[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 100 (Thursday, May 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29843-29846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-11224]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


 Availability of Fiscal Year 2008 Clean Fuels Grant Program 
Funds: Solicitation of Project Proposals

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Transit 
Administration (FTA) announces the availability of funds in Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2008 for the Discretionary Clean Fuels Grant Program, authorized 
by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity 
Act: A Legacy For Users (SAFETEA-LU). The Clean Fuels Grant Program 
makes funds available to assist non-attainment or maintenance areas in 
achieving or maintaining the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for 
ozone or carbon monoxide (CO). Additionally, the program supports 
emerging clean fuel and advanced propulsion technologies for transit 
buses and markets for those technologies. The authorizing legislation 
allows for the Secretary of Transportation to make awards under this 
program at her discretion in non-attainment or maintenance areas for 
ozone or CO.
    In FY 2008, $49,000,000 was available for the discretionary Clean 
Fuels Grant program; $20,247,000 of the available funding was earmarked 
to specific projects authorized in SAFETEA-LU. The $28,753,000 of Clean 
Fuels Grant program funding that was unallocated in FY 2008 remains 
available for discretionary award.
    This announcement is available on the Internet on the FTA Web site 
at: http://www.fta.dot.gov. FTA will announce final selections on the 
Web site and in the Federal Register. A synopsis of this announcement 
will be posted in the FIND module of the government-wide electronic 
grants Web site at http://www.grants.gov. Proposals may be submitted to 
FTA electronically at [email protected] or through the GRANTS.GOV 
``APPLY'' function. Those who apply via e-mail at [email protected] should 
receive a confirmation e-mail within 2 business days.

DATES: Complete proposals for the Clean Fuels Grant Program must be 
submitted by July 21, 2008. The proposals must be submitted 
electronically through the GRANTS.GOV Web site or via e-mail at 
[email protected]. Anyone intending to apply electronically through 
GRANTS.GOV should initiate the process of registering on the GRANTS.GOV 
site immediately to ensure completion of registration before the 
deadline for submission. FTA will announce grant selections in the 
Federal Register when the selection process is complete.

ADDRESSES: Supplemental information that cannot be submitted 
electronically may be submitted to the appropriate Regional Office (See 
Appendix A).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact the appropriate FTA Regional 
Office for general program information (Appendix A). For application-
specific information and issues, contact Kimberly Sledge, Office of 
Transit Programs, (202) 366-2053, E-mail: [email protected] or 
Henrika Buchanan-Smith, (202) 366-4020, E-mail: [email protected]. A TDD is available at 1-800-877-8339 (TDD/FIRS).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Table of Contents

I. Funding Opportunity Description
II. Award Information
III. Eligibility Information
IV. Application and Submission Information
V. Application Review, Selection, and Notification
VI. Award Administration
Appendix A FTA Regional Offices

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Authority

    The program is authorized under Section 5308(b) of SAFETEA-LU, Pub. 
L 109-59, August 10, 2005.
    ``The Secretary shall make grants in accordance with this section 
to recipients to finance eligible projects.''

B. Background

    The program was first established as the Clean Fuels Formula Grant 
Program in Section 3008 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st 
Century, Pub. L. 105-178, June 9, 1998. The program was developed to 
assist non-attainment or maintenance areas in achieving or maintaining 
the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and CO. 
Additionally, the program supported emerging clean fuel and advanced 
propulsion technologies for transit buses and markets for those 
technologies. Although the program was authorized as a formula grant 
program, Congress did not allocate funds to the program. SAFETEA-LU 
changed the Clean Fuels Program from a formula based grant program to a 
discretionary grant program. However, the program retained its initial 
purpose.

[[Page 29844]]

II. Award Information

    In FY 2008, $28,753,000 in Clean Fuels Program funds are available 
to fund capital projects in areas that are maintenance or non-
attainment for ozone or CO. These funds are available at up to 90 
percent of the net incremental of the clean fuels component.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants under this program are designated recipients, 
which are entities designated to receive Federal urbanized formula 
funds under 49 U.S.C. 5307. Areas with multiple transit operators but 
one designated recipient should submit a consolidated proposal.

B. Eligible Expenses

    SAFETEA-LU grants authority to the Secretary to make grants under 
this section to assist recipients to finance eligible projects such as 
the following;
    (1) Purchasing or leasing clean fuel buses, including buses that 
employ a lightweight composite primary structure and vans for use in 
revenue service. The purchase or lease of non-revenue vehicles is not 
an eligible project. A definition of ``clean fuel'' vehicles can be 
found in the Clean Fuel Grant Program Regulation at 49 CFR 624.3.
    (2) Constructing or leasing clean fuel bus facilities or electrical 
recharging facilities and related equipment. Facilities and related 
equipment for clean diesel buses are not eligible.
    (3) Projects relating to clean fuel, biodiesel, hybrid electric, or 
zero emissions technology buses that exhibit equivalent or superior 
emissions reductions to existing clean fuel or hybrid electric 
technologies.
    Funds made available under this program cannot be used to fund 
operating expenses or preventive maintenance. Funds made available 
under this program cannot be used to reimburse projects that have 
incurred prior eligible expenses without a Letter of No Prejudice 
(LONP) issued by FTA for the project before the costs are incurred.

C. Cost Sharing or Matching

    Costs will be shared at the following ratio: 90 percent FTA/10 
percent local contribution for net incremental cost of the clean fuels 
component or 83 percent FTA/17 percent local contribution for the total 
project cost when purchasing vehicles. The Federal share for biodiesel 
buses is 90 percent/10 percent local share of the total project cost. 
FTA will not approve deferred local share under this program.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Proposal Submission Process

    Project proposals may be submitted electronically through http://www.grants.gov or by e-mail electronically at [email protected]. Mail and 
fax submissions will not be accepted except for supplemental 
information that cannot be sent electronically.
    Applicants can only apply for funds appropriated for the 2008 
fiscal year. However, an applicant may propose a project that would 
expend money over multiple years. The project, however, should be ready 
to implement and should be completed in a reasonable period of time. In 
sum, the period of performance of the award is separate from the year 
of funds of the award.

B. Application Content

(1) Applicant Information
    This addresses basic identifying information, including:
    i. Applicant name,
    ii. Contact information (including contact name, address, fax and 
phone number,
    iii. Description of services provided by the agency, including 
areas served, and
    iv. Existing fleet, facility and employee information, and
    v. A description of your technical, legal, and financial capacity 
to implement the proposed project.
(2) Project Information
    Every proposal must:
    i. Describe the project to be funded and include with the proposal 
any necessary supporting documentation. Example: Information on the age 
of the current fleet, Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) 
concurrence letters, population forecasts, ridership information.
    ii. Address each of the evaluation criteria separately.
    iii. Describe why the project is important to the area and how the 
project addresses local priorities.
    iv. Provide a line item budget for the project.
    v. Provide the Federal amount requested for each purpose for which 
funds are sought.
    vi. Document matching funds, including amount and source of the 
match.
    vii. Provide project time-line, including significant milestones 
such as date or contract for purchase of vehicle(s), actual or expected 
delivery date of vehicles and contract award and completion of facility 
improvements.

C. Funding Restrictions

    Only proposals from eligible recipients for eligible activities 
will be considered for funding (see Section III). Due to funding 
limitations, applicants that are selected for funding may receive less 
than the amount requested.

D. Other Submission Requirements

    Applicants should submit 3 copies of any supplemental information 
that cannot be submitted electronically to the appropriate regional 
office. Supplemental information submitted in hardcopy must be 
postmarked by July 21, 2008.

V. Application Review Information

A. Project Evaluation Criteria

    Projects will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
(1) Demonstrated Need
    i. Project represents a one-time or periodic need that cannot 
reasonably be funded from formula allocations or State and/or local 
revenues.
    ii. Project or applicant did not receive funding in a SAFETEA-LU 
earmark.
    iii. The project will have a positive impact on air quality.
    iv. The project is consistent with the applicant's bus fleet 
management plan.
    v. The project is a transportation control measure in an approved 
State Implementation Plan.
(2) Planning and Prioritization at Local/Regional Level
    i. Project is consistent with the transit priorities identified in 
the long range plan and/or contingency/illustrative projects. The 
project could not be included in the financially constrained 
Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP)/Statewide Transportation Program 
(STIP) due to lack of funding (if selected, project must be on TIP 
before grant award).
    ii. Local support is demonstrated by availability of local match 
for this and/or related projects and letters of support.
    iii. In an area with more than one transit operator, the 
application demonstrates coordination with and support of other transit 
operators, or other related projects within the applicant's MPO or the 
geographic region within which the proposed project will operate.
(3) The Project Is Ready To Implement
    i. Any required environmental work has been initiated for 
construction projects requiring an Environmental Assessment (EA).
    ii. Implementation plans are ready, including initial design of 
facilities projects.

[[Page 29845]]

    iii. TIP/STIP can be amended (evidenced by MPO/State endorsement).
    vi. Project can be obligated and implemented quickly, if selected.
    (4) The applicant demonstrates the benefits of the proposed project 
in reducing transportation related pollutants.
    (5) The proposed project supports emerging clean fuels technologies 
or advanced technologies for transit buses.
    (6) The applicant demonstrates the technical, legal, and financial 
capacity to carry out the project. This criterion refers to 
implementation of the particular project proposed.
    i. The applicant has the technical capacity to administer the 
project.
    ii. The acquisition is consistent with the bus fleet management 
plan.
    iii. There are no outstanding legal, technical, or financial issues 
with the grantee that would make this a high risk project.
    iv. Source of local match is identified and is available for prompt 
project implementation if selected (no deferred local share will be 
allowed).

B. Review and Selection Process

    Proposals will first be screened and ranked by the appropriate FTA 
regional office (see Appendix A). After evaluating the projects based 
on the established criteria, the headquarters review team will provide 
a recommendation to the FTA Administrator. The Administrator will 
determine the final selection and amount of funding for each project.
    FTA will publish the list of all selected projects and funding 
levels in the Federal Register. Regional offices will also notify 
successful applicants of their success and the amount of funding 
awarded to the project.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

    FTA will screen all proposals to determine whether all required 
eligibility elements, as described in III ``Eligibility Information'' 
are present. Once proposals have been reviewed and projects have been 
selected, FTA will award funds to the lead project sponsor to implement 
the project. These grants will be administered and managed by the FTA 
regional offices in accordance with the federal requirements of the 
Section 5308 program. FTA will award funding to successful applicants 
through a grant in FTA's TEAM grant management system.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

1. Grant Requirements
    If selected, applicants will apply for a grant through TEAM and 
adhere to the customary FTA grant requirements of the Section 5308 
Clean Fuels Grant program, including those of the current version of 
FTA C 9300 and the Master Agreement. Discretionary grants greater than 
$500,000 will go through Congressional Notification and release 
process. Technical assistance regarding these requirements is available 
from each FTA regional office.
    The Applicant must submit the Certifications and Assurances prior 
to receiving a grant. The Applicant assures that it will comply with 
all applicable Federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, FTA 
circulars, and other Federal administrative requirements in carrying 
out any project supported by the FTA grant. The Applicant acknowledges 
that it is under a continuing obligation to comply with the terms and 
conditions of the grant agreement issued for its project with FTA. The 
Applicant understands that Federal laws, regulations, policies, and 
administrative practices might be modified from time to time and affect 
the implementation of the project. The Applicant agrees that the most 
recent Federal requirements will apply to the project, unless FTA 
issues a written determination otherwise.
2. Planning
    Applicants are encouraged to notify the appropriate State DOT and 
MPO in areas likely to be served by the project funds made available 
under this program. Incorporation of funded projects in the long range 
plans and transportation improvement programs of States and 
metropolitan areas is required of all funded projects.
3. Reporting
    Post-award reporting requirements for grantees who purchase or 
lease hybrid electric, battery electric and fuel cell vehicles include 
semiannual submission of the following for the first three years of the 
useful life of the vehicle (this report should be attached in TEAM):
    i. Vehicle miles traveled;
    ii. Fuel/energy costs;
    iii. Vehicle fuel/energy consumption and oil consumption;
    iv. Number of road calls or breakdowns resulting from clean fuel 
and advanced propulsion technology systems; and
    v. Maintenance costs associated with the clean fuels or advanced 
propulsion system.

    Note: Recipients of financial assistance under 49 U.S.C. 5308 
that purchase or lease compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied 
natural gas (LNG), and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles may 
report the information described above, but this reporting is 
voluntary. Recipients of financial assistance under 49 U.S.C. 5308 
that purchase or lease clean diesel vehicles are not required to 
report information beyond FTA grant reporting requirements for 
capital projects.

VII. Agency Contact(s)

    Contact the appropriate FTA Regional Office (see Appendix A) for 
application-specific information and issues. For general program 
information, contact Kimberly Sledge, Office of Transit Programs, (202) 
366-2053, e-mail: [email protected]. A TDD is available at 1-800-
877-8339 (TDD/FIRS).

    Issued in Washington, DC, this 14th day of May, 2008.
James S. Simpson,
Administrator.

Appendix A

Richard H. Doyle, Regional Administrator, Region 1-Boston, Kendall 
Square, 55 Broadway, Suite 920, Cambridge, MA 02142-1093, Tel. 617-494-
2055, States served: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, 
Rhode Island, and Vermont
Brigid Hynes-Cherin, Regional Administrator, Region 2-New York, One 
Bowling Green, Room 429, New York, NY 10004-1415, Tel. 212-668-2170, 
States served: New Jersey, New York
Letitia Thompson, Regional Administrator, Region 3-Philadelphia, 1760 
Market Street, Suite 500, Philadelphia, PA 19103-4124, Tel. 215-656-
7100, States served: Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West 
Virginia, and District of Columbia
Yvette Taylor, Regional Administrator, Region 4-Atlanta, 230 Peachtree 
Street, NW., Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30303, Tel. 404-865-5600, States 
served: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi Islands
Marisol Simon, Regional Administrator, Region 5-Chicago, 200 West Adams 
Street, Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60606, Tel. 312-353-2789, States served: 
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin
Robert C. Patrick, Regional Administrator, Region 6-Ft. Worth, 819 
Taylor Street, Room 8A36, Ft. Worth, TX 76102, Tel. 817-978-0550, 
States served: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas

[[Page 29846]]

Mokhtee Ahmad, Regional Administrator, Region 7-Kansas City, MO, 901 
Locust Street, Room 404, Kansas City, MO 64106, Tel. 816-329-3920, 
States served: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska
Terry Rosapep, Regional Administrator, Region 8-Denver, 12300 West 
Dakota Ave., Suite 310, Lakewood, CO 80228-2583, Tel. 720-963-3300, 
States served: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and 
Wyoming
Leslie T. Rogers, Regional Administrator, Region 9-San Francisco, 201 
Mission Street, Room 1650, San Francisco, CA 94105-1926, Tel. 415-744-
3133, States served: American Samoa, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, 
Nevada, and the Northern Mariana Islands
Rick Krochalis, Regional Administrator, Region 10-Seattle, Jackson 
Federal Building, 915 Second Avenue, Suite 3142, Seattle, WA 98174-
1002, Tel. 206-220-7954. States served: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and 
Washington

[FR Doc. E8-11224 Filed 5-21-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P