1.This Act may be cited
as the United States Ferry Systems
Investment Act of 2011
.
2.Congress finds the following:
(1)Ferries are a
vital part of the United States transportation system, transporting more than
100,000,000 passengers annually in at least 38 States.
(2)In many congested
metropolitan areas, ferries are 1 of the few remaining options for significant
transportation capacity expansion.
(3)Ferries are the
sole or primary transportation connection for many island and isolated
communities.
(4)Ferries provide a
critical emergency evacuation alternative for both large cities and remote
locations.
(5)Ferries can be
part of an interim solution when transportation infrastructure fails, for
example after the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001,
disrupted train service and after part of the San Francisco Bay Bridge
collapsed in the Loma Prieta earthquake, ferries were used to provide interim
transportation.
(6)Ferries offer a
relatively energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and low-stress mode of
travel.
(7)Almost all of the
largest and important ferry services are publicly owned or provide
transportation at public terminals, are integrated with other transportation
modes, and are operated in a manner to serve the public interest.
(8)According to the
Secretary of Transportation, nearly 25 percent of United States ferries are at
least 40 years old and 5 percent of United States ferries are at least 60 years
old.
(9)Federal
investment in the United States ferry system is necessary because—
(A)ferries play a
unique and important role in the United States transportation system;
(B)there is a large
and growing need for new and replacement ferry vessels and terminals;
and
(C)ferries do not
fit neatly into other Federal, mode-specific transportation programs.
(10)The distribution
of Federal ferry funds by formula is appropriate because this method of
distribution would dedicate more funding to the largest and most important
public ferry systems.
(11)The distribution
of Federal ferry funds by discretionary awards is also appropriate because this
method of distribution would help initiate and expand ferry services throughout
the United States.
3.In this Act, the term
Secretary means the Secretary of Transportation.
4.Construction of
ferry boats and ferry terminal facilitiesSection 147 of title 23, United States Code,
is amended by striking subsections (c), (d), and (e) and inserting the
following:
(c)Of the amounts made available to ferry systems and public
entities responsible for developing ferries under this section in a fiscal
year—
(1)50 percent shall
be allocated at the discretion of the Secretary; and
(2)50 percent shall
be allocated in accordance with the formula set forth in subsection (d).
(d)Of
the amounts allocated pursuant to subsection (c)(2)—
(1)50 percent shall
be allocated among eligible entities in the ratio that—
(A)the number of
ferry passengers carried by each ferry system in the most recent fiscal year;
bears to
(B)the number of
ferry passengers carried by all ferry systems in the most recent fiscal
year;
(2)25 percent shall
be allocated among eligible entities in the ratio that—
(A)the number of
vehicles carried by each ferry system in the most recent fiscal year; bears
to
(B)the number of
vehicles carried by all ferry systems in the most recent fiscal year;
and
(3)25 percent shall
be allocated among eligible entities in the ratio that—
(A)the total route
miles serviced by each ferry system; bears to
(B)the total route
miles serviced by all ferry systems.
(e)
(1)There shall be available to the Secretary from the
Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) $200,000,000 for each
of the fiscal years 2012 through 2018 to carry out this section.
(2)Notwithstanding section 118(b), amounts made
available to carry out this section shall remain available until
expended.
.
5.Eligibility of
ferries for clean fuels grant programSection 5308 of title 49, United States
Code, is amended—
(1)in subsection
(a)(2)—
(A)in clause (i), by
inserting , or ferries
before the semicolon at the end;
and
(B)in clause (iii),
by inserting or ferries
before the semicolon at the end;
and
(2)in subsection
(c)—
(A)in the subsection
heading, by inserting and
ferries
after buses
; and
(B)by inserting
or ferries
before the period at the end.
6.Ferry Joint
Program Office
(a)Establishment
and purpose
(1)The
Secretary shall establish within the Department of Transportation a Ferry Joint
Program Office (referred to in this section as the Office
) for
the purposes described in paragraph (2).
(2)The
purposes of the Office shall be—
(A)to coordinate
Federal programs affecting ferry and ferry facility construction, maintenance,
operations, and security; and
(B)to promote
transportation by ferry as a component of the United States transportation
system.
(b)The
head of the Office shall—
(1)coordinate
programs related to ferry transportation carried out by—
(A)the Department of
Transportation, including programs carried out by the Federal Highway
Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the Maritime
Administration, and the Research and Innovative Technology
Administration;
(B)the Department of
Homeland Security; and
(C)other Federal and
State agencies, as appropriate;
(2)ensure resource
accountability for programs carried out by the Secretary related to ferry
transportation;
(3)provide strategic
leadership for research, development, testing, and deployment of technologies
related to ferry transportation;
(4)promote ferry
transportation as a means to reduce social, economic, and environmental costs
associated with traffic congestion; and
(5)develop energy
efficient operating models to reduce carbon emissions associated with ferry
transportation.
7.Section 1801(e) of
the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy
for Users (Public Law 109–59; 23 U.S.C. 129 note) is amended—
(1)in paragraph (2),
by inserting , including any Federal, State, and local government
funding sources
after sources
; and
(2)in paragraph
(4)—
(A)in subparagraph
(B), by striking and
at the end;
(B)by redesignating
subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D);
(C)by inserting
after subparagraph (B), the following:
(C)ensure that the
database is consistent with the national transit database maintained by the
Federal Transit Administration
;
and
(D)in subparagraph
(D), as redesignated, by striking 2009
and inserting
2018
.
8.National Ferry
Transportation Institute
(a)Not
later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall award a grant to a college to establish a National Ferry Transportation
Institute (referred to in this section as an Institute
) at the
college.
(b)The
Secretary shall award and administer the grant under subsection (a) in
cooperation with the heads of appropriate entities of the Department of
Transportation and of the appropriate State transportation department, public
ferry transportation authorities, private ferry operators, ferry builders,
ferry transportation employees, and other colleges, universities, and research
institutes.
(c)The
Institute—
(1)shall conduct
research and recommend development activities on methods of improving ferry
transportation programs in the United States, including methods of reducing
wake, providing alternative propulsion, integrating use of clean, renewable
fuels, and testing advanced materials for use in ferry construction;
(2)shall develop and
conduct training programs for ferry transportation system employees, United
States Government employees, and other individuals, as appropriate, on
developments, techniques, and procedures pertaining to the construction and
operation of ferries;
(3)shall encourage
and assist collaborative efforts by public and private entities to preserve,
improve, and expand the use of ferries as a mode of transportation;
(4)shall preserve,
utilize, and display historical information about the use of ferry
transportation in the United States and in foreign countries;
(5)shall develop
models and recommendations to enhance security on ferries and in and around
ferry facilities; and
(6)may provide funds
from a grant under subsection (a) to a contractor or other entity to assist the
Institute in carrying out the functions described in paragraphs (1) through
(5).
(d)In awarding the grant under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall consider—
(1)the extent to
which the needs of the State in which the applicant is located are
representative of the importance of public and private ferries to the region’s
transportation system, including regional travel and long-range travel and
service to isolated communities;
(2)the historical
importance of ferry transportation to the region in which the applicant is
located;
(3)the history and
diversity of the region in the maritime community, including ferry construction
and repair and other shipbuilding activities;
(4)the anticipated
growth of ferry transportation and the building of ferries in the
region;
(5)the availability
of public-private collaboration in the region; and
(6)the demonstrated
research and extension resources available to the applicant to successfully
carry out the functions described in subsection (c).
(e)Requirement for
non-Federal fundingA college may not receive the grant under
subsection (a) unless the college certifies that it will provide, from
non-Federal sources, 25 percent of the costs associated with establishing,
operating, and maintaining the Institute, including carrying out the research
and development activities of the Institute.
(f)Not
later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress that describes
activities carried out under this section, including the activities carried out
by the Institute.
(g)Authorization
of appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2012 through 2018 to carry
out this section.