[Federal Register: January 31, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 20)]
[Notices]
[Page 5104-5105]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31ja06-91]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Availability of Border Enforcement Grant Program Funds
AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This document announces the availability of grant funding
under the FY2006 Border Enforcement Grant (BEG) program as specified in
Section 4110 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users (SAFETEA-LU). Section
4110 establishes a BEG program. The program is a discretionary grant
program funded by a single source. It provides funding for carrying out
border commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety programs and related
enforcement activities and projects. An entity or a State that shares a
land border with another country is eligible to receive grant funding.
DATES: Applications for grant funding should be sent to the FMCSA
Division Office in the State where the applicant is located no later
than March 15, 2006. Specific information required with the application
is provided below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Milt Schmidt, Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration, Office of Safety Programs, North
American Borders Division (MC-ESB), 518-431-4239, extension 262, Leo W.
O'Brien Federal Building, Room 742, Clinton Avenue and North Pearl
Street, Albany, New York 12207. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15
p.m., ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 4110 of SAFETEA-LU (Pub. L. 109-59, August 10, 2005, 119
Stat. 1144) established the BEG program. FMCSA has been providing grant
funding to States and others for border program activities since 1995.
From FY1995 through FY2003, the majority of the funding was provided
through FMCSA's Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP). In
FY2004, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Pub. L. 108-199,
January 23, 2004, 118 Stat. 3) authorized a Border Enforcement Grant
Program for southern border States and a Northern Border Truck
Inspection Program for northern border States. In FY2005, the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (Pub. L. 108-447, December 8,
2004, 118 Stat. 2809) authorized a combined southern/northern Border
Enforcement Program.
SAFETEA-LU authorizes the BEG program for FY2006 through FY2009.
The authorized funding for the program is $32 million per year ($128
million total). Funding is subject to reductions as a result of
obligation limitations and takedowns as specified in SAFETEA-LU or
other legislation.
Funds are available to an entity or a State that shares a land
border with a foreign country. Except for the Maintenance of
Expenditure requirement that applies to States and political
subdivisions of States, for the purposes of the FY2006 BEG program,
FMCSA has determined that an entity includes any political subdivision
of a State that shares a border with another country or any other
organization that carries out border commercial vehicle safety programs
and related enforcement activities or projects consistent with
established Federal priorities and criteria.
The Federal share of the funds is established by SAFETEA-LU as 100
percent. Allocations remain available for expenditure in the State for
the fiscal year in which they are allocated and for the next fiscal
year.
Additional information on the BEG program and its application
process is available from the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA), which is available on the Internet at http://www.cfda.gov. The
BEG program is listed as CFDA number 20.233.
Implementation of the BEG Discretionary Program in FY2006
FMCSA is implementing the FY2006 BEG program with the goal of
reducing the number and severity of CMV crashes in the United States by
ensuring CMVs involved in the cross-border movement of freight and
passengers are in compliance with all FMCSA regulatory requirements. To
achieve this goal, FMCSA has established the following national
priorities for the FY2006 BEG program:
Increase the number of CMV safety inspections and
commercial driver license/operating authority/financial responsibility
checks in border States with the focus on international traffic;
Increase the number of hazardous materials inspections in
border States with the focus on international traffic;
Improve the capability to conduct CMV safety inspections
at remote sites near the border (The list of eligible items in 49 CFR
350.311 that relate to MCSAP should be used as a guide.);
Develop appropriate telecommunications systems--those that
relate directly to the accessing and
[[Page 5105]]
transfer of CMV safety data and information--and coordination
procedures with Federal inspection agencies and others;
Design innovative initiatives to improve the safety of
CMVs, drivers, and carriers entering the United States from Canada or
Mexico; and
Ensure southern border States meet all requirements to
allow Mexico-domiciled carriers access beyond the border commercial
zones.
Application and Selection Process
The Secretary may make a grant to a State under this section only
if the State agrees that the total expenditure of amounts of the State
and political subdivisions of the State, exclusive of amounts from the
United States, for carrying out border commercial motor vehicle safety
programs and related enforcement activities and projects will be
maintained at a level at least equal to the average level of that
expenditure by the State and political subdivisions of the State for
the last 2 fiscal years of the State or the Federal Government ending
before October 1, 2005, whichever the State designates.
The applicant must submit an application form (SF-424, SF-424A, and
SF-424B) no later than March 15, 2006 to the Division Administrator of
the FMCSA Division Office in the State in which the applicant is
domiciled.
If funds remain available after allocations are made for
applications submitted by March 15, 2006, additional applications may
be submitted and will be considered for funding until all available
funds have been allocated.
In addition to the application form, the application package must
include a border enforcement program plan containing the following:
Detailed budget,
Scope of project,
Purpose,
Performance goals,
Objectives,
Implementation strategies,
Performance measures,
Monitoring and evaluation plan, and
Status and evaluation of FY2005 border enforcement plan,
if appropriate. The border enforcement program plan must be coordinated
with the State lead MCSAP agency, as appropriate.
SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B can be downloaded from http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/
grants/grants--forms.html. Addresses of the
FMCSA Division Offices are available on the Internet at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/contact/
offices/displayfieldroster.asp.
As an alternative, applicants can apply for BEG funding using the
grants.gov electronic application process. To use the process, the
applicant must have a DUNS number and be registered with grants.gov. To
obtain a DUNS number or register with grants.gov, go to http://www.grants.gov/
GetStartedRoles?type=aor.
To apply for a grant using the grants.gov process, the applicant
must download a grant application package, complete the selected grant
application package, and submit the completed grant application
package. This can be done on the Internet at http://www.grants.gov/Apply?campaignid=
tabnavtracking081105. The CFDA number for BEG is
20.233.
It is anticipated the grants.gov application process will be
available for use by the BEG program by March 1, 2006.
Upon receipt, the applications will be reviewed by FMCSA and
prioritized for potential funding. The review will consider consistency
with national priorities, as noted above; performance with respect to
previous year border grant programs, if applicable; coordination with
MCSAP, if applicable; Division Administrator recommendations; and other
criteria that FMCSA deems appropriate.
Funds will be allocated based on availability and on the
applications review conducted by FMCSA. Those applicants approved for
funding will be required to enter into a grant agreement with FMCSA,
which will be executed by a Division Administrator on behalf of FMCSA.
Issued on: January 20, 2006.
Annette M. Sandberg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-1155 Filed 1-30-06; 8:45 am]
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