[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 56 (Thursday, March 23, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14772-14775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4208]
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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: Notice of Funding Availability; Solicitation of Proposals for
Funding through the Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public
Lands Program.
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SUMMARY: This solicitation is for proposals for fiscal year 2006
funding through the new Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public
Lands program, administered by the Federal Transit Administration in
partnership with the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Forest Service. The purpose of the program is to
enhance the protection of national parks and Federal lands, and
increase the enjoyment of those visiting them. The program funds
capital and planning expenses for alternative transportation systems in
parks and public lands.
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Federal land management agencies and State, tribal and local
governments acting with the consent of a Federal land management agency
are eligible to apply.
DATES: Complete proposals must be received by the designated Federal
land management agency contact listed in this notice by the close of
business May 5, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Project proposals must be submitted to the designated
contact person at the headquarters office of the Federal land
management agency that manages the park or public land involved. If the
project involves more than one Federal land management agency, a
project proposal template must be submitted to all agencies involved.
The required project proposal template is available at http://www.fta.dot.gov. E-mail submission is preferred. Mail and fax
submission will also be accepted.
National Park Service: Kevin Percival, [email protected], tel: 303-969-2429, fax: 303-987-6675, mail: 12795 W.
Alameda Parkway, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, CO 80225-0287.
Fish and Wildlife Service: Nathan Caldwell, [email protected], tel: 703-358-2376, fax: 703-358-2517, mail: 4401 N.
Fairfax Drive, Suite 634; Arlington, VA 22203.
Forest Service: Ellen LaFayette, [email protected],
tel: 703-605-4509, fax: 703-605-1542, mail: 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20250-1101.
Bureau of Land Management: Linda Force, [email protected], tel: 202-557-3567, fax: 202-452-5046, mail: 1849 C
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20240.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact David Vozzolo, Deputy Associate
Administrator for Planning and Environment, 202-366-4033, e-mail:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. General Program Information
II. Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting Proposals
III. Proposal Review, Selection, and Notification
IV. Additional Program Information
I. General Program Information
A. Authority
Section 3021 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act--A Legacy for Users of 2005 (SAFETEA-LU)
establishes a new program called the Alternative Transportation in
Parks and Public Lands program (49 U.S.C. 5320). SAFETEA-LU authorizes
$98 million in funding for the program for fiscal years 2006 through
2009. For fiscal year 2006, Congress appropriated $21,780,000 for this
program. No one project may receive more than 25 percent of funds.
B. Background
Congestion in and around parks and public lands causes traffic
delays and noise and air pollution that substantially detract from the
visitor's experience and the protection of natural resources. In August
2001, the Department of Transportation and the Department of the
Interior published a comprehensive study of alternative transportation
needs in national parks and related Federal lands. The study identified
significant alternative transportation needs at sites managed by the
National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. Additionally, a supplement to this report
identified Forest Service sites that would benefit from such services.
Section 3021 of SAFETEA-LU (49 U.S.C. Sec. 5320) addresses these
needs by establishing a new program to fund alternative transportation
projects in national parks and public lands. The goals of the program
are to ensure access to all, including persons with disabilities;
improve conservation and park and public land opportunities in urban
areas through partnering with State and local governments; improve park
and public land transportation infrastructure; enhance the environment
and prevent or mitigate adverse impacts on natural resources; reduce
congestion and pollution; improve visitor mobility and accessibility
and the visitor experience; improve Federal land management agency
resource management; and conserve natural, historical, and cultural
resources.
C. Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants are:
(1) The following Federal land management agencies: The National
Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land
management, the Forest Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation; and
(2) State, tribal and local governments with jurisdiction over land
in the vicinity of an eligible area acting with the consent of a
Federal land management agency, alone or in partnership with a Federal
land management agency or other governmental or non-governmental
participant.
D. Eligible Expenses
SAFETEA-LU defines alternative transportation as ``transportation
by bus, rail, or any other publicly or privately owned conveyance that
provides to the public general or special service on a regular basis,
including sightseeing service. Such term also includes a non-motorized
transportation system (including the provision of facilities for
pedestrians, bicycles, and non-motorized watercraft).''
A qualified project is a planning or capital project in or in the
vicinity of a Federally-owned or managed park, refuge, or recreational
area that is open to the general public and meets the goals of the
program. Project evaluation will be based on the considerations listed
in the law and explained in part F of this notice. The following types
of projects are eligible:
(1) Planning Projects: Activities to comply with metropolitan and
statewide planning provisions. (49 U.S.C. 5320(b)(5)(A) referencing 49
U.S.C. 5303, 5304, and 5305). Activities include planning studies for
an alternative transportation system including evaluation of no-build
and all other reasonable alternatives, traffic studies, visitor
utilization studies, transportation analysis, feasibility studies, and
environmental studies.
(2) Capital projects for ``acquiring, constructing, supervising, or
inspecting equipment or a facility for use in public transportation,
expenses incidental to the acquisition or construction (including
designing, engineering, location surveying, mapping, and acquiring
rights-of-way), payments for the capital portions of rail trackage
rights agreements, transit-related intelligent transportation systems,
relocation assistance, acquiring replacement housing sites, and
acquiring, constructing, relocating, and rehabilitating replacement
housing;'' (49 U.S.C. 5320(b)(5)(A) referencing 49 U.S.C.
5302(a)(1)(A).)
(3) Fixed Guideway and Bus Projects:
(i) New fixed guideway capital projects including the acquisition
of real property, the initial acquisition of rolling stock for the
systems, the acquisition of rights-of-way, and relocation, for fixed
guideway corridor development for projects in the advanced stages of
alternatives analysis or preliminary engineering;
(ii) Capital projects to modernize existing fixed guideway systems;
(iii) Capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses
and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities,
including programs of bus and bus-related projects for
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assistance to subrecipients that are public agencies, private companies
engaged in public transportation, or private non-profit organizations;
and
(iv) The development of corridors to support new fixed guideway
capital projects, including protecting rights-of-way through
acquisition, construction of dedicated bus and high occupancy vehicle
lanes and park and ride lots, and other nonvehicular capital
improvements that the Secretary may decide would result in increased
public transportation usage in the corridor. (49 U.S.C. 5320(b)(5)(A)
referencing 49 U.S.C. 5309(b).)
(4) Purchase of rolling stock that incorporates clean fuel
technology or the replacement of buses of a type in use on August 10,
2005, with clean fuel vehicles;
(5) The deployment of alternative transportation vehicles that
introduce innovative technologies or methods;
(6) The capital costs of coordinating Federal land management
agency public transportation systems with other public transportation
systems;
(7) Non-motorized transportation systems (including the provision
of facilities for pedestrians, bicycles and non-motorized watercraft);
and
(8) Any other alternative transportation project that:
Enhances the environment;
Prevents or mitigates an adverse impact on a natural
resource;
Improves Federal land management agency resource
management;
Improves visitor mobility and accessibility and the
visitor experience;
Reduces congestion and pollution (including noise
pollution and visual pollution); or
Conserves a natural, historical, or cultural resource
(excluding rehabilitation or restoration of a non-transportation
facility).
E. Planning and Coordination Requirements
(1) Planning Requirements
Section 5320(e) specifies that if the participant is a Federal land
management agency, the project must be consistent with the metropolitan
and statewide planning and public participation requirements found in
49 U.S.C. 5303, 5304, and 5307(d). If the qualified participant is a
State or local government, or more than one State or local governmental
authority in more than one State, the qualified participant must comply
with the metropolitan and statewide planning provisions and public
participation requirements. FTA cannot award funds to an implementation
project if it is not in the metropolitan Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP) or State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). If an
implementation project is not in the TIP or STIP at the time of
submitting a proposal, it can still be selected, but will not receive
funds until it is incorporated into the TIP or STIP. In addition,
implementation projects not in the TIP or STIP at the time of
submitting a proposal should demonstrate intent to be included, such as
through a copy of correspondence with the metropolitan or state
planning organization.
Projects must also be consistent with Federal land management
agency plans.
(2) Coordination With Federal Land Management Agency
If the applicant is a State, tribal, or local government authority,
the applicant must have the consent of the Federal land management
agency or agencies to be affected. A letter from the unit(s) of the
Federal land management agency or agencies affected expressing support
for the project should be submitted with the project proposal.
F. Proposal Evaluation Criteria
Consistent with the considerations identified in Section
5320(g)(2), proposed projects will be evaluated based on the following
criteria:
Demonstration of need
[cir] Documentation of problem in plans and other reports
[cir] Severity of problem
Protection of natural and cultural resources
[cir] Protection or improvement of cultural, historical, scenic,
and natural resources
[cir] Environmental benefits--reduction of pollution (including air
pollution, noise pollution, and visual pollution)
Operational efficiency and financial sustainability
[cir] Evaluation of costs and benefits of all reasonable
alternatives
[cir] Financial planning (including for capital, operations,
maintenance, and equipment replacement expenses; and revenues,
including user fees)
[cir] Cost effectiveness
[cir] Innovative financing or joint development strategies
[cir] Deferred maintenance issues
Public benefits
[cir] Enhancing visitor experience
[cir] Mobility issues (reduces congestion, improves intermodal
connectivity, improves public access, including access for persons with
disabilities)
[cir] Safety
[cir] Partnership with public and private entities, and benefits to
gateway communities.
Additional consideration will be given to projects based upon
geographic diversity, balance between urban and rural projects, and
balance in size of projects. Finally, projects that demonstrate
innovative funding mechanisms or partnerships will be given extra
consideration. The application template contains specific questions
related to each of these areas to guide the applicant in justifying the
project.
II. Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting Proposals
Project proposal templates for the Alternative Transportation in
Parks and Public Lands program are available at http://www.fta.dot.gov.
Click on the navigational tab for Grant Programs on the right hand
side, then click on the Grant Programs link, and then click on the link
for the Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands Program.
To receive a proposal template by e-mail, please send an e-mail to
[email protected]. There are separate proposal templates for planning
and capital projects. A synopsis of this announcement will also be
posted in the FIND module of the government-wide electronic grants Web
site at http://www.grants.gov.
Project proposals must be submitted to the designated contact
person at the headquarters office of the Federal land management agency
that manages the park or public land involved. This list can be found
in the Addresses section of this notice. If the project involves more
than one Federal land management agency, a proposal template must be
submitted to all agencies involved. The project proposal must be ten or
fewer pages in length at ten point font or larger. If a proposal is
greater than ten pages, only the first ten pages will be considered
during the evaluation process. Submission by e-mail is preferred. Mail
and fax submissions will also be accepted.
If applicants would like to apply for funds appropriated for future
fiscal years, applicants must reapply each year.
III. Proposal Review, Selection and Notification
Proposals will first be reviewed and screened by the headquarters
office of the relevant Federal land management agency (or agencies if
the project involves more than one). Following this initial review,
proposals will be evaluated by an interagency team which includes
representatives from FTA, each of the Federal land management agencies,
and the Department of the Interior. After evaluating the projects
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based on the criteria in the law and further explained in part F of
this notice, the team will provide a recommendation to the Secretary of
the Interior. The Secretary of the Interior, after consultation with
and in cooperation with the Secretary of Transportation, shall
determine the final selection and amount of funding for each project.
The Department of the Interior plans to announce the projects
selected by summer 2006. The Department of the Interior will notify
each Federal land management agency of projects awarded for sites under
the agency's jurisdiction. FTA will publish the list of all selected
projects and funding levels in the Federal Register, as well as in its
annual report to Congress on the Alternative Transportation in Parks
and Public Lands program submitted as part of its Annual Report on New
Starts in early February 2007. Criteria and application procedures may
be reassessed for subsequent years.
IV. Additional Program Information
A. Funds Administration and Oversight
Once proposals have been reviewed and projects have been chosen
based on selection criteria, the cognizant federal agency (or
agencies), will award funds to the proposing entity to implement the
project. These funds will be administered according to federal
requirements as well as the appropriate policies, guidelines and rules
of the pertinent agencies.
For projects directly administered by a Federal land management
agency, these funds will be administered by interagency agreement
between the FTA and the respective agency. For programs administered by
a State, tribal, or local governmental authority, these funds will be
administered through a grant administered by FTA. With regard to
interagency agreement and grant requirements, 49 U.S.C. 5320(i)
authorizes the Secretary to apply the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5307
(Urbanized Area Formula Grant) and 5333(a) (Prevailing Wages
Requirement) ``to the extent the Secretary deems appropriate.'' FTA is
in the process of developing the interagency agreement and grant
requirements for this program and will make these available for public
notice and comment in the Federal Register prior to award of program
funds.
Additionally, each recipient (federal land management agency, and
State, tribal, and local governments) of federal funds must comply with
requisite federal guidelines governing the management of federal funds
and specific program requirements. Program Oversight, as defined by
FTA, will ensure that projects meet the basic statutory,
administrative, and regulatory requirements as stipulated by the
conditions for accepting Federal funds.
B. Performance Measures
Participants may be asked to compile data for use in measuring
program performance.
C. Technical Assistance, Planning, and Research
The Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public lands program
allows the Department of Transportation to spend not more than ten
percent of program funds to carry out planning, research, and technical
assistance activities. FTA will oversee the funds allocated to
technical assistance to assist program participants in planning,
implementing, and evaluating alternative transportation projects. In
addition, FTA will be responsible for the provision of planning
guidance and dissemination of research findings.
Issued in Washington, DC, this 17th day of March, 2006.
Sandra K. Bushue,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-4208 Filed 3-22-06; 8:45 am]
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