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

This notice revises Project Identification Numbers published in the August 22, 2008, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) notice titled ``Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility Program Announcement of Project Selections.'' The notice identifies corrections to Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 and 2008 Project Identification Numbers; however, award amounts remain unchanged.

Following the two recent Buy America rulemakings pursuant to the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) received a petition for reconsideration of the treatment of bi-metallic composite conducting rail as a steel product that must be manufactured in the United States. At present, FTA's Buy America regulation treats both running rail and contact rail as a steel or iron product which must be manufactured entirely in the United States. During the recent rulemakings, several commenters proposed that bi-metallic rail be instead categorized as ``traction power equipment.'' If adopted, the proposal would have changed the regulatory treatment of contact rail based on the rail's composition. As traction power equipment, bi-metallic rail would have been subject to a lower 60 percent domestic content requirement, in contrast to running rail made of steel and iron, which must contain 100 percent domestic content. In addition, as traction power equipment, bi- metallic rail would be subject only to ``final assembly'' in the United States, which may be a less rigorous process than the manufacturing process required for other forms of power rail, including steel and iron. Because FTA believed adopting the proposal in the Final Rule would have altered the regulatory environment for affected parties who may have been unaware of the proposal, including manufacturers of steel and iron contact rail, without subjecting the issue to full notice-and- comment from all affected parties, FTA declined to adopt the proposal, instead deferring action to this separate rulemaking. Through this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NRPM), FTA proposes to amend its Buy America regulations to re-categorize bi-metallic composite conducting rail as ``traction power equipment'' which need only consist of 60 percent domestic content, with final assembly taking place in the United States.

Through this notice, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) proposes to amend its school bus operations regulations. Most notably, FTA proposes to clarify several definitions, amend the school bus operations complaint procedures, and implement Section 3023(f) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). FTA seeks comment on this notice from interested parties.

This notice solicits proposals from States and tribal associations or consortia for United We Ride (UWR) mobility management grants. This solicitation is issued by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on behalf of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM). Funding in the amount of $1.5 million is provided by FTA to support grants ranging up to $300,000 each. These grants are intended to assist States and tribal associations in supporting the development of transportation coordination capabilities and capacity within local or regional human service networks to address the individualized customer transportation needs of persons and families with low income, persons with disabilities, older adults and youth. Specifically, these grants seek to address individual customer needs for mobility within workforce development, health care, aging, youth, disability, education, housing, veterans and other social service or human service support networks. State or tribal mobility management proposals may include the development of educational programs, training and technical assistance activities, and mobility management coordination pilots for or within such networks. These grants are not intended to fund the capital or operating costs of specific transportation services or transportation brokerage programs. The projects proposed should represent new or expanded activities, not just the maintenance of existing actions already being funded. FTA-funded technical assistance and training programs are described that may prove helpful to applicants in either developing or implementing proposals.

The Federal Transit Administration invites public comment about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval to renew the following information collection: 49 U.S.C. section 5316Job Access and Reverse Commute Program. The information to be collected for this program is used to determine eligibility for funding and to monitor the grantees' progress in implementing and completing project activities. The information submitted ensures FTA's compliance with applicable federal laws and OMB Circular A-102. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments was published on September 12, 2008.