FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Additional Assistance, 50590-50594 [2021-19397]
Download as PDF
50590
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 172 / Thursday, September 9, 2021 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
FY 2021 American Rescue Plan
Additional Assistance
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), Department of Transportation
(DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Funding Opportunity
(NOFO).
AGENCY:
The Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) announces the
opportunity to apply for $2,207,561,294
in discretionary grants under the
American Rescue Plan Act’s Additional
Assistance Funding (Additional
Assistance Funding). As required by the
American Rescue Plan Act, funds will
be awarded to eligible recipients or
eligible subrecipients of Urbanized Area
Formula funds or Rural Area Formula
funds that, as a result of the Coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID–19), require
additional assistance for costs related to
operations, personnel, cleaning, and
sanitization combating the spread of
pathogens on transit systems, and debt
service payments incurred to maintain
operations and avoid layoffs and
furloughs. FTA may award additional
funding made available to the program
prior to the announcement of project
selections.
DATES: Complete proposals must be
submitted electronically through the
GRANTS.GOV ‘‘APPLY’’ function by
11:59 p.m. Eastern time, November 8,
2021. Prospective applicants should
initiate the process by promptly
registering on the GRANTS.GOV
website to ensure completion of the
application process before the
submission deadline. Instructions for
applying can be found on FTA’s website
at https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/
grants/applying/applying-fta-funding
and in the ‘‘FIND’’ module of
GRANTS.GOV. The funding
opportunity ID is 2021–012–TPM–AAF.
Mail and fax submissions will not be
accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
questions regarding this notice, please
email FTAarpassistance@dot.gov. If you
need immediate assistance you may call
Sarah Clements, FTA Office of Program
Management, (202) 366–3062.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
Table of Contents
A. Program Description
B. Federal Award Information
C. Eligibility Information
D. Application and Submission Information
E. Application Review Information
F. Federal Award Administration
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:38 Sep 08, 2021
Jkt 253001
Information
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)
H. Other Information
A. Program Description
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP),
Public Law 117–2 (March 11, 2021),
appropriated funding to award grants
for additional assistance to transit
agencies in response to COVID–19
through a discretionary process, as
described in this notice. The Federal
Assistance Listing numbers for this
opportunity are 20.507 and 20.509.
Additional Assistance Funding is made
available to eligible recipients or
subrecipients of Urbanized Area
Formula funds (49 U.S.C. 5307) or Rural
Area Formula funds (49 U.S.C. 5311).
Eligible expenses are operating costs
related to operations, personnel,
cleaning, and sanitization combating the
spread of pathogens on transit systems,
and debt service payments incurred to
maintain operations and avoid layoffs
and furloughs as a result of COVID–19.
Additional Assistance Funding supports
FTA’s strategic goals and objectives
through timely and efficient investment
in public transportation.
B. Federal Award Information
ARP appropriated $ 2,207,561,294 in
FY 2021 funds for Additional
Assistance grants. FTA may award
additional funding made available to the
program prior to the announcement of
project selections.
There is no minimum or maximum
grant award amount, although FTA may
cap the amount a single recipient or
State may receive as part of the selection
process. FTA intends to fund as many
eligible projects as possible. FTA does
not expect there to be sufficient funding
to support shortfalls beyond September
30, 2023.
C. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include eligible
recipients of Urbanized Area Formula
funds (49 U.S.C. 5307) or Rural Area
Formula funds (49 U.S.C. 5311) who, as
a result of COVID–19, require additional
assistance. This includes Indian tribes
that are eligible recipients of Urbanized
Area Formula funds or Rural Area
Formula funds.
FTA will administer applications and
awards under this NOFO in a manner
similar to the Urbanized Area and Rural
Area Formula funding programs. Only
designated and direct recipients under
those programs, including States and
Indian tribes, may apply directly to FTA
under this NOFO, and FTA will make
awards under this NOFO only to
applicants that are designated or direct
PO 00000
Frm 00067
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
recipients of those programs. A
designated or direct recipient may apply
on behalf of one or more public
transportation subrecipients of
Urbanized Area and Rural Area Formula
funding.
Eligible applicants that do not
currently have an active grant with FTA
will, upon selection, be required to
work with the FTA regional office to
establish their organization as an active
grant recipient. This process may
require additional documentation to
support the organization’s technical,
financial, and legal capacity to receive
and administer Federal funds under this
program. Traditional subrecipients of
FTA funding are strongly encouraged to
work with their direct/designated
recipient on a consolidated application
to assist with the quick obligation of
these funds.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
The Federal share is 100 percent of
the net project cost. Applicants will not
provide match.
3. Eligible Projects
Eligible projects are operating costs
related to operations, personnel,
cleaning, and sanitization combating the
spread of pathogens on transit systems,
and debt service payments incurred to
maintain operations and avoid layoffs
and furloughs as a result of COVID–19.
As required by ARP, amounts made
available for Additional Assistance
Funding are available only for operating
expenses.
In general, operating expenses are
those costs necessary to operate,
maintain, and manage a public
transportation system. Operating
expenses usually include such costs as
driver salaries, fuel, and items having a
useful life of less than one year,
including personal protective
equipment and cleaning supplies.
Preventive maintenance is considered
an operating expense for the purposes of
Additional Assistance Funding. For
more information, please see Frequently
Asked Question ‘‘CA2: What is eligible
as an operating expense?’’ on FTA’s
website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/
frequently-asked-questions-fta-granteesregarding-coronavirus-disease-2019covid-19#CARES.
Actual and anticipated expenses
incurred on or after January 20, 2020,
are eligible for this funding. However,
FTA does not expect there to be
sufficient funding to support shortfalls
beyond September 30, 2023.
E:\FR\FM\09SEN1.SGM
09SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 172 / Thursday, September 9, 2021 / Notices
D. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address to Request Application
Package
The application package can be
downloaded from GRANTS.GOV or the
FTA website at: https://
www.transit.dot.gov/funding/americanrescue-plan-act-2021.
2. Content and Form of Application
Submission
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
a. Proposal Submission
A complete proposal submission
consists of two forms: (1) The SF–424
Application for Federal Assistance; and
(2) the Additional Assistance Funding
supplemental form. The supplemental
form and any supporting documents
must be attached to the ‘‘Attachments’’
section of the SF–424. The application
must include responses to all sections of
the SF–424 Application for Federal
Assistance and the supplemental form,
unless indicated as optional. The
information on the supplemental form
will be used to determine applicant and
project eligibility for the program, and
to evaluate the proposal against the
selection criteria described in Section E
of this notice.
FTA will only accept one
supplemental form per SF–424
submission. FTA encourages States and
other applicants to consider submitting
a single supplemental form that
includes multiple activities to be
evaluated as a consolidated proposal. If
a State or other applicant chooses to
submit separate proposals for individual
consideration by FTA, each proposal
must be submitted using a separate SF–
424 and supplemental form.
Applicants may attach additional
supporting documents to the SF–424
submission, including but not limited to
estimates of financial need, data on
reduction in farebox or other sources of
local revenue for sustained operations, a
spending plan for such funds, and
demonstration of expenditure of greater
than 90 percent of CARES Act funding
allocated to the applicant. Supporting
documentation should be described and
referenced by file name in the
appropriate response section of the
supplemental form, or it may not be
reviewed.
Information such as applicant name,
Federal amount requested, description
of areas served, etc. may be requested in
varying degrees of detail on both the
SF–424 and supplemental form.
Applicants must fill in all fields unless
stated otherwise on the forms.
Applicants should not place N/A or
‘‘refer to attachment’’ in lieu of typing
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:38 Sep 08, 2021
Jkt 253001
in responses in the field sections. If
information is copied into the
supplemental form from another source,
applicants should verify that the pasted
text is fully captured on the
supplemental form and has not been
truncated by the character limits built
into the form. Applicants should use
both the ‘‘Check Package for Errors’’ and
the ‘‘Validate Form’’ validation buttons
on both forms to check all required
fields and ensure that the Federal and
local amounts specified are consistent.
b. Application Content
The SF–424 Application for Federal
Assistance and the supplemental form
will prompt applicants for the required
information, including:
a. Applicant name
b. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data
Universal Numbering System (DUNS)
number
c. Key contact information (including
contact name, address, email address,
and phone)
d. Congressional district(s) where
project will take place
e. Project information (including title,
executive summary, and type)
f. A detailed description of the need for
additional funding
g. Data on 2018 operating expenses
h. Data on reductions in farebox revenue
and other sources of state or local
funding
i. Information on CARES Act allocations
and expenditures as of the application
deadline
j. Information on CRRSAA and ARP
formula funding allocations and
expenditures
k. Information on other Federal sources
of funding for operating expenses
l. A detailed project budget
m. A detailed implementation timeline
3. Unique Entity Identifier and System
for Award Management (SAM)
Each applicant is required to: (1) Be
registered in SAM before submitting an
application; (2) provide a valid unique
entity identifier in its application; and
(3) continue to maintain an active SAM
registration with current information at
all times during which the applicant has
an active Federal award or an
application or plan under consideration
by FTA. FTA may not make an award
until the applicant has complied with
all applicable unique entity identifier
and SAM requirements. If an applicant
has not fully complied with the
requirements by the time FTA is ready
to make an award, FTA may determine
that the applicant is not qualified to
receive an award and use that
determination as a basis for making a
Federal award to another applicant.
PO 00000
Frm 00068
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
50591
These requirements do not apply if the
applicant has an exception approved by
FTA or the U.S. Office of Management
and Budget under 2 CFR 25.110(c) or (d)
All applicants must provide a unique
entity identifier provided by SAM.
Registration in SAM may take as little
as 3–5 business days, but since there
could be unexpected steps or delays (for
example, if there is a need to obtain an
Employee Identification Number), FTA
recommends allowing ample time, up to
several weeks, for completion of all
steps. For additional information on
obtaining a unique entity identifier,
please visit www.sam.gov.
4. Submission Dates and Times
Project proposals must be submitted
electronically through GRANTS.GOV by
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November
8, 2021. GRANTS.GOV attaches a time
stamp to each application at the time of
submission. Mail and fax submissions
will not be accepted.
FTA urges applicants to submit
applications at least 72 hours prior to
the due date to allow time to correct any
problems that may have caused either
GRANTS.GOV or FTA systems to reject
the submission.
Deadlines will not be extended due to
scheduled website maintenance.
GRANTS.GOV scheduled maintenance
and outage times are announced on the
GRANTS.GOV website.
Within 48 hours after submitting an
electronic application, the applicant
should receive an email message from
GRANTS.GOV with confirmation of
successful transmission to
GRANTS.GOV. If a notice of failed
validation or incomplete materials is
received, the applicant must address the
reason for the failed validation, as
described in the email notice, and
resubmit before the submission
deadline. If making a resubmission for
any reason, include all original
attachments regardless of which
attachments were updated, and check
the box on the supplemental form
indicating this is a resubmission.
Applicants are encouraged to begin
the process of registration on the
GRANTS.GOV site well in advance of
the submission deadline. Registration is
a multi-step process, which may take
several weeks to complete before an
application can be submitted. Registered
applicants may still be required to take
steps to keep their registration up to
date before submissions can be made
successfully: (1) Registration in SAM is
renewed annually; and (2) persons
making submissions on behalf of the
Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR) must be authorized in
E:\FR\FM\09SEN1.SGM
09SEN1
50592
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 172 / Thursday, September 9, 2021 / Notices
GRANTS.GOV by the AOR to make
submissions.
Failure to submit the required
information as requested may delay
review or disqualify the application.
5. Funding Restrictions
ARP Additional Assistance funds may
be used only for operating costs.
Allowable direct and indirect expenses
must be consistent with the
Governmentwide Uniform
Administrative Requirements and Cost
Principles (2 CFR part 200) and FTA
Circular 5010.1E. Funding is being
made available for reimbursement of
costs normally covered by fare revenue
or other non-Federal sources of funding
and is not intended to support new
initiatives to reduce or eliminate fares,
except for temporary fare policy changes
implemented to improve safety in
response to the COVID–19 pandemic.
6. Other Submission Requirements
FTA may award a lesser amount than
the applicant requests.
All applications must be submitted
via the GRANTS.GOV website. FTA
does not accept applications on paper,
by fax machine, email, or other means.
For information on application
submission requirements, please see
Section D.1., Address to Request
Application Package.
E. Application Review Information
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
1. Criteria
Applications will be reviewed
primarily based on the responses
provided in the supplemental form.
Additional information may be
provided to support the responses;
however, any additional documentation
must be directly referenced on the
supplemental form, including the file
name where the additional information
can be found. FTA will review funding
proposals for Additional Assistance
Funding based on the criteria described
in this notice.
a. Reduction in Farebox or Other
Sources of Revenue
Responses will be reviewed based on
the extent to which the applicant has
suffered a reduction in farebox revenue
or other sources of revenue from any
non-Federal source. Applicants must
provide totals for their 2018 fare
revenue and 2018 non-Federal revenue
that supported operations. The narrative
section should detail the sources of
these funds. Applicants also must
provide their actual or projected farebox
and non-Federal revenue used or
needed for operations for each of the
given Federal fiscal years (FFYs)
identified in the supplemental form,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:38 Sep 08, 2021
Jkt 253001
beginning with the eligible timeframe
for FFY 2020 (January 20, 2020, or a
date later in 2020 if the applicant’s
accounting system cannot provide the
data as of January 20, 2020, through
September 30, 2020) and for each FFY
for which the applicant is requesting
funding, ending with FFY 2023 (October
1, 2022, through September 30, 2023).
Additionally, should the applicant
choose to submit a request for funding
for shortfalls for FFY 2024 through FFY
2029, the applicant may provide a
narrative describing the anticipated
reduction in revenue.
The narrative response should
identify the reason for any differences
between the 2018 amounts and the
actual or projected amounts for the time
period for which you are requesting
assistance.
b. Estimate of Financial Need
Responses will be reviewed based on
the financial need demonstrated by the
applicant, including actual or projected
financial need to maintain service that
has not been replaced by funds
allocated to the applicant under the
CARES Act, Coronavirus Response and
Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act
(CRRSAA), and other ARP funding, as a
percentage of 2018 operating costs.
The applicant must provide their
2018 operating expense total as reported
to the National Transit Database (NTD)
to establish a baseline for the request.
The applicant also must provide the
amount of CARES Act, CRRSAA, and
ARP funding allocated to it. Applicants
then must provide their operating
expense total for each FFY for which
they are requesting funding. Applicants
should also provide the amount of
Federal funding used or projected to be
used toward operating expenses in each
year. Note that Urbanized Area
providers should be sure to provide
their total operating expenses from the
F–40 form of their NTD Report, which
is inclusive of all operating expenses,
including those that are not used for
apportionment purposes. States should
submit all relevant operating expense
reports for any urbanized area or rural
area subrecipients to which they would
allocate Additional Assistance Funding.
The applicant must attach completed
CARES Act, CRRSAA, and ARP split
letters or allocation announcements to
the application. Failure to include this
information will result in the total
amount of CARES Act, CRRSAA, and
ARP funding allocated to the urbanized
area(s) or state being considered
available to the applicant or its
subrecipients to address the additional
funding needs identified in the
application.
PO 00000
Frm 00069
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
In the narrative section of the report,
the applicant must describe (1) how
actual and/or projected revenues have
fallen short of 2018 revenues, as a
percentage of 2018 operating expenses;
(2) how much of the lost revenues has
been or will be replaced by CARES Act,
CRRSAA, and ARP funding; (3) how the
requested assistance will support unmet
operating expense needs, after fully
using CARES Act, CRRSAA, and ARP
funding; and (4) how the requested
assistance will not displace regular
formula grant assistance from FTA.
c. Demonstration of Expenditure of
CARES Act Funding
Per ARP, the applicant must
demonstrate that it has expended 90
percent of the CARES Act funding
allocated to the applicant no later than
the application deadline in order to
receive ARP Additional Assistance
Funding. The applicant must include
the amount of CARES Act funding it
received or was allocated and
documentation supporting
disbursement of at least 90 percent of its
CARES Act allocations.
d. Project Spending Plan
Responses will be reviewed based on
the extent to which the funding is ready
to be obligated by September 30, 2023,
and disbursed by September 30, 2029,
as well as whether the applicant’s
proposed spending plans are reasonable
and complete.
In assessing whether the proposed
spending plan is reasonable and
complete, FTA will review the
description of the amounts needed and
activities performed in each of FFYs
2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, as well as
the period of FFY 2024 through 2029.
Although FTA does not expect there to
be sufficient funding to support
shortfalls after FFY 2023, this does not
preclude applicants from submitting
such requests. For projects that will
require formal coordination, approvals,
or permits from other agencies or project
partners, the applicant must
demonstrate coordination with these
organizations and their support for the
project, such as through letters of
support.
2. Review and Selection Process
A technical evaluation committee will
evaluate proposals based on the
published criteria. Members of the
technical evaluation committee and
other FTA staff may request additional
information from applicants, if
necessary. Based on the findings of the
technical evaluation committee, the
FTA Administrator will determine the
final allocation of funding based on the
E:\FR\FM\09SEN1.SGM
09SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 172 / Thursday, September 9, 2021 / Notices
level of financial need demonstrated by
an eligible recipient or subrecipient,
including projections of future financial
need to maintain service, as a
percentage of the 2018 operating costs,
that has not been replaced by the funds
made available from CARES Act,
CRRSAA, or ARP to the eligible
recipient or subrecipient for the
operating expenses of transit agencies.
FTA intends to fund projects with
financial needs before September 30,
2023, before funding projects with
needs after that date. In determining the
allocation of funds, FTA may consider
geographic diversity, diversity in the
size of the transit systems receiving
funding, and an applicant’s immediate
funding need.
Prior to making an award, FTA is
required to review and consider any
information about the applicant that is
in the Federal Awardee Performance
and Integrity Information Systems
accessible through SAM. An applicant
may review and comment on
information about itself that a Federal
awarding agency previously entered.
FTA may consider any comments by the
applicant, in addition to the other
information in the designated integrity
and performance system, in making a
judgment about the applicant’s integrity,
business ethics, and record of
performance under Federal awards
when completing the review of risk
posed by applicants as described in the
Office of Management and Budget’s
Uniform Requirements for Federal
Awards (2 CFR 200.205).
F. Federal Award Administration
Information
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
1. Federal Award Notices
Final project allocations will be
posted on the FTA website. Only
proposals from eligible applicants for
eligible activities will be considered for
funding. There is no minimum or
maximum grant award amount;
however, FTA intends to fund as many
meritorious projects as possible. Due to
funding limitations, projects that are
selected for funding may receive less
than the amount originally requested.
Recipients should contact their FTA
regional offices for additional
information regarding allocations for
projects under the Additional
Assistance Funding.
2. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements
i. Pre-Award Authority
At the time the project selections are
announced, FTA will extend pre-award
authority for the selected projects back
to January 20, 2020. For more
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:38 Sep 08, 2021
Jkt 253001
information about FTA’s policy on preaward authority, please see the FTA
Fiscal Year 2021 Apportionments,
Allocations and Program Information
Notice at https://www.transit.dot.gov/
regulations-guidance/notices/202115576.
ii. Grant Requirements
If selected, awardees will apply for a
grant through FTA’s Transit Award
Management System (TrAMS). All
Additional Assistance Funding
recipients are subject to the grant
requirements of the Urbanized Area
Formula Grant program (49 U.S.C.
5307), including those of FTA Circular
‘‘Urbanized Area Formula Program:
Program Guidance and Application
Instructions’’ (FTA.C.9030.1E), or the
Rural Area Formula Grant program (49
U.S.C. 5311), including those of FTA
Circular ‘‘Formula Grants for Rural
Areas’’ (FTA.C.9040.1G). All recipients
must also follow FTA Circular ‘‘Award
Management Requirements’’
(FTA.C.5010.1E) and the labor
protections required by Federal public
transportation law (49 U.S.C. 5333(b)).
Technical assistance regarding these
requirements is available from each FTA
regional office.
iii. Buy America
FTA requires that all procurements
meet FTA’s Buy America requirements
(49 U.S.C. 5323(j)), which require all
iron, steel, and manufactured products
be produced in the United States.
Applicants should read the policy
guidance carefully to determine the
applicable domestic content
requirement for their projects. Any
proposal that will require a waiver must
identify the items for which a waiver
will be sought in the application.
Applicants should not proceed with the
expectation that waivers will be granted.
iv. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
Projects that include acquisitions are
subject to the Disadvantaged Business
Enterprise (DBE) program regulations
(49 CFR part 26). FTA will provide
additional guidance as grants are
awarded. For more information on DBE
requirements, please contact Monica
McCallum, Office of Civil Rights, 206–
220–7519, email: Monica.McCallum@
dot.gov.
v. Planning
FTA encourages applicants to notify
the appropriate State Departments of
Transportation and Metropolitan
Planning Organizations in areas likely to
be served by the project funds made
available under these initiatives and
programs.
PO 00000
Frm 00070
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
50593
vi. Standard Assurances
The applicant assures that it will
comply with all applicable Federal
statutes, regulations, executive orders,
directives, FTA circulars, and other
Federal administrative requirements in
carrying out any project supported by
the FTA grant. The applicant
acknowledges that it is under a
continuing obligation to comply with
the terms and conditions of the grant
agreement issued for its project with
FTA. The applicant understands that
Federal laws, regulations, policies, and
administrative practices might be
modified from time to time and may
affect the implementation of the project.
The applicant agrees that the most
recent Federal requirements will apply
to the project, unless FTA issues a
written determination otherwise. The
applicant must submit the Certifications
and Assurances before receiving a grant
if it does not have current certifications
on file.
3. Reporting
Post-award reporting requirements
include the electronic submission of
Federal Financial Reports and Milestone
Progress Reports. Applicant should
include any goals, targets, and
indicators referenced in their
application to the project in the
Executive Summary of the TrAMS
application. Recipients of funds made
available through this NOFO are also
required to regularly submit data to the
NTD.
As part of completing the annual
Certifications and Assurances required
of FTA grant recipients, a successful
applicant must report on the suspension
or debarment status of itself and its
principals. If the award recipient’s
active grants, cooperative agreements,
and procurement contracts from all
Federal awarding agencies exceeds
$10,000,000 for any period of time
during the period of performance of an
award made pursuant to this Notice, the
recipient must comply with the
Recipient Integrity and Performance
Matters reporting requirements
described in Appendix XII to 2 CFR part
200.
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts
For further information concerning
this notice, please contact
FTAarpassistance@dot.gov. If you
require immediate assistance please
contact the Additional Assistance
Program manager, Sarah Clements, by
phone at (202) 366–3062. A TDD is
available for individuals who are deaf or
hard of hearing at 800–877–8339. In
addition, FTA will post additional
E:\FR\FM\09SEN1.SGM
09SEN1
50594
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 172 / Thursday, September 9, 2021 / Notices
information about this NOFO as it
becomes available on FTA’s website at:
https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/
american-rescue-plan-act-2021. To
ensure receipt of accurate information
about eligibility or the program, the
applicant is encouraged to contact FTA
directly, rather than through
intermediaries or third parties.
For issues with GRANTS.GOV, please
contact GRANTS.GOV by phone at 1–
800–518–4726 or by email at support@
grants.gov. Contact information for
FTA’s regional offices can be found on
FTA’s website at https://
www.transit.dot.gov/.
H. Other Information
This program is not subject to
Executive Order 12372,
‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.’’
Nuria I. Fernandez,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2021–19397 Filed 9–8–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–57–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
Hazardous Materials: Notice of
Applications for New Special Permits
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA), Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: List of applications for special
permits.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
procedures governing the application
for, and the processing of, special
permits from the Department of
Transportation’s Hazardous Material
Regulations, notice is hereby given that
the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety
has received the application described
herein. Each mode of transportation for
which a particular special permit is
requested is indicated by a number in
the ‘‘Nature of Application’’ portion of
the table below as follows: 1—Motor
vehicle, 2—Rail freight, 3—Cargo vessel,
4—Cargo aircraft only, 5—Passengercarrying aircraft.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before October 12, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Record Center, Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety
SUMMARY:
Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation, Washington, DC 20590.
Comments should refer to the
application number and be submitted in
triplicate. If confirmation of receipt of
comments is desired, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard showing
the special permit number.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donald Burger, Chief, Office of
Hazardous Materials Safety General
Approvals and Permits Branch, Pipeline
and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation, East Building, PHH–13,
1200 New Jersey Avenue Southeast,
Washington, DC 20590–0001, (202) 366–
4535.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of
the applications are available for
inspection in the Records Center, East
Building, PHH–13, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue Southeast, Washington, DC.
This notice of receipt of applications
for special permit is published in
accordance with part 107 of the Federal
hazardous materials transportation law
(49 U.S.C. 5117(b); 49 CFR 1.53(b)).
Issued in Washington, DC, on September 2,
2021.
Donald P. Burger,
Chief, General Approvals and Permits
Branch.
SPECIAL PERMITS DATA
Application No.
Applicant
Regulation(s)
affected
Nature of the special permits thereof
21274–N .........
CF Industries Sales, LLC ....
172.401, 172.502 .................
21279–N .........
Davey Bickford USA, Inc .....
173.56(b) .............................
21280–N .........
Crown Cork & Seal USA,
Inc.
178.33a–7 ............................
21281–N .........
South/Win, LLC ...................
173.156(c)(1)(iv) ..................
21282–N .........
The Boeing Company ..........
178.47 ..................................
21283–N .........
Gas Innovations Inc. ............
173.315 ................................
21284–N .........
General Motors LLC ............
173.185(a)(1) .......................
To authorize the transportation in commerce of nitric acid mixtures with nitric acid
concentrations of equal to or greater than 64.5% and less than 65.0% as having a
Division 5.1 subsidiary hazard. (modes 1, 2).
To authorize the transportation in commerce of certain explosives utilizing a shipping
description that has not yet been incorporated into the HMR. (modes 1, 4).
To authorize the manufacture, marking, sale, and use of non-DOT specification containers conforming with all regulations applicable to a DOT specification 2Q inner
metal receptacle except for wall thickness, for the transportation in commerce of
certain Division 2.1 and 2.2 aerosols. (modes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
To authorize the transportation in commerce of limited quantities of certain hazardous
materials on pallets that weight 1,350 pounds. (mode 1).
To authorize the transportation in commerce of DOT 4DS cylinders that have not
been tested as required by 49 CFR 178.47. (mode 1).
To authorize the transportation in commerce of cryogenic ethane in tank cars via rail
freight. (mode 2).
To authorize the transportation in commerce via motor vehicle of production batteries
that have not been proven to be of a type that meets the testing requirements of
the UN Manual of Test and Criteria Section 38.3. (mode 1).
ACTION:
[FR Doc. 2021–19461 Filed 9–8–21; 8:45 am]
Notice.
Comments must be received on
or before October 12, 2021.
DATES:
BILLING CODE 4909–60–P
The Department of the
Treasury will submit the following
information collection request to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and clearance in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the
date of publication of this notice. The
public is invited to submit comments on
these requests.
SUMMARY:
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request; Waiver of
60-Day Rollover Requirement
Departmental Offices, U.S.
Department of the Treasury.
AGENCY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:38 Sep 08, 2021
Jkt 253001
PO 00000
Frm 00071
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open
for Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function.
ADDRESSES:
E:\FR\FM\09SEN1.SGM
09SEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 172 (Thursday, September 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50590-50594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19397]
[[Page 50590]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Additional Assistance
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the
opportunity to apply for $2,207,561,294 in discretionary grants under
the American Rescue Plan Act's Additional Assistance Funding
(Additional Assistance Funding). As required by the American Rescue
Plan Act, funds will be awarded to eligible recipients or eligible
subrecipients of Urbanized Area Formula funds or Rural Area Formula
funds that, as a result of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),
require additional assistance for costs related to operations,
personnel, cleaning, and sanitization combating the spread of pathogens
on transit systems, and debt service payments incurred to maintain
operations and avoid layoffs and furloughs. FTA may award additional
funding made available to the program prior to the announcement of
project selections.
DATES: Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through the
GRANTS.GOV ``APPLY'' function by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, November 8,
2021. Prospective applicants should initiate the process by promptly
registering on the GRANTS.GOV website to ensure completion of the
application process before the submission deadline. Instructions for
applying can be found on FTA's website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/applying/applying-fta-funding and in the ``FIND'' module
of GRANTS.GOV. The funding opportunity ID is 2021-012-TPM-AAF. Mail and
fax submissions will not be accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions regarding this notice,
please email [email protected]. If you need immediate assistance
you may call Sarah Clements, FTA Office of Program Management, (202)
366-3062.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
A. Program Description
B. Federal Award Information
C. Eligibility Information
D. Application and Submission Information
E. Application Review Information
F. Federal Award Administration Information
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)
H. Other Information
A. Program Description
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), Public Law 117-2 (March 11,
2021), appropriated funding to award grants for additional assistance
to transit agencies in response to COVID-19 through a discretionary
process, as described in this notice. The Federal Assistance Listing
numbers for this opportunity are 20.507 and 20.509. Additional
Assistance Funding is made available to eligible recipients or
subrecipients of Urbanized Area Formula funds (49 U.S.C. 5307) or Rural
Area Formula funds (49 U.S.C. 5311). Eligible expenses are operating
costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, and sanitization
combating the spread of pathogens on transit systems, and debt service
payments incurred to maintain operations and avoid layoffs and
furloughs as a result of COVID-19. Additional Assistance Funding
supports FTA's strategic goals and objectives through timely and
efficient investment in public transportation.
B. Federal Award Information
ARP appropriated $ 2,207,561,294 in FY 2021 funds for Additional
Assistance grants. FTA may award additional funding made available to
the program prior to the announcement of project selections.
There is no minimum or maximum grant award amount, although FTA may
cap the amount a single recipient or State may receive as part of the
selection process. FTA intends to fund as many eligible projects as
possible. FTA does not expect there to be sufficient funding to support
shortfalls beyond September 30, 2023.
C. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include eligible recipients of Urbanized Area
Formula funds (49 U.S.C. 5307) or Rural Area Formula funds (49 U.S.C.
5311) who, as a result of COVID-19, require additional assistance. This
includes Indian tribes that are eligible recipients of Urbanized Area
Formula funds or Rural Area Formula funds.
FTA will administer applications and awards under this NOFO in a
manner similar to the Urbanized Area and Rural Area Formula funding
programs. Only designated and direct recipients under those programs,
including States and Indian tribes, may apply directly to FTA under
this NOFO, and FTA will make awards under this NOFO only to applicants
that are designated or direct recipients of those programs. A
designated or direct recipient may apply on behalf of one or more
public transportation subrecipients of Urbanized Area and Rural Area
Formula funding.
Eligible applicants that do not currently have an active grant with
FTA will, upon selection, be required to work with the FTA regional
office to establish their organization as an active grant recipient.
This process may require additional documentation to support the
organization's technical, financial, and legal capacity to receive and
administer Federal funds under this program. Traditional subrecipients
of FTA funding are strongly encouraged to work with their direct/
designated recipient on a consolidated application to assist with the
quick obligation of these funds.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
The Federal share is 100 percent of the net project cost.
Applicants will not provide match.
3. Eligible Projects
Eligible projects are operating costs related to operations,
personnel, cleaning, and sanitization combating the spread of pathogens
on transit systems, and debt service payments incurred to maintain
operations and avoid layoffs and furloughs as a result of COVID-19. As
required by ARP, amounts made available for Additional Assistance
Funding are available only for operating expenses.
In general, operating expenses are those costs necessary to
operate, maintain, and manage a public transportation system. Operating
expenses usually include such costs as driver salaries, fuel, and items
having a useful life of less than one year, including personal
protective equipment and cleaning supplies. Preventive maintenance is
considered an operating expense for the purposes of Additional
Assistance Funding. For more information, please see Frequently Asked
Question ``CA2: What is eligible as an operating expense?'' on FTA's
website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/frequently-asked-questions-fta-grantees-regarding-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19#CARES.
Actual and anticipated expenses incurred on or after January 20,
2020, are eligible for this funding. However, FTA does not expect there
to be sufficient funding to support shortfalls beyond September 30,
2023.
[[Page 50591]]
D. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package
The application package can be downloaded from GRANTS.GOV or the
FTA website at: https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/american-rescue-plan-act-2021.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
a. Proposal Submission
A complete proposal submission consists of two forms: (1) The SF-
424 Application for Federal Assistance; and (2) the Additional
Assistance Funding supplemental form. The supplemental form and any
supporting documents must be attached to the ``Attachments'' section of
the SF-424. The application must include responses to all sections of
the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance and the supplemental
form, unless indicated as optional. The information on the supplemental
form will be used to determine applicant and project eligibility for
the program, and to evaluate the proposal against the selection
criteria described in Section E of this notice.
FTA will only accept one supplemental form per SF-424 submission.
FTA encourages States and other applicants to consider submitting a
single supplemental form that includes multiple activities to be
evaluated as a consolidated proposal. If a State or other applicant
chooses to submit separate proposals for individual consideration by
FTA, each proposal must be submitted using a separate SF-424 and
supplemental form.
Applicants may attach additional supporting documents to the SF-424
submission, including but not limited to estimates of financial need,
data on reduction in farebox or other sources of local revenue for
sustained operations, a spending plan for such funds, and demonstration
of expenditure of greater than 90 percent of CARES Act funding
allocated to the applicant. Supporting documentation should be
described and referenced by file name in the appropriate response
section of the supplemental form, or it may not be reviewed.
Information such as applicant name, Federal amount requested,
description of areas served, etc. may be requested in varying degrees
of detail on both the SF-424 and supplemental form. Applicants must
fill in all fields unless stated otherwise on the forms. Applicants
should not place N/A or ``refer to attachment'' in lieu of typing in
responses in the field sections. If information is copied into the
supplemental form from another source, applicants should verify that
the pasted text is fully captured on the supplemental form and has not
been truncated by the character limits built into the form. Applicants
should use both the ``Check Package for Errors'' and the ``Validate
Form'' validation buttons on both forms to check all required fields
and ensure that the Federal and local amounts specified are consistent.
b. Application Content
The SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance and the supplemental
form will prompt applicants for the required information, including:
a. Applicant name
b. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS)
number
c. Key contact information (including contact name, address, email
address, and phone)
d. Congressional district(s) where project will take place
e. Project information (including title, executive summary, and type)
f. A detailed description of the need for additional funding
g. Data on 2018 operating expenses
h. Data on reductions in farebox revenue and other sources of state or
local funding
i. Information on CARES Act allocations and expenditures as of the
application deadline
j. Information on CRRSAA and ARP formula funding allocations and
expenditures
k. Information on other Federal sources of funding for operating
expenses
l. A detailed project budget
m. A detailed implementation timeline
3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)
Each applicant is required to: (1) Be registered in SAM before
submitting an application; (2) provide a valid unique entity identifier
in its application; and (3) continue to maintain an active SAM
registration with current information at all times during which the
applicant has an active Federal award or an application or plan under
consideration by FTA. FTA may not make an award until the applicant has
complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM
requirements. If an applicant has not fully complied with the
requirements by the time FTA is ready to make an award, FTA may
determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award and
use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another
applicant. These requirements do not apply if the applicant has an
exception approved by FTA or the U.S. Office of Management and Budget
under 2 CFR 25.110(c) or (d)
All applicants must provide a unique entity identifier provided by
SAM. Registration in SAM may take as little as 3-5 business days, but
since there could be unexpected steps or delays (for example, if there
is a need to obtain an Employee Identification Number), FTA recommends
allowing ample time, up to several weeks, for completion of all steps.
For additional information on obtaining a unique entity identifier,
please visit www.sam.gov.
4. Submission Dates and Times
Project proposals must be submitted electronically through
GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 8, 2021. GRANTS.GOV
attaches a time stamp to each application at the time of submission.
Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted.
FTA urges applicants to submit applications at least 72 hours prior
to the due date to allow time to correct any problems that may have
caused either GRANTS.GOV or FTA systems to reject the submission.
Deadlines will not be extended due to scheduled website
maintenance. GRANTS.GOV scheduled maintenance and outage times are
announced on the GRANTS.GOV website.
Within 48 hours after submitting an electronic application, the
applicant should receive an email message from GRANTS.GOV with
confirmation of successful transmission to GRANTS.GOV. If a notice of
failed validation or incomplete materials is received, the applicant
must address the reason for the failed validation, as described in the
email notice, and resubmit before the submission deadline. If making a
resubmission for any reason, include all original attachments
regardless of which attachments were updated, and check the box on the
supplemental form indicating this is a resubmission.
Applicants are encouraged to begin the process of registration on
the GRANTS.GOV site well in advance of the submission deadline.
Registration is a multi-step process, which may take several weeks to
complete before an application can be submitted. Registered applicants
may still be required to take steps to keep their registration up to
date before submissions can be made successfully: (1) Registration in
SAM is renewed annually; and (2) persons making submissions on behalf
of the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) must be authorized
in
[[Page 50592]]
GRANTS.GOV by the AOR to make submissions.
Failure to submit the required information as requested may delay
review or disqualify the application.
5. Funding Restrictions
ARP Additional Assistance funds may be used only for operating
costs. Allowable direct and indirect expenses must be consistent with
the Governmentwide Uniform Administrative Requirements and Cost
Principles (2 CFR part 200) and FTA Circular 5010.1E. Funding is being
made available for reimbursement of costs normally covered by fare
revenue or other non-Federal sources of funding and is not intended to
support new initiatives to reduce or eliminate fares, except for
temporary fare policy changes implemented to improve safety in response
to the COVID-19 pandemic.
6. Other Submission Requirements
FTA may award a lesser amount than the applicant requests.
All applications must be submitted via the GRANTS.GOV website. FTA
does not accept applications on paper, by fax machine, email, or other
means. For information on application submission requirements, please
see Section D.1., Address to Request Application Package.
E. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
Applications will be reviewed primarily based on the responses
provided in the supplemental form. Additional information may be
provided to support the responses; however, any additional
documentation must be directly referenced on the supplemental form,
including the file name where the additional information can be found.
FTA will review funding proposals for Additional Assistance Funding
based on the criteria described in this notice.
a. Reduction in Farebox or Other Sources of Revenue
Responses will be reviewed based on the extent to which the
applicant has suffered a reduction in farebox revenue or other sources
of revenue from any non-Federal source. Applicants must provide totals
for their 2018 fare revenue and 2018 non-Federal revenue that supported
operations. The narrative section should detail the sources of these
funds. Applicants also must provide their actual or projected farebox
and non-Federal revenue used or needed for operations for each of the
given Federal fiscal years (FFYs) identified in the supplemental form,
beginning with the eligible timeframe for FFY 2020 (January 20, 2020,
or a date later in 2020 if the applicant's accounting system cannot
provide the data as of January 20, 2020, through September 30, 2020)
and for each FFY for which the applicant is requesting funding, ending
with FFY 2023 (October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2023).
Additionally, should the applicant choose to submit a request for
funding for shortfalls for FFY 2024 through FFY 2029, the applicant may
provide a narrative describing the anticipated reduction in revenue.
The narrative response should identify the reason for any
differences between the 2018 amounts and the actual or projected
amounts for the time period for which you are requesting assistance.
b. Estimate of Financial Need
Responses will be reviewed based on the financial need demonstrated
by the applicant, including actual or projected financial need to
maintain service that has not been replaced by funds allocated to the
applicant under the CARES Act, Coronavirus Response and Relief
Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), and other ARP funding, as a
percentage of 2018 operating costs.
The applicant must provide their 2018 operating expense total as
reported to the National Transit Database (NTD) to establish a baseline
for the request. The applicant also must provide the amount of CARES
Act, CRRSAA, and ARP funding allocated to it. Applicants then must
provide their operating expense total for each FFY for which they are
requesting funding. Applicants should also provide the amount of
Federal funding used or projected to be used toward operating expenses
in each year. Note that Urbanized Area providers should be sure to
provide their total operating expenses from the F-40 form of their NTD
Report, which is inclusive of all operating expenses, including those
that are not used for apportionment purposes. States should submit all
relevant operating expense reports for any urbanized area or rural area
subrecipients to which they would allocate Additional Assistance
Funding.
The applicant must attach completed CARES Act, CRRSAA, and ARP
split letters or allocation announcements to the application. Failure
to include this information will result in the total amount of CARES
Act, CRRSAA, and ARP funding allocated to the urbanized area(s) or
state being considered available to the applicant or its subrecipients
to address the additional funding needs identified in the application.
In the narrative section of the report, the applicant must describe
(1) how actual and/or projected revenues have fallen short of 2018
revenues, as a percentage of 2018 operating expenses; (2) how much of
the lost revenues has been or will be replaced by CARES Act, CRRSAA,
and ARP funding; (3) how the requested assistance will support unmet
operating expense needs, after fully using CARES Act, CRRSAA, and ARP
funding; and (4) how the requested assistance will not displace regular
formula grant assistance from FTA.
c. Demonstration of Expenditure of CARES Act Funding
Per ARP, the applicant must demonstrate that it has expended 90
percent of the CARES Act funding allocated to the applicant no later
than the application deadline in order to receive ARP Additional
Assistance Funding. The applicant must include the amount of CARES Act
funding it received or was allocated and documentation supporting
disbursement of at least 90 percent of its CARES Act allocations.
d. Project Spending Plan
Responses will be reviewed based on the extent to which the funding
is ready to be obligated by September 30, 2023, and disbursed by
September 30, 2029, as well as whether the applicant's proposed
spending plans are reasonable and complete.
In assessing whether the proposed spending plan is reasonable and
complete, FTA will review the description of the amounts needed and
activities performed in each of FFYs 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, as
well as the period of FFY 2024 through 2029. Although FTA does not
expect there to be sufficient funding to support shortfalls after FFY
2023, this does not preclude applicants from submitting such requests.
For projects that will require formal coordination, approvals, or
permits from other agencies or project partners, the applicant must
demonstrate coordination with these organizations and their support for
the project, such as through letters of support.
2. Review and Selection Process
A technical evaluation committee will evaluate proposals based on
the published criteria. Members of the technical evaluation committee
and other FTA staff may request additional information from applicants,
if necessary. Based on the findings of the technical evaluation
committee, the FTA Administrator will determine the final allocation of
funding based on the
[[Page 50593]]
level of financial need demonstrated by an eligible recipient or
subrecipient, including projections of future financial need to
maintain service, as a percentage of the 2018 operating costs, that has
not been replaced by the funds made available from CARES Act, CRRSAA,
or ARP to the eligible recipient or subrecipient for the operating
expenses of transit agencies. FTA intends to fund projects with
financial needs before September 30, 2023, before funding projects with
needs after that date. In determining the allocation of funds, FTA may
consider geographic diversity, diversity in the size of the transit
systems receiving funding, and an applicant's immediate funding need.
Prior to making an award, FTA is required to review and consider
any information about the applicant that is in the Federal Awardee
Performance and Integrity Information Systems accessible through SAM.
An applicant may review and comment on information about itself that a
Federal awarding agency previously entered. FTA may consider any
comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the
designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about
the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance
under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by
applicants as described in the Office of Management and Budget's
Uniform Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200.205).
F. Federal Award Administration Information
1. Federal Award Notices
Final project allocations will be posted on the FTA website. Only
proposals from eligible applicants for eligible activities will be
considered for funding. There is no minimum or maximum grant award
amount; however, FTA intends to fund as many meritorious projects as
possible. Due to funding limitations, projects that are selected for
funding may receive less than the amount originally requested.
Recipients should contact their FTA regional offices for additional
information regarding allocations for projects under the Additional
Assistance Funding.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
i. Pre-Award Authority
At the time the project selections are announced, FTA will extend
pre-award authority for the selected projects back to January 20, 2020.
For more information about FTA's policy on pre-award authority, please
see the FTA Fiscal Year 2021 Apportionments, Allocations and Program
Information Notice at https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-guidance/notices/2021-15576.
ii. Grant Requirements
If selected, awardees will apply for a grant through FTA's Transit
Award Management System (TrAMS). All Additional Assistance Funding
recipients are subject to the grant requirements of the Urbanized Area
Formula Grant program (49 U.S.C. 5307), including those of FTA Circular
``Urbanized Area Formula Program: Program Guidance and Application
Instructions'' (FTA.C.9030.1E), or the Rural Area Formula Grant program
(49 U.S.C. 5311), including those of FTA Circular ``Formula Grants for
Rural Areas'' (FTA.C.9040.1G). All recipients must also follow FTA
Circular ``Award Management Requirements'' (FTA.C.5010.1E) and the
labor protections required by Federal public transportation law (49
U.S.C. 5333(b)). Technical assistance regarding these requirements is
available from each FTA regional office.
iii. Buy America
FTA requires that all procurements meet FTA's Buy America
requirements (49 U.S.C. 5323(j)), which require all iron, steel, and
manufactured products be produced in the United States. Applicants
should read the policy guidance carefully to determine the applicable
domestic content requirement for their projects. Any proposal that will
require a waiver must identify the items for which a waiver will be
sought in the application. Applicants should not proceed with the
expectation that waivers will be granted.
iv. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
Projects that include acquisitions are subject to the Disadvantaged
Business Enterprise (DBE) program regulations (49 CFR part 26). FTA
will provide additional guidance as grants are awarded. For more
information on DBE requirements, please contact Monica McCallum, Office
of Civil Rights, 206-220-7519, email: [email protected].
v. Planning
FTA encourages applicants to notify the appropriate State
Departments of Transportation and Metropolitan Planning Organizations
in areas likely to be served by the project funds made available under
these initiatives and programs.
vi. Standard Assurances
The applicant assures that it will comply with all applicable
Federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, directives, FTA
circulars, and other Federal administrative requirements in carrying
out any project supported by the FTA grant. The applicant acknowledges
that it is under a continuing obligation to comply with the terms and
conditions of the grant agreement issued for its project with FTA. The
applicant understands that Federal laws, regulations, policies, and
administrative practices might be modified from time to time and may
affect the implementation of the project. The applicant agrees that the
most recent Federal requirements will apply to the project, unless FTA
issues a written determination otherwise. The applicant must submit the
Certifications and Assurances before receiving a grant if it does not
have current certifications on file.
3. Reporting
Post-award reporting requirements include the electronic submission
of Federal Financial Reports and Milestone Progress Reports. Applicant
should include any goals, targets, and indicators referenced in their
application to the project in the Executive Summary of the TrAMS
application. Recipients of funds made available through this NOFO are
also required to regularly submit data to the NTD.
As part of completing the annual Certifications and Assurances
required of FTA grant recipients, a successful applicant must report on
the suspension or debarment status of itself and its principals. If the
award recipient's active grants, cooperative agreements, and
procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies exceeds
$10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of
an award made pursuant to this Notice, the recipient must comply with
the Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters reporting requirements
described in Appendix XII to 2 CFR part 200.
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts
For further information concerning this notice, please contact
[email protected]. If you require immediate assistance please
contact the Additional Assistance Program manager, Sarah Clements, by
phone at (202) 366-3062. A TDD is available for individuals who are
deaf or hard of hearing at 800-877-8339. In addition, FTA will post
additional
[[Page 50594]]
information about this NOFO as it becomes available on FTA's website
at: https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/american-rescue-plan-act-2021.
To ensure receipt of accurate information about eligibility or the
program, the applicant is encouraged to contact FTA directly, rather
than through intermediaries or third parties.
For issues with GRANTS.GOV, please contact GRANTS.GOV by phone at
1-800-518-4726 or by email at [email protected]. Contact information
for FTA's regional offices can be found on FTA's website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/.
H. Other Information
This program is not subject to Executive Order 12372,
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
Nuria I. Fernandez,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2021-19397 Filed 9-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P