[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 150 (Monday, August 5, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47487-47488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18814]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[Docket No. FTA-2012-0029]


Notice of Proposed Buy America Waiver

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed Buy America waiver and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) received a request 
for a waiver to permit the purchase of minivans that are non-compliant 
with FTA Buy America requirements using FTA funding. The request is 
from the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO). 
NFRMPO is in the process of procuring vehicles for its vanpool program, 
``VanGo.''
    In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(3)(A), FTA is providing notice 
of the waiver request and seeks public comment before deciding whether 
to grant the request. If granted, the waiver would be for the Buy 
America final assembly requirement only and would apply only to the 
FTA-funded procurement by NFRMPO.

DATES: Comments must be received by September 4, 2013. Late-filed 
comments will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Please submit your comments by one of the following means, 
identifying your submissions by docket number FTA-2013-0027:
    1. Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions 
for submitting comments on the U.S. Government electronic docket site.
    2. Fax: (202) 493-2251.
    3. Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Docket Operations, M-30, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    4. Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Docket Operations, M-30, West Building, Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001 between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: All submissions must make reference to the ``Federal 
Transit Administration'' and include docket number FTA-2013-0027. Due 
to the security procedures in effect since October 2011, mail received 
through the U.S. Postal Service may be subject to delays. Parties 
making submissions responsive to this notice should consider using an 
express mail firm to ensure the prompt filing of any submissions not 
filed electronically or by hand. Note that all submissions received, 
including any personal information therein, will be posted without 
change or alteration to http://www.regulations.gov. For more 
information, you may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the 
Federal Register published April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), or you may 
visit http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary J. Lee, FTA Attorney-Advisor, at 
(202) 366-0985 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this notice is to provide 
notice and seek comment on whether the Federal Transit Administration 
(FTA) should a grant non-availability waiver for NFRMPO's procurement 
of minivans or similar vehicles (minivans). If granted, the waiver 
would be limited to the Buy America final assembly requirement under 49 
U.S.C. 5323(j)(2)(C)(ii) and 49 CFR 661.11.

[[Page 47488]]

    With certain exceptions, FTA's Buy America requirements prevent FTA 
from obligating an amount that may be appropriated to carry out its 
program for a project unless ``the steel, iron, and manufactured goods 
used in the project are produced in the United States.'' 49 U.S.C. 
5323(j)(1). For rolling stock procured with FTA funds, this means that 
``the cost of components and subcomponents produced in the United 
States [must] be more than 60 percent of the cost of all components of 
the rolling stock; and . . . final assembly of the rolling stock has 
occurred in the United States.'' 49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(2)(C); 49 CFR 
661.11(a). If, however, FTA determines that ``the steel, iron, and 
goods produced in the United States are not produced in a sufficient 
and reasonably available amount or are not of a satisfactory quality,'' 
then FTA may issue a waiver (non-availability waiver). 49 U.S.C. 
5323(j)(2)(B); 49 CFR 661.7(c).
    On June 21, 2010, in response to formal requests from ElDorado 
National-Kansas (ElDorado) and the Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler), FTA 
waived its Buy America final assembly requirement for minivans and 
minivan chassis after determining through notice and comment that no 
manufacturer of minivans or minivan chassis performed final assembly in 
the United States. 75 FR 35123.
    Subsequently, on August 3, 2012, FTA issued a notice in the Federal 
Register seeking comments on a request by the Vehicle Production Group 
(VPG) for FTA to rescind the Buy America waiver for minivans and 
minivan chassis. 75 FR 35124. According to VPG, it was able to 
manufacture a wheelchair accessible vehicle, the Mobility Vehicle 1 
(MV-1), substantially similar to a minivan and in a sufficient quantity 
that was, and still is, Buy America compliant with respect to both 
domestic content and final assembly.
    On December 3, 2012, FTA rescinded the waiver for minivans and 
minivan chassis after determining that a blanket waiver was no longer 
necessary. 77 FR 71676. In this notice, FTA carefully considered all of 
the comments received by the various stakeholders through the United 
States in order to address concerns, including the differences between 
the MV-1's accessibility features and traditional minivans, inadequate 
seating capacity when the vehicles are used for vanpool services, as 
well as others. FTA determined, however, that these concerns could be 
addressed with individual waiver requests on a case-by-case basis as 
the need arose and a blanket waiver was no longer necessary.
    On July 1, 2013, FTA made two separate determinations that Braun 
Corporation (Braun) and ElDorado National-Kansas' (ElDorado) 
manufacturing processes on incomplete Chrysler and Dodge minivans met 
FTA's Buy America requirements for final assembly.\1\ These 
determinations on final assembly activities were made in response to 
formal requests by Braun and ElDorado pursuant to section (c) of 
Appendix D to 661.11 (of 49 CFR).
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    \1\ http://www.fta.dot.gov/legislation_law/about_FTA_598.html; http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/Imanse_re_Chrysler_Buy_America.pdf.
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    Now, FTA has received a request for a Buy America waiver for 
minivans from the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization 
(NFRMPO). NFRMPO operates a vanpool (``VanGo'') program, which has 75 
vans with routes connecting, among others, Fort Collins, Loveland, 
Greeley, Denver, and Boulder, Colorado. The VanGo program carries more 
than 420 commuters daily in the northern Colorado area at 93 percent 
occupancy. All of the vanpools in the VanGo program carry five to eight 
passengers. According to NFRMPO, this makes the large 10-15 passenger 
vans inefficient and too costly. In a recently issued request for 
proposals for minivans, NFRMPO received no qualified proposals for 
vehicles that meet Buy America requirements for rolling stock and seat 
at least seven passengers. Therefore, NFRMPO requests that FTA grant a 
Buy America waiver for its procurement of minivans based upon non-
availability.
    The purpose of this notice is to publish NFRMPO request and seek 
public comment from all interested parties in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 
5323(j)(3)(A). Comments will help FTA understand completely the facts 
surrounding the request, including the effects of a potential waiver 
and the merits of the request. A full copy of the request has been 
placed in docket number FTA-2013-0027.

     Issued on August 1, 2013.
Dorval R. Carter, Jr.,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2013-18814 Filed 8-2-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P