Office of the Secretary of Transportation August 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces the availability of funding and requests proposals for the Department of Transportation's National Infrastructure Investments. In addition, this notice announces selection criteria and pre-application and application requirements for the National Infrastructure Investments. On July 1, 2011 the Department of Transportation published an interim notice announcing the availability of funding for the Department of Transportation's National Infrastructure Investments, or ``TIGER Discretionary Grants,'' project selection criteria and pre- application and application requirements for these grants. The interim notice also requested comments on the project selection criteria and pre-application and application requirements. The Department considered the comments that were submitted in accordance with the interim notice and decided to make no substantive revisions to the interim notice based on those comments. However, the Department has decided to make minor revisions to the interim notice, to provide additional information to potential applicants on the project readiness characteristics that the Department considers when evaluating an application (see section I(b) and Appendix C). The Department has also updated the point-of-contact information for program staff that should be contacted with any questions regarding the application process for these grants. On April 15, 2011, the President signed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations, 2011 (Div. B of the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (Pub. L. 112-010, Apr. 15, 2011)) (``FY 2011 Continuing Appropriations Act''). The FY 2011 Continuing Appropriations Act appropriated $526.944 million to be awarded by the Department of Transportation (``DOT'') for National Infrastructure Investments. This appropriation is similar, but not identical to the appropriation for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or ``TIGER Discretionary Grant'', program authorized and implemented pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the ``Recovery Act''), and the National Infrastructure Investments or ``TIGER II Discretionary Grant'' program under the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for 2010 (``FY 2010 Appropriations Act''). Because of the similarity in program structure, DOT has referred to the grants for National Infrastructure Investments under the FY 2010 Appropriations Act as ``TIGER II Discretionary Grants''. Given that funds have now been appropriated for these similar programs in three separate statutes, DOT is referring to the grants for National Infrastructure Investments under the FY 2011 Continuing Appropriations Act simply as ``TIGER Discretionary Grants.'' As with the TIGER and TIGER II programs, funds for the FY2011 TIGER program are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant impact on the Nation, a metropolitan area or a region. Through this notice, DOT is soliciting applications for TIGER Discretionary Grants. In the event that this solicitation does not result in the award and obligation of all available funds, DOT may decide to publish an additional solicitation(s).