[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 150 (Friday, August 5, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48064-48067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-16860]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2022-0082]


Request for Information; Thriving Communities Initiative

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation 
(DOT).

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) enacted as the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) created several new 
programs at the US Department of Transportation (DOT) that allow local 
governments, non-profit organizations, tribal governments, and other 
political subdivisions of state or local governments to apply directly 
for DOT discretionary grant funding. In response to President Biden's 
Executive Orders, ``Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved 
Communities Through the Federal Government,'' and

[[Page 48065]]

``Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,'' DOT has included 
criteria in its notices of funding opportunity to prioritize the needs 
of disadvantaged communities for many of these new programs. Through 
this Request for Information (RFI) for the newly created Thriving 
Communities Initiative, DOT is looking to gain information on the 
technical assistance, planning, and capacity building needs faced by 
disadvantaged communities that are seeking to advance local 
transportation projects within the existing Federal, state, and 
regional transportation planning and project delivery methods including 
to access innovative finance programs offered through DOT.

DATES: Comments are requested by August 26, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to the docket number above and be 
submitted by one of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building 
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
    Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments, see 
the Public Participation heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this document. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided.
    Privacy Act: Except as provided below, all comments received into 
the docket will be made public in their entirety. The comments will be 
searchable by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). You should not include information in 
your comment that you do not want to be made public. You may review 
DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published 
on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or at https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, visit https://www.regulations.gov or the street 
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the 
dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For policy issues, please email 
[email protected] or contact Victor Austin at 202-366-2996. 
Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday, 
except for Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For this notice, DOT defines technical 
assistance to include programs, processes, and resources that provide 
targeted support, knowledge, or expertise to a community, region, 
organization, or other beneficiary to help access and successfully 
deploy funding and build local capacity to develop, design, and deliver 
transportation plans and projects. DOT is interested in learning more 
about best practices in technical assistance delivery approaches from 
non-Federal providers and Federal agencies which disadvantaged 
communities feel have been successful in meeting their needs. DOT is 
also interested in the technical assistance challenges disadvantaged 
communities face or anticipate facing when seeking to access DOT-led 
technical assistance and capacity building opportunities.
    The information gained through this RFI will assist DOT to 
implement the Thriving Communities Initiative and will inform technical 
assistance programs being coordinated through the Build America Bureau 
(Bureau) that advance capacity building for disadvantaged communities, 
including rural and tribal governments. DOT is assessing its current 
suite of technical assistance programs and seeks to identify emerging 
technical assistance needs and best practices in the delivery 
approaches offered by other Federal agencies and by non-Federal 
technical assistance and capacity building providers.
    A Department goal in creating new technical assistance programs is 
to structure capacity building approaches that facilitate cross-sector 
coordination, build sustained capacity in local communities both within 
government and by other implementation partners, and foster multi-
stakeholder engagement both in their delivery and outcomes. The RFI 
responses will inform work by the Bureau to develop and coordinate 
technical assistance programs that deliver improved results to 
communities. This includes enabling communities to accelerate project 
delivery, utilize innovative finance tools, and advance transportation 
projects that benefit disadvantaged communities, support the overall 
Thriving Communities Initiative, align with DOT's strategic priorities, 
and help to implement the Equity Action Plan.\1\
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    \1\ U.S. Department of Transportation, ``FY2022-2026 Strategic 
Plan,'' available at: https://www.transportation.gov/dot-strategic-plan. U.S. Department of Transportation, ``Equity Action Plan'' 
(January 2022), available at: https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/equity/actionplan.
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    Through this RFI, DOT requests information on the technical 
assistance, planning, and capacity building needs faced by 
disadvantaged communities seeking to advance transportation projects 
within existing Federal, state, and regional transportation planning 
and project delivery methods to inform the development of technical 
assistance and capacity building funded through the Thriving 
Communities Program (TCP), the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, 
and the Bureau. The Department is also interested in the technical 
assistance challenges disadvantaged communities face or anticipate 
facing when seeking to access innovative financing tools and Federal 
credit assistance programs, such as those provided through the 
Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) 
(https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/financing/tifia) or the 
Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) (https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/financing/rrif).
    DOT is keenly interested in ways to leverage and synergize these 
technical assistance programs to provide a coordinated and seamless 
process for their delivery and for communities to access these 
resources. Each of these programs, including TCP, has a place-based 
focus and is designed to work across a range of DOT grant programs, 
transportation modes, and in support of urban, suburban, rural, and 
tribal communities.

Thriving Communities Initiative

    The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, provided $25 million to 
DOT to develop and implement technical assistance, planning, and 
capacity building to improve and foster thriving communities through 
transportation improvements through the Thriving Communities 
Initiative. This includes a new Thriving Communities Program by which 
DOT will utilize cooperative agreements with capacity building and 
technical assistance providers to support communities seeking to 
advance transformative, equitable, and climate-friendly infrastructure 
projects that benefit disadvantaged communities. Eligible applicants to 
provide this assistance include philanthropic

[[Page 48066]]

entities, non-profit organizations, other Federal agencies, state or 
local governments and their agencies, Indian Tribes, or other technical 
assistance providers. The purpose of this assistance is to facilitate 
the planning and development of transportation and community 
revitalization activities supported by DOT under titles 23, 46, and 49, 
United States Code, that increase mobility, reduce pollution from 
transportation sources, expand affordable transportation options, 
facilitate efficient land use, preserve, or expand jobs, improve 
housing conditions, enhance connections to health care, education, and 
food security, or improve health outcomes. More information on the 
Thriving Communities Program is available at https://www.transportation.gov/grants/thriving-communities.

Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program

    The Thriving Communities Initiative will also coordinate technical 
assistance funded through DOT's new Reconnecting Communities Pilot 
program. The Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) program was created 
in BIL (IIJA) to reconnect communities by removing, retrofitting, or 
mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create 
barriers to community connectivity. The program provides technical 
assistance and funding for planning and capital construction. The RCP 
Program provides DOT up to $30 million, cumulatively for FY 2022-FY 
2026, to provide technical assistance and capacity building support for 
RCP applicants and grant recipients for transportation planning and 
capital investment projects. Recipients of FY 2022 Planning Grants and 
Capital Construction Grants will have access to RCP technical 
assistance based on the availability of DOT resources. DOT will 
prioritize technical assistance for recipients serving economically 
disadvantaged communities. For prospective RCP applicants who are not 
ready to apply for a Planning or Capital Construction Grant, DOT 
intends to provide technical assistance through learning academies 
starting in 2023. More information on the RCP program is available at: 
https://www.transportation.gov/grants/reconnecting-communities.

Build America Bureau

    The TCP and RCP program technical assistance will be managed 
through the Bureau, which is also implementing several other technical 
assistance programs, some of which predate BIL. These include the 
Regional Infrastructure Accelerators, the Build America Center, the 
Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, and Asset Concession and 
Innovative Finance Assistance Programs. Some Bureau programs allow for 
direct grant agreements or procurements of technical assistance on 
behalf of recipients and/or providers. All of these programs are 
designed to improve transportation infrastructure financing and project 
delivery, develop new initiatives to facilitate public and private 
financing mechanisms, and analyze the cost-effectiveness of new and 
alternative approaches. Information on the Build America Bureau is 
available at: https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/.

RFI Definitions

    The definitions for technical assistance, capacity building, 
planning, and disadvantaged communities are provided below and used for 
the purposes of this RFI.
    Technical assistance: Programs, processes, and resources that 
provide targeted support, knowledge or expertise to a community, 
region, organization, or other beneficiary to help them access and 
utilize Federal funding to develop, analyze, design, and deliver 
transportation plans and projects.
    Capacity building: Activities designed to improve the ability of an 
organization to design and implement the necessary technical, 
financial, business, data analysis, and management skills of grantees 
to access Federal funding, meet Federal requirements, undertake 
statewide and metropolitan long-range planning and programming 
activities, and implement other activities that broadly support project 
development and delivery. This includes developing long-term community 
capacity to sustain partnerships and engage non-governmental partners, 
leadership and workforce development, and program evaluation.
    Planning: Efforts that support inclusive public participation and 
community engagement in developing and implementing a range of 
activities to identify, assess, and evaluate community needs, including 
but not limited to environmental reviews, data and mapping 
visualization, market and mobility studies, health and safety impacts, 
and climate vulnerability assessments. Planning assistance may involve 
developing or designing for a program or project that aligns with the 
goals of the DOT Strategic Plan: https://www.transportation.gov/dot-strategic-plan.
    Disadvantaged Communities: Consistent with the Office of Management 
and Budget's Interim Guidance for the Justice40 Initiative, DOT's 
interim definition of Disadvantaged Communities includes (a) certain 
qualifying census tracts, (b) any tribal land, or (c) any territory or 
possession of the United States. DOT considers a census tract 
disadvantaged if it falls in the top 50% (75% for resilience) in at 
least four of the following categories--transportation access, health, 
environmental, economic, resilience, and equity disadvantage. For more 
information see https://www.transportation.gov/grants/dot-navigator/federal-tools-determine-disadvantaged-community-status.

Questions to the Public

    The IIJA provides communities with an unprecedented opportunity to 
apply directly for Federal funding. Yet accessing these resources 
requires local communities to have considerable technical knowledge not 
only of the funding programs, but also of the larger transportation 
planning context including compliance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act and other Federal requirements, and the means to 
successfully secure matching funds, leverage other funding and finance 
resources and to meet the reporting and oversight obligations of 
Federal grant funding. For many disadvantaged and underserved 
communities, these requirements create substantial barriers.
    The Department seeks to gather information on technical assistance, 
planning, and capacity building needs and challenges and identify 
potential models and best practices to further improve programs being 
coordinated by the Bureau through the Thriving Communities Initiative. 
Through these coordinated efforts, DOT seeks to foster local 
innovation, advance DOT's equity goals, and support cross-issue and 
cross-sector collaboration.
    The following list of questions and topic areas are intended to 
guide the Department in this effort. Please feel free to answer any or 
all of the following questions.

Determining Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Needs

    1. What are the greatest barriers to disadvantaged communities in 
pursuing Federal transportation funds and delivering transportation 
projects, particularly for rural, tribal, and smaller jurisdictions 
that technical assistance could help address? What information and 
resources would help disadvantaged communities and local

[[Page 48067]]

organizations pursue Federal transportation funds?
    2. What types of technical assistance would be most useful or not 
useful to organizations serving or located in disadvantaged communities 
to work with local and state transportation agencies advance 
transportation projects that improve mobility, safety, economic 
development, equity outcomes and environmental issues? Are there 
particular issues that current DOT technical assistance programs do a 
good job of addressing?
    3. How can DOT better provide project sponsors with technical 
assistance in support of competitive grants and credit program 
opportunities including: innovative finance tools, credit worthiness 
evaluation, benefit cost analyses, civil rights requirements, public 
engagement, and risk assessments; and are there particular challenges 
disadvantaged communities face in these areas that need to be 
addressed?
    4. What other information should DOT consider as it creates new 
technical assistance and capacity building programs through the Bureau, 
particularly to support disadvantaged communities in identifying, 
designing, developing, financing, and implementing projects that can be 
supported through IIJA funding opportunities and programs?

Approaches and Methods To Delivering and Evaluating Technical 
Assistance and Building Capacity

    5. What technical assistance delivery models (Federal or non-
Federal; direct grants or through service providers) have you found to 
be the most beneficial to building sustained capacity in disadvantaged 
communities, and to reducing the burden for disadvantaged communities 
to access these resources? What resources, technical assistance, and 
training have you found to be the most beneficial to building sustained 
capacity in disadvantaged communities? Further, given that DOT has 
provided technical assistance directly through its regional, field, 
division, and headquarters staff; through third party contractors and 
Centers; through grants directly to communities; and through a variety 
of mediums,\2\ please provide feedback on which of these you have 
found, or believe to be, the most effective models and why.
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    \2\ For reference, the DOT Navigator provides access to the 
suite of existing DOT technical assistance resources; available at 
https://www.transportation.gov/dot-navigator.
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    6. How could technical assistance programs be designed to support 
the involvement and capacity building of disadvantaged business 
enterprises (DBEs), local contractors, and community organizations who 
may also be important partners?
    7. How can interagency coordination between Federal, state, and 
regional offices enhance the delivery and impact of technical 
assistance efforts?
    8. How should DOT evaluate the effectiveness of its place-based 
technical assistance programs and what data should it collect to assess 
its impact?

Public Participation

How do I prepare and submit comments?

    To ensure that your comments are filed correctly, please include 
the docket number DOT-OST-2022-0082 in your comments. Respondents are 
invited to provide information responding to any or all questions.
    Please submit one copy (two copies if submitting by mail or hand 
delivery) of your comments, including any attachments, to the docket 
following the instructions given above under ADDRESSES. Please note, if 
you are submitting comments electronically as a PDF (Adobe) file, we 
ask that the documents submitted be scanned using an Optical Character 
Recognition (OCR) process, thus allowing the Agency to search and copy 
certain portions of your submissions.

How do I submit confidential business information?

    Any submissions containing Confidential Information must be 
delivered to DOT in the following manner:
     Submitted in a sealed envelope marked ``confidential 
treatment requested.''
     Document(s) or information that the submitter would like 
withheld from the public docket should be marked ``PROPIN.''
     Accompanied by an index listing the document(s) or 
information that the submitter would like the Department to withhold. 
The index should include information such as numbers used to identify 
the relevant document(s) or information, document title and 
description, and relevant page numbers and/or section numbers within a 
document.
     Submitted with a statement explaining the submitter's 
grounds for objecting to disclosing the information to the public.
    DOT will treat such marked submissions as confidential under the 
FOIA and not include them in the public docket. If DOT receives a FOIA 
request for the information that the applicant has marked in accordance 
with this section, DOT will follow the procedures described in its FOIA 
regulations at 49 CFR 7.29. DOT also requests that submitters of 
Confidential Information include a non-confidential version (either 
redacted or summarized) of those confidential submissions in the public 
docket. If the submitter cannot provide a non-confidential version of 
its submission, DOT requests that the submitter post a notice in the 
docket stating that it has provided DOT with Confidential Information. 
Should a submitter fail to docket either a non-confidential version of 
its submission or to post a notice that Confidential Information has 
been provided, we will note the receipt of the submission on the 
docket, with the submitter's organization or name (to the degree 
permitted by law) and the date of submission.

Will the Agency consider late comments?

    DOT will consider all comments received before the close of 
business on the comment closing date indicated above under DATES. To 
the extent practicable, the Agency will also consider comments received 
after that date.

How can I read the comments submitted by other people?

    You may read the comments received at the address given above under 
ADDRESSES. The hours of the docket are indicated above in the same 
location. You may also see the comments on the internet, identified by 
the docket number at the heading of this notice, at https://www.regulations.gov.
    Please note, this RFI is a planning document and will serve as 
such. The RFI should not be construed as policy, a solicitation for 
applications, or an obligation on the part of the government.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on August 2, 2022.
Christopher Coes,
Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, Department of 
Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2022-16860 Filed 8-4-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9P-P