[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53740-53745]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-15095]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands Program
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands Program
announcement of Project Selections.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) announces the selection of projects to be funded
under Fiscal Year 2006 appropriations for the Alternative
Transportation in Parks and Public Lands (ATPPL) program, authorized by
Section 3021 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act--A Legacy for Users of 2005 (SAFETEA-LU) and
codified in 49 U.S.C. 5320. The ATPPL program funds capital and
planning expenses for alternative transportation systems in parks and
public lands. Federal land management agencies and State, tribal and
local governments acting with the consent of a Federal land management
agency are eligible recipients. This is the first year of the ATPPL
program. Funding is authorized for this program through FY 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project sponsors who are State, local,
or tribal entities may contact the appropriate FTA Regional
Administrator (See Appendix A) for grant-specific issues. Project
sponsors who are a Federal land management agency or a specific unit of
a Federal land management agency should work with the contact listed
below at their headquarters office to coordinate the availability of
funds to that unit.
Bureau of Land Management: Linda Force, [email protected], 202-557-3567.
Fish and Wildlife Service: Nathan Caldwell, [email protected], 703-358-2376.
Forest Service: Ellen LaFayette, [email protected],
703-605-4509.
National Park Service: Kevin Percival, [email protected], 303-969-2429.
For general information about the Alternative Transportation in the
Parks and Public Lands program, please contact Tina Hodges, Office of
Budget and Policy, Federal Transit Administration, [email protected],
202-366-4287.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A total of $21,780,000 was appropriated for
FTA's Alternative Transportation in the Parks and Public Lands program
in Fiscal
[[Page 53741]]
Year (FY) 2006. Of this amount, a minimum of $19,503,990 was available
for project awards; $108,900 was reserved for oversight activities; and
up to $2,167,110 was available for planning, technical assistance,
research. A total of 78 applicants requested $40.5 million,
approximately twice the amount available for projects, indicating high
competition for funds. An interagency technical review committee
evaluated the project proposals based on the criteria defined in 49
U.S.C. 5320(g)(2). Then, as specified in Section 5320(g), the Secretary
of the Interior's designee determined the final selection of projects
after consultation with and in cooperation with the Secretary of
Transportation's designee. For FY 2006, the program will fund 42
projects totaling $19,631,170.
The goals of the program are to conserve natural, historical, and
cultural resources; reduce congestion and pollution; improve visitor
mobility and accessibility; enhance visitor experience; and ensure
access to all, including persons with disabilities through alternative
transportation projects. The projects selected for funding in FY 2006
represent a diverse set of capital and planning projects across the
country, ranging from bus purchases to a ferry dock.
Awards
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FY 2006
State Public land unit Agency Funding recipient Type of project Project description funding
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AK............................. Chugach National Forest Service.... Alaska Railroad... Railroad.......... Purchase Diesel $4,700,000
Forest. Multiple Unit Rail
vehicles to provide
rail service to
recreation areas in
Chugach National
Forest.
AK............................. Glacier Bay National Park State of Alaska... Boat Dock......... Replace the existing 1,200,000
National Park and Service. passenger and freight
Preserve. dock.
AZ............................. Grand Canyon National Park National Park Bus............... Rebuild the Hermits 733,050
National Park. Service. Service. Road Shuttle Bus
transfer area.
CA............................. Inyo National Forest Service.... Forest Service.... Planning Study.... Feasibility study for 167,000
Forest, Devils implementation of a
Postpile National sustainable
Monument. transportation system
for Reds Meadow/Devils
Postpile.
CA............................. Muir Woods National Park National Park Intelligent Design and build 490,000
National Monument/ Service. Service. Transportation electronic warning
Golden Gate System. signs, traffic
National counters, highway
Recreation Area. advisory radio, web
cameras, a centralized
management software
package, and other
equipment as necessary.
CA............................. Muir Woods National Park National Park Planning Study.... Secure consultant 500,000
National Monument/ Service. Service. services for planning
Golden Gate effort to address
National visitor access issues
Recreation Area. at Muir Woods National
Monument (managed by
Golden Gate National
Recreation Area).
CA............................. Point Reyes National Park National Park Planning Study.... Fund an implementation 175,000
National Seashore. Service. Service. feasibility study and
financial plan for the
upgrade of an existing
park shuttle system to
an alternate-fuel
system for the heavily
visited Point Reyes
Headlands.
CA............................. San Francisco National Park National Park Planning Study.... Planning to extend San 300,000
Maritime National Service. Service. Francisco Municipal
Historical Park Railway's Historic
and Golden Gate streetcars from
National Fisherman's Wharf 0.85
Recreation Area. mile to San Francisco
Maritime National
Historic Park and the
Fort Mason Center at
Golden Gate Nat'l
Recreation Area.
CA............................. Sequoia and Kings National Park National Park Bus............... Lease busses for the 165,000
Canyon National Service. Service. Giant Forest Shuttle
Park. and Gateway Shuttle
Link to connect key
sites within Sequoia
National Park lodging,
camping, food service
facilities, popular
day use trails, and
features of the world-
famous Giant Forest
Sequoia grove.
CA............................. Sequoia and Kings National Park City of Visalia... Bus............... Purchase five shuttle 400,000
Canyon National Service. busses for the City of
Park. Visalia to run a new
service from the San
Joaquin Valley to
popular Sequoia
National Park.
CA............................. Yosemite National National Park Yosemite Area Park and Ride Lot. Construct two park and 582,579
Park. Service. Regional Transit ride lots to allow
System (YARTS). visitors to park and
use the YARTS service
to access the national
park, mitigating
congestion within the
park.
[[Page 53742]]
CA............................. Yosemite National National Park National Park Planning Study.... Update traffic, 486,000
park. Service. Service. transit, parking, and
intersection counts;
(2) update existing
trip tables; (3)
update and complete
computer models; (4)
evaluate the
relationships between
transportation and
park experience; (5)
correlate visitor
experience with
traffic data.
CO............................. Mesa Verde National Park National Park Planning Study.... Fund the remaining 57,868
National Park. Service. Service. planning tasks and
allow the
Transportation Plan to
be completed in early
2007.
CO............................. Rocky Mountain Fish and Wildlife City of Commerce Planning Study.... Conduct a shuttle 40,000
Arsenal National Service. City. feasibility study that
Wildlife Refuge. would determine if a
shuttle is needed.
CO............................. The Maroon Bells-- Forest Service.... Roaring Forks Bus............... Purchase four buses to 1,680,000
Snowmass Transit Authority. expand transit service
Wilderness Area, to visitors.
White River
National Forest,
Colorado.
FL............................. Ding Darling Fish and Wildlife Lee County Transit Planning Study.... Planning, technical 700,000
National Wildlife Service. analyses, and
Refuge. coordination of
transportation system.
HI............................. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park National Park Planning Study.... Data collection/studies 120,000
National Park. Service. Service. and resource surveys
for potential
alternative
transportation system
along two primary
roads where congestion
and over-crowding are
causing resource
damage and
compromising visitor
safety and experience.
ID, WY......................... Grand Teton National Park National Park Planning Study.... Create a Public 99,934
National Park. Service. Service. Transportation
Business Plan for
public transportation
service in Grand Teton
National Park.
IL............................. Midewin National Forest Service.... Forest Service.... Planning Study.... Develop an alternative 256,600
Tallgrass Prairie. transportation system
plan for the prairie.
KS............................. Tall Grass Prairie National Park National Park Bus............... Replace two existing 280,000
National Preserve. Service. Service. buses used for park
tours.
MA............................. Cape Cod National National Park Cape Cod Regional Bus/Intelligent Purchase ITS 175,000
Seashore. Service. Transit Authority. Transportation communication
System. equipment to allow
timed transfers and
coordination of local
transit service.
MA............................. Cape Cod National National Park National Park Planning Study.... Define the needs and 200,000
Seashore. Service. Service. evaluate alternative
satellite maintenance/
storage sites for a
transit service to be
implemented.
MA............................. Cape Cod National National Park National Park Tram.............. Replace three trailers 400,000
Seashore. Service. Service. for trams to transport
visitors to
destinations within
and near the National
Seashore.
MA............................. Lowell National National Park National Park Railroad.......... Address safety issues: 338,000
Historical Park. Service. Service. (1) signalization of
grade crossings, (2)
rehabilitate trolley
bridge, (3) replace
deteriorated railroad
ties and substandard
rails.
MA............................. Parker River Fish and Wildlife Essex National Planning Study.... Develop a plan to 95,000
National Wildlife Service. Heritage complete safe, off-
Refuge, Essex Commission. road connections
County National between the
Heritage Area, MA Newburyport MBTA
DCR Sandy Point. Transit Center, the
Refuge Headquarters
and the Refuge.
MD............................. Patuxent Research Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Tram.............. Rehabilitate existing 108,639
Refuge. Service. Service. prototype electric
tram and tram tour
route.
[[Page 53743]]
ME............................. Acadia National National Park Maine Department Bus............... Purchase two vans with 120,000
Park. Service. of Transportation. trailers for bicycles
for Acadia's Island
Explorer transit
system, allowing
visitors to better
access recreation
opportunities in the
park without private
cars.
ME............................. Acadia National National Park Maine Department Bus............... Replace eight propane 1,400,000
Park. Service. of Transportation. powered buses for
Acadia's Island
Explorer transit
system, which connects
visitor destinations
in the park with
campgrounds, motels,
and community business
districts.
NJ............................. Gateway National National Park National Park Planning Study.... Fund a planning study 150,000
Recreation Area-- Service. Service. to assess needs and
Sandy Hook. establish a set of
integrated intelligent
transportation system
(ITS) parking/
traveling information
systems requirements.
NY............................. Roosevelt- National Park National Park Planning Study.... Design a three-year 68,000
Vanderbilt Service. Service. phased field-test of
National Historic an alternative
Sites. transportation system
that links the four
park sites with the
Town Center and the
Poughkeepsie Train
Station; structure a
regional ATS
partnership.
OH............................. Cuyahoga Valley National Park National Park Design............ Prepare design 170,000
National Park. Service. Service. documents to allow for
upgrade of railroad
signals at grade
crossings of Cuyahoga
Valley Scenic Railroad.
OH............................. Cuyahoga Valley National Park National Park Design............ Develop plans to 185,000
National Park. Service. Service. rehabilitate existing
rail in Cuyahoga
National Park.
OH............................. Cuyahoga Valley National Park National Park Maintenance Purchase a railroad 170,000
National Park. Service. Service. Vehicle. maintenance vehicle to
maintain 51 miles of
railroad track.
OH............................. Cuyahoga Valley National Park Cuyahoga Valley Railroad.......... Purchase an additional 373,000
National Park. Service. Scenic Railroad. ADA accessible railcar.
OR............................. Lewis and Clark National Park Sunset Empire Bus............... Fund shuttle bus 50,000
National Service. Transportation leasing from the
Historical Park. District. park's partner, Sunset
Empire Transit
District.
OR............................. Mt. Hood National Forest Service.... Oregon Department Planning Study.... Planning for a new 100,000
Forest. of Transportation. alternative
transportation system
to provide
transportation to and
within Mt. Hood
National Forest in
order to reduce
congestion on U.S.
Highway 26.
PR............................. San Juan National National Park Codevisa Transit Bus............... Purchase two small 640,000
Historic Site. Service. with municipality trams that would be
of San Juan. operated by the
municipality of San
Juan to provide
transportation between
the two forts.
TX............................. Santa Ana National Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Bus............... Replace current tram at 510,000
Wildlife Refuge. Service. Service. Santa Ana National
Wildlife Refuge.
VA............................. Back Bay National Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Bus............... Purchase two 160,000
Wildlife Refuge. Service. Service. alternative-fueled
specialty trams that
will replace the
antiquated tram system
presently used to
transport visitors
through Back Bay
National Wildlife
Refuge to adjoining
False Cape State Park.
VA............................. Shenandoah National Park National Park Bus............... Purchase an ADA 60,000
National Park. Service. Service. accessible bus to
replace existing
leased vehicle.
VT............................. Marsh-Billing- National Park National Park Planning Study.... Perform a fiscal 78,500
Rockefeller Service. Service. analysis study that
National will investigate a
Historical Park system to shuttle
and Town of visitors, including
Woodstock. elderly and mobility
impaired, from points
within the Woodstock
community to the park
visitor center.
[[Page 53744]]
WA............................. North Cascades National Park National Park Bus............... Purchase 4 buses to 947,000
National Park. Service. Service. replace old buses that
transport visitors
within the Lake Chelan
National Recreation
Area.
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Total...................... .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................... $19,631,170
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Applying for Funds
Recipients who are State or local government entities will be
required to apply for ATPPL funds electronically through FTA's
electronic grant award and management system, TEAM. The content of
these grant applications must reflect the approved proposal. (Note:
Applications for the ATPPL program do not require Department of Labor
Certification.) Upon grant award, payments to grantees will be made by
electronic transfer to the grantee's financial institution through the
Electronic Clearing House Operation (ECHO) system. Staff in FTA's
Regional offices are available to assist applicants.
Recipients who are Federal land management agencies will be
required to enter into an interagency agreement with FTA. FTA will
administer one interagency agreement with each Federal land management
agency receiving funding through the program for all of that agency's
projects. Individual units of Federal land management agencies should
work with the contact at their headquarters office listed above to
coordinate the availability of funds to that unit.
Program Requirements
Section 5320 requires funding recipients to meet certain
requirements. For FY 2006, FTA has developed interim requirements that
reflect existing statutory and regulatory provisions. These can be
found in the document ``Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public
Lands Program: Requirements for Recipients of FY 2006 Funding''
available at http://www.fta.dot.gov/atppl. These requirements are
incorporated into the grant agreements and inter-agency agreements used
to fund the selected projects.
Pre-Award Authority
Pre-award authority allows an agency that will receive a grant or
interagency agreement to incur certain project costs prior to receipt
of the grant or interagency agreement and retain eligibility of the
costs for subsequent reimbursement after the grant or agreement is
approved. The recipient assumes all risk and is responsible for
ensuring that all conditions are met to retain eligibility, including
compliance with Federal requirements such as the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), SAFETEA-LU planning requirements, and provisions
established in the grant contract or Interagency Agreement. This
automatic pre-award spending authority, when triggered, permits a
grantee to incur costs on an eligible transit capital or planning
project without prejudice to possible future Federal participation in
the cost of the project or projects. Under the authority provided in 49
U.S.C. 5320(h), FTA is extending pre-award authority for FY 2006 ATTPL
projects effective as of August 28, 2006, when the projects were
publicly announced.
The conditions under which pre-award authority may be utilized are
specified below:
a. Pre-award authority is not a legal or implied commitment that
the project(s) will be approved for FTA assistance or that FTA will
obligate Federal funds. Furthermore, it is not a legal or implied
commitment that all items undertaken by the applicant will be eligible
for inclusion in the project(s).
b. All FTA statutory, procedural, and contractual requirements must
be met.
c. No action will be taken by the grantee that prejudices the legal
and administrative findings that the Federal Transit Administrator must
make in order to approve a project.
d. Local funds expended pursuant to this pre-award authority will
be eligible for reimbursement if FTA later makes a grant or interagency
agreement for the project(s). Local funds expended by the grantee prior
to August 28, 2006 will not be eligible for credit toward local match
or reimbursement. Furthermore, the expenditure of local funds on
activities such as land acquisition, demolition, or construction, prior
to the completion of the NEPA process, would compromise FTA's ability
to comply with Federal environmental laws and may render the project
ineligible for FTA funding.
e. When a grant for the project is subsequently awarded, the
Financial Status Report, in TEAM-Web, must indicate the use of pre-
award authority, and the pre-award item in the project information
section of TEAM should be marked ``yes.''
Reporting Requirements
All recipients must submit quarterly milestone/progress reports to
FTA containing the following information:
(1) Narrative description of project(s); and,
(2) discussion of all budget and schedule changes.
State and local government entities should submit this information
through FTA's TEAM grants management system.
The headquarters office for each Federal land management agency
should collect a quarterly report for each of the projects delineated
in the interagency agreement and then send these reports (preferably by
e-mail) to Henrika Buchanan-Smith, FTA Office of Transit Programs,
[email protected]; 202-366-2053; 400 7th St., SW., Room
9315; Washington, DC 20590. Examples can be found on the program Web
site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/atppl. The quarterly reports are due to
FTA on the dates noted below:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quarter Covering Due date
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1st Quarter Report............. October 1-December January 31.
31.
2nd Quarter Report............. January 1-March 31 April 30.
3rd Quarter Report............. April 1-June 30... July 31.
4th Quarter Report............. July 1-September October 31.
31.
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[[Page 53745]]
In order to allow FTA to compute aggregate program performance
measures as required by the President's Management Agenda, FTA requests
that all recipients of funding for capital projects under the ATPPL
program submit the following information annually:
Annual visitation to the land unit;
Annual number of persons who use the alternative
transportation system (ridership/usage);
An estimate of the number of vehicle trips mitigated based
on alternative transportation system usage and the typical number of
passengers per vehicle;
Cost per passenger; and,
A note of any special services offered for those systems
with higher costs per passenger but more amenities.
State and local government entities should submit this information
as part of their fourth quarter report through FTA's TEAM grants
management system.
Federal land management agencies should also send this information
as part of their fourth quarter report (preferably by e-mail), to
Henrika Buchanan-Smith, FTA, [email protected]; 202-366-
5080; 400 7th St., SW.; Room 9315; Washington, DC 20590. Examples can
be found on the program Web site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/atppl.
Oversight
Recipients of FY 2006 ATPPL funds will be required to certify that
they will comply with all applicable Federal and FTA programmatic
requirements. FTA direct grantees will complete this certification as
part of the annual Certification and Assurances package, and Federal
Land Management Agency recipients will complete the certification by
signing the interagency agreement. This certification is the basis for
oversight reviews conducted by FTA.
The Secretary of Transportation and FTA have elected not to apply
the triennial review requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5307(h)(2) to ATPPL
recipients that are other Federal agencies. Instead, working with the
existing oversight systems at the Federal Land Management Agencies, FTA
will perform periodic reviews of specific projects funded by the ATPPL
program. These reviews will ensure that projects meet the basic
statutory, administrative, and regulatory requirements as stipulated by
this notice and the certification. To the extent possible, these
reviews will be coordinated with other reviews of the project. FTA
direct grantees of ATPPL funds (State, local and tribal government
entities) will be subject to all applicable triennial, State
management, civil rights, and other reviews.
Issued in Washington, DC, this 5th day of September, 2006.
James S. Simpson,
Administrator.
Appendix A--FTA Regional Offices
Region I
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
and Vermont. Richard Doyle, FTA Regional Administrator, Kendall
Square, 55 Broadway, Suite 920, Cambridge, MA 02142-1093, (617) 494-
2055.
Region II
New Jersey, New York, and Virgin Islands. Letitia Thompson, FTA
Regional Administrator, One Bowling Green, Room 429, New York, NY
10004-1415, (212) 668-2170.
Region III
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and West Virginia. Susan Borinsky, FTA Regional
Administrator, 1760 Market Street, Suite 500, Philadelphia, PA
19103-4124, (215) 656-7100.
Region IV
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Yvette Taylor,
FTA Regional Administrator, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., Suite 17T50,
Atlanta, GA 30303, (404) 562-3500.
Region V
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Marisol Simon, FTA Regional Administrator, 200 West Adams Street,
Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60606-5232, (312) 353-2789.
Region VI
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Robert
Patrick, FTA Regional Administrator, 819 Taylor Street, Room 8A36,
Ft. Worth, TX 76102, (817) 978-0550.
Region VII
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Mokhtee Ahmad, FTA
Regional Administrator, 901 Locust Street, Suite 404, Kansas City,
MO 64106, (816) 329-3920.
Region VIII
Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and
Wyoming. Lee Waddleton, FTA Regional Administrator, 12300 West
Dakota, Suite 310, Lakewood, CO 80228-2583, (720) 963-3300.
Region IX
American Samoa, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, and
the Northern Mariana Islands. Leslie Rogers, FTA Regional
Administrator, 201 Mission Street, Suite 2210, San Francisco, CA
94105-1839, (415) 744-3133.
Region X
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Richard F. Krochalis, FTA
Regional Administrator, Jackson Federal Building, 915 Second Avenue,
Suite 3142, Seattle, WA 98174-1002, (206) 220-7954.
[FR Doc. E6-15095 Filed 9-11-06; 8:45 am]
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