Federal Transit Administration – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has placed in the docket and on its Web site proposed guidance in the form of a circular chapter to help transportation providers ensure that the buses and rail cars they acquire meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. This proposed chapter on vehicle acquisition is the first in a series of approximately 12 chapters that will compose a complete ADA circular. By public notice, FTA invites public comment on this proposed circular chapter and suggestions for specific issues to cover in future chapters.

This NPRM provides interested parties with the opportunity to comment on proposed changes to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) joint procedures that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The revisions are prompted by enactment of Public Law 112-141, 126 Stat. 405, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). This NPRM proposes to modify an existing categorical exclusion (CE) for emergency repair projects under 23 U.S.C. 125 to include emergency projects as described in Section 1315 of MAP-21. This NPRM also requests comments on whether additional activities ought to be expressly included in the CE, consistent with the principles underlying emergency projects and sound transportation asset management. The FHWA and the FTA seek comments on the proposals contained in this notice.

This notice announces a public meeting of the Transit Rail Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS). TRACS is a Federal Advisory Committee established by the Secretary of Transportation in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act to provide information, advice, and recommendations to the Secretary and the Federal Transit Administrator on matters relating to the safety of public transportation systems.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for MARTA's I-20 East Transit Initiative project, which would extend the existing east-west rail line from the Indian Creek Station to the Mall at Stonecrest in eastern DeKalb County and an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service along I-20 between downtown Atlanta and a new station at Wesley Chapel Road, east of I-285 in DeKalb County. The EIS and EA will be prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), and will also address the requirements of other federal and state environmental laws. The extension of the existing MARTA east-west rail line and the new BRT service along I-20 were selected as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) based on a two year Detailed Corridor Analysis (DCA) completed in April 2012. The DCA revisited the analysis and conclusions of the I-20 East Corridor Study Alternatives Analysis (AA) completed in 2004 and complied with FTA's New Starts project development process. The purpose of this Notice of Intent (NOI) is to advise interested agencies and the public regarding the plan to prepare the EIS and EA, to provide information on the nature of the proposed transit project, to invite participation in the NEPA process, including comments on the scope of the EIS and EA proposed in this notice, and to announce where and when public scoping meetings will be conducted. Scoping meetings are an opportunity for government agencies, affected stakeholders, and the general public to provide input and feedback on the project Purpose and Need, the alternatives to be studied, as well as to identify any significant physical, cultural, natural, and social environmental issues within the study area.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has placed in the docket and on its Web site, guidance in the form of a Circular to assist grantees in complying with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The purpose of this Circular is to provide recipients of FTA financial assistance with instructions and guidance necessary to carry out the U.S. Department of Transportation's Title VI regulations (49 CFR part 21).

This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Westside Subway Extension project, Los Angeles, CA. 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.

Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as the primary staff agency to the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM), is releasing an Announcement of Funding Opportunities (Announcement) to promote mobility managementa customer-focused approach to transportation service delivery. FTA, under its National Research Program, plans to fund a National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) which will carry-out activities to further mobility management and to improve and enhance the coordination of Federal resources for human service transportation.

FTA and San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) intend to prepare an EIS/EIR for the Redlands Passenger Rail Project (RPRP or Project). Early in 2012, FTA and SANBAG began the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA)/EIR for the RPRP and conducted two scoping meetings; one on April 24 in the City of Redlands and the other on May 2 in the City of San Bernardino. Based on the input received from the community, including written comment letters, and preliminary findings from ongoing technical studies, FTA determined that an EIS is required. The EIS/EIR will be prepared in accordance with regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) of 1969 and the regulations implementing NEPA set forth in 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508 and 23 CFR Part 771, as well as provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The purpose of this Notice is to: Advise the public that FTA is the lead Federal agency; Provide information about the proposed project, purpose and need for the project, and alternatives to be considered; and Invite public and agency participation in the EIS process. The EIS/EIR will examine alternatives to provide a cost-effective, alternative travel option for communities located along the Redlands Corridor in a way that improves transit mobility, travel times, and corridor safety.

This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for projects in the following locations: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, UT; Alameda County, CA; Cambridge, Medford, and Somerville, MA; Contra Costa County, CA; and Los Angeles County, CA. 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) annually publishes one or more notices apportioning funds appropriated by law. In some cases, if less than a full year of funds is available, FTA publishes multiple partial apportionment notices. This notice announces the full fiscal year (FY) 2012 contract authority, for programs authorized under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).

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 renew the approval of the following information collection:

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is publishing a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Innovative Workforce Development Program. This NOFA seeks proposals that promote diverse and innovative successful workforce development models and programs. FTA has budgeted approximately $5,000,000 for providing support of these efforts.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as the federal lead agency, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Council, is issuing this notice of intent (NOI) to advise interested parties that it proposes to prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project, located in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota (Project). The Project is 10.9 miles long and consists of 23 Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations. The SDEIS will evaluate potential impacts on the loss of business revenue during construction of the Central Corridor LRT Project and will be prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), its implementing regulations, and provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).

This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for projects in the following locations: Minneapolis, MN; Coatesville, PA; City of St. Louis and University City, MO; and West Fitchburg, MA. 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 U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of funds in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 for the Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility (OTRB) Program, initially authorized by Section 3038 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The OTRB program makes funds available to private operators of over-the-road buses to finance the incremental capital and training costs of complying with DOT's over-the-road bus accessibility regulation. The authorizing legislation calls for national solicitation of proposals, with grantees to be selected on a competitive basis. Program funds are available to intercity fixed-route providers and other OTRB providers at up to 90 percent of the project cost. The Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011, Public Law 112-30, continues the authorization of the Federal transit programs of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through March 31, 2012, and provides contract authority for this program equal to approximately one half of the amounts available in FY 2011. Approximately $8.8 million is expected to be available for the OTRB program discretionary allocation and may include other discretionary program funds that become available. The total amount of funding available will be contingent on Congressional authorization and appropriation prior to the selection of awardees, and based on the timing of such funding becoming available, may also include funding appropriated for Fiscal Year 2013.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority, dba ``Triangle Transit,'' intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to study a proposed premium transit service corridor in Durham and Orange Counties, North Carolina. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) of 1969 and the regulations implementing NEPA set forth in 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508 and 23 CFR Part 771, as well as provisions set forth in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The purpose of this Notice is to: (1) Advise the public that FTA is serving as the lead Federal agency; (2) provide information on the proposed project, purpose and need for the project, and alternatives to be considered; and (3) invite public and agency participation in the EIS process.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comment a request from Allison Transmission, Inc. to renew a waiver for its hybrid electric propulsion system, Energy Storage Unit subsystem H 49.40 EPSystem, until December 31, 2013 so they may complete their ongoing process to secure a domestic supplier of Lithium Ion batteries. FTA seeks public comment before deciding whether to grant Allison's request.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of approximately $15 million in funding provided by the Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program (Tribal Transit Program (TTP)) subject to the availability of funds by Congress, a program authorized by Section 3013(c) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). This notice is a national solicitation for project proposals and includes the selection criteria and program eligibility information for FY 2012 projects. The Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011, Public Law No.112-30 continues the authorization of the Federal transit programs of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through March 31, 2012, and provides contract authority for this program equal to approximately one half of the amounts available in FY 2011. Subject to funding availability by Congress, FTA will fund the TTP with approximately $15 million. This announcement is available on the FTA Web site at: https:// www.fta.dot.gov. FTA may announce final selections on the Web site and in the Federal Register. Additionally, a synopsis of the funding opportunity will be posted in the FIND module of the government-wide electronic grants Web site at https://www.grants.gov.

This notice announces the availability of the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Proposed Policy Guidance on New Starts/Small Starts and requests your comments on it. This document compliments the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Major Capital Investment Projects by describing the detailed measures proposed for evaluation of projects seeking New Starts and Small Starts funding and the way these measures would be used in project ratings if adopted. The proposed regulations and appendix are intended to act as a framework for the project evaluation and rating process, and the proposed policy guidance fills in the details.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) annually publishes one or more notices apportioning funds appropriated by law. In some cases, if less than a full year of funds is available, FTA publishes multiple partial apportionment notices. This notice is the first notice announcing partial apportionment for programs funded with Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 contract authority because the current authorization of FTA's programs provides contract authority for the period October 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012. Additionally, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012, provides full-year funding for FTA's programs funded from the General Fund of the United States Treasury, which are Administrative Expenses, the New Starts and Research programs and grants to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The Appropriations Act, 2012 also provides an obligation limitation for the available contract authority and any additional contract authority that Congress may make available this fiscal year. This notice also provides program guidance and requirements; and provides information on several program issues important under the current program authorization. Also included are tables that show certain discretionary program unobligated (carryover) and reapportioned funding from previous years available for obligation during FY 2012.

This notice announces final environmental actions taken by FHWA, FTA, and other agencies that are final within the meaning of Federal transportation law. The actions relate to the Interstate 5 Columbia River Crossing Project in Clark County, Washington and Multnomah County, Oregon.