Federal Transit Administration 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to evaluate proposed public transportation improvements in the Houston metropolitan area. The area being studied, known as the University Corridor, extends approximately ten miles from the vicinity of the University of HoustonCentral Campus to the Uptown/Galleria area in southwest Houston. METRO is proposing to construct an electric-powered light rail transit line on one of several possible alignments in the corridor. The EIS will examine and evaluate a number of transit alternatives including a Transportation Systems Management Alternative and various Build Alternatives, consisting of light rail vehicles powered from overhead wires, by an internal diesel-electric system, or by an alternative fuel hybrid-electric system and alignment options within the corridor; and any additional alternatives generated by the scoping process. The location and design of needed ancillary facilities, such as maintenance facilities, will also be considered. Scoping of the EIS will be accomplished through a series of public meetings and stakeholder meetings, through correspondence with interested persons, organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies, and through posting a scoping information packet on the internet and distributing the packet in hardcopy upon request.

This notice clarifies the effective date set forth in the notice of availability and request for comments for the Guidance on New Starts Policies and Procedures published on January 19, 2006, in the Federal Register. The Proposed Guidance on New Starts Policies and Procedures did not become effective on April 30, 2006, as stated in the January 19, 2006 notice. FTA will publish an additional notice in the Federal Register before new requirements are to become effective.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the City of Madison, WI (Madison) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for a proposal by Madison to implement new transit operations in an approximately 13-mile travel corridor extending from the City of Middleton on the west, through the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison to the Isthmus of Madison, WI to the American Parkway interchange on US 151, southwest of Sun Prairie, WI and encompassing the surrounding urbanized areas. Growing mobility challenges coupled with very limited opportunity for highway capacity expansion has prompted the communities in the area to consider investment in transportation improvements, both to supplement and enhance existing Metro bus service and to extend service to new markets throughout the corridor and in the region. Alternatives proposed to be considered in the draft EIS include No Build, the Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative and various Build Alternatives.

This competitive solicitation is for fiscal year 2006-2009 funding, subject to congressional appropriations action, for the new National Fuel Cell Bus Technology Development Program (NFCBP), administered by the Federal Transit Administration. The purpose of the program is to facilitate the development of commercially viable fuel cell bus technology and related infrastructure. FTA intends to enter into grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements with no more than 3 geographically diverse nonprofit organizations and recipients under chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, to conduct fuel cell bus technology and infrastructure projects under the program. Regional consortia in partnership with transit agencies are encouraged to apply. The Federal share of the cost of a project carried out under this Program shall not exceed 50 percent of such cost.

The FTA and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) are issuing this notice to advise the public that, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Tier 1 of a Tiered, Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) will be prepared for the South Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis (SFECCTA) to evaluate transit improvements in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, Florida. The SFECCTA is located along the eastern spine of the tri-county South Florida region, centered on but not limited to the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway alignment. The study proposes in Tier 1 to evaluate preferred technologies (e.g., rail, bus, express bus, etc.) and alignments through areas with heavily congested roadways and under-served, transit-dependent populations. These areas extend from Downtown Miami north through Ft. Lauderdale's Central Business District (CBD) and north of Downtown West Palm Beach to the Town of Jupiter and Village of Tequesta in northern Palm Beach County. The Tier 1 Analysis consists of a Regional Transit Alternatives Analysis. The Tier 2 Analyses will consist of subsequent Sectional Alternatives Analyses (per independent section of the SFECCTA study area).

This notice provides the opportunity for public comment on specific issues regarding the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) implementation of Department of Transportation (DOT) guidance for participants of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program. This guidance is applicable to recipients of Federal financial assistance from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) located in the states under the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit (California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Hawaii).

This notice does several things. First, it summarizes comments FTA received in response to information about a new program for Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program (hereafter referred to as the Tribal Transit Program) included in an earlier Federal Register notice dated November 30, 2005 (70 FR 71950), ``FTA Transit Program Changes, Authorized Funding Levels and Implementation of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users,'' and details FTA's response to those comments. Second, it announces the process FTA proposes to use to allocate available funds starting in FY 2006 and the grant program provisions that FTA proposes to apply to the program. Third, the notice seeks further comment on the proposed process and grant program provisions. Finally, the notice announces two (2) public meetings sponsored by FTA to provide direct outreach to tribal governments about the Tribal Transit Program and allow for discussion of this notice.

This final rule amends 49 CFR Parts 661 and 663 as required by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) [Pub. L. 109-59, August 10, 2005]. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) proposed certain changes to the Buy America requirements on November 21, 2005 (70 FR 71246). This final rule addresses fewer issues than were proposed in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) because of the complexity of a number of recommendations and issues presented during the comment period. Thus, FTA is publishing a final rule on those issues that received little or no public comment. FTA will publish a new NPRM in the Federal Register and hold a public meeting to address the issues raised in the NPRM published on November 21, 2005, but not addressed herein. Thereafter, FTA will publish a final rule with respect to such issues.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is developing guidance in the form of circulars to assist grantees in implementing the Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities Program, the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program, and the New Freedom Program beginning in FY07. FTA solicited public comment in 2005 through a Federal Register Notice (Transit Program Changes, Authorized Funding Levels and Implementation of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, 70 FR 71950, November 30, 2005) and public listening sessions held in five locations around the country. Drawing on the public comment received, FTA developed proposed strategies, described in this Notice, for implementation of the Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities, JARC, and New Freedom programs, including the cross-cutting requirement to develop a coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan for FY07. By this Notice, FTA seeks additional public comment to assist us in developing circulars for these programs. This notice also includes guidance for FY06 implementation for those requirements that go into effect immediately.

This notice announces actions taken by FTA as final for purposes of the limitation on claims. The FTA actions described in this notice consist of various environmental approvals for proposed public transportation projects in the following urbanized areas: New York (lower Manhattan), Seattle, Buffalo, New York (remainder), Providence, Hartford, Boston, Brattleboro (Vermont), and Bridgeport.

This notice supplements the notice concerning FTA Fiscal Year 2006 Apportionments, Allocations and Program Information, dated as of December 20, 2005, as changed and corrected by the FTA Fiscal Year 2006 Apportionments and Allocations Changes and Corrections; Announcement of States Selected for Participation in Section 5310 Pilot Program, dated as of February 3, 2006.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of funds in fiscal year (FY) 2006 for the Over-the-Road Bus (OTRB) Accessibility Program, authorized by Section 3038 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The OTRB Accessibility 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 final rule, 49 CFR Part 37, published in a Federal Register notice on September 28, 1998 (63 FR 51670). The authorizing legislation calls for national solicitation of applications, with grantees to be selected on a competitive basis. Federal transit funds are available to intercity fixed-route providers and other OTRB providers at up to 90 percent of the project cost. In FY 2006, following a one percent rescission, $5,568,750 was made available for intercity fixed-route service providers and $1,856,250 was made available for other over-the-road bus service providers. This announcement is available on the Internet on the FTA Web site at: https://www.fta.dot.gov. FTA will announce final selections on the Web site and in the Federal Register. A synopsis of this announcement will be posted in the FIND module of the government-wide electronic grants Web site at https://www.grants.gov. Applications may be submitted to FTA in hard copy or electronically through the GRANTS.GOV APPLY function.

Pursuant to the direction contained in the Joint Explanatory Statement of the Committee of Conference, for section 3023(d), Condition on Charter Bus Transportation Service of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) of 2005, FTA is establishing a committee to develop, through negotiated rulemaking procedures, recommendations for improving the regulation regarding prohibition of FTA grant recipients from providing charter bus service. The committee will consist of persons who represent the interests affected by the proposed rule, i.e., charter bus companies, public transportation operators, and other interested parties. The purpose of this document is to invite interested parties to submit comments on the issues to be discussed and the interests and organizations to be considered for representation on the committee.

This advance notice of proposed rulemaking provides interested parties with the opportunity to comment on the characteristics and requirements proposed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for a new capital investment program. This new program, ``Small Starts'', is a discretionary grant program for public transportation capital projects that run along a dedicated corridor or a fixed guideway, have a total project cost of less than $250 million, and are seeking less than $75 million in Small Starts program funding. This Small Starts program is a component of the existing New Starts program, but will offer project sponsors an expedited and streamlined application and review process. Consistent with the intent and provisions of the new public transit statute, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity ActA Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), FTA hopes to simplify the planning and project development process for proposed Small Starts projects in a number of ways. In addition to the reduced number of evaluation measures specified in SAFETEA-LU, the process may be further simplified by allowing small projects to conduct alternatives analysis with a reduced set of alternatives, allowing evaluation measures for mobility and cost-effectiveness to be developed without having to rely on complicated travel demand modeling procedures in some cases, and possibly defining some classes of low-cost improvements that are pre- approved as effective and cost-effective in certain contexts.

This notice announces the availability of the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA's) Guidance on New Starts Policies and Procedures and requests your comments on it. The guidance explains proposed changes to the New Starts program that will become effective April 30, 2006 and longer-term changes to the New Starts program that FTA plans to be the subject of rulemaking in the future. FTA requests comments on both aspects of the guidance, which is available in DOT's electronic docket and on FTA's Web site.