Notice of Funds Availability and Solicitation of Applications for Grants under the Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Grant Program

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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 216 / Thursday, November 6, 2008 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Agency Request for Emergency
Processing of Collections of
Information Associated with Today’s
Publication of Solicitation of
Applications and Notice of Funding
Availability (NOFA)
Federal Railroad
Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice.

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AGENCY:

SUMMARY: The Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) hereby gives
notice that it has submitted the
following information collection request
(ICR) to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for Emergency Processing
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (Pub. L. 104–13, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et
seq.). FRA requests that OMB authorize
the collection of information identified
below on or before November 21, 2008,
for 180 days after the date of approval
by OMB. A copy of this ICR, with
applicable supporting documentation,
may be obtained by calling FRA’s
Clearance Officers, Mr. Robert Brogan
(tel. (202) 493–6292) or Ms. Nakia
Jackson (tel. (202) 493–6073). These
numbers are not toll-free. A copy of this
ICR may also be obtained electronically
by contacting Mr. Brogan at
[email protected] or by contacting
Ms. Jackson at [email protected].
Comments and questions about the ICR
identified below should be directed to
the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs (OIRA), Attn: FRA OMB Desk
Officer, 725 17th St., NW., Washington,
DC 20503. Comments and questions
about the ICR identified below may also
be transmitted electronically to OIRA at
[email protected].
DATES: Comments should be submitted
as soon as possible upon publication of
this notice in the Federal Register.
Title: Notice of Funding Availability
and Solicitation of Applications for
Grants under the Railroad Rehabilitation
and Repair Grant Program.
OMB Control Number: 2130–New.
Frequency: One-time.
Affected Public: 32 States.
Form(s): SF–424.
Other Instruments: Collection of
Information Associated with the NOFA
Published in Today’s Federal Register.
Estimated Total Annual Number of
Responses: 10.0 Grant Applications
(Paper/Electronic).
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 4,875 hours.
Abstract: On September 30, 2008,
President Bush signed Public Law 110–
329, The Consolidated Security, Disaster

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Assistance, and Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2009. As part of
this Act, Congress provided $20 million
in disaster relief funds to FRA to award
to States in one or more grants for
eligible projects related to repair and
rehabilitation of Class II and Class III
railroad infrastructure damaged by
hurricanes, floods, and other natural
disasters in counties for which the
President declared a major disaster
under title IV of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster relief and Emergency
Assistance Act of 1974. These funds are
available for rehabilitation and repairs
of railroad right-of-way, bridges, signals,
and other infrastructure which are part
of the general railroad system of
transportation and primarily used by
railroads to move freight traffic. The
Secretary may retain up to one-half of 1
percent of these funds for the oversight
of the design and implementation of
projects funded by grants under this
Program. Funds provided under this
grant program may constitute no more
than 80 percent of the total cost of a
selected project, with the remaining cost
funded from other sources. The funding
provided under these grants will be
made available to grantees on a
reimbursement basis. FRA anticipates
awarding grants to multiple eligible
participants. FRA may choose to award
a grant or grants within the available
funds in any amount. Funding made
available through grants provided under
this program, together with funding
from other sources that is committed by
a grantee as part of a grant agreement,
must be sufficient to complete the
funded project and achieve the
anticipated rehabilitation and repairs to
Class II and Class IIII railroads. FRA will
begin accepting grant applications 10
days after publication of this Federal
Register notice. Applications may be
submitted until the earlier of December
31, 2008, or the date on which all
available funds will have been
committed under this program.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520.
Issued in Washington, DC on November 3,
2008.
D.J. Stadtler,
Director, Office of Financial Management,
Federal Railroad Administration.
[FR Doc. E8–26477 Filed 11–5–08; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Notice of Funding Availability and
Solicitation of Applications for Grants
under the Railroad Rehabilitation and
Repair Grant Program
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of funding availability;
solicitation of applications.
AGENCY:

SUMMARY: Under this Notice, the FRA
encourages interested State departments
of transportation to submit applications
for grants to repair and rehabilitate Class
II and Class III railroad infrastructure
damaged by hurricanes, floods, and
other natural disasters in areas for
which the President declared a major
disaster after January 1, 2008, under
Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act of 1974.
DATES: FRA will begin accepting grant
applications 10 days after publication of
this Notice of Funding Availability in
the Federal Register. Applications may
be submitted until January 16, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Applications for grants
under this Program must be submitted
electronically to ‘‘Grants.gov’’ at http://
www.grants.gov. Grants.Gov allows
organizations to find and apply
electronically for competitive grant
opportunities from all Federal grantmaking agencies. Any State wishing to
submit an application pursuant to this
notice should immediately initiate the
process of registering with Grants.Gov.
Please confirm all Grants.gov
submissions by sending an e-mail to
[email protected].
For application materials that an
applicant is unable to submit via
Grants.Gov (such as oversized
engineering drawings), applicants may
submit an original and two (2) copies to
the Federal Railroad Administration at
the following address: Federal Railroad
Administration, Attention: Alice
Alexander, Office of Railroad
Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue,
SE., Mail Stop 20,Washington, DC
20590.
Due to delays caused by enhanced
screening of mail delivered via the U.S.
Postal Service, applicants are
encouraged to use other means to assure
timely receipt of materials.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alice Alexander, Office of Railroad
Development, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue, SE., Mail Stop 20, Washington,

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DC 20590; Phone: (202) 493–6363; Fax:
(202) 493–6333.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair
Grant Program (Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Program
Number 20.314) will be supported with
up to $20,000,000 of Federal funds
provided to FRA as part of the
Consolidated Security, Disaster
Assistance, and Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2009 (Pub. L. 110–
329, September 30, 2008.) Of this
$20,000,000, one-half of 1 percent of the
funds, $100,000, may be retained by the
FRA to fund oversight of the design and
implementation of projects funded by
this Program.
Funds provided under this Program
may constitute no more than 80 percent
of the total cost of a selected project,
with the remaining cost funded from
other non-Federal sources. FRA
anticipates awarding grants to multiple
eligible participants. Eligible projects
include repairs and rehabilitation to
Class II and Class III railroad
infrastructure damaged by hurricanes,
floods, and natural disasters that are
located in counties that have been
identified in a Disaster Declaration for
Public Assistance issued by the
President (http://www.fema.gov/news/
disasters.fema#sev1) in calendar year
2008.1
Class II and Class III railroad
infrastructure eligible for repair and
rehabilitation consists of railroad rightsof-way, bridges, signals and other
infrastructure which are part of the
general railroad system of transportation
and primarily used by railroads to move
freight traffic. Section 24312 (Labor
Standards) of Title 49, United States
Code, applies to grantees assisted under
this Program. The grantees must exhaust
all other Federal and State resources
prior to seeking assistance under this
Program. FRA anticipates that no further
public notification will be made with
respect to soliciting grant applications
and selecting grantees under this
Program.
Purpose: In 2008, the President made
over sixty major disaster declarations
which were related to hurricanes,
floods, and other natural disasters.
Funds provided under this Program will
assist Class II and Class III railroads
1 Counties in thirty-two states are eligible to apply
under this program. The states are: Alabama,
Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia,
Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas,
Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

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rebound from these disasters declared in
2008.2
Authority: The Consolidated Security,
Disaster Assistance, and Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2009 (Pub. L. 110–
329, September 30, 2008).
Funding: The Consolidated Security,
Disaster Assistance, and Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2009 (the Act)
provides $20,000,000, that remains
available until expended, and directs
the Secretary of Transportation to
competitively award grants covering up
to 80 percent of project costs, with the
remaining project costs provided in
non-Federal cash, equipment, or
supplies. In addition, the Act allows the
Secretary to retain up to one-half of 1
percent of the funds to fund the
oversight by the Administrator of the
Federal Railroad Administration of the
design and implementation of projects
funded by these grants. (The maximum
that can be retained is $100,000.) The
funding provided for these grants will
be made available to the grantee(s) on a
reimbursable basis. It is anticipated that
the available funding could support
projects proposed by multiple
applicants. FRA may choose to award a
grant or grants in any amount within the
limit of the available funds.
Schedule for Rehabilitation and
Repair Grant Program: FRA will begin
accepting grant applications 10 days
after publication of this Notice of
Funding Availability in the Federal
Register. All applications must be
received by the January 16, 2009,
deadline.
Eligible Participants: The department
of transportation of any eligible State
may apply for funding under this notice,
provided that the applicant State has an
eligible project and has exhausted all
other Federal and State resources prior
to seeking assistance under this
Program.
Eligible Projects: To be eligible for
funding under this Program, a project
must include the rehabilitation and
repair of Class II or Class III railroad
infrastructure damaged by hurricanes,
floods, and other natural disasters in
counties for which the President
declared a major disaster in calendar
year 2008 under Title IV of the Robert
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act of 1974.
Rehabilitation or repairs must be made
to rights-of-way, bridges, signals, and
other infrastructure which are part of
the general railroad system of
transportation. In addition, the railroad
infrastructure replaced or rehabilitated
2 Inclusive dates for eligibility are January 1,
2008, through the publication date of this notice of
funding availability.

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66097

must be primarily used to move freight
traffic.
Funding Period: Funds will be
available under this program only for
the reimbursement of costs incurred
after a major disaster declaration in
calendar year 2008 in the counties
covered by such a declaration.
Selection Criteria: FRA will consider
the following selection factors in
evaluating applications for grants under
this Program:
1. The inability of the Class II or Class
III railroad to fund the project without
Federal grant funding.
2. The effects on rail operations,
specifically the movement of freight, of
the proposed rehabilitation or repair.
3. The likelihood of continued
operation of the railroad operations on
the track that is proposed to be repaired
or rehabilitated for more than three
years after project work is complete.
Requirements for Grant Applications:
The following points describe the
minimum content which will be
required in grant applications. These
requirements may be satisfied through a
narrative statement submitted by the
applicant and supported by spreadsheet
documents, tables, drawings, and other
materials, as appropriate. Each grant
application must:
1. Designate a point of contact for the
applicant and provide his or her name,
title, and contact information, including
phone number, mailing address and
e-mail address. The point of contact
must be an employee of the applicant.
2. Include an explanation of why the
project is an eligible project and a
thorough discussion of how the project
meets all of the selection criteria.
3. Identify all funds (including
amounts) received from other Federal
and/or State disaster relief programs
that directly benefited the project(s) for
which funds are being sought under this
Program, or demonstrate that all such
efforts at procuring such funding have
failed or been exhausted. This
demonstration should include a
recitation of specific Federal and State
disaster relief programs investigated by
the applicant. Among the Federal
programs which the applicant might
investigate are those administered by
the Federal Emergency Management
Administration, the Small Business
Administration, the Federal Highway
Administration, and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
4. Include a complete Standard Form
424, ‘‘Application for Federal
Assistance,’’ Standard Form 424D,
‘‘Assurances—Construction Programs,’’
and the most recent audit performed in
compliance with OMB Circular A–133,
if available. Information on Circular A–

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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 216 / Thursday, November 6, 2008 / Notices

133 can be found at http://
www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/
a133/a133.html. Also include signed
copies of FRA’s Additional Assurances
and Certifications, available at http://
www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/admin/
assurancesandcertifications.pdf.
5. Define the scope of work, budget
and schedule for the proposed project.
Describe the proposed project’s physical
location, mile-post limits, and include
any drawings, plans, or schematics that
have been prepared relating to the
proposed project.
If funding requested under this
Program is only going to support a
portion of the overall rehabilitation and
repair of the applicant’s project,
describe the complete project and
specify which portion will involve
Federal funding. In addition, FRA
strongly encourages applicants to
estimate complete project costs and the
future financial viability of the Class II
and Class III railroad on whose property
the project is located.
6. The budget for the cost of the
project should, to the extent possible, be
separated into the following categories:
(1) Administrative; (2) Engineering fees;
(3) Demolition and removal; (4)
Construction labor, supervision, and
management; (5) Equipment; (6)
Materials, by type (e.g., ties, rail, ballast,
signals, and switches); (7)
Contingencies; and (8) Inspection fees.
Costs may be reimbursed as long as
expenditures were incurred after the
date of the natural disaster.
7. Describe the source and amount of
non-Federal funds, broken down by
cash, equipment, or supplies.
8. Describe proposed project
implementation and an overview of
project management arrangements.
9. For the railroad(s) operating on the
infrastructure proposed to be
rehabilitated or repaired, describe the
frequency of service, axle-load limits,
and estimated railroad gross ton miles
per mile for the first full year after
completion of the project.
10. Provide an overview of all work
done to date to rehabilitate and repair
damage caused by the natural disaster.
11. Describe the status or progress
toward completing any environmental
documentation or clearance for the
proposed project under the National
Environmental Policy Act, the National
Historic Preservation Act, section 4(f) of
the DOT Act, or other applicable federal
or state environmental impact
assessment laws. FRA’s Procedures for
Considering Environmental Impacts (64
Fed. Reg. 28545) (May 26, 1999)
(http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/166)
describe FRA’s process for the
assessment of environmental impacts

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and the preparation and processing of
appropriate documents. For projects
that may be categorically exempt from
detailed environmental review, as
discussed in FRA’s Procedures,
categorical exclusion worksheets are
available at: http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/
content/1606. Applicants are
encouraged to contact FRA as early as
possible in the environmental/historic
preservation review process to discuss
the environmental review.
Format: Excluding spreadsheets,
drawings, and tables, the narrative
statement for grant applications may not
exceed twenty-five pages in length.
With the exclusion of oversized
engineering drawings (which may be
submitted in hard copy to the FRA at
the address indicated above), all
application materials should be
submitted as attachments through
Grants.Gov. Spreadsheets consisting of
budget or financial information should
be submitted via Grants.Gov as
Microsoft Excel (or compatible)
documents.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November 3,
2008.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad
Development.
[FR Doc. E8–26478 Filed 11–5–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
[Docket ID PHMSA–2008–0292]

Pipeline Safety: Technical Assistance
Grants to Communities
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Technical Assistance
Grant Criteria.
AGENCY:

SUMMARY: PHMSA has established the
criteria and competitive procedures that
will be used in awarding grants under
the Technical Assistance Grants (TAG)
program authorized in 49 U.S.C. 60130
and section 2(e) of the Pipeline
Inspection, Protection, Enforcement,
and Safety Act of 2006. Subject to future
appropriations, the TAG program will
provide grants to local governments and
community groups for engineering and
other technical assistance related to
pipeline safety matters. This Notice also
details PHMSA’s plans for awarding the
three demonstration grants authorized
under the TAG program.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Steven Fischer by e-mail at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background
Experience shows that informed
communities play a vital role in the
safety and reliability of pipeline
operations. Accurate information about
the location, operation, and regulation
of pipelines facilitates safe land use
planning, effective damage prevention
programs, and fast, safe, and capable
emergency response. To those ends,
PHMSA has actively developed and
strengthened programs to improve the
flow of pipeline safety information to
communities. Over the past several
years, PHMSA has established its
Stakeholder Communications website;
staffed a Community Assistance &
Technical Services Program within the
Office of Pipeline Safety; offered webcasting of Pipeline Safety Trust
meetings; funded invitational travel for
state and local officials to participate in
various planning and review
committees; invited public
representatives to our Pipeline Safety
Advisory Committees; made
transmission pipeline location
information available through the
National Pipeline Mapping System; and
strengthened standards for pipeline
operator public awareness programs.
Most recently, in January 2008, PHMSA
launched the Pipeline and Informed
Planning Alliance to facilitate riskinformed land use and community
planning.
The Technical Assistance Grants
(TAG) program, first authorized in the
Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of
2002 (Pub. L. 107–355, codified at 49
U.S.C. 60130), offers new opportunities
to strengthen the depth and quality of
public participation in pipeline safety
matters. Section 9 of the Act, titled:
‘‘Pipeline Safety Information Grants to
Communities’’ authorized the Secretary
of Transportation to make grants to local
communities and organizations for
technical assistance relating to pipeline
safety issues. The grants would allow
communities and groups of individuals
(not including for-profit entities) to
obtain funding for technical assistance
in the form of engineering or other
scientific analysis of pipeline safety
issues and help promote public
participation in official proceedings. For
purposes of grants eligibility,
communities are defined as cities,
towns, villages, counties, parishes,
townships, and similar governmental
subdivisions, or consortiums of such
subdivisions. A nongovernmental group

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