Federal Transit Administration 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for projects in Denver, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, and Las Vegas, Nevada. The purpose of this notice is to announce publicly the environmental decisions by FTA on the subject projects and to activate the limitation on any claims that may challenge these final environmental actions.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for $10,462,935 in non-competitive grants under the Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program (Emergency Relief Program) to States, Territories, local governmental authorities, Indian tribes, and other FTA recipients affected by major declared disasters occurring in calendar year 2018. Projects may include costs for disaster response, recovery, and rebuilding activities. FTA will distribute these funds in a manner consistent with the eligibility requirements of this program on a non-competitive basis, subject to the priorities set forth below.

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 approve the extension of a currently approved information collection.

This rulemaking rescinds an FTA regulation that cross- references the Management and Monitoring Systems regulation for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The statutory basis for FHWA's regulation was rescinded by legislation in 2012.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for approximately $3.5 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 funds under the Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility (Mobility for All) pilot program; (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number: 20.513). Funding under this pilot program is subject to the availability of a full-year appropriation. This funding opportunity seeks to improve mobility options through employing innovative coordination of transportation strategies and building partnerships to enhance mobility and access to vital community services for older adults, individuals with disabilities, and people of low income. As required by Federal public transportation law, funds will be awarded competitively to finance innovative capital projects that will improve the coordination of transportation services and non-emergency medical transportation services. FTA may award additional funding that is made available to the program prior to the announcement of project selections.

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 approve the extension of a currently approved information collection:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describe the nature of the information collection and their expected burdens.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describe the nature of the information collection and their expected burdens.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for approximately $19.19 million of funding under the Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance #20.500). As required by federal transit law and subject to funding availability, funds will be awarded competitively to support comprehensive planning associated with new fixed guideway and core capacity improvement projects.

The Federal Transit Administration proposes to amend its project management oversight rule to make it consistent with recent statutory changes and to modify the scope and applicability of the rule. FTA seeks comments from project sponsors, the transit industry, other stakeholders, and the public on the proposed changes to the rule.

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 approve the extension of a currently approved information collection: 49 U.S.C. Section 5337 State of Good Repair Program.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is soliciting proposals under the agency's Formula Grants for Rural Areas Program to select an entity to administer a National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP). The National RTAP will carry out activities to design and implement training and technical assistance projects and other support services tailored to meet the specific needs of transit operators in rural areas, including Indian Country. Primary activities will include the development of information and materials for use by local operators and State administering agencies, and supporting research and technical assistance projects of national interest.

This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit (MTA NYCT) Canarsie Tunnel Project Revised Alternative Service Plan. The purpose of this notice is to announce publicly the environmental decisions by FTA on the subject project and to activate the limitation on any claims that may challenge these final environmental actions.

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 approve the extension of a currently approved information collection: 49 U.S.C. Section 5310Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program & Section 5311Formula Grants for Rural Areas Program.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Metro (the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO, for the Portland region) issue this early scoping notice for a MAX tunnel project (Project). Metro is exploring ways to improve transit time and reliability to and through the Portland Central City. The purpose of this early scoping notice is to advise other agencies and the public of the intent to further study the feasibility of a tunnel under downtown Portland. The Project would improve regional transit service by addressing current and projected travel time, reliability, and resiliency issues for trips to and across Portland's downtown core. Early scoping for the feasibility study is occurring within the context of the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations for complying with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

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 approve the extension of a currently approved information collection: Bus Testing Program.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describe the nature of the information collection and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on April 2, 2019 (84 FR 1670).

This notice alerts transit agencies to the need to address the risk of transit operator assault when identified through the processes required under the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) regulation. The PTASP regulation requires transit agencies to develop and implement Safety Management Systems (SMS) and associated processes for all elements of a public transportation system. In cases where transit agencies discover a risk of operator assault, the PTASP regulation requires agencies as part of their SMS processes to develop methods or processes to identify mitigations or strategies necessary as a result of the agency's safety risk assessment. The agency would use these methods or processes to reduce the likelihood and severity of occurrences of operator assault, based on the agency's analysis of the risk.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for approximately $423.35 million in fiscal year (FY) 2019 funds under the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program (CFDA#20.526). As required by federal public transportation law and subject to funding availability, funds will be awarded competitively to assist in the financing of capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, purchase or lease buses and related equipment, and to rehabilitate, purchase, construct or lease bus-related facilities. Projects may include costs incidental to the acquisition of buses or to the construction of facilities, such as the costs of related workforce development and training activities, and project administration expenses. FTA may award additional funds if they are made available to the program prior to the announcement of project selections.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of approximately $5 million in funding, subject to the availability of appropriations, for the Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program (Tribal Transit Program). This notice is a national solicitation for project proposals and includes the selection criteria and program eligibility information for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 projects. FTA may fund the program for more or less than the full year appropriation when made available, and may include other funding if available from other fiscal years toward project proposals received in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This announcement is available on the FTA website at: https:// www.transit.dot.gov. Additionally, a synopsis of the funding opportunity, FTA-2019-004-TPM-TRTR, will be posted in the FIND module of the government-wide electronic grants website at https:// www.grants.gov. The program is located in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) under 20.509.

The Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Integrated Mobility Innovation (IMI) Demonstration program's primary purpose is to fund projects that demonstrate innovative, effective approaches, practices, partnerships, and technologies to enhance public transportation effectiveness, increase efficiency, expand quality, promote safety, and improve the traveler's experience. This notice announces the availability of up to $15 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 and FY 2018 FTA research funds in the form of cooperative agreements for eligible projects. FTA may award additional funds, if available. This IMI Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) brings together three distinct areas of inquiry: Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox demonstrations; FTA's Strategic Transit Automation Research (STAR); and Mobility Payment Integration (MPI). These areas are integrated in this NOFO to allow applicants to comprehensively plan multiple areas of mobility research. FTA requests that all applicants identify the specific area(s) for which they are applying. The Integrated Mobility Innovation Demonstration program will also leverage FTA's leadership of the Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative (ATTRI) to ensure that all activities conducted under this NOFO advance the vision of a Complete Trip for All. The Complete Trip concept reflects the understanding that a person's travel comprises a chain of steps beginning with an often-spontaneous decision to make a trip, through to planning an itinerary, traversing the built environment and its transportation networks (with or without a vehicle); navigating streets, intersections, facilities, stations, and stops to their destinationsafely, efficiently, and carefree. The Complete Trip is the realization that if any part of the trip-making chain is broken, the trip cannot be completed, and an opportunity is lost.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) of Austin, Texas issue this early scoping notice to advise other agencies and the public that they intend to conduct early scoping for the Blue Line High Capacity Transit (HCT) Corridor. The Blue Line HCT Corridor is a 15.5- mile corridor connecting multiple activity centers between North Austin, Downtown Austin, East Riverside and the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. The entire corridor is being proposed for HCT dedicated pathways. This notice invites public input to ongoing planning efforts for the Blue Line HCT Corridor by commenting on the project's purpose and need, the project study area, alternatives being considered, public participation and outreach methods, relevant transportation and community impacts and benefits being considered, potential environmental impacts, and the projected capital and operating costs of the project.

This notice provides information on proposed changes and clarifications to the National Transit Database (NTD) reporting requirements. All proposed changes and clarifications will be effective for report year 2019 (beginning September 2019).

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is soliciting proposals under the Department of Transportation's Technical Assistance and Workforce Development Program to select an eligible project or projects for the development and dissemination of technical assistance materials supporting public safety awareness campaigns. The technical assistance materials will address public safety issues impacting the transit industry, including but not limited to human trafficking, operator assault, and crime prevention. Technical assistance also may include recommended practices, and public and employee training. The awarded projects will be referred to as the Crime Prevention and Public Safety Awareness projects, and the available funding is $2,000,000 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 funds.

FTA and the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) intend to prepare an EIS to evaluate the benefits and impacts of the proposed Tacoma Dome Link Extension (TDLE), a light rail transit extension project. The project would improve public transit service between the Federal Way Transit Center in Federal Way, King County and the Tacoma Dome Station in Tacoma, Pierce County. It would respond to a growing number of transportation and community needs identified in the agency's regional transit system plan, Sound Transit 3 (ST3). The project would also cross the lands of the Puyallup Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation (Puyallup Tribe of Indians). FTA and Sound Transit will prepare the EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), FTA environmental regulations, Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), and Washington's State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). This Notice initiates formal scoping for the EIS, provides information on the nature of the proposed transit project, invites participation in the EIS process, provides information about the purpose and need for the proposed transit project, includes general information on the range of alternatives being considered for evaluation in the EIS, and identifies potential environmental effects to be considered. It also invites comments from interested members of the public, tribes, and agencies on the scope of the EIS and announces upcoming public scoping meetings. Alternatives being considered for evaluation include a No-Build and various build alternatives to develop light rail in the TDLE corridor. The alternatives were developed through a local planning process including a Regional Transit Long-Range Plan, a regional system plan of transit investments (ST3), and a SEPA early scoping and alternatives development process specific to the TDLE corridor. The results of SEPA early scoping and alternatives planning, as well as other background information, are summarized in the Tacoma Dome Link Extension Scoping Information Report, which is available at Sound Transit's office located at 401 S Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104-2826, on the project website: www.soundtransit.org/tdlink, or by contacting the project line at (206) 903-7118.