[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18942-18952]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-8398]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


FY 2010 Discretionary Sustainability Funding Opportunity; Transit 
Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) Program 
and Clean Fuels Grant Program, Augmented With Discretionary Bus and Bus 
Facilities Program

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability of FTA environmental sustainability 
program funds: solicitation of project proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the 
availability of discretionary funds in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 for the 
Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) 
program funds and FY 2009 and 2010 Clean Fuels Grant program funds, 
augmented with FY 2010 Section 5309 Bus and Bus Facilities program 
funds. These discretionary program funds will be distributed in 
accordance with the mission of each program and in support of the U.S. 
Department of Transportation's (DOT) environmental sustainability 
efforts.
    This notice includes priorities established by FTA for these 
discretionary funds, the criteria FTA will use to identify meritorious 
projects for funding, and describes how to apply for funding under each 
discretionary program. This announcement is available 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 each funding 
opportunity will be posted in the FIND module of the government-wide 
electronic grants Web site at http://www.grants.gov.

DATES: Complete proposals for Clean Fuels/Bus and Bus Facilities 
discretionary grants must be submitted by June 14, 2010. All proposals 
must be submitted electronically through the GRANTS.GOV APPLY function. 
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. Those who apply via GRANTS.GOV should receive two 
confirmation e-mails. The first will confirm that the application was 
received and a subsequent e-mail will be sent indicating whether the 
application was validated or rejected by the system.
    TIGGER program proposals must be submitted by August 11, 2010. 
Applicants are encouraged to submit applications early in order to 
allow for full consideration by FTA. Instructions for applying for the 
TIGGER program can be found at http://www.fta.dot.gov/tigger and will 
also be available in the ``FIND'' module of grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact the appropriate FTA Regional 
Administrator (Appendix A) for proposal-specific information and 
issues. For general program information on the TIGGER program, contact 
Walter Kulyk, Office of Mobility Innovation, (202) 366-4995, e-mail: 
[email protected]. For program information on the Clean Fuels/Bus 
and Bus Facilities Program; contact Juan Morrison, Office of Program 
Management, (202) 366 -7005, e-mail: [email protected]. A TDD is 
available at 1-800-877-8339 (TDD/FIRS).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents

I. FTA Sustainability Program Overview
II. Sustainability Program Information
    A. Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction 
(TIGGER) Program
    1. Program Purpose
    2. Eligible Applicants
    3. Eligible Projects
    4. Cost Sharing or Matching
    5. Application Content
    6. Evaluation Criteria
    7. Award Administration Information
    B. Clean Fuels/Bus and Bus Facilities Program
    1. Program Purpose
    2. Eligible Applicants
    3. Eligible Projects
    4. Cost Sharing or Matching
    5. Application Content
    6. Evaluation Criteria
III. Technical Assistance
Appendix A FTA Regional and Metropolitan Offices
Appendix B Glossary of Terms (TIGGER Program)
Appendix C TIGGER Project Proposal Outline
Appendix D Program Matrix

[[Page 18943]]

I. FTA Sustainability Program Overview

A. Authority

    These programs are authorized under section 5308, 5309(b) (as 
amended by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation 
Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)) and Division A of the 
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act 2010.

B. Policy Priority

    Among the goals of the Obama Administration is one to improve our 
Nation's environment and to secure its energy future. Effective 
provision of public transportation is a key part of this goal. The 
Administration believes that we must commit ourselves to an economic 
future in which the strength of our economy is not tied to the 
unpredictability of oil markets. We must make the investments in clean 
energy sources that will both enhance the environment through improved 
air quality and curb our dependence on fossil fuels, making America 
energy independent by:
     Breaking Dependence on Oil. Provide increased public 
transportation options that minimize the use of fossil fuels and invest 
in the development of alternative fuel vehicles.
     Producing More Energy at Home. Enhance U.S. energy 
supplies through responsible development of domestic renewable energy, 
fossil fuels, advanced biofuels and nuclear energy.
     Promoting Energy Efficiency. Promote investments in the 
transportation, electricity, industrial, building and agricultural 
sectors that reduce energy bills.
    FTA advances these energy and environmental goals by funding 
projects that:
     Enhance the quality of public transportation services.
     Assist nonattainment and maintenance areas in achieving or 
maintaining the National Ambient Air Quality standards for ozone and 
carbon monoxide.
     Support emerging Clean Fuel and advanced propulsion 
technologies for transit buses and markets for those technologies.
     Reduce greenhouse gas emissions of public transportation 
systems.
    By this notice, FTA announces the availability of at least $156.2 
million in FY 2009 and FY 2010 discretionary resources to help 
encourage transit projects that promote the usage and development of 
energy efficient technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and 
other pollutants. Projects funded as a result of this notice will 
further the Department's environmental sustainability efforts. To 
support these efforts, and to ensure FTA is able to fund a wide variety 
of investment types, FTA intends to provide funds from the TIGGER 
program and Clean Fuels Grant program, augmented with Section 5309 Bus 
and Bus Facilities program funds in support of capital investment that 
will improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. As each program 
has separate eligibility and program requirements, FTA encourages 
applicants to carefully consider which program to apply under. FTA will 
provide $75 million under the TIGGER program. This program is intended 
for projects of innovative and national significance with a minimum 
project cost of $1 million. To complement TIGGER, FTA also will award 
approximately $81.2 million under the Clean Fuels Grant program. FTA 
also intends to further our environmental sustainability goals by 
allowing applicants not eligible under the Clean Fuels Grant program to 
apply for projects which promote the use of clean fuels and fund those 
projects with additional Bus and Bus Facilities program funds.

II. Sustainability Program Information

A. TIGGER Program

    The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act 2010 (Pub. L. 111-68), appropriated $75 
million for grants to public transit agencies for capital investments 
that will reduce the energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions of 
their public transportation systems, referred to as the Transit 
Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) program. 
$100 million was previously provided for TIGGER in the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and awarded by FTA.
    Based on lessons learned in the application and review process from 
the ARRA-funded TIGGER program, for which proposals exceeding $2 
billion were submitted, FTA is changing some of the application 
procedures for the FY 2010-funded TIGGER program to simplify the 
process. Additionally, given the availability of other FTA 
discretionary programs in FY 2010, such as the Bus and Bus Facilities 
program and the Clean Fuels Grant program, FTA will rate more favorably 
innovative technologies of national significance, such as electric 
drive and other forward-looking technologies, not normally funded out 
of other FTA programs.
    This notice announces the availability of the grant program 
funding, application requirements, and deadlines for submitting 
proposals for funding.
 1. Program Purpose
    There are two eligible purposes for TIGGER grants: (1) For capital 
investments that will assist in reducing the energy consumption of a 
transit system; or (2) for capital investments that will reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions of a public transportation system. Project 
proposals may be submitted under either or both categories; however 
only one project may be submitted under a single proposal. FTA has 
established a range of funding that will be considered for approval. 
Each submitted project must request a minimum of $1,000,000 and must 
not exceed a maximum of $25,000,000. Applications for projects less 
than $1,000,000 may be applied for if they are part of a consolidated 
proposal submitted by the State Department of Transportation (State 
DOT) that, in total, meets or exceeds the $1,000,000 threshold. FTA may 
decide to provide only partial funding for certain proposals to 
maximize the impact of this program. FTA encourages applicants with 
projects that are not technologically innovative, or which do not meet 
these funding thresholds, to apply under the Bus and Bus Facilities or 
Clean Fuels programs, which have simpler application criteria.
2. Eligible Applicants
    Only public transportation agencies or State DOTs may apply. Unlike 
the ARRA-funded TIGGER program, FTA will not accept consolidated 
proposals from public transportation agencies. A public transportation 
agency may only apply for one project for a single transit agency in 
one proposal. However, public transportation agencies may submit 
multiple proposals (applications). A State DOT may submit a 
consolidated proposal for multiple projects from one or more transit 
agencies in order to meet the $1,000,000 threshold. Consolidated 
proposals must contain individual project level information, as 
described in Section 5. Application Content, for each project included 
in the consolidated proposal. Grant awards will be made for a 
particular project directly to public transportation agencies or to a 
State Department of Transportation on behalf of a public transportation 
agency.
3. Eligible Projects
    Eligible expenses must meet the following criteria: (1) The expense 
must be an eligible capital expense as defined

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under 49 U.S.C. 5302(a)(1); and (2) the project will assist in the 
reduction of the energy consumption of a public transportation system 
and/or the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of a public 
transportation system.
4. Cost Sharing or Matching
    The expected Federal share for TIGGER grants is 90 percent, 
although applicants may request a different Federal share. A proposed 
Federal share can be less than 90 percent, or up to 100 percent. 
However, applicants requesting a lower Federal share may be given a 
higher rating in the evaluation process, all else being equal.
5. Application Content
a. Proposal Submission Process
    Project proposals must follow the submission guidelines that will 
be provided shortly at http://www.fta.dot.gov/tigger. A synopsis of 
this announcement will be posted in the ``FIND'' module of the 
GRANTS.GOV. Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted except for 
supplemental information that cannot be sent electronically.
b. Proposal Content
    Proposals from public transit agencies may contain only one 
project. Unlike the ARRA-funded TIGGER program, FTA will not accept 
consolidated proposals with projects from multiple public transit 
agencies, or multiple projects from one public transit agency. Agencies 
may submit multiple proposals (applications), but each proposal must be 
clearly define a separate project. See Appendix B for an outline of 
project proposal requirements.
    Proposals from State DOTs may contain multiple projects from one or 
more transit agencies in order to meet the $1,000,000 threshold. 
Consolidated proposals must contain individual project level 
information, as described below, for each project included in the 
consolidated proposal.
    Project Summary--The applicant may be requested to enter summary 
information about the proposed project into a project summary sheet or 
electronic application tool. Guidelines for application procedures, 
further instructions, and application tools will be located on FTA's 
Web site at www.fta.dot.gov/tigger. Instructions for completing and 
submitting the sheet will be provided at the Web site.
    (1) Applicant Information
    This addresses basic identifying information, including:
    i. Applicant name;
    ii. Contact information (including contact name, address, e-mail 
address, phone and fax number);
    iii. Whether the applicant's area is attainment, non-attainment, or 
maintenance for ozone or CO;
    iv. Description of services provided by the agency, including areas 
served;
    v. Congressional district(s) served by the proposed project;
    vi. If the project proposal includes vehicles, provide existing 
fleet information, such as a current rail or bus fleet management plan, 
if not already on file with the FTA Regional Office; and
    vii. A description of the technical, legal and financial capacity 
of the project sponsor.
    (2) Project Information
    Every proposal must:
    i. Include a project management plan to be utilized to implement 
the proposed project;
    ii. Address whether the project is to be evaluated under energy 
reduction or greenhouse gas reduction criteria, or both criteria;
    iii. Include the project scope, including descriptions of the 
proposed capital investment as well as the existing system, subsystem, 
facility, vehicle, or component that the investment will replace or be 
applied to. The project scope determines where measurement of energy 
reductions or greenhouse gas emissions reductions will take place and 
must be directly related to the actual capital investment. It should be 
determined in a manner that permits measurement before and after the 
investment to determine either the energy savings or greenhouse gas 
reductions, or both;
    iv. Include a line-item budget for the project and its total cost. 
For scalable projects, a scaling plan describing the minimum amount 
necessary for a feasible project and the energy or greenhouse gas 
reduction impacts of a reduced funding level;
    v. State the expected useful life of the investment based on 
accepted FTA and industry practices;
    vi. Provide a project time-line outlining steps from project 
development through completion, including significant milestones such 
as date of contract awards and dates of project implementation; and
    vii. Include the proposed location of the project. For facilities 
and other infrastructure this means the city or county where the 
infrastructure will be located. For transit vehicles it means the 
cities or counties where transit services are likely to be provided.
    (3) Project Measurement Information
    i. Proposals must provide a narrative describing how the greenhouse 
gas and/or energy saving estimates were calculated. Proposals also must 
identify the process the agency will use to determine the actual energy 
savings and/or greenhouse gas emission reductions realized once the 
investment is implemented. FTA will post on its Web site (http://www.fta.dot.gov/tigger) the information or other application tools that 
may be used to develop these calculations.
    ii. Project Measurement Criteria for Energy Reduction Projects: The 
proposal must include:
    iii. Project's Current Annual Energy Use
    iv. Project's Estimated Annual Energy Use
    v. Project's Estimated Annual Energy Savings
    vi. Project's Total Estimated Energy Savings Over Its Useful Life
    vii. Project's Total Energy Savings as a Percentage of the Agency's 
Total Annual Energy Use. This can be reported as less than one percent 
or the proposal must include:
    (a) Total Annual Energy Consumption of the Public Transportation 
Agency
    (b) The Project's Total Energy Savings as a percentage of the Total 
Annual Energy Consumption of the Public Transportation Agency
    (4) Project Measurement Criteria for Greenhouse Gas Emission 
Reduction Projects: Proposals must include:
    i. Project's Current Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    ii. Project's Estimated Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    iii. Project's Estimated Annual Greenhouse Gas Savings
    iv. Project's Total Estimated Greenhouse Gas Savings over the 
Project's Useful Life
    (5) Proposed deviations from FTA Circular 5010
    FTA's capital program includes the introduction of new technology, 
through innovative and improved products, into public transportation as 
an eligible expense. FTA intends to apply 49 U.S.C. 53 requirements and 
FTA Circular 5010.1.D Grant Management Requirements issued on November 
1, 2008 to this program. This Circular may be found at:  http://www.fta.dot.gov/laws/circulars/leg_reg_8640.html. The applicant 
should identify any waivers to these requirements it anticipates it may 
need that would affect its ability to introduce new technology. 
However, FTA is disinclined to grant any Buy America waivers.
    (6) A project proposal should address each of the evaluation 
criteria separately, except for geographic diversity which need not be 
addressed by the applicant.

[[Page 18945]]

c. Funding Restrictions
    Only proposals from eligible recipients for eligible activities 
will be considered for funding (see Section II of this Notice).
6. Evaluation Criteria
    Proposals will be evaluated for their ability to reduce energy 
consumption and/or greenhouse gas emissions of the transit agency. An 
applicant will be evaluated under both criteria if it provides the 
necessary project measurement information.
a. Evaluation Criteria for Energy Consumption Reduction Projects
    FTA will evaluate proposals on total energy consumption savings 
projected to result from the project, and projected energy savings of 
the project as a percentage of the total energy usage of the public 
transit agency. Refer to Appendix B for definitions.
b. Evaluation Criterion for Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Projects
    FTA will evaluate proposals based on the total amount of greenhouse 
gas reductions projected to result from the project.
c. Evaluation Criteria for All Projects
    In addition, FTA will evaluate all proposals on the following 
criteria:
    (1) Project Innovation
    The project identifies a unique, significant, or innovative 
approach to reducing energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions.
    FTA encourages qualified projects that will demonstrate innovative 
technologies and other approaches to reducing energy consumption or 
greenhouse gas emissions such as electric drive technologies. FTA will 
give some priority consideration to these projects if all other project 
evaluation criteria are comparable.
    Examples of innovation include:
    i. On-Board Vehicle Energy Management (energy storage, regenerative 
braking, fuel cells, turbines, engine auto start/stop, etc.)
    ii. Electrification of Accessories (air conditioning, air 
compressor, power steering, etc.)
    iii. Bus Design (lightweight materials, component packaging, 
maintainability, etc.)
    iv. Rail Transit Energy Management (energy storage, regenerative 
braking, solar propulsion engine systems, power load-leveling, etc.)
    v. Locomotive Design (energy storage, regenerative braking, fuel 
cells, turbines, engine auto start/stop, lightweight material, etc.)
    vi. Other innovative approaches to reduce energy consumption or 
greenhouse gas emissions.
    (2) National Applicability. The national applicability of the 
project as an example of energy savings or greenhouse gas reductions, 
including whether the project could be replicated by other transit 
agencies regionally or nationally and is consistent with FTA livability 
and environmental sustainability goals should be demonstrated.
    (3) Project Readiness. FTA will evaluate the proposed timeframe of 
the project for timeliness and reasonableness.
    (4) Project Management. The applicant demonstrates the capacity to 
carry out the project.
    i. The applicant is in a fundable status for the FTA grant program.
    ii. The applicant's project team demonstrates the technical 
capacity to carry out the project, including the project approach or 
project management plan.
    iii. The applicant has the ability to collect information and 
demonstrate the results of the project for at least one year following 
project implementation
    (5) Return on Investment. This factor addresses the energy savings 
and/or greenhouse gas reduction relative to the total project cost, 
including the proposed Federal and local shares.
    (6) Geographic Diversity. To provide the ability to evaluate 
technologies in a wide variety of conditions, FTA may select projects 
to ensure there is sufficient geographic diversity.
d. Review and Selection Process
    Proposals first will be screened by FTA program staff. During the 
process, FTA may seek clarifications or corrections to some proposals 
to ensure adequate information is available to evaluate the proposal. 
After evaluating proposals based on the established technical criteria, 
FTA will publish the list of all selected projects and funding levels 
in the Federal Register.
7. Award Administration Information
a. Award
    Once proposals have been reviewed and projects have been selected, 
successful applicants will apply for and FTA will award grant funding 
through FTA's TEAM grant management system. These grants will be 
administered and managed by FTA regional offices in accordance with the 
applicable Federal requirements of 49 U.S.C. chapter 53.
    Depending on award amount, FTA may require a scope and project 
budget reduction before a grant is submitted in TEAM.
b. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
    (1) Grant Requirements
    If selected, project sponsors will apply for a grant through TEAM 
and adhere to the customary FTA grant requirements of 49 U.S.C. chapter 
53, including those identified in FTA Circular 5010.1D and the FTA 
Master Agreement, unless otherwise specified in the grant agreement. 
Technical assistance regarding these requirements is available from the 
corresponding FTA regional office.
    Applicants must sign and submit current Certifications and 
Assurances before receiving a grant. If the applicant has already 
submitted the annual Certifications and Assurances in TEAM, they do not 
need to be resubmitted. 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 may 
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 
Metropolitan Planning Organization (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. FTA cannot obligate grant funds unless the project 
is contained in a Federally approved State Transportation Improvement 
Plan (STIP).
    Similarly, all environmental requirements must be complete before 
FTA can obligate and award a grant in TEAM.
c. Reporting Requirements
    FTA reporting requirements include standard reporting requirements 
identified in FTA Circular 5010.1D, and the Master Grant Agreement. In 
addition, the TIGGER program has additional reporting requirements. A 
recipient of TIGGER funds must report on an annual basis:

[[Page 18946]]

    (1) Actual annual energy consumed within the project scope 
attributable to the investment for energy consumption reduction 
projects;
    (2) Actual greenhouse gas emissions within the project scope 
attributable to the investment for greenhouse gas reduction projects; 
and
    (3) Actual annual reductions or increases in operating costs 
attributable to the investment for all projects.

B. Clean Fuels/Bus and Bus Facilities Program

    The Clean Fuels Grant program was first established as the Clean 
Fuels Formula Grant program in Section 3008 of the Transportation 
Equity Act for the 21st Century, Public Law 105-178, June 9, 1998 (now 
codified at 49 U.S.C. Sec. 5308). The program was developed to assist 
non-attainment or maintenance areas in achieving or maintaining the 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and carbon monoxide 
(CO). Additionally, the program supported emerging clean fuel and 
advanced propulsion technologies for transit buses and markets for 
those technologies. FY 2009 unallocated funding and the FY 2010 
Transportation Appropriations Act provides $81 million dollars in 
discretionary Clean Fuels Grant program resources. Additionally, FTA is 
expanding the eligible applicant pool and may fund projects that meet 
the Clean Fuels Grant program objectives in attainment areas using a 
portion of FY 2010 discretionary Bus and Bus Facilities program 
resources that are available. Please Note: Subsequent to this notice, 
FTA will also publish a Notice of Funding Availability that announces 
the availability of additional Bus and Bus Facilities program funds 
that will assist grantees to improve the state of good repair of buses 
and bus facilities.
1. Program Purpose
    The Clean Fuels/Bus and Bus Facilities program has a two-fold 
purpose. First, the Clean Fuels Grant program was developed to assist 
nonattainment and maintenance areas in achieving or maintaining the 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and CO. The second 
program purpose is to support emerging clean fuel and advanced 
propulsion technologies for transit buses and markets for those 
technologies.
2. Eligible Applicants
    Eligible applicants under the FY 2010 Clean Fuels Grant program 
are:
    a. Designated recipients in maintenance or non-attainment areas for 
ozone or CO, which are entities designated to receive Federal urbanized 
formula funds under 49 U.S.C. 5307.
    b. FTA will also accept applications from direct recipients, tribes 
for rural areas, and State Departments of Transportation in attainment 
areas. Note: Projects selected in attainment areas will be funded using 
Bus and Bus Facilities program funds.
3. Eligible Projects
    Section 5308 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; (2) Constructing or leasing clean 
fuel bus facilities or electrical recharging facilities and related 
equipment; (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.
4. Cost Sharing or Matching
c. Clean Fuels
    For projects awarded Clean Fuels funding, costs will be shared as 
follows:
    (1) Vehicles--90 percent FTA/10 percent local contribution for the 
net incremental cost of the clean fuels component. For administrative 
simplicity, FTA allows recipients to compute the Federal share at 83 
percent for eligible vehicle purchases. The 83 percent share is a 
blended figure representing 80 percent of the vehicle and 90 percent of 
the vehicle-related equipment to be acquired in compliance with the 
Clean Air Act.
    (2) Facilities--The 83 percent Federal share does not apply to 
facilities, for which the costs are more variable. The eligibility of 
facility-related cost elements at the 90 percent share will be reviewed 
for eligibility of the higher Federal share on a case-by-case basis as 
part of the grant application process.
    (3) The FY 2010 Appropriations Act allows a 90 percent Federal 
share for the total cost of a biodiesel bus.
    (4) The FY 2010 Appropriations Act allows a 90 percent Federal 
share for the net capital cost of factory installed hybrid electric 
propulsion systems and any equipment related to such a system. For 
administrative simplicity, FTA allows recipients to compute the Federal 
share at 83 percent for eligible vehicle purchases.
    (5) FTA will not approve deferred local share.
d. Bus and Bus Facilities
    For projects awarded Bus and Bus Facilities funding, costs will be 
shared as follows:
    (1) 80 percent FTA/20 percent local contribution for the net 
capital project cost, unless the grant recipient requests a lower 
percentage.
    (2) The Federal share may exceed 80 percent for certain projects 
related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Clean Air 
Act (CAA) as follows: ADA--The Federal share is 90 percent for the cost 
of vehicle-related equipment or facilities attributable to compliance 
with the ADA of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.); CAA--The Federal share 
is 90 percent for the cost of vehicle related equipment or facilities 
(including clean-fuel or alternative-fuel vehicle related equipment or 
facilities) attributable to compliance with the CAA (42 U.S.C. 7401 et 
seq.). For administrative simplicity, FTA allows recipients to compute 
the Federal share at 83 percent for eligible ADA and CAA vehicle 
purchases.
    (3) The FY 2010 Appropriations Act allows a 90 percent Federal 
share for the total cost of a biodiesel bus.
    (4) The FY 2010 Appropriations Act also allows a 90 percent Federal 
share for the net capital cost of factory installed or retrofitted 
hybrid electric propulsion systems and any equipment related to such a 
system. For administrative simplicity, FTA allows recipients to compute 
the Federal share at 83 percent for eligible vehicle purchases.
    (5) FTA will not approve deferred local share.
5. Application Content
a. Proposal Submission Process
    (1) Project proposals must be submitted electronically through 
http://www.grants.gov and a synopsis of this announcement will be 
available in the ``FIND'' module. Mail and fax submissions will not be 
accepted except for supplemental information that cannot be sent 
electronically.
    (2) Applicants can only apply for funds currently available for 
allocation. However, an applicant may propose a

[[Page 18947]]

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 that funds are awarded.
b. Proposal Content
    (1) Applicant Information
    This addresses basic identifying information, including:
    i. Applicant's name,
    ii. Contact information (including contact name, address, e-mail 
address, phone and fax number),
    iii. Whether the applicant's area is attainment, non-attainment, or 
maintenance for ozone or CO,
    iv. Description of services provided by the agency, including areas 
served,
    v. If the project proposal includes vehicles, include existing 
fleet information, such as a current bus fleet management plan if not 
already on file with the FTA regional office, and
    vi. 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, MPO concurrence letters, ridership information.
    ii. Address each of the evaluation criteria separately.
    iii. Congressional district(s) served by the proposed project.
    iv. Provide a line-item budget for the project and its total cost.
    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. Due to funding limitations, applicants 
that are selected for funding may receive less than the amount 
requested.
6. Evaluation Criteria for Clean Fuels Grant Program
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 significant funding in an 
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 (if applicable).
    (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)/STIP due to lack of funding (if 
selected, project must be in federally approved STIP 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.
    iii. TIP/STIP can be amended (evidenced by MPO/State endorsement).
    iv. Project can be obligated and begin implementation 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 applicants demonstrate 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).
    (7) Geographic Diversity. To provide the ability to evaluate 
technologies in a wide variety of conditions, FTA may select projects 
to ensure there is sufficient geographic diversity.

 III. Technical Assistance

    FTA will post answers to commonly asked questions about the TIGGER 
program as well as provide information to assist in calculations at 
http://www.fta.dot.gov/tigger. Commonly asked questions about the FY 
2010 Clean Fuels Grant program can be found at http://www.fta.dot.gov/funding/grants/grants_financing_3560.html. Technical assistance 
regarding these requirements is available from each FTA regional office 
listed in Appendix A. The regional offices will contact those 
applicants selected for funding regarding grants and reporting 
requirements and will provide assistance in preparing the documentation 
necessary for the grant award.
    Contact the appropriate FTA Regional or Metropolitan Office for 
application-specific information and issues. For general TIGGER program 
information, contact Walter Kulyk, Office of Mobility Innovation, (202) 
366-4995, e-mail: [email protected]. For program information on the 
Clean Fuels/Bus and Bus Facilities Program; contact Juan Morrison, 
Office of Program Management, (202) 366-7005, e-mail: 
juan.morrison.dot.gov. A TDD is available at 1-800-877-8339 (TDD/FIRS).

    Issued in Washington, DC, this 8th day of April 2010.
Peter Rogoff,
Administrator.

Appendix A

FTA Regional and Metropolitan Offices

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Richard H. Doyle, Regional Administrator,   Robert C. Patrick, Regional
 Region 1--Boston, Kendall Square, 55        Administrator, Region 6--
 Broadway, Suite 920, Cambridge, MA 02142-   Ft. Worth, 819 Taylor
 1093, Tel. 617-494-2055.                    Street, Room 8A36, Ft.
States served: Connecticut, Maine,           Worth, TX 76102, Tel. 817-
 Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode,        978-0550.
 Island, and Vermont.                       States served: Arkansas,
                                             Louisiana, Oklahoma, New
                                             Mexico, and Texas.
Brigid Hynes-Cherin, Regional               Mokhtee Ahmad, Regional
 Administrator, Region 2--New York, One      Administrator, Region 7--
 Bowling Green, Room 429, New York, NY       Kansas City, MO, 901 Locust
 10004-1415, Tel. 212-668-2170.              Street, Room 404, Kansas
States served: New Jersey, New York.         City, MO 64106, Tel. 816-
                                             329-3920.
                                            States served: Iowa, Kansas,
                                             Missouri, and Nebraska.
New York Metropolitan Office, Region 2--
 New York, One Bowling Green, Room 428,
 New York, NY 10004-1415, Tel. 212-668-
 2202.
Letitia Thompson, Regional Administrator,   Terry Rosapep, Regional
 Region 3--Philadelphia, 1760 Market         Administrator, Region 8--
 Street, Suite 500, Philadelphia, PA 19103-  Denver, 12300 West Dakota
 4124, Tel. 215-656-7100.                    Ave., Suite 310, Lakewood,
States served: Delaware, Maryland,           CO 80228-2583, Tel. 720-963-
 Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia,      3300.
 and District of Columbia.                  States served: Colorado,
                                             Montana, North Dakota,
                                             South Dakota, Utah, and
                                             Wyoming.
Philadelphia Metropolitan Office, Region
 3--Philadelphia, 1760 Market Street,
 Suite 500, Philadelphia, PA 19103-4124,
 Tel. 215-656-7070.
Washington, DC Metropolitan Office, 1990 K
 Street, NW., Room 510, Washington, DC
 20006, Tel. 202-219-3562.
Yvette Taylor, Regional Administrator,      Leslie T. Rogers, Regional
 Region 4--Atlanta, 230 Peachtree Street,    Administrator, Region 9--
 NW., Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30303, Tel.     San Francisco, 201 Mission
 404-865-5600.                               Street, Room 1650, San
States served: Alabama, Florida, Georgia,    Francisco, CA 94105-1926,
 Kentucky, Mississippi, North, Carolina,     Tel. 415-744-3133.
 Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee,    States served: American
 and Virgin Islands.                         Samoa, Arizona, California,
                                             Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, and
                                             the Northern Mariana
                                             Islands.
                                            Los Angeles Metropolitan
                                             Office, Region 9--Los
                                             Angeles, 888 S. Figueroa
                                             Street, Suite 1850, Los
                                             Angeles, CA 90017-1850,
                                             Tel. 213-202-3952.
Marisol Simon, Regional Administrator,      Rick Krochalis, Regional
 Region 5--Chicago, 200 West Adams Street,   Administrator, Region 10--
 Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60606, Tel. 312-     Seattle, Jackson Federal
 353-2789.                                   Building, 915 Second
States served: Illinois, Indiana,            Avenue, Suite 3142,
 Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.   Seattle, WA 98174-1002,
                                             Tel. 206-220-7954.
                                            States served: Alaska,
                                             Idaho, Oregon, and
                                             Washington.
Chicago Metropolitan Office, Region 5--
 Chicago, 200 West Adams Street, Suite
 320, Chicago, IL 60606, Tel. 312-353-
 2789.
 

Appendix B

TIGGER Program Glossary of Terms

    Energy Use of the Public Transportation System is the sum of the 
lower (net) heating value of fuels purchased directly by the public 
transportation system plus electricity purchased directly by the 
public transportation system. It includes energy used to perform 
both revenue and non revenue operations directly operated by the 
agency, but not energy used by purchased services. It includes fuels 
used by an agency to generate energy, but not energy generated by an 
agency. As an example, an applicant would count the lower heating 
value of the diesel fuel used to operate a diesel generator by an 
agency but not the electricity produced by the generator. Energy 
produced on-site using solar or wind power is also not counted as 
part of consumption.
    Expected Useful Life is the expected lifetime of project 
property, or the acceptable period of use in service, based on 
standard industry practices such as those defined in FTA Circular 
9300.1B. If a useful life is claimed that differs from standard 
industry practices, or for which no standard practice exists, the 
assumed useful life of a project should be justified using 
appropriate citations or well-documented assumptions and reasoning.
    Greenhouse Gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere 
expressed in Carbon Dioxide (C02)-equivalent mass. The 
principal greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere because of 
human activities are: Carbon Dioxide (CO2); Methane 
(CH4); Nitrous Oxide (N2O); and Fluorinated 
Gases (Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur 
hexafluoride)
    Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the Public Transportation Agency are 
greenhouse gas emissions from public transportation systems vehicles 
or facilities, otherwise known as direct emissions. It does not 
include indirect emissions (e.g., from third-party power plants) or 
displaced emissions (e.g., emissions from manufacturing transit 
equipment, waste disposal, emissions released by upstream processes 
prior to purchase of the fuel or electricity by the transit agency, 
etc.).
    Project is the proposed capital investment as well as the 
existing system, subsystem, facility, vehicle, or component that the 
investment will replace or be applied to. The project scope 
determines where measurement of energy reductions or emissions 
reductions will take place and must be directly related to the 
actual capital investment.
    Total Project Energy Savings is the estimated annual project 
energy savings multiplied by the expected useful life of the 
investment.
    Total Project Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions is the 
estimated annual project greenhouse gas emission reductions 
multiplied by the expected useful life of the investment.

Appendix C

TIGGER Project Proposal Outline

    Each project proposal must contain the following information. 
Additional application instructions and tools will be located on 
FTA's TIGGER Program Web site: http://www.fta.dot.gov/tigger.
    a. Project Summary Sheet--The applicant may be requested to 
enter summary information about the project into a project summary 
sheet that will be posted on FTA's Web site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/tigger. Instructions for completing and submitting 
the sheet will be provided at the Web site.
    b. Applicant information: For each transit agency included in 
the proposal, the information should include:
    (1) Applicant name
    (2) Contact information
    (3) Whether the applicant's area is attainment, non-attainment, 
or maintenance for ozone or CO
    (4) Description of services provided by the agency and areas 
served
    (5) If proposal includes vehicles, include existing fleet 
information, such as a current rail or bus fleet management plan, if 
not already on file with the FTA Regional Office, and
    (6) A description of their technical, legal, financial, and 
program management capacity to implement the proposed project.
    c. Project Information: The information should include:

[[Page 18949]]

    (1) Whether the project is to be evaluated under energy 
reduction, greenhouse gas reduction criteria, or both.
    (2) A description of the scope of the project.
    (3) Provide a line item budget for the project and its total 
cost and for scalable projects include the minimum amount necessary 
to implement the project if FTA were not to fund the total cost.
    (4) Identify the expected useful life of the investment.
    (5) Provide brief project time-line outlining steps from project 
development through completion, including significant milestones 
such as date of contract awards and dates of project implementation 
(e.g. when vehicles will begin revenue service).
    (6) Provide the proposed location of the project, for facilities 
and other infrastructure provide the city or county where the 
investment will be located as applicable; for vehicles provide the 
cities or counties where services are likely to be provided.
    (7) Congressional district(s) served by the proposed project.
    d. Project Measurement Criteria for Energy Reduction projects: 
Proposals should identify the process the agency will use to 
determine the actual energy savings once the investment is 
implemented. For projects proposed to reduce energy consumption the 
proposal should include:
    (1) Project's Current Annual Energy Use
    (2) Project's Estimated Annual Energy Use
    (3) Project's Estimated Annual Energy Savings
    (4) Project's Total Estimated Energy Savings Over its Useful 
Life
    e. Project's Total Energy Savings as a Percentage of the 
Agency's Total Energy Use. This can be reported as less than one 
percent or the proposal must include:
    (1) Total Energy Consumption of the Public Transportation Agency
    (2) The Project's Total Energy Savings as a percentage of the 
Total Energy Consumption of the Public Transportation Agency
    f. Project Measurement Criteria for Greenhouse Gas Emission 
Reduction projects: Proposals should identify the process the agency 
will use to determine the greenhouse gas emission reductions once 
the investment is implemented. For projects proposed to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions the proposal should include:
    (1) Project's Current Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    (2) Project's Estimated Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    (3) Project's Estimated Annual Greenhouse Gas Savings
    (4) Project's Total Estimated Greenhouse Gas Savings over the 
Project's Useful Life
    g. Any proposed deviations from FTA requirements
    h. Address each of the evaluation criteria separately.
    (1) Project Innovation
    (2) National Applicability
    (3) Project Readiness
    (4) Project Management
    (5) Return on Investment
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