[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5104-5105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1155]


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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 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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