Federal Transit Administration February 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This solicitation is for proposals from not-for-profit entities with rural transit and technical assistance expertise for a cooperative agreement to develop and implement a National Rural Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP). The entity or entities selected will manage a National technical assistance program that improves and enhances the coordination of Federal resources for rural transportation. The major goal of the National RTAP is to assist States and local communities in the expansion and provision of rural public transportation. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will award one or more five-year agreement(s), funded annually. Year one of the cooperative agreement(s) is for $1.212 million dollars as authorized in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity ActA Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) and appropriated in FY2007. Funding for subsequent years will be based on annual appropriations, as well as annual performance reviews. However, years 2010 and 2011 are subject to the next reauthorization.

This notice announces the availability of the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) 2008 National Transit Database (NTD) Safety & Security Reporting Manual. Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 5335, FTA requires those transit agencies reporting to the NTD from urbanized areas to provide reports within 30 days of a major safety or security incident, and to provide a monthly report on minor safety and security incidents. The 2008 NTD Safety & Security Reporting Manual details the specific requirements and guidelines for safety and security reporting. On November 21, 2007, FTA published a notice in the Federal Register (72 FR 65636) inviting comments on proposed changes to the 2008 NTD Safety & Security Reporting Manual. This notice provides responses to those comments, and announces the availability of the 2008 NTD Safety & Security Reporting Manual on the NTD Web site at https:// www.ntdprogram.gov.

The FHWA and FTA are jointly issuing this Revised Notice of Intent (NOI) to advise the public of modifications to the environmental review process for the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). These revisions include the intent of FHWA and FTA to use a tiered process to facilitate project decision-making, and the intent of FHWA and FTA to utilize the environmental review provisions afforded under Section 6002 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The EIS will build upon the extensive alternatives analysis, environmental and technical studies and public comments and outreach conducted to date, which are available online at the project's Web site (www.tzbsite.com). This NOI revises the NOI that was published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2002. The proposed tiering approach will allow the joint lead agencies to focus on both broad overall corridor issues in a Tier 1 transit analysis of general alignment and mode choice while simultaneously assessing site specific impacts, costs and mitigation measures in a Tier 2 bridge and highway analysis. The scope of analysis in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 will be appropriate to the level of detail necessary for those documents and will receive input from the public and reviewing agencies. The intent of the joint lead agencies is for the Tier 1 and Tier 2 analyses to be developed concurrently in order to maximize the efficiencies and potential for multimodal solutions. The Tier 1 transit analysis will provide the basis for a corridor level decision on transit mode(s), alignment(s), and logical termini within the Corridor and sufficient detail of impact assessments and preliminary engineering to allow the Tier 2 highway and bridge elements to proceed to final design and construction. Because the transportation needs of the corridor require a multimodal solution, the highway, bridge, and transit elements are intricately tied to one another and require iterative and concurrent development, analysis and consideration up to the decision on mode and alignment. Once the transit mode and alignment decisions are made, the analysis can focus on the needs of the corridor which includes the structural needs of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge and associated highway network, while preserving the transit corridor within the existing right of way. Additional purposes of this revised NOI are to: Advise the public of lead agency roles. Outline how the provisions of SAFETEA-LU Section 6002 will be met. Update interested parties regarding the current approach to preparing the EIS. Provide updated information on the proposed project, purpose and need for the project, and range of alternatives. Re-invite participation in the EIS process, including comments on the refined scope of the EIS proposed in this notice. Announce the dates, times and locations of upcoming scoping update meetings.

This notice provides interested parties with the opportunity to comment on changes to the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) 2008 National Transit Database (NTD) Urbanized Area Annual Reporting Manual (Annual Manual). Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 5335, FTA requires recipients of FTA Urbanized Area Formula Grants to provide an annual report to the Secretary of Transportation via the NTD reporting system according to a uniform system of accounts (USOA). Other transit agencies in urbanized areas report to the NTD under these requirements on a voluntary basis, for purposes of including data from their transit agencies in the apportionment of Urbanized Area Formula Grants. In an ongoing effort to improve the NTD reporting system and be responsive to the needs of the transit agencies reporting to the NTD, FTA annually refines and clarifies the reporting requirements through revisions to the Annual Manual.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to extend the following currently approved information collection: Reporting of Technical Activities by FTA Grant Recipients.