[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 79 (Monday, April 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24173-24176]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09563]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration


Funding Opportunity for America's Marine Highways Projects

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (Pub. L. 114-113), 
signed by the President on December 18, 2015, appropriated $5,000,000 
for the Short Sea Transportation Program (America's Marine Highways). 
The purpose of the appropriation is to make grants for projects related 
to documented vessels and port and landside infrastructure. This notice 
announces the availability of funding for Marine Highway grants and 
establishes selection criteria and application requirements.
    The Department of Transportation (Department) will award Marine 
Highway Grants to implement projects or components of projects 
designated under America's Marine Highway Program. Eligible applicants 
must be sponsors of Marine Highway Projects formally designated by the 
Secretary of Transportation (Secretary). The current list of designated 
Marine Highway Projects, and sponsors thereof, can be found on the 
Marine Highway Web site at: http://www.marad.dot.gov/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Marine-Highway-Project-Description-Pages.pdf. Only sponsors 
of designated Marine Highway Projects are eligible to apply for a 
Marine Highway Grant as described in this notice.
    MARAD invites applications for projects that have the added benefit 
of mitigating the negative impact of freight movement on communities. 
Projects should also provide additional public benefit by addressing 
access to training and job opportunities, where applicable and 
appropriate.

DATES: Applications must be received by 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time 
(EDT) on Friday, May 27, 2016. Applications received later than this 
time will not be considered.

ADDRESSES: Grant applications must be submitted electronically using 
www.Grants.gov. Please be aware that you must complete the Grants.gov 
registration process before submitting an application, and that the 
registration process usually takes 2 to 4 weeks to complete. 
Applications must be submitted by 8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 27, 
2016.

Application Process

    Applicants are strongly encouraged to make submissions in advance 
of the deadline. Applications received after the deadline will not be 
considered except in the case of unforeseen technical difficulties as 
outlined below. Late applications that are the result of failure to 
register or comply with Grants.gov applicant requirements in a timely 
manner will not be considered. Applicants experiencing technical issues 
with Grants.gov that are beyond the applicant's control must contact 
[email protected] or Tim Pickering at 202-366-0704 prior to the deadline with 
the user name of the registrant and details of the technical issue 
experienced. The applicant must provide: 1. Details of the technical 
issue experienced; 2. Screen capture(s) of the technical issue 
experienced along with corresponding ``Grant tracking number'' 
(Grants.gov); 3. The ``Legal Business Name'' for the applicant that was 
provided in the SF-424; 4. The AOR name submitted in the SF-424 
(Grants.gov); 5. The DUNS number associated with the Application; and 
6. The Grants.gov Help Desk Tracking Number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information concerning 
this notice, please contact Tori Collins, Office of Marine Highways and 
Passenger Service, Room W21-315, Maritime Administration, 1200 New 
Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590. Phone (202) 366-0795 or email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents

A. Program Description
B. Federal Award Information
C. Eligibility Information
D. Application and Submission Information
E. Application Review Information
F. Federal Award Administration Information
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

A. Program Description

    Section 55601 of Title 46 of the United States Code directs the 
Secretary to establish a short sea transportation grant program to 
implement projects or components of designated projects. The grant 
funds currently available are for projects related to documented 
vessels, and port and landside infrastructure.

B. Federal Award Information

    Under the Marine Highways Grant Program there is currently 
$5,000,000 available for designated Marine Highway Projects. Only 
projects proposed by a project sponsor that have been formally 
designated by the Secretary under the America's Marine Highway Program 
are eligible. The Secretary, through the Maritime Administration 
(MARAD), intends to award the available funding through grants to the 
extent that there are worthy applications. MARAD will seek to obtain 
the maximum benefit from the available funding by awarding grants to as 
many of the most worthy projects as possible. However, MARAD reserves 
the right to award all funds to just one project. MARAD may partially 
fund applications by selecting parts of various discrete projects. The 
start date and period of performance for each award will depend on the 
specific project and must be agreed to by MARAD.

[[Page 24174]]

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants
    Applicants eligible for Marine Highway Grants are sponsors of 
projects that the Secretary has designated as a specific Marine Highway 
Project under the America's Marine Highway Program. Project sponsors 
are public entities including metropolitan planning organizations 
(MPOs), State governments (including State Departments of 
Transportation), port authorities and tribal governments. Project 
sponsors are encouraged to develop coalitions and public/private 
partnerships, which include vessel owners and operators; third-party 
logistics providers; trucking companies; shippers; railroads; port 
authorities; State, regional and local transportation planners; 
environmental interests; impacted communities; or any combination of 
entities working in collaboration under a single application.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
    An applicant must provide at least 20 percent of project costs from 
non-Federal sources. In awarding grants under the program, MARAD will 
give preference to those projects or components that present the most 
financially viable transportation services and require the lowest total 
percentage of the Federal share of the costs.
3. Eligible Projects
    The intent of this grant program is to expand the use of water 
transportation using designated projects to create new or expanded 
services along designated Marine Highway Routes. Components of projects 
that are eligible for this round of grant funding include the 
following:

--Port and terminal infrastructure including wharves, docks, terminals 
and paving, etc.,
--Cargo, passenger and/or vessel handling equipment,
--Efficiency or capacity improvements in ports, terminals, aboard 
vessels and intermodal connectors, etc.,
--Investments that improve environmental sustainability,
--New or used vessel purchase, lease, or modification,
--Marine Highway demonstration projects of a limited duration, and
--Planning, preparation and design efforts in support of Marine Highway 
Projects.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Process
    Applications must be filed on Application for Federal Assistance, 
SF-424, which is available on the Grants.gov Web site.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
    Grant applications should be submitted using Grants.gov. The 
application should include all of the information requested below. 
MARAD reserves the right to ask any applicant for supplemental data, 
but expects applications to be complete upon submission. To the extent 
practical, MARAD encourages applicants to provide data and evidence of 
project merits in a form that is verifiable.
    a. Length of Application. The narrative portion of an application 
should be in standard academic format (i.e. 12 pt. font, double spaced) 
and not exceed 10 pages. Documentation supporting assertions made in 
the narrative portion may also be provided, but should be limited to 
relevant information. If possible, Web site links to supporting 
documentation should be provided instead of copies of these materials. 
In the applicant's discretion, relevant materials provided previously 
in support of a Marine Highway Project application may be referenced 
and described as unchanged. To the extent referenced, this information 
need not be resubmitted in support of a Marine Highway grant 
application.
    b. First Page of Application. The first page of the application 
should provide the following items of information:
    (i.) Marine Highway Project name (as stated in the Department's 
Letter of Designation);
    (ii.) Primary point of contact for applicant;
    (iii.) Total amount of the project cost in dollars and the amount 
of grant funds the applicant is seeking, along with sources, and share 
of other matching funds;
    (iv.) Summary statement of how the grant funding will be applied;
    (v.) Project parties; and
    (vi.) Unique entity identifier number. Recipients of Marine Highway 
grants and their first-tier sub-awardees must have Unique Entity 
Identifier numbers (https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform) and current 
registrations in the System for Award Management (SAM).
    c. Contact Information. An application should include the name, 
phone number, email address and organization address of the primary 
point of contact for the applicant. MARAD will use this information to 
inform applicants of our decision regarding selection of grantees, as 
well as to contact them in the event that we need additional or 
supplemental information regarding an application.
    d. Grant Funds and Sources and Uses of Project Funds. An 
application should include specific information about the amount of 
grant funding requested, sources and uses of all project funds, total 
project costs, percentage of project costs that would be paid with 
Marine Highway grant funds and the identity and percentage shares of 
all parties providing funds for the project.
    e. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Requirement. Should a 
project be selected for grant award, the project must comply with NEPA. 
If the NEPA process is underway but not complete at the time of the 
application, the application must detail where the project is in the 
process, indicate the anticipated date of completion, and provide a Web 
site link or other reference to copies of any environmental documents 
prepared.
    f. Other Federal, State and Local Actions. An application must 
indicate whether the proposed project is likely to require actions by 
other agencies (e.g., permits), indicate the status of such actions, 
and provide a Web site link or other reference to materials submitted 
to the other agencies, and demonstrate compliance with other Federal, 
State, or local regulations and permits as applicable.
    g. Certification Requirements. In order for an application to be 
considered for a grant award, the Chief Executive Officer or equivalent 
of the applicant is required to certify, in writing, the following:
    (i.) That, except as noted in this grant application, nothing has 
changed from the original application for formal designation as a 
Marine Highway Project;
    (ii.) The project sponsor will administer the project and any funds 
received will be spent efficiently and effectively; and
    (iii.) Applicant will provide information, data, and reports as 
required.
    h. Protection of Confidential Commercial Information. Applicants 
should submit, as part of or in support of an application, publicly 
available data or data that can be made public and methodologies that 
are accepted by industry practice and standards, to the extent 
possible. If the application includes information that the applicant 
considers to be a trade secret or confidential commercial or financial 
information, the applicant should do the following: (1) Note on the 
front cover that the submission ``Contains Confidential Commercial 
Information (CCI)''; (2) mark each affected page ``CCI''; and (3) 
highlight or otherwise denote the CCI portions. MARAD will

[[Page 24175]]

protect such information from disclosure to the extent allowed under 
applicable law. In the event MARAD receives a Freedom of Information 
Act (FOIA) request for the information, procedures described in the 
Department's FOIA regulation at 49 CFR 7.29 will be followed. Only 
information that is ultimately determined to be confidential under that 
procedure will be exempt from disclosure under FOIA.
3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)
    MARAD will not make an award to an applicant until the applicant 
has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM 
requirements, if applicable. Each applicant must be registered in SAM 
before submitting an application, and maintain an active SAM 
registration with current information throughout the period of the 
award. Applicants may register with the SAM at www.SAM.gov. Applicants 
can obtain a Unique Entity Identifier number at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.
4. Submission Dates and Times
    Applications must be received by 8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 27, 
2016. Applications received later than this time will not be 
considered.
5. Funding Restrictions
    While Marine Highway Grant funds may be used for demonstration 
projects, they will not be used as an operating subsidy.

E. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria
    MARAD will consider the following criteria in the evaluation 
process: (1) Reduction of external cost and public benefit; (2) whether 
the project offers a lower-cost alternative to increasing land-based 
capacity; and (3) demonstration of the likelihood of financial 
viability. Applicants will have provided this information during the 
project designation process. As certain elements of the original 
project application may have changed, applicants must provide more 
detailed information regarding market information and cost modeling 
with the grant application.
    Applicants may opt to provide additional information specific to 
the above criteria if they desire. While not mandatory, this additional 
information will help ensure that MARAD has as much information as 
possible to evaluate the applications against the selection criteria 
identified below. In deciding whether to do so, applicants should 
consider the application requirements set out at 46 U.S.C. 
55601(g)(2)(B) that state in order to receive a grant under the 
program, the applicants must demonstrate that: (A) The project is 
financially viable; (B) the funds received will be spent efficiently 
and effectively; and, (C) a market exists for the services of the 
proposed project as evidenced by contracts or written statements of 
intent from potential customers.
2. Review and Selection Process
    Upon receipt, MARAD will evaluate the application using the 
criteria outlined above during a technical review and environmental 
analysis. The review will assess project scope, impact, public-benefit, 
environmental effects, offsetting costs, cost to the Government (if 
any), the likelihood of long-term self-supporting operations, market/
customer commitment, operational costs, and its relationship with 
designated Marine Highway Routes.
    Upon completion of the technical review, MARAD will forward the 
applications to a Department inter-agency review team (Intermodal 
Team). The Office of the Secretary of Transportation will lead the 
evaluation team and will include members of MARAD, other Department 
Operating Administrations, and as appropriate, representation from 
other Federal agencies and other representatives, as needed. The 
Intermodal Team will evaluate applications using criteria that 
establish the degree to which a proposed project can: Reduce external 
cost and provide public benefit, offer a lower-cost alternative to 
increasing capacity on the Route, and demonstrate the likelihood the 
service associated with the project will become self-supporting in a 
specified and reasonable timeframe. The Intermodal Team will assign 
ratings of ``highly recommended,'' ``recommended'' or ``not 
recommended'' for each application based on the criteria set forth 
above. The Intermodal Team will provide recommendations to the Maritime 
Administrator and subsequently to the Secretary.

F. Federal Award Administration

1. Federal Award Notices
    Following the evaluation outlined in Section E, MARAD will announce 
grant awards by posting a list of selected projects on the MARAD Web 
site at www.marad.dot.gov. Following the announcement, MARAD will 
communicate to the point of contact for each successful applicant 
listed in the SF-424 to initiate development of the grant agreement.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
    All awards must be administered pursuant to the Uniform 
Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for 
Federal Awards found in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted by the Department at 
2 CFR part 1201. Additionally, all applicable Federal laws and 
regulations will apply to projects that receive Marine Highway grants. 
The period of time following award that a project is expected to expend 
grant funds and start construction, acquisition, or procurement will be 
considered on a case-by-case basis and will be specified in the 
project-specific grant agreement. MARAD reserves the right to revoke 
any award of Marine Highway grant funds and to award such funds to 
another project to the extent that such funds are not expended in a 
timely or acceptable manner and in accordance with the project 
schedule. Federal wage rate requirements included at 40 U.S.C. Sections 
3141 to 3148 apply to all projects receiving funds under this program, 
and apply to all parts of the project, whether funded with other 
Federal funds or non-Federal funds.
3. Reporting
    Grantees must submit quarterly reports to the Office of Marine 
Highways to keep MARAD informed of all activities during the reporting 
period. The reports will indicate progress made, planned activities for 
the next period, and a listing of any supplies and/or equipment 
purchased with grant funds during the reporting period. In addition, 
the report will include an explanation of any deviation from the 
projected budget and timeline. Quarterly status reports will also 
contain, at a minimum, the following: (1) A statement as to whether 
Grantee has used the Grant Funds consistent with the terms contemplated 
in the Grant Agreement; (2) if applicable, a description of the 
budgeted activities not procured by Grantee; (3) if applicable, the 
rationale for Grantee's failure to execute the budgeted activities; (4) 
if applicable, explanation as to how and when Grantee intends to 
accomplish the purposes of the Grant Agreement; and (5) a budget 
summary showing funds expended since commencement, anticipated 
expenditures for the next reporting period, and expenditures compared 
to overall budget.

[[Page 24176]]

4. Requirements for Products Produced in the United States
    Consistent with the requirements of Section 410 of Division L--
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 2016, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 
2016 (Pub. L. 114-113), the Buy American requirements of 41 U.S.C. 8303 
apply to funds made available under this Notice of Funding Opportunity.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

    For further information concerning this notice please contact Tori 
Collins, Office of Marine Highways and Passenger Services, Maritime 
Administration, Room W21- 315, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 
20590. Phone (202) 366-0951 or fax: (202) 366-6988.
    To ensure applicants receive accurate information about eligibility 
or the program, or in response to other questions, you are encouraged 
to contact MARAD directly, rather than through intermediaries or third 
parties.

    Dated: April 20, 2016.

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016-09563 Filed 4-22-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-81-P