[Federal Register: November 6, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 216)]
[Notices]
[Page 66096-66098]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06no08-89]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Notice of Funding Availability and Solicitation of Applications
for Grants under the Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Grant Program
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of funding availability; solicitation of applications.
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SUMMARY: Under this Notice, the FRA encourages interested State
departments of transportation to submit applications for grants to
repair and rehabilitate Class II and Class III railroad infrastructure
damaged by hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters in areas for
which the President declared a major disaster after January 1, 2008,
under Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act of 1974.
DATES: FRA will begin accepting grant applications 10 days after
publication of this Notice of Funding Availability in the Federal
Register. Applications may be submitted until January 16, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Applications for grants under this Program must be submitted
electronically to ``Grants.gov'' at http://www.grants.gov. Grants.Gov
allows organizations to find and apply electronically for competitive
grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies. Any State
wishing to submit an application pursuant to this notice should
immediately initiate the process of registering with Grants.Gov. Please
confirm all Grants.gov submissions by sending an e-mail to
paxrail@dot.gov.
For application materials that an applicant is unable to submit via
Grants.Gov (such as oversized engineering drawings), applicants may
submit an original and two (2) copies to the Federal Railroad
Administration at the following address: Federal Railroad
Administration, Attention: Alice Alexander, Office of Railroad
Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Mail Stop 20,Washington, DC
20590.
Due to delays caused by enhanced screening of mail delivered via
the U.S. Postal Service, applicants are encouraged to use other means
to assure timely receipt of materials.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alice Alexander, Office of Railroad
Development, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue,
SE., Mail Stop 20, Washington,
[[Page 66097]]
DC 20590; Phone: (202) 493-6363; Fax: (202) 493-6333.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Grant
Program (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Program Number
20.314) will be supported with up to $20,000,000 of Federal funds
provided to FRA as part of the Consolidated Security, Disaster
Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (Pub. L. 110-329,
September 30, 2008.) Of this $20,000,000, one-half of 1 percent of the
funds, $100,000, may be retained by the FRA to fund oversight of the
design and implementation of projects funded by this Program.
Funds provided under this Program may constitute no more than 80
percent of the total cost of a selected project, with the remaining
cost funded from other non-Federal sources. FRA anticipates awarding
grants to multiple eligible participants. Eligible projects include
repairs and rehabilitation to Class II and Class III railroad
infrastructure damaged by hurricanes, floods, and natural disasters
that are located in counties that have been identified in a Disaster
Declaration for Public Assistance issued by the President (http://
www.fema.gov/news/disasters.fema#sev1) in calendar year 2008.\1\
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\1\ Counties in thirty-two states are eligible to apply under
this program. The states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado,
Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi,
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont,
West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
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Class II and Class III railroad infrastructure eligible for repair
and rehabilitation consists of railroad rights-of-way, bridges, signals
and other infrastructure which are part of the general railroad system
of transportation and primarily used by railroads to move freight
traffic. Section 24312 (Labor Standards) of Title 49, United States
Code, applies to grantees assisted under this Program. The grantees
must exhaust all other Federal and State resources prior to seeking
assistance under this Program. FRA anticipates that no further public
notification will be made with respect to soliciting grant applications
and selecting grantees under this Program.
Purpose: In 2008, the President made over sixty major disaster
declarations which were related to hurricanes, floods, and other
natural disasters. Funds provided under this Program will assist Class
II and Class III railroads rebound from these disasters declared in
2008.\2\
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\2\ Inclusive dates for eligibility are January 1, 2008, through
the publication date of this notice of funding availability.
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Authority: The Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (Pub. L. 110-329, September 30,
2008).
Funding: The Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (the Act) provides $20,000,000,
that remains available until expended, and directs the Secretary of
Transportation to competitively award grants covering up to 80 percent
of project costs, with the remaining project costs provided in non-
Federal cash, equipment, or supplies. In addition, the Act allows the
Secretary to retain up to one-half of 1 percent of the funds to fund
the oversight by the Administrator of the Federal Railroad
Administration of the design and implementation of projects funded by
these grants. (The maximum that can be retained is $100,000.) The
funding provided for these grants will be made available to the
grantee(s) on a reimbursable basis. It is anticipated that the
available funding could support projects proposed by multiple
applicants. FRA may choose to award a grant or grants in any amount
within the limit of the available funds.
Schedule for Rehabilitation and Repair Grant Program: FRA will
begin accepting grant applications 10 days after publication of this
Notice of Funding Availability in the Federal Register. All
applications must be received by the January 16, 2009, deadline.
Eligible Participants: The department of transportation of any
eligible State may apply for funding under this notice, provided that
the applicant State has an eligible project and has exhausted all other
Federal and State resources prior to seeking assistance under this
Program.
Eligible Projects: To be eligible for funding under this Program, a
project must include the rehabilitation and repair of Class II or Class
III railroad infrastructure damaged by hurricanes, floods, and other
natural disasters in counties for which the President declared a major
disaster in calendar year 2008 under Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1974. Rehabilitation or
repairs must be made to rights-of-way, bridges, signals, and other
infrastructure which are part of the general railroad system of
transportation. In addition, the railroad infrastructure replaced or
rehabilitated must be primarily used to move freight traffic.
Funding Period: Funds will be available under this program only for
the reimbursement of costs incurred after a major disaster declaration
in calendar year 2008 in the counties covered by such a declaration.
Selection Criteria: FRA will consider the following selection
factors in evaluating applications for grants under this Program:
1. The inability of the Class II or Class III railroad to fund the
project without Federal grant funding.
2. The effects on rail operations, specifically the movement of
freight, of the proposed rehabilitation or repair.
3. The likelihood of continued operation of the railroad operations
on the track that is proposed to be repaired or rehabilitated for more
than three years after project work is complete.
Requirements for Grant Applications: The following points describe
the minimum content which will be required in grant applications. These
requirements may be satisfied through a narrative statement submitted
by the applicant and supported by spreadsheet documents, tables,
drawings, and other materials, as appropriate. Each grant application
must:
1. Designate a point of contact for the applicant and provide his
or her name, title, and contact information, including phone number,
mailing address and e-mail address. The point of contact must be an
employee of the applicant.
2. Include an explanation of why the project is an eligible project
and a thorough discussion of how the project meets all of the selection
criteria.
3. Identify all funds (including amounts) received from other
Federal and/or State disaster relief programs that directly benefited
the project(s) for which funds are being sought under this Program, or
demonstrate that all such efforts at procuring such funding have failed
or been exhausted. This demonstration should include a recitation of
specific Federal and State disaster relief programs investigated by the
applicant. Among the Federal programs which the applicant might
investigate are those administered by the Federal Emergency Management
Administration, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Highway
Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
4. Include a complete Standard Form 424, ``Application for Federal
Assistance,'' Standard Form 424D, ``Assurances--Construction
Programs,'' and the most recent audit performed in compliance with OMB
Circular A-133, if available. Information on Circular A-
[[Page 66098]]
133 can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a133/
a133.html. Also include signed copies of FRA's Additional Assurances
and Certifications, available at http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/
admin/assurancesandcertifications.pdf.
5. Define the scope of work, budget and schedule for the proposed
project. Describe the proposed project's physical location, mile-post
limits, and include any drawings, plans, or schematics that have been
prepared relating to the proposed project.
If funding requested under this Program is only going to support a
portion of the overall rehabilitation and repair of the applicant's
project, describe the complete project and specify which portion will
involve Federal funding. In addition, FRA strongly encourages
applicants to estimate complete project costs and the future financial
viability of the Class II and Class III railroad on whose property the
project is located.
6. The budget for the cost of the project should, to the extent
possible, be separated into the following categories: (1)
Administrative; (2) Engineering fees; (3) Demolition and removal; (4)
Construction labor, supervision, and management; (5) Equipment; (6)
Materials, by type (e.g., ties, rail, ballast, signals, and switches);
(7) Contingencies; and (8) Inspection fees. Costs may be reimbursed as
long as expenditures were incurred after the date of the natural
disaster.
7. Describe the source and amount of non-Federal funds, broken down
by cash, equipment, or supplies.
8. Describe proposed project implementation and an overview of
project management arrangements.
9. For the railroad(s) operating on the infrastructure proposed to
be rehabilitated or repaired, describe the frequency of service, axle-
load limits, and estimated railroad gross ton miles per mile for the
first full year after completion of the project.
10. Provide an overview of all work done to date to rehabilitate
and repair damage caused by the natural disaster.
11. Describe the status or progress toward completing any
environmental documentation or clearance for the proposed project under
the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic
Preservation Act, section 4(f) of the DOT Act, or other applicable
federal or state environmental impact assessment laws. FRA's Procedures
for Considering Environmental Impacts (64 Fed. Reg. 28545) (May 26,
1999) (http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/166) describe FRA's process
for the assessment of environmental impacts and the preparation and
processing of appropriate documents. For projects that may be
categorically exempt from detailed environmental review, as discussed
in FRA's Procedures, categorical exclusion worksheets are available at:
http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/1606. Applicants are encouraged to
contact FRA as early as possible in the environmental/historic
preservation review process to discuss the environmental review.
Format: Excluding spreadsheets, drawings, and tables, the narrative
statement for grant applications may not exceed twenty-five pages in
length. With the exclusion of oversized engineering drawings (which may
be submitted in hard copy to the FRA at the address indicated above),
all application materials should be submitted as attachments through
Grants.Gov. Spreadsheets consisting of budget or financial information
should be submitted via Grants.Gov as Microsoft Excel (or compatible)
documents.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November 3, 2008.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. E8-26478 Filed 11-5-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P