 8:45 am]
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 23 (Friday, February 3, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5617-5627]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-2260]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands Program
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Program Announcement of FY
2011 and Partial 2012 Project Selections.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 5618]]
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) announces the selection of projects, funded with
Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 and 2012 appropriations, and previously
unallocated prior year funds, for the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks
program, as authorized by Section 3021 of the Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act--A Legacy for Users of
2005 (SAFETEA-LU) and its extensions, and codified in 49 U.S.C. 5320.
The Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks program funds capital and
planning expenses for alternative transportation systems in parks and
public lands. Federal land management agencies and State, tribal and
local governments acting with the consent of a Federal land management
agency are eligible recipients.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project sponsors who are State, local,
or tribal entities may contact the appropriate FTA regional office at
https://www.fta.dot.gov/ for grant-specific issues. Project sponsors who
are a Federal land management agency or a specific unit of a Federal
land management agency should work with the contact listed below at
their headquarters office to coordinate the availability of funds to
that unit.
National Park Service: Mark H Hartsoe, Mark_H_Hartsoe@nps.gov; tel: (202) 513-7025, fax: (202) 371-6675, mail: 1849 C
Street NW., (MS2420); Washington, DC 20240-0001.
Fish and Wildlife Service: Nathan Caldwell, Nathan_Caldwell@fws.gov, tel: (703) 358-2205, fax: (703) 358-2517, mail: 4401
N. Fairfax Drive, Room 634; Arlington, VA 22203.
Forest Service: Rosana Barkawi, rosanabarkawi@fs.fed.us,
tel: (703) 605-4509, mail: 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC
20250-1101.
Bureau of Land Management: Victor F. Montoya, Victor_Montoya@blm.gov, tel: (202) 912-7041, mail: 1620 L Street, WO-854,
Washington, DC 20036.
For general information about the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks
program, please contact Adam Schildge, Office of Program Management,
Federal Transit Administration, at adam.schildge@dot.gov, (202) 366-
0778.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FTA announces the selection of projects for
the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Program for Fiscal Years 2011 and
2012. As proposed in the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)
published on March 10, 2011, FTA is including available FY 2012 funding
in this selection of projects. Once additional FY 2012 funding becomes
available, FTA may select additional projects from the FY 2011
applicants; publish an additional FY 2012 NOFA; incorporate such funds
into a future FY 2013 NOFA; or pursue a combination of the above.
A total of $26,844,035 was appropriated for FTA's Paul S. Sarbanes
Transit in Parks program in Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. Of this amount,
$26,709,535 is available for project awards and $134,500 is reserved
for oversight activities. An additional $633,845 is available for
project awards in FY 2011 from funds appropriated in 2006, 2008 and
2010. This includes funds previously reserved for other authorized
program activities and funds returned from previously awarded projects.
The total amount available for FY 2011 is $27,343,380.
The Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011
provided $13,450,000 for the program for the period of October 1, 2011
through March 31, 2012, which is approximately half of the FY 2011
full-year amount. From this amount, a total of $67,530 is reserved for
oversight activities in FY 2012. With the addition of $55,965 in
previously unavailable FY 2011 contract authority and $26,985 in funds
returned from previously awarded projects, a total of $13,465,420 is
available for project awards. The combined total amount of funding for
project awards in FY 2011 and 2012 at the time of this announcement is
$40,808,800.
FY 2011 & FY 2012 Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Program
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2011 FY 2012
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appropriation....................... $26,844,035 $13,450,000
Oversight Deduction (0.5%).......... (134,500) (67,530)
FY 2011 Contract Authority.......... ................ 55,965
Prior Year Unobligated Funds........ 633,845 26,985
Available for Grants................ 27,343,380 13,465,420
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A total of 106 applicants requested $91.1 million, which is more
than three times the amount announced in FY 2011 and more than twice
the total amount currently available, indicating high competition for
funds. A joint review committee of the U.S. Department of Interior, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and DOT evaluated the
project proposals based on the criteria defined in 49 U.S.C.
5320(g)(2). Final selections were made through a collaborative process.
The goals of the program are to conserve natural, historical, and
cultural resources; reduce congestion and pollution; improve visitor
mobility and accessibility; enhance visitor experience; and ensure
access to all, including persons with disabilities, through alternative
transportation projects. The projects selected to use FY 2011 and 2012
funding represent a diverse set of capital and planning projects across
the country, ranging from bus purchases to installation of Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS), and are listed in Table 1.
Applying for Funds
Recipients who are State or local government entities will be
required to apply for Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks program funds
electronically through FTA's electronic grant award and management
system, TEAM. These entities are assigned discretionary project IDs as
shown in Table I and Table II of this notice. The content of these
grant applications must reflect the approved proposal. (Note:
Applications for the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks program do not
require Department of Labor Certification.) Upon grant award, payments
to grantees will be made by electronic transfer to the grantee's
financial institution through FTA's Electronic Clearing House Operation
(ECHO) system. Staff in FTA's Regional offices are available to assist
applicants.
Recipients who are Federal land management agencies will be
required to enter into an interagency agreement (IAA) with FTA. FTA
will administer one IAA with each Federal land management agency
receiving funding through the program for all of that agency's
projects. Consistent with section 9.5.2a of the ``Department of
Transportation Financial Management Policies Manual (October 24, 2006),
funds awarded to Federal land
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management agencies through interagency agreements remain available for
a period of five years from execution of the agreement. Individual
units of Federal land management agencies should work with the contact
at their headquarters office listed above to coordinate the
availability of funds to that unit.
Program Requirements
Section 5320 requires funding recipients to meet certain
requirements. Requirements that reflect existing statutory and
regulatory provisions can be found in the document ``Alternative
Transportation in Parks and Public Lands Program: Requirements for
Recipients'' available at www.fta.dot.gov/transitinparks. These
requirements are incorporated into the grant agreements and inter-
agency agreements used to fund the selected projects.
Pre-Award Authority
Pre-award authority allows an agency that will receive a grant or
interagency agreement to incur certain project costs prior to receipt
of the grant or interagency agreement and retain eligibility of the
costs for subsequent reimbursement after the grant or agreement is
approved. The recipient assumes all risk and is responsible for
ensuring that all conditions are met to retain eligibility, including
compliance with Federal requirements such as the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), SAFETEA-LU planning requirements, and provisions
established in the grant contract or Interagency Agreement. This
automatic pre-award spending authority, when triggered, permits a
grantee to incur costs on an eligible transit capital or planning
project without prejudice to possible future Federal participation in
the cost of the project or projects. Under the authority provided in 49
U.S.C. 5320(h), FTA is extending pre-award authority for FY 2011 and
2012 Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks projects announced in this
notice effective January 17, 2012 when the projects were publicly
announced.
The conditions under which pre-award authority may be utilized are
specified below:
a. Pre-award authority is not a legal or implied commitment that
the project(s) will be approved for FTA assistance or that FTA will
obligate Federal funds for those projects. Furthermore, it is not a
legal or implied commitment that all items undertaken by the applicant
will be eligible for inclusion in the project(s).
b. All FTA statutory, procedural, and contractual requirements must
be met. This includes adherence to Federal planning requirements for
recipients of FTA grants, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
requirements, and Federal competitive procurement requirements.
c. No action will be taken by the grantee that prejudices the legal
and administrative findings that the Federal Transit Administration
must make in order to approve a project.
d. Local funds expended pursuant to this pre-award authority will
be eligible for reimbursement if FTA later makes a grant or interagency
agreement for the project(s). Local funds expended by the grantee prior
to the January 17, 2012 public announcement will not be eligible for
credit toward local match or reimbursement. Furthermore, the
expenditure of local funds on activities such as land acquisition,
demolition, or construction, prior to the completion of the NEPA
process, would compromise FTA's ability to comply with Federal
environmental laws and may render the project ineligible for FTA
funding.
e. When a grant for the project is subsequently awarded, the
Financial Status Report in TEAM-Web must indicate the use of pre-award
authority, and the pre-award item in the project information section of
TEAM should be marked ``yes.''
Reporting Requirements
All recipients must submit quarterly reports to FTA containing the
following information:
(1) Narrative description of project(s); and,
(2) discussion of all budget and schedule changes.
The headquarters office for each Federal land management agency should
collect a quarterly report for each of the projects delineated in the
interagency agreement and then send these reports by email to Adam
Schildge, FTA, mailto: adam.schildge@dot.gov. Examples can be found on
the program Web site at https://www.fta.dot.gov/transitinparks. State,
local and tribal governments will provide this information to FTA via
the TEAM-Web system for projects that are funded through FTA grants.
The quarterly reports are due to FTA on the dates noted below:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quarter Covering Due date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Quarter Report............ October 1-December 31. January 30.
2nd Quarter Report............ January 1-March 31.... April 30.
3rd Quarter Report............ April 1-June 30....... July 30.
4th Quarter Report............ July 1-September 31... October 30.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In order to allow FTA to compute aggregate program performance
measures FTA requires that all recipients of funding for capital
projects under the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks program submit the
following information as a part of their fourth quarter report:
[ssquf] Annual visitation to the relevant land unit;
[ssquf] Annual number of persons who use the alternative
transportation system (ridership/usage);
[ssquf] An estimate of the number of vehicle trips mitigated based
on alternative transportation system usage and the typical number of
passengers per vehicle;
[ssquf] Cost per passenger; and,
[ssquf] A note of any special services offered for those systems
with higher costs per passenger but more amenities.
Oversight
Recipients of FY 2011 and FY 2012 Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks
program funds will be required to certify that they will comply with
all applicable Federal and FTA programmatic requirements. FTA direct
grantees will complete this certification as part of the annual
Certification and Assurances package, and Federal Land Management
Agency recipients will complete the certification by signing the
interagency agreement. This certification is the basis for oversight
reviews conducted by FTA.
The Secretary of Transportation and FTA have elected not to apply
the triennial review requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5307(h)(2) to Paul S.
Sarbanes Transit in Parks program recipients that are other Federal
agencies. Instead, working with the existing oversight systems at the
Federal Land Management Agencies, FTA will perform periodic reviews of
specific projects funded by the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks
program. These reviews
[[Page 5620]]
will ensure that projects meet the basic statutory, administrative, and
regulatory requirements as stipulated by this notice and the
certification. To the extent possible, these reviews will be
coordinated with other reviews of the project. FTA direct grantees of
Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks program funds (State, local and
tribal government entities) will be subject to all applicable
triennial, State management, civil rights, and other reviews.
Issued in Washington, DC, January 27, 2012.
Peter Rogoff,
Administrator.
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[FR Doc. 2012-2260 Filed 2-2-12; 8:45 am]
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