[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 197 (Wednesday, October 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70482-70486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-24524]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.


Announcement of Fiscal Year 2016 Grants for Buses and Bus 
Facilities Competitive Program Project Selections

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit 
Administration (FTA) announces the selection of projects with Fiscal 
Year (FY) 2016 appropriations for the Grants for Buses and Bus 
Facilities Competitive Program (Bus Program), as authorized by Federal 
transit law. A total of $210,990,000 is available for competitive 
allocations in FY 2016. On March 29, 2016, FTA published a Notice of 
Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (81 FR 17553) announcing the availability of 
Federal funding for the Bus Program. These program funds will provide 
financial assistance to states and eligible public agencies to replace, 
rehabilitate and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct 
bus-related facilities, including technological changes or innovations 
to modify low or no emission vehicles or facilities.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Successful applicants should contact 
the appropriate FTA Regional Office for information regarding applying 
for the funds or program-specific information. A list of Regional 
Offices can be found at www.fta.dot.gov. Unsuccessful applicants may 
contact Sam Snead, Office of Program Management at (202) 366-1089, 
email: [email protected], to arrange a proposal debriefing within 30 
days of this announcement. A TDD is available at 1-800-877-8339 (TDD/
FIRS).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In response to the NOFO, FTA received 284 
project proposals from 47 states requesting $1.64 billion in Federal 
funds, or nearly eight dollars requested for each dollar available, 
indicating

[[Page 70483]]

significant demand for funding for buses and bus facility projects. 
Project proposals were evaluated based on each applicant's 
responsiveness to the program evaluation criteria outlined in the NOFO.
    FTA is funding 61 projects, as shown in Table 1, for a total of 
$210,990,000. Recipients selected for competitive funding should work 
with their FTA Regional Office to submit a grant application in FTA's 
Transit Award Management System (TrAMs) for the projects identified in 
the attached table. Funds must be used consistent with the competitive 
proposal and for the eligible capital purposes established in the NOFO 
and described in the FTA Circular 9030.1E.
    In cases where the allocation amount is less than the proposer's 
total requested amount, recipients are required to fund the scalable 
project option as described in the application. If the award amount 
does not correspond to the scalable option, for example due to a cap on 
the award amount, the recipient should work with the Regional Office to 
reduce scope or scale the project such that a complete phase or project 
is accomplished. Recipients are reminded that program requirements such 
as cost sharing or local match can be found in the NOFO. A 
discretionary project identification number has been assigned to each 
project for tracking purposes and must be used in the TrAMs 
application.
    Selected projects are eligible to incur costs under pre-award 
authority no earlier than the date projects were publicly announced, 
September 8, 2016. Pre-award authority does not guarantee that project 
expenses incurred prior to the award of a grant will be eligible for 
reimbursement, as eligibility for reimbursement is contingent upon 
other requirements, such as planning and environmental requirements, 
having been met. For more about FTA's policy on pre-award authority, 
please see the FTA Fiscal Year 2016 Apportionments, Allocations, and 
Program Information and Interim Guidance found in 81 FR 7893 (February 
16, 2016). Post-award reporting requirements include submission of the 
Federal Financial Report and Milestone progress reports in TrAMs as 
appropriate (see FTA.C.5010.1D and C9030.1E). Recipients must comply 
with all applicable Federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, 
FTA circulars, and other Federal requirements in carrying out the 
project supported by the FTA grant. FTA emphasizes that recipients 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, 2019.
    Technical Review and Evaluation Summary: FTA assessed all project 
proposals that were submitted under the FY 2016 Grants for Buses and 
Bus Facilities competition according to the following evaluation 
criteria. The specific metrics for each criterion were described in the 
March 29, 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO):

1. Demonstration of Need
2. Demonstration of Benefits
3. Project Implementation Strategy
4. Planning/Local Prioritization
5. Local Financial Commitment
6. Technical, Legal, and Financial Capacity

    For each project, a technical review panel assigned a rating of 
Highly Recommended, Recommended or Not Recommended for each of the six 
criteria. The technical review panel then assigned an overall rating of 
Highly Recommended, Recommended, Not Recommended or Ineligible to the 
project proposal.
    Projects were assigned a final overall rating of Highly Recommended 
if they were rated Highly Recommended in the Demonstration of Need and 
Demonstration of Benefits criteria and at least four categories 
overall, with no ``Not Recommended'' ratings. Projects were assigned a 
final overall rating of Recommended if the project had no more than one 
Not Recommended rating among the six criteria and at least Recommended 
for Demonstration of Need and Demonstration of Benefits. Projects were 
assigned a rating of a Not Recommended if they received Not Recommended 
rating in two or more criteria, or received a rating of Not Recommended 
for any one among the Demonstration of Need, Demonstration of Benefits, 
or Technical/Financial/Legal Capacity criteria. A summary of the 
overall scores is shown in the table below.

Overall Project Ratings (All Submissions):

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Highly Recommended......................................     36 projects
Recommended.............................................             158
Not Recommended.........................................              77
Ineligible..............................................              13
                                                         ---------------
    Total...............................................             284
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    As outlined in the NOFO, FTA made the final selections based on the 
technical ratings as well geographic diversity, diversity in the size 
of the transit systems, and/or receipt of other recent competitive 
awards. As further outlined in the NOFO, in some cases, due to funding 
limitations, proposers that were selected for funding received less 
than the amount originally requested. FTA was able to fund all the 
Highly Recommended projects, excluding applicants that already received 
FY 2016 Low and No Emission Grant Funding awarded under this NOFO. None 
of the projects that received an overall rating of Not Recommended or 
Ineligible were selected for funding.
    In the interest of geographic diversity, FTA awarded funding to at 
least one project in each state that submitted a project rated at least 
recommended. These projects were selected based on their technical 
rating, while also considering the amount requested and directing at 
least 10% of the program funding to projects in rural areas, as 
required by law.

    Authority:  49 U.S.C. 5339(b).

Carolyn Flowers,
Acting Administrator.

                                    Table 1--FY 16 Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Competition Project Selections
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         State                Recipient                  Project ID             Project description    Allocation               Project rating
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AK....................  Fairbanks North Star  D2016-BUSP-001.................  Renovate and expand       12,800,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Borough.                                               bus maintenance and
                                                                                storage facility.
AL....................  Birmingham-Jefferson  D2016-BUSP-002.................  Purchase compressed          405,000  Recommended.
                         County Transit                                         natural gas (CNG)
                         Authority.                                             bus.
AR....................  Central Arkansas      D2016-BUSP-003.................  Purchase CNG buses..       1,653,498  Recommended.
                         Transit Authority
                         dba Rock Region
                         METRO.
AZ....................  N. Arizona            D2016-BUSP-004.................  Purchase hybrid            2,202,522  Highly Recommended.
                         Intergovernmental                                      diesel-electric
                         Public                                                 buses.
                         Transportation
                         Authority.

[[Page 70484]]

 
AZ....................  Yavapai-Apache        D2016-BUSP-005.................  Purchase 15-                 105,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Nation.                                                passenger van;
                                                                                construct bus stop
                                                                                shelters.
CA....................  California            D2016-BUSP-006.................  Construct new bus          4,280,512  Highly Recommended.
                         Department of                                          maintenance
                         Transportation.                                        facility.
CA....................  Foothill Transit....  D2016-BUSP-007.................  Design and construct       7,240,000  Highly Recommended.
                                                                                transit center at
                                                                                Mount San Antonio
                                                                                College.
CA....................  Los Angeles County    D2016-BUSP-008.................  Purchase CNG              10,500,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Metropolitan                                           replacement buses,
                         Transportation                                         install related CNG
                         Authority.                                             infrastructure,
                                                                                workforce
                                                                                development.
CA....................  Marin County Transit  D2016-BUSP-009.................  Design and construct       4,400,000  Highly Recommended.
                         District.                                              vehicle maintenance
                                                                                and storage
                                                                                facility; workforce
                                                                                development.
CA....................  Monterey-Salinas      D2016-BUSP-010.................  Purchase replacement       3,687,100  Highly Recommended.
                         Transit.                                               buses; workforce
                                                                                development and
                                                                                training.
CA....................  Sacramento Regional   D2016-BUSP-011.................  Purchase CNG fueled          695,088  Highly Recommended.
                         Transit District.                                      replacement buses.
CA....................  Sacramento Regional   D2016-BUSP-012.................  Replace CNG fueling          400,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Transit District.                                      equipment at bus
                                                                                maintenance
                                                                                facility.
CA....................  San Joaquin Regional  D2016-BUSP-013.................  Purchase replacement       8,284,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Transit District.                                      hybrid diesel-
                                                                                electric buses.
CA....................  San Luis Obispo       D2016-BUSP-014.................  Design and construct       4,000,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Regional Transit                                       new downtown
                         Authority.                                             transit center to
                                                                                replace current
                                                                                facility.
CA....................  Santa Barbara         D2016-BUSP-015.................  Purchase replacement       5,680,905  Highly Recommended.
                         Metropolitan                                           buses.
                         Transit District.
CO....................  Mesa County.........  D2016-BUSP-016.................  Purchase replacement         208,000  Highly Recommended.
                                                                                buses.
FL....................  Hillsborough Transit  D2016-BUSP-017.................  Purchase CNG buses..       4,273,771  Recommended.
                         Authority.
GA....................  Chatham Area Transit  D2016-BUSP-018.................  Purchase paratransit       1,608,880  Highly Recommended.
                         Authority.                                             vehicles.
HI....................  State of Hawaii,      D2016-BUSP-019.................  Purchase replacement         960,000  Recommended.
                         Department of                                          transit vehicles.
                         Transportation.
IA....................  Iowa Department of    D2016-BUSP-020.................  Purchase transit           4,273,771  Recommended.
                         Transportation.                                        vehicles for rural
                                                                                operators.
IL....................  Rock Island Co.       D2016-BUSP-021.................  Purchase CNG buses..         391,000  Recommended.
                         Metropolitan Mass
                         Transit District.
IN....................  City of Columbus....  D2016-BUSP-022.................  Purchase of small            728,000  Recommended.
                                                                                heavy duty transit
                                                                                vehicles.
KY....................  Kentucky              D2016-BUSP-023.................  Purchase transit           5,823,974  Highly Recommended.
                         Transportation                                         vehicles for rural
                         Cabinet.                                               service.
MA....................  Massachusetts Bay     D2016-BUSP-024.................  Construct New Quincy       4,273,771  Recommended.
                         Transportation                                         Center bus terminal
                         Authority.                                             and intermodal
                                                                                enhancements.
MD....................  Maryland Department   D2016-BUSP-025.................  Rehabilitate transit         533,575  Recommended.
                         of Transportation.                                     buses; workforce
                                                                                training.
ME....................  Maine Department of   D2016-BUSP-026.................  Purchase replacement       1,441,600  Recommended.
                         Transportation.                                        buses.
MI....................  Mass Transportation   D2016-BUSP-027.................  Purchase CNG transit      12,800,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Authority (Flint,                                      buses; workforce
                         MI).                                                   development.
MN....................  Metropolitan Council  D2016-BUSP-028.................  Purchase low floor           103,515  Recommended.
                         Metro Transit.                                         buses.
MO....................  City Utilities of     D2016-BUSP-029.................  Purchase buses;            3,870,960  Highly Recommended.
                         Springfield,                                           workforce
                         Missouri.                                              development.
MO....................  Kansas City Area      D2016-BUSP-030.................  Purchase buses......       8,986,350  Highly Recommended.
                         Transportation
                         Authority.
MT....................  Confederated Salish   D2016-BUSP-031.................  Purchase buses and           681,450  Highly Recommended.
                         and Kootenai Tribes.                                   vans; workforce
                                                                                development.
NC....................  City of Greensboro..  D2016-BUSP-032.................  Renovate ticketing,          960,000  Recommended.
                                                                                call center, and
                                                                                waiting areas at
                                                                                the J. Douglas
                                                                                Galyon Depot.
ND....................  North Dakota          D2016-BUSP-033.................  Purchase replacement         844,000  Recommended.
                         Department of                                          rural transit
                         Transportation.                                        vehicles and two
                                                                                intercity bus
                                                                                vehicles.

[[Page 70485]]

 
NE....................  Transit Authority of  D2016-BUSP-034.................  Purchase low floor,        2,424,240  Recommended.
                         the City of Omaha.                                     CNG buses and
                                                                                maintenance
                                                                                equipment;
                                                                                workforce
                                                                                development.
NH....................  New Hampshire         D2016-BUSP-035.................  Purchase heavy-duty          382,500  Recommended.
                         Department of                                          transit bus.
                         Transportation.
NJ....................  New Jersey Transit    D2016-BUSP-036.................  Construct new bus          2,656,452  Recommended.
                         Corporation.                                           terminal.
NM....................  City of Las Cruces..  D2016-BUSP-037.................  Purchase buses for         1,134,750  Recommended.
                                                                                vehicle replacement
                                                                                and service
                                                                                expansion.
NY....................  New York City         D2016-BUSP-038.................  Construct a                4,273,771  Recommended.
                         Department of                                          combination of bus
                         Transportation.                                        lanes, stations,
                                                                                refurbished bus
                                                                                stops and transfer
                                                                                points, safety
                                                                                improvements, and
                                                                                transit signal
                                                                                priority and signal
                                                                                timing changes.
OH....................  Ohio Department of    D2016-BUSP-039.................  Purchase replacement       6,691,634  Highly Recommended.
                         Transportation.                                        transit vehicles
                                                                                for rural service.
OK....................  Central Oklahoma      D2016-BUSP-040.................  Purchase CNG               1,932,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Transportation and                                     replacement buses.
                         Parking Authority.
OK....................  Oklahoma Department   D2016-BUSP-041.................  Purchase replacement       3,590,154  Highly Recommended.
                         of Transportation.                                     ADA transit
                                                                                vehicles.
OR....................  City of Wilsonville-- D2016-BUSP-042.................  Purchase low-floor           320,000  Highly Recommended.
                         SMART Transit.                                         30-foot replacement
                                                                                bus.
PA....................  River Valley Transit  D2016-BUSP-043.................  Purchase CNG               2,040,000  Highly Recommended.
                         (Williamsport, AA).                                    replacement buses.
PA....................  Southeastern          D2016-BUSP-044.................  Rehabilitate               4,000,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Pennsylvania                                           Wissahickon Transit
                         Transportation                                         Center.
                         Authority (SEPTA).
PA....................  Transportation and    D2016-BUSP-045.................  Purchase replacement         864,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Motor Buses for                                        transit buses.
                         Public Use
                         Authority (Altoona,
                         PA).
RI....................  Rhode Island Public   D2016-BUSP-046.................  Construct New Goff         5,636,745  Highly Recommended.
                         Transit Authority.                                     Avenue bus hub and
                                                                                passenger facility
                                                                                and transit
                                                                                corridor
                                                                                improvements.
SC....................  Berkeley-Charleston-  D2016-BUSP-047.................  Purchase 40ft low-         6,153,600  Highly Recommended.
                         Dorchester Council                                     floor commuter
                         of Governments.                                        style coaches and
                                                                                related equipment.
SD....................  City of Sioux Falls.  D2016-BUSP-048.................  Rehabilitate               1,145,850  Highly Recommended.
                                                                                downtown transit
                                                                                station.
TN....................  Memphis Area Transit  D2016-BUSP-049.................  Purchase replacement       4,273,771  Recommended.
                         Authority.                                             transit buses.
TX....................  Capital Metropolitan  D2016-BUSP-050.................  Purchase replacement      11,249,240  Highly Recommended.
                         Transportation                                         transit vehicles.
                         Authority.
TX....................  City of Laredo &      D2016-BUSP-051.................  Rehabilitate El            9,875,083  Highly Recommended.
                         Laredo Transit                                         Metro
                         Management Inc.                                        Administration
                                                                                Facility.
TX....................  City of Wichita       D2016-BUSP-052.................  Purchase replacement       1,376,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Falls.                                                 buses.
UT....................  Utah Transit          D2016-BUSP-053.................  Purchase replacement       4,273,770  Recommended.
                         Authority.                                             buses.
VA....................  Transportation        D2016-BUSP-054.................  Purchase heavy duty        1,257,393  Recommended.
                         District Commission                                    transit buses.
                         of Hampton Roads.
VI....................  Virgin Islands        D2016-BUSP-055.................  Rehabilitate La            1,696,405  Recommended.
                         Department of                                          Reine Bus Facility.
                         Public Works.
VT....................  Vermont Agency of     D2016-BUSP-056.................  Purchase heavy-duty        3,924,000  Recommended.
                         Transportation.                                        transit buses.
WA....................  City of Longview....  D2016-BUSP-057.................  Construct expansion        2,784,000  Highly Recommended.
                                                                                of downtown transit
                                                                                center.
WA....................  City of Longview....  D2016-BUSP-058.................  Purchase low-floor           832,000  Highly Recommended.
                                                                                biodiesel buses.
WA....................  Clark County Public   D2016-BUSP-059.................  Purchase low floor         6,080,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Transportation                                         hybrid diesel-
                         Benefit Area.                                          electric
                                                                                replacement buses.
WA....................  Spokane Transit       D2016-BUSP-060.................  Construct multimodal       1,000,000  Highly Recommended.
                         Authority.                                             transit center.

[[Page 70486]]

 
WI....................  Wisconsin Department  D2016-BUSP-061.................  Purchase replacement          26,400  Recommended.
                         of Transportation.                                     for side loading
                                                                                accessible mini-van.
                                                                                                    ----------------
    Total.............  ....................  ...............................  ....................   * 210,990,000
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[FR Doc. 2016-24524 Filed 10-11-16; 8:45 am]
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