Railroad Safety Technology Program Grant Program, 66987-66988 [2013-26652]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 216 / Thursday, November 7, 2013 / Notices tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES parcel of surplus property, located at the Barnwell County Airport be used for aeronautical purposes. Currently, ownership of the property provides for protection of FAR Part 77 surfaces and compatible land use which would continue to be protected with deed restrictions required in the transfer of land ownership. DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 9, 2013. ADDRESSES: Documents are available for review by prior appointment at the following location: Atlanta Airports District Office, Attn: Rob Rau, South Carolina Planner, 1701 Columbia Ave., Suite 2–260, College Park, Georgia 30337–2747, Telephone: (404) 305– 7004. Comments on this notice may be mailed or delivered in triplicate to the FAA at the following address: Atlanta Airports District Office, Attn: Rob Rau, South Carolina Planner, 1701 Columbia Ave., Suite 2–260, College Park, Georgia 30337–2747. In addition, one copy of any comments submitted to the FAA must be mailed or delivered to Pickens Williams Jr., County Administrator, Barnwell County at the following address: County Administration Building, 57 Wall Street, Room 126, Barnwell, South Carolina 29812. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rob Rau, South Carolina Planner, Atlanta Airports District Office, 1701 Columbia Ave., Suite 2–260, College Park, Georgia 30337–2747, (404) 305–7004. The application may be reviewed in person at this same location. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA is reviewing a request by the County of Barnwell to release 4.0 acres of surplus property at the Barnwell County Airport. This property was originally conveyed to the County of Barnwell on April 2, 1947 under the powers and authority contained in the provisions of the Surplus Property Act of 1944. Currently, the surplus property is being used for a senior citizens center. Any person may inspect the request in person at the FAA office listed above under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. In addition, any person may, upon request, inspect the request, notice and other documents germane to the request in person at the Charleston International Airport. Issued in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 30, 2013. Gene Roth, Acting Manager, Atlanta Airports District Office Southern Region. [FR Doc. 2013–26723 Filed 11–6–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–13–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:24 Nov 06, 2013 Jkt 232001 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. AGENCY: The Railroad Safety Technology Grant Program was first authorized under the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA). The program authorizes DOT 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 originally made available $50 million in Federal funds. Due to the original grantees completing their grants, $550,000 became available from the original $50 million. 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 accept grant applications until February 5, 2014. Reviews will be conducted immediately following the solicitation close date. Selection announcements will be made 90 days after the solicitation closes. ADDRESSES: Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically to Grants.gov (https:// www.grants.gov) and must follow the detailed procedures in the grant application package online. The Grants.gov Web site allows organizations to find and electronically apply 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. Only grants submitted electronically through Grants.gov will be considered. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Mark Hartong, Scientific and Technical Advisor, FRA, at (202) 493–1332 or Mark.Hartong@dot.gov, or Mr. David Blackmore, Program Manager– Advanced Technologies, FRA, at (312) 835–3903 or 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 SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00098 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 66987 parties whose proposed work may not be of interest to FRA under this grant. Nontechnical inquiries should be directed to Ms. Jennifer Capps, Grants Officer, at (202) 493–0112, Jennifer.Capps@dot.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Authority and Funding: The Railroad Safety Technology Grant Program, authorized under Section 105 of the RSIA (Division A, Pub. L. 110–432) (49 U.S.C. 20158), allows for the appropriation of $50 million annually for fiscal years 2009 through 2013. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010 provided $50 million for this purpose. Due to the original grantees completing their grants, $550,000 became available from the original $50 million. 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 (PTC) 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 where applicable. 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 that are of sufficient technical maturity that they can be made ready for deployment within 24 months of the 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: Projects that: E:\FR\FM\07NON1.SGM 07NON1 tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 66988 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 216 / Thursday, November 7, 2013 / Notices 1. Facilitate sharing of PTC communications infrastructure and spectrum. 2. Support the resolution of PTC system interoperability issues. 3. Optimize PTC deployment on the core 2015 PTC territory. 4. All other projects. Selection Criteria: Applications will be evaluated and ranked based on both technical and cost or price factors. A. 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’s 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 primary mission ensuring the safety of the Nation’s approximately 700 railroads. 3. Technical Merit (20%): Degree to which proposed ideas exhibit a sound scientific and engineering basis; how well the proposed ideas could be practically applied in, and would b]e 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, and qualifications of primary and supporting organizations to fully and successfully execute proposal plan within proposed timeframe and budget. 5. Collaborative Effort (15%): The degree to which proposed effort is supported by multiple entities and the applicability and availability of results to the larger railroad industry. B. 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. 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 VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:24 Nov 06, 2013 Jkt 232001 price and, as such, greater consideration will 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, FR–RSTG–13– 001, or this solicitation on Grants.gov. Applications that do not meet the pagecount requirements specified in the grant application guidance will not be considered. Information Collection: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the information collection associated with the Railroad Safety Technology Grant Program. The approval number for this collection of information is OMB No. 2130–0587. Issued in Washington, DC, on November 4, 2013. Robert C. Lauby, Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer. [FR Doc. 2013–26652 Filed 11–6–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–06–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 497 (Sub-No. 6X] Minnesota Northern Railroad, Inc.— Abandonment Exemption—in Polk County, Minn. On October 18, 2013, Minnesota Northern Railroad, Inc. (MNN) filed with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) a petition under 49 U.S.C. 10502 for exemption from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 10903 to abandon a 2.8-mile portion of its Ada Subdivision between milepost 66.8 north of Beltrami and milepost 64.0 at the end of the track at or near Beltrami, in Polk County, Minn. (the Line).1 The Line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Code 56517. MNN states that it appears that the Line contains federally granted right-of1 Upon abandonment, MNN intends to sell this portion of the Line at and near Beltrami to West Central Ag Services, the sole shipper on the Line, for use as private industry track. PO 00000 Frm 00099 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 way. Any documentation in MNN’s possession will be made available promptly to those requesting it. The interest of railroad employees will be protected by the conditions set forth in Oregon Short Line Railroad— Abandonment Portion Goshen Branch Between Firth & Ammon, In Bingham & Bonneville Counties, Idaho, 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979). By issuance of this notice, the Board is instituting an exemption proceeding pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final decision will be issued by February 5, 2014. Any offer of financial assistance (OFA) under 49 CFR 1152.27(b)(2) will be due no later than 10 days after service of a decision granting the petition for exemption. Each OFA must be accompanied by a $1,600 filing fee. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25). All interested persons should be aware that, following abandonment of rail service and salvage of the Line, the Line may be suitable for other public use, including interim trail use. Any request for a public use condition under 49 CFR 1152.28 or for trail use/rail banking under 49 CFR 1152.29 will be due no later than November 27, 2013. Each trail use request must be accompanied by a $250 filing fee. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(27). All filings in response to this notice must refer to Docket No. AB 497 (SubNo. 6X) and must be sent to: (1) Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20423–0001; and (2) Thomas F. McFarland, Thomas F. McFarland, P.C., 208 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1890, Chicago, IL 60604 Replies to the petition are due on or before November 27, 2013. Persons seeking further information concerning abandonment procedures may contact the Board’s Office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs and Compliance at (202) 245–0238 or refer to the full abandonment or discontinuance regulations at 49 CFR part 1152. Questions concerning environmental issues may be directed to the Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) at (202) 245–0305. [Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 800–877–8339.] An environmental assessment (EA) (or environmental impact statement (EIS), if necessary) prepared by OEA will be served upon all parties of record and upon any agencies or other persons who commented during its preparation. Other interested persons may contact OEA to obtain a copy of the EA (or EIS). EAs in these abandonment proceedings normally will be made available within E:\FR\FM\07NON1.SGM 07NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 216 (Thursday, November 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66987-66988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26652]


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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 Railroad Safety Technology Grant Program was first 
authorized under the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA). The 
program authorizes DOT 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 originally made available $50 million in 
Federal funds. Due to the original grantees completing their grants, 
$550,000 became available from the original $50 million. 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 accept grant applications until February 5, 2014. 
Reviews will be conducted immediately following the solicitation close 
date. Selection announcements will be made 90 days after the 
solicitation closes.

ADDRESSES: Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically to Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov) and must follow 
the detailed procedures in the grant application package online. The 
Grants.gov Web site allows organizations to find and electronically 
apply 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. Only grants submitted electronically through Grants.gov 
will be considered.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Mark Hartong, Scientific and 
Technical Advisor, FRA, at (202) 493-1332 or Mark.Hartong@dot.gov, or 
Mr. David Blackmore, Program Manager-Advanced Technologies, FRA, at 
(312) 835-3903 or 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. Nontechnical inquiries should be directed to Ms. 
Jennifer Capps, Grants Officer, at (202) 493-0112, 
Jennifer.Capps@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Authority and Funding: The Railroad Safety Technology Grant 
Program, authorized under Section 105 of the RSIA (Division A, Pub. L. 
110-432) (49 U.S.C. 20158), allows for the appropriation of $50 million 
annually for fiscal years 2009 through 2013. The Transportation, 
Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 
of 2010 provided $50 million for this purpose. Due to the original 
grantees completing their grants, $550,000 became available from the 
original $50 million.
    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 (PTC) 
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 where applicable. 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 that are of sufficient 
technical maturity that they can be made ready for deployment within 24 
months of the 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:
    Projects that:

[[Page 66988]]

    1. Facilitate sharing of PTC communications infrastructure and 
spectrum.
    2. Support the resolution of PTC system interoperability issues.
    3. Optimize PTC deployment on the core 2015 PTC territory.
    4. All other projects.
    Selection Criteria: Applications will be evaluated and ranked based 
on both technical and cost or price factors.
    A. 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's 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 primary mission ensuring the safety of the Nation's 
approximately 700 railroads.
    3. Technical Merit (20%): Degree to which proposed ideas exhibit a 
sound scientific and engineering basis; how well the proposed ideas 
could be practically applied in, and would b]e 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, and qualifications of primary 
and supporting organizations to fully and successfully execute proposal 
plan within proposed timeframe and budget.
    5. Collaborative Effort (15%): The degree to which proposed effort 
is supported by multiple entities and the applicability and 
availability of results to the larger railroad industry.
    B. 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. 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 will 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, FR-RSTG-13-001, or this solicitation on 
Grants.gov. Applications that do not meet the page-count requirements 
specified in the grant application guidance will not be considered.
    Information Collection: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
has approved the information collection associated with the Railroad 
Safety Technology Grant Program. The approval number for this 
collection of information is OMB No. 2130-0587.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 4, 2013.
Robert C. Lauby,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-26652 Filed 11-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P

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