Required ARRA Announcement Information

DOT/FTA Transit Investments in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction Program

Required ARRA-related Program Announcement Information (1-5):

 

1.    CFDA number - FTA’s new CFDA number is 20.523.

 

2.    Standard, searchable reference to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5 (“Recovery Act”)

 

It is a provision of Division A, Title XII, Transit Capital Assistance.

 

3.    Requirement for recipients and their sub-awardees to have a DUNS number (www.dnb.com) and a current registration in the Central Contractor Registration (www.ccr.gov)

 

We will include this information in the notice of funding availability.

 

4.    Recipients of Recovery Act funds must have systems and internal controls that allow them to separately track and report Recovery Act funds even if the funds are being used to funds an existing project/activity.

 

We will include this information in the notice of funding availability.

 

5.    Mention of Recovery Act section 1512 reporting requirements and any other special reporting requirements using language verbatim form the Recovery Act or a reference to the section(s) in the Recovery Act.

 

We will include this information in the notice of funding availability.

 

6. Please explain the reason that DOT is seeking clearance NLT March 9, e.g. is there a statutory requirement to begin disbursing the grants by a certain date? 

 

Section 5.2 of OMB memo M-09-10 Initial Implementing Guidance for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 states: Within twenty (20) days after enactment of the Recovery Act, agencies shall post funding opportunity announcements (i.e., “synopses’) to Grants.gov. Information about specific requirements (e.g., use of funds, certification, data reporting, performance measures, etc.) under the Recovery Act should be in the full funding announcement.  The Grants.gov synopsis shall link to the full announcement on the agency website within thirty (30) days of enactment.

 

In addition, in order for funds to be awarded by the end of the fiscal year, FTA estimates it needs to post the notice of funding availability no later than March 16th (the notice therefore needs to be submitted to the Federal Register on March 11th). This is due to the application development and review process as well as legislative provisions affecting public transportation programs.  For example, Section 5333(b) of Title 49 U.S. Code requires the Department of Labor to certify that interests of employees affected by the assistance shall be protected under arrangements the Secretary of Labor concludes are fair and equitable.  The Department of Labor review can take up to 60 days.

7. Attached is a copy of the application and guidance, which are located at Grants.gov and are approved OMB documents.