[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23077-23079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08987]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[Docket No. FTA-2016-0004]


Notice of Buy America Waiver for Ductless Mini-Split Air 
Conditioning Systems

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Buy America waiver.

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SUMMARY: In response to requests received from the Indianapolis Public 
Transportation Corporation (IPTC) for a Buy America non-availability 
waiver for the procurement of an inverter-driven ductless mini-split 
system air conditioner; the York Adams Transportation Authority (YATA) 
for ductless split system air conditioning units; the Key West Transit 
(KWT) for a ductless mini-split mechanical system for the City of Key 
West Public

[[Page 23078]]

Transportation Facility; and the Springfield Redevelopment Authority 
(SRA) for ductless mini-split air conditioners for the Union Station 
Regional Intermodal Transportation Center in Springfield, 
Massachusetts, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) hereby waives 
its Buy America requirements, finding that the materials for which the 
waivers are requested are not produced in the United States in 
sufficient and reasonable quantities and of satisfactory quality. This 
waiver is limited to the specific procurements identified herein.

DATES: This waiver is effective immediately.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Ames, FTA Attorney-Advisor, at 
(202) 366-2743 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this notice is to announce 
that FTA has granted non-availability Buy America waivers to IPTC, 
YATA, KWT, and SRA for the procurement of ductless split system air 
conditioning units 49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(2)(A); 49 CFR 661.7(c).
    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). A manufactured product is considered produced in the United 
States if: (1) All of the manufacturing processes for the product take 
place in the United States; and (2) all of the components of the 
product are of U.S. origin. A component is considered of U.S. origin if 
it is manufactured in the United States, regardless of the origin of 
its subcomponents. 49 CFR 661.5(d). 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 non-availability waiver. 
49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(2)(B); 49 CFR 661.7(c). ``It will be presumed that 
the conditions exist to grant this non-availability waiver if no 
responsive and responsible bid is received offering an item produced in 
the United States.'' 49 CFR 661.7(c)(1).
    By way of background, IPTC is constructing its Downtown Transit 
Center and the contractor and subcontractor hired for the project, 
Weddle Bros. Building Group, LLC and Commercial Air Inc., previously 
certified Buy America compliance. After awarding the contract, 
Commercial Air became aware that the inverter-driven ductless mini-
split system air conditioner selected for the center, was non-
compliant. Enviroair manufactures this air conditioning system in 
China, although certain equipment is stocked and shipped from Utica, 
New York. IPTC selected the Enviroair system, which will be installed 
in the transit center's information technology room, because it will 
keep the room constantly cool and is the only way to cool the room in 
the space provided. IPTC also hopes to receive Silver LEED 
certification for the transit center and the Enviroair system is 
critical for achieving this certification. IPTC identified six other 
ductless mini-split air condition system manufacturers, all of which 
are manufactured abroad.
    YATA seeks to install multiple ductless split system air 
conditioning units in its Operations and Maintenance Facility. These 
units will regulate environmental conditions in areas with specific 
temperature and/or humidity requirements, such as in server rooms or 
elevator machine rooms, or in rooms where conventional ductwork is not 
possible. YATA's successful bidder certified Buy America compliance, 
although later learned that the units from ECR international-EMI-USA of 
Utica, New York, are in fact manufactured abroad. YATA identified one 
ductless split system unit that is manufactured in the U.S. by Modine, 
however, this unit has a larger capacity than YATA's project 
requirements for the Operations and Maintenance Facility. Use of this 
unit would result in constant compressor cycling and a limited 
lifespan. Moreover, YATA states that it cannot use a standard split 
system unit as an alternative to the ductless split system, because a 
standard system is incapable of treating ventilation air and the 
required ductwork cannot be installed in locations that need 
environmental control. Therefore, no domestic manufacturer exists that 
would satisfy YATA's project needs.
    KWT is completing construction of its City of Key West Public 
Transportation Facility, which is a U.S. Green Building Council LEED 
project and includes many sustainable and efficient elements, including 
that of the HVAC system. According to KWT's waiver request, the HVAC 
system is Buy America-compliant, with the exception of the VRF 
mechanical system which will be placed in three of the electrical, 
mechanical, and server rooms in the new facility. KWT states that these 
rooms must be able to function separately from the main operations 
building. KWT also is building this facility to be LEED silver 
certified and the energy-efficient VRF system will help KWT attain this 
certification. The VRF system sought will also better accommodate 
spatial constraints since the new facility is surrounded by a landfill, 
school bus parking lot, and other construction projects. It is also 
located in a highly-trafficked area, which limits the footprint of the 
project. Unlike other HVAC systems, the ductless mini-split system will 
be able to fit into the available space.
    KWT is installing a Carrier ductless mini-split system in the 
facility. Before selecting this system, KWT conducted extensive 
research and reached out to domestic manufacturers, however, KWT was 
unable to find a domestically manufactured mini-split air conditioning 
system. KWT states that it contacted the remaining America manufacturer 
of VRF HVAC systems and this manufacturer ceased production two years 
ago.
    SRA is constructing the Union Station Regional Intermodal 
Transportation Center, which includes renovation of the existing 
Terminal Building and the construction of a six-story parking garage. 
SRA is seeking to procure nine ductless mini-split air conditioners for 
the construction project. Each building within the transportation 
center will have its own HVAC system. SRA states that it is necessary 
to install ductless mini-split air conditioners in each individual room 
in order to maintain environs in each room. The air conditioners will 
be independent of other heating and cooling systems and will be backed 
up by a generator. Initially, SRA's contractor believed that Trane's 
product was Buy America-compliant. Subsequently, however, Trane 
notified SRA that its product was mislabeled and is actually foreign-
made. SRA also contacted 8 other companies who manufacture ductless 
mini-split air conditioners, although none of these companies 
manufacture the product domestically. As a result, SRA is seeking a 
non-availability waiver for the ductless mini-split air conditioners as 
there is no domestic manufacturer.
    FTA also conducted a scouting search for ductless air conditioning 
systems through its Interagency Agreement with the U.S. Department of 
Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 
Although the scouting search identified two domestic manufacturers as 
potential matches for this opportunity, upon further investigation 
neither company currently produces a system that would meet the stated 
specifications.
    On Tuesday, March 22, 2016, and in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 
5323(j)(3)(A), FTA published a notice in the Federal

[[Page 23079]]

Register announcing the Buy America waiver request (81 FR 15409), 
seeking comment from all interested parties, including potential 
vendors and suppliers. The comment period closed on March 29, 2016, and 
no comments were received. Based on the representations from IPTC, 
YATA, KWT, and SRA, the lack of any comments, and the fact that the 
NIST supplier scouting search did not identify a domestically made air 
conditioner system, FTA is granting a non-availability waiver for the 
procurements of the ductless air conditioning systems described above 
on the grounds that the manufactured products are not available in the 
U.S. This waiver is limited to the specific procurements described in 
this waiver.

    Issued on April 14, 2016.
Dana Nifosi,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2016-08987 Filed 4-18-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-57-P