[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60172-60177]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-24178]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Clean Fuels Grant Program, Augmented With Discretionary Bus and 
Bus Facilities Program Funds

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Clean Fuels Grant Program: Announcement of Project Selections.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit 
Administration (FTA) announces the selection of projects for the Clean 
Fuels Grant program enhanced with Section 5309 Bus and Bus Facilities 
program funds. On February 7, 2012, FTA published a Notice of Funding 
Availability (NOFA) for its Clean Fuels Grant program (77 FR 6178). The 
NOFA explained the requirements and procedures for eligible applicants 
to apply for the funds made available by the Surface and Air 
Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011. In sum, the FY 2012 
Clean Fuels Grant Program made available approximately $51.5 million in 
unallocated Section 5308 Clean Fuels Grant Program funds. As outlined 
in the NOFA, the Section 5308 funds would be awarded to fund projects 
in non-attainment and maintenance areas in achieving or maintaining the 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and carbon monoxide 
and supports emerging clean fuel and advanced propulsion technologies 
for transit buses and markets for those technologies. Projects in 
attainment areas were also eligible to

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apply and if funding was available, would be funded with Section 5309 
Bus and Bus Facilities funds.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Successful applicants should contact 
the appropriate FTA Regional office for specific information regarding 
applying for the funds. A list of Regional offices can be found at 
www.fta.dot.gov. Unsuccessful applicants may contact Vanessa Williams, 
Office of Program Management at (202) 366-4818, email: 
[email protected] to arrange a proposal debriefing within 30 
days of this announcement. For general program information on the Clean 
Fuels Grant Program, contact Vanessa Williams, a TDD is available at 1-
800-877-8339 (TDD/FIRS).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In response to the NOFA, FTA received 146 
eligible proposals requesting $516 million in federal funds, indicating 
significant demand for funds. Of the proposals submitted, 46 were from 
attainment areas requesting $124 million and were only considered for 
Bus and Bus Facilities program funds. Project proposals were evaluated 
based on the criteria detailed in the February 7, 2012 NOFA. FTA is 
funding 21 projects in non-attainment and maintenance areas as shown in 
Table 1 for a total of $51.5 million, and 6 projects in attainment 
areas as shown in Table 2 for a total of $7.8 million with prior year 
Section 5309 funds.
    Grantees selected for competitive discretionary funding should work 
with their FTA regional office to finalize the grant application in 
FTA's Transportation Electronic Award Management system (TEAM) so that 
funds can be obligated expeditiously. Grant applications must only 
include eligible activities applied for in the original project 
application. Funds must be used consistent with the competitive 
proposal and for the eligible purposes defined under 49 U.S.C. 
5308(a)(2) and 5309. In cases where the allocation amount is less than 
the proposer's requested amount, grantees should work with the regional 
office to reduce scope or scale the project such that a complete phase 
or project is accomplished. Grantees are reminded that the 90% 
provision for biodiesel buses is not available this year, as the 
language permitting this higher federal share was not included in the 
2012 appropriations bill. This change was highlighted in FTA's January 
2012 Apportionment Notice, Section III (C). Biodiesel buses remain 
eligible for an 83% Federal share. A discretionary project 
identification number has been assigned to each project for tracking 
purposes and must be used in the TEAM application. Selected projects 
have pre-award authority no earlier than September 14, 2012. Pre-award 
authority is also contingent upon other requirements, such as planning 
and environmental, having been met. For more about FTA's policy on pre-
award authority, please see the FTA Fiscal Year 2012 Apportionments, 
Allocations, and Program notice found in 77 FR 1785 (January 11, 2012). 
Post-award reporting requirements include submission of the Federal 
Financial Report and Milestone reports in TEAM as appropriate (see 
FTA.C.5010.1D). The grantee must comply with all applicable Federal 
statutes, regulations, executive orders, FTA circulars, and other 
Federal administrative requirements in carrying out the project 
supported by the FTA grant. FTA emphasizes that grantees must follow 
all third-party procurement guidance, as described in FTA.C.4220.1F. 
Funds allocated in this announcement must be obligated in a grant by 
September 30, 2014.

    Issued in Washington, DC, this 26th day of September, 2012.
Peter Rogoff,
Administrator .
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[FR Doc. 2012-24178 Filed 10-1-12; 8:45 am]
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