Oct 31 2013, FR Notice (NOFA)

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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 211 / Thursday, October 31, 2013 / Notices
Estimated Total Annual Number of
Responses: 10.0 Grant Applications
(Electronic).
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 4,790 hours.

within 30 days of publication of this
notice in the Federal Register.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520.
Rebecca Pennington,
Chief Financial Officer.
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Agency Request for Emergency
Processing of Collections of
Information Associated With Today’s
Publication of Notice of Funding
Availability and Solicitation of
Applications
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), United States
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

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 6, 2013,
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 Officer, Mr. Robert Brogan
(tel. (202) 493–6292). These numbers are
not toll-free. A copy of this ICR may also
be obtained electronically by contacting
Mr. Brogan 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: 49 States.
Form(s): SF–424, SF–424C, SF–424D,
SF LLL.
Other Instruments: Collection of
Information Associated with the NOFA
Published in Today’s Federal Register.

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SUMMARY:

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There is
approximately $1,870,000 available in
the Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair
Grant Program, which was originally
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) (the Act). On
November 6, 2008, FRA issued a Notice
of Funding Availability (NOFA)
soliciting applications for grants to fund
eligible projects. FRA received
applications and evaluated them
according to criteria described in the
notice. Based on the applications
submitted and the subsequent
evaluations, FRA selected projects
totaling approximately $15,000,000
under this Program. Then on October 7,
2009, FRA issued another NOFA for the
remaining $5,000,000. FRA received
applications and evaluated them
according to criteria described in the
notice and subsequently selected 10
additional projects to receive funding.
Due to a variety of factors, such as
projects completed under their awarded
amount, FRA has approximately
$1,870,000 in funds remaining for this
program.
Funds provided under this Program
will assist Class II and Class III railroads
to repair and rehabilitate 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. Applicant
eligibility is limited to State
departments of transportation.
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. The
grantees must exhaust all other Federal
and State resources prior to seeking
assistance under this Program. FRA will
begin accepting grant applications on
November 6, 2013. Applications may be
submitted until 5:00 p.m. EST,
December 9, 2013.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[FR Doc. 2013–25952 Filed 10–30–13; 8:45 am]

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Issued in Washington, DC, on October 29,
2013.
Corey Hill,
Director, Office of Passenger and Freight
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2013–26082 Filed 10–30–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

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:

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. The funding
opportunities described in this notice
are available under Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number
20.314.

SUMMARY:

FRA will begin accepting grant
applications on November 6, 2013.
Applications may be submitted until 5
p.m. EST, December 9, 2013. FRA
reserves the right to modify this
deadline.

DATES:

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.
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
FRA at the following address: Federal
Railroad Administration, Attention:
Katy Bryant, Office of Passenger and
Freight Programs, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Mail Stop 20,Washington,
DC 20590.

ADDRESSES:

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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 211 / Thursday, October 31, 2013 / Notices
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary Ann McNamara, Office of
Passenger and Freight Programs, Federal
Railroad Administration, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Mail Stop 20,
Washington, DC 20590; Phone: (202)
493–6393; Fax: (202) 493–6333.
There is
approximately $1,870,000 available in
the Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair
Grant Program, which was originally
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) (the Act). On
November 6, 2008, FRA issued a Notice
of Funding Availability (NOFA)
soliciting applications for grants to fund
eligible projects. FRA received
applications and evaluated them
according to criteria described in the
notice. Based on the applications
submitted and the subsequent
evaluations, FRA selected projects
totaling approximately $15,000,000
under this Program. Then on October 7,
2009, FRA issued another NOFA for the
remaining $5,000,000. FRA received
applications and evaluated them
according to criteria described in the
notice and subsequently selected 10
additional projects to receive funding.
Due to a variety of factors, such as
projects completed under their awarded
amount, FRA has approximately
$1,870,000 in funds remaining for this
program.
Purpose: Funds provided under this
Program will assist Class II and Class III
railroads recover from disasters declared
between January 1, 2008 and the
publication date of this notice of
funding availability.
Authority: The Consolidated Security,
Disaster Assistance, and Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2009 (Pub. L. 110–
329, September 30, 2008).
Funding: Approximately $1,870,000
of the $20,000,000 originally
appropriated remains available until
expended. The Act directs the Secretary
of Transportation to competitively
award grants covering up to 80 percent
of project costs. The remaining grantee
match should be provided in nonFederal cash, equipment, or supplies.
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. The
grantees must exhaust all other Federal

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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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and State resources prior to seeking
assistance under this Program.
Schedule for Railroad Rehabilitation
and Repair Grant Program: FRA will
begin accepting grant applications on
November 6, 2013. All applications
must be received by 5:00 p.m. EST,
December 9, 2013.
Eligible Applicants: 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 under Title IV
of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief
and Emergency Assistance Act of 1974
between January 1, 2008 and the date of
the publication of this notice in the
Federal Register (http://www.fema.gov/
news/disasters.fema#sev1).
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 and primarily used by
railroads 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 that
was made between January 1, 2008 and
the date of the publication of this notice
of funding availability 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 funding under the Railroad
Rehabilitation and Repair Grant
Program, including the applicant
demonstrating that it has exhausted all
other Federal and State resources.
2. The effects on rail operations,
specifically the movement of freight, of
the proposed rehabilitation or repair.
3. The likelihood of the continued
railroad operations on the track that is
proposed to be repaired or rehabilitated
for more than three years after project
work is complete.
Required Grant Application
Documents: Applications are required to
contain the following documents:
1. Project Narrative/Statement of
Work (additional instructions below);

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2. Detailed Budget (additional
instructions below);
3. SF 424: Application for Federal
Assistance (available at http://
www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0267);
4. SF 424C: Budget InformationConstruction (available at http://
www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0267);
5. SF 424D: Assurances-Construction
(available at http://www.fra.dot.gov/
Page/P0267);
6. SF LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying
Activities (available at http://
www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/
omb/grants/sflllin.pdf);
7. A copy of the applicant’s most
recent audit performed in compliance
with OMB Circular A–133, if available
(information on Circular A–133 can be
found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/
omb/circulars/a133/a133.html); and
8. FRA’s Additional Assurance and
Certifications (available at http://
www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/Details/L02985).
Project Narrative/Statement of Work:
The following points describe the
minimum content which will be
required in the Project Narrative/
Statement of Work elements of grant
applications. These requirements must
be satisfied through a narrative
statement submitted by the applicant,
and may be supported by spreadsheet
documents, tables, drawings, and other
materials, as appropriate. FRA
recommends that applicants read this
section carefully and submit all required
information. If an application does not
address each of these requirements to
FRA’s satisfaction, the application may
be considered incomplete and removed
from consideration for award. Each
Project Narrative/Statement of Work
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
email address. The point of contact
must be an employee of the applicant
(i.e. a State employee).
2. Include an explanation of why the
project is an eligible project (including
the Federal Emergency Management
Agency disaster declaration number,
which is listed at http://www.fema.gov/
news/disasters.fema#sev1) and a
thorough discussion of how the project
meets all of the selection criteria
described above. Applicants should
note that FRA evaluates applications
based upon the selection criteria. If an
application does not sufficiently address
the selection criteria, FRA will have
little or no basis on which to evaluate
the application; thus, it will likely not
be a competitive application.
3. In responding to the first selection
criteria listed above, applicants must

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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 Agency, the Small
Business Administration, the Federal
Highway Administration, and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
4. Provide an overview of all work
done to date to rehabilitate and repair
damage caused by the natural disaster.
5. Provide a detailed description of
the scope of work for the proposed
project and include the anticipated, or
actual, project schedule. 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 total project costs and explain
how the affected Class II and Class III
railroad will finance the completed
project.
6. Describe the source and amount of
non-Federal funds, broken down by
cash, equipment, or supplies.
7. Describe proposed project
implementation and an overview of
project management arrangements.
Include descriptions of expected
arrangements for project contracting,
contract oversight, change-order
management, risk management, and
conformance to Federal requirements
for project progress reporting (described
in Appendices 1 and 2).
8. 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.
9. 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

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or state environmental impact
assessment laws. FRA’s Procedures for
Considering Environmental Impacts (64
FR 28545) (May 26, 1999) (http://
www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0215) describe
FRA’s process for the assessment of
environmental impacts and the
preparation and processing of
appropriate documents. For projects
that may be categorically excluded from
detailed environmental review, as
discussed in FRA’s Procedures,
categorical exclusion worksheets are
available at: http://www.fra.dot.gov/
Page/P0550. Applicants are encouraged
to contact FRA as early as possible in
the environmental/historic preservation
review process to discuss the
environmental review.
Detailed Budget: Applicants must
present a detailed budget for the
proposed project that includes both
Federal funds and matching funds.
Items of cost included in the budget
must be reasonable, allocable and
necessary for the project. The budget for
the cost of the project should separate
the total cost of the project into the
following categories, if applicable: (1)
Administrative and legal expenses; (2)
Land, structures, rights-of-way, and
appraisals; (3) Relocation expenses and
payments; (4) Architectural and
engineering fees; (5) Project inspection
fees; (6) Site work; (7) Demolition and
removal; 8) Construction labor,
supervision, management, and
materials, by type (e.g. ties, rail, signals,
switches); (9) Equipment; (10)
Miscellaneous; and (11) Contingencies.
Costs may be reimbursed as long as
expenditures were incurred after the
date of the natural disaster. Additional
information on project budgets is
contained in Appendix 3.
Format: Excluding spreadsheets,
drawings, and tables, the Project
Narrative/Statement of Work 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.
Labor Standards: The Act requires
that all grantees comply with the DavisBacon Act (40 U.S.C. 3141 et seq.) as
provided for in 49 U.S.C. 24312. The
Davis-Bacon Act is a measure that fixes
a floor under wages on Federal
government projects and provides, in
pertinent part, that the minimum wages
to be paid for classes of workers under

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a contract for the construction,
alteration, and/or repair of a Federal
public building or public work must be
based upon wage rates determined by
the Secretary of Labor to be prevailing
for corresponding classes of workers
employed on projects of a character
similar to the contract work in the civil
subdivision of the State in which the
work is to be performed.
Award Notices: Applications selected
for funding will be announced after the
application review period. FRA will
contact applicants with successful
applications after announcement with
information and instructions about the
award process. Notification of a selected
application is not an authorization to
begin proposed project activities. The
period of performance for this grant
program is dependent on the project.
However, any unobligated funds will be
deobligated 120 days after the period of
performance end date of the grant, as
described in Appendix 2.4. Extensions
to the period of performance will be
considered only through written
requests to FRA with specific and
compelling justifications for why an
extension is required.
Appendix 1: Administrative and
National Policy Requirements
Appendix 1.1 Standard Financial and
Program Administration Requirements
Grant recipients must follow all standard
financial and program administration
requirements, including:
Administrative Requirements
• 49 CFR Part 18, Uniform Administrative
Requirements for Grants and Cooperative
Agreements to State and Local Governments
• 49 CFR Part 19, Uniform Administrative
Requirements for Grants and Cooperative
Agreements with Institutions of Higher
Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit
Organizations (OMB Circular A–110)
Cost Principles
• 2 CFR Part 225, Cost Principles for State,
Local, and Indian Tribal Governments (OMB
Circular A–87)
• 2 CFR Part 220, Cost Principles for
Educational Institutions (OMB Circular A–
21)
• 2 CFR Part 230, Cost Principles for NonProfit Organizations (OMB A–122)
• Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR),
Part 31.2 Contract Cost Principles and
Procedures, Contracts with Commercial
Organizations
Audit Requirements
• OMB Circular A–133, Audits of States,
Local Governments, and Non-Profit
Organizations
Appendix 1.2 Administrative and National
Policy Requirements
Grant recipients must follow all
administrative and national policy
requirements including: Procurement

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standards, compliance with Federal civil
rights laws and regulations, disadvantaged
business enterprises (DBE), debarment and
suspension, drug-free workplace, FRA’s and
OMB’s Assurances and Certifications,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
environmental protection, National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and
environmental justice.
Appendix 1.3 Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA)
As a Federal agency, FRA is subject to the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C.
552), which generally provides that any
person has a right, enforceable in court, to
obtain access to Federal agency records,
except to the extent that such records (or
portions of them) are protected from public
disclosure by one of nine exemptions or by
one of three special law enforcement record
exclusions. Grant applications and related
materials submitted by applicants pursuant
to this guidance will become agency records,
and thus are subject to the FOIA and to
public release through individual FOIA
requests. FRA also recognizes that certain
information submitted in support of an
application for funding in accordance with
this guidance could be exempt from public
release under FOIA as a result of the
application of one of the FOIA exemptions,
most particularly Exemption 4, which
protects trade secrets and commercial or
financial information obtained from a person
that is privileged or confidential (5 U.S.C.
552(b)(4)). In the context of this grant
program, commercial or financial
information obtained from a person could be
confidential if disclosure is likely to cause
substantial harm to the competitive position
of the person from whom the information
was obtained (see National Parks &
Conservation Association v. Morton, 498 F.2d
765, 770 (D.C. Cir. 1974)). Entities seeking
exempt treatment must provide a detailed
statement supporting and justifying the
request and should follow FRA’s existing
procedures for requesting confidential
treatment in the railroad safety context found
at 49 CFR 209.11. As noted in the
Department’s FOIA implementing regulation
(49 CFR part 7), the burden is on the entity
requesting confidential treatment to identify
all information for which exempt treatment
is sought and to persuade the agency that the
information should not be disclosed (see 49
CFR 7.17). The final decision as to whether
the information meets the standards of
Exemption 4 rests with FRA.

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Appendix 2: Additional Information on
Award Administration and Grant
Conditions
Appendix 2.1 Reporting Requirements
Reporting requirements must be met
throughout the life of the grant (additional
detail will be included in the award package
provided to selected applicants).
• Progress Reports—Progress reports are to
be submitted quarterly. These reports must
relate the state of completion of items in the
Statement of Work to expenditures of the
relevant budget elements. The grant recipient
must furnish the quarterly progress report to
the FRA on or before the 30th calendar day

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of the month following the end of the quarter
being reported. Grantees must submit reports
for the periods: January 1–March 31, April 1–
June 30, July 1–September 30, and October
1–December 31. Each quarterly report must
set forth concise statements concerning
activities relevant to the project, and should
include, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) An account of significant progress
(findings, events, trends, etc.) made during
the reporting period; (b) a description of any
technical and/or cost problem(s) encountered
or anticipated that will affect completion of
the grant within the time and fiscal
constraints as set forth in the agreement,
together with recommended solutions or
corrective action plans (with dates) to such
problems, or identification of specific action
that is required by the FRA, or a statement
that no problems were encountered; and (c)
an outline of work and activities planned for
the next reporting period.
• Quarterly Federal Financial Report (SF–
425)—The Grantee must submit a quarterly
Federal financial report electronically in
FRA’s web-based grant management system,
GrantSolutions, on or before the thirtieth
(30th) calendar day of the month following
the end of the quarter being reported (e.g., for
quarter ending March 31, the SF–425 is due
no later than April 30). A report must be
submitted for every quarter of the period of
performance, including partial calendar
quarters, as well as for periods where no
grant activity occurs. The Grantee must use
SF–425, Federal Financial Report, in
accordance with the instructions
accompanying the form, to report all
transactions, including Federal cash, Federal
expenditures and unobligated balance,
recipient share, and program income.
• Interim Report(s)—If required, interim
reports will be due at intervals specified in
the Statement of Work and must be
submitted to FRA.
• Final Report(s)—Within 90 days after the
period of performance end date of the grant
or termination by FRA, the Grantee must
submit a Summary Project Report in the
GrantSolutions system. This report should
detail the results and benefits of the Grantee’s
improvement efforts.
• Reports, Presentations and Other
Deliverables—Whether for technical
examination, administrative review, or
publication, all submittals shall be of a
professional quality and suitable for their
intended purpose. Due dates for submittals
shall be based on the specified intervals or
days from the effective date of the agreement.
Appendix 2.2 Audit Requirements
Grant recipients that expend $500,000 or
more of Federal funds during their fiscal
year, combined from all sources, are required
to submit an organization-wide financial and
compliance audit report. The audit must be
performed in accordance with U.S. General
Accountability Office, Government Auditing
Standards, located at http://www.gao.gov/
govaud/ybk01.htm, and OMB Circular A–
133, Audits of States, Local Governments,
and Non-Profit Organizations, located at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/
a133/a133.html. Currently, audit reports
must be submitted to the Federal Audit

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Clearinghouse no later than nine months
after the end of the recipient’s fiscal year. In
addition, FRA and the Comptroller General
of the United States must have access to any
books, documents, and records of grant
recipients for audit and examination
purposes. The grant recipient will also give
FRA or the Comptroller, through any
authorized representative, access to, and the
right to examine all records, books, papers or
documents related to the grant. Grant
recipients must require that sub-grantees
comply with the audit requirements set forth
in OMB Circular A–133. Grant recipients are
responsible for ensuring that sub-recipient
audit reports are received and for resolving
any audit findings.
Appendix 2.3 Monitoring Requirements
Grant recipients will be monitored
periodically by FRA to ensure that the project
goals, objectives, performance requirements,
timelines, milestones, budgets, and other
related program criteria are being met. FRA
may conduct monitoring activities through a
combination of office-based reviews and
onsite monitoring visits. Monitoring will
involve the review and analysis of the
financial, programmatic, and compliance
issues relative to each program and will
identify areas where technical assistance and
other support may be needed. The recipient
is responsible for monitoring award
activities, including sub-awards and subgrantees, to provide reasonable assurance
that the award is being administered in
accordance with Federal requirements.
Financial monitoring responsibilities include
the accounting of recipients and
expenditures, cash management, maintaining
of adequate financial records, and refunding
expenditures disallowed by audits.
Appendix 2.4 Closeout Process
Project closeout occurs when all required
project work and all administrative
procedures described in 49 CFR section
262.19, as applicable, have been completed,
and when FRA notifies the grant recipient
and forwards the final Federal assistance
payment, or when FRA acknowledges the
grant recipient’s remittance of the proper
refund. Project closeout should not invalidate
any continuing obligations imposed on the
Grantee by an award or by the FRA’s final
notification or acknowledgment. Within 90
days after the period of performance end date
of the grant or termination by FRA, grantees
agree to submit a final Federal Financial
Report (SF–425), a certification or summary
of project expenses, a final report, and third
party audit reports, as applicable.

Appendix 3: Additional Information
on Applicant Budgets
The information contained in this
appendix is intended to assist applicants
with developing the SOW budget and OMB
Standard Form 424C: Budget Information—
Construction Programs. Applicants must
present a detailed budget for the proposed
project that includes both Federal funds and
matching funds. Items of cost included in the
budget must be reasonable, allocable, and
necessary for the project. At a minimum, the
budget should separate total cost of the

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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 211 / Thursday, October 31, 2013 / Notices

project into the following categories and
provide a basis of computation for each cost:
• Administrative and Legal Expenses: List
the estimated amounts needed to cover
administrative expenses. Do not include
costs which are related to the normal
functions of government. Allowable legal
costs are generally only those associated with
the purchases of land which is allowable for
Federal participation and certain services in
support of construction of the project. This
may include:
Æ Hours/Rate and total cost of local
government staff
Æ Hours/Rate and total cost of outside
counsel fees
Æ Hours/Rate and total cost of consultants
• Land, structures, rights-of-way,
appraisals, and related items: List the
estimate site and right(s)-of-way acquisition
costs (this includes purchase, lease, and/or
easements). If possible, include details of
number of acres, acre cost, square-footage,
and square footage cost.
• Relocation expenses and payments: List
the estimated costs relation to relocation
advisory assistance, replacement of housing,
relocation payments to displaces persons and
businesses, etc. This may include:
Æ The gross salaries and wages of employees
for the grantee who will be directly
engaged in performing demolition or
removal of structures from developed land
• Architectural and engineering fees: List
the estimated basic engineering fees related
to construction (this includes start-up
services and preparation of project
performance work plan).
• Other architectural and engineering fees:
List the estimated engineering costs, such as
surveys, tests, soil borings, etc.
• Project inspection fees: List the
estimated engineering inspection costs. This
may include:
Æ Rate of project inspector
Æ Construction monitoring
Æ Audit or construction programs
• Site Work: List the estimated costs of site
preparation and restoration which are not
included in the basic construction contract.
This may include:
Æ Clearing
Æ Erosion control
Æ Reseeding
• Demolition and removal: List the
estimated costs related to demolition
activities.
• Construction: List the estimated cost of
the construction contract. This may include
costs for:
Æ Labor costs, e.g., associated with site
preparation and installation of grade
crossings, highway warning signs, etc.
Æ Equipment rental/purchase, e.g., an
excavator or bulldozer
Æ Materials, e.g., Rail anchors, retaining
walls, etc.
• Equipment: List the estimated cost of
office, shop, laboratory, safety equipment,
etc. to be used at the facility, if such costs
are not included in the construction contract.
• Miscellaneous: List the estimated
miscellaneous costs.
• Contingencies: List the estimated
contingency costs.

VerDate Mar<15>2010

19:21 Oct 30, 2013

Jkt 232001

Issued in Washington, DC, on October 29,
2013.
Corey Hill,
Director, Office of Passenger and Freight
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2013–26081 Filed 10–30–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC
SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No. NHTSA–2013–0115]

Technical Report: Evaluation of the
Certified-Advanced Air Bags
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Request for comments on
technical report.
AGENCY:

This notice announces
NHTSA’s publication of a Technical
Report reviewing and evaluating
certified-advanced air bags. The report’s
title is: Evaluation of the CertifiedAdvanced Air Bags.
DATES: Comments must be received no
later than February 28, 2014.
ADDRESSES:
Report: The technical report is
available on the Internet for viewing in
PDF format at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.
gov/Pubs/811834.pdf. You may obtain a
copy of the report free of charge by
sending a self-addressed mailing label to
Nathan K. Greenwell (NVS–431),
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, Room W53–438, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington,
DC 20590.
Comments: You may submit
comments [identified by Docket Number
NHTSA–2013–0115] by any of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
online instructions for submitting
comments.
• Fax: 1–202–366–3189.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility,
M–30, U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building, Ground
Floor, Rm. W12–140, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
You may call Docket Management at
202–366–9826.
Instructions: For detailed instructions
on submitting comments, see the
Procedural Matters section of this
document. Note that all comments
received will be posted without change
SUMMARY:

PO 00000

Frm 00163

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

to http://www.regulations.gov, including
any personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nathan K. Greenwell, Mathematical
Statistician, Evaluation Division, NVS–
431, National Center for Statistics and
Analysis, National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, Room W53–438,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC 20590. Telephone:
202–366–3860. Email:
[email protected].
For information about NHTSA’s
evaluations of the effectiveness of
existing regulations and programs: You
may see a list of published evaluation
reports at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/
cats/listpublications.aspx?Id=226&
ShowBy=Category and if you click on
any report you will be able to view it in
PDF format.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
purpose of this report is to analyze the
changes and redesigns of frontal air bags
and their effect on occupant protection
in frontal crashes. Frontal air bags have
gone through a series of changes in
response to amendments to Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208,
‘‘Occupant crash protection.’’ In 1998–
1999, vehicle manufacturers were
permitted to sled test in lieu of a barrier
impact to certify that the air bags would
protect an unbelted occupant (‘‘sled
certification’’), which allowed air bags
to be redesigned by depowering and/or
reducing the volume or rearward extent
of air bags. Then in 2003–2006, air bags
were required to not deploy at all for
children or deploy only at a low level
of force (‘‘certified-advanced air bags’’).
Most manufacturers chose to not deploy
air bags at all for children, using
occupant detection sensors to suppress
the air bags. Statistical analyses of crash
data compare fatality risk with certifiedadvanced and sled-certified air bags.
• Fatality risk in frontal crashes was
4 percent lower for drivers with
certified-advanced air bags than with
sled-certified air bags; for right-front
passengers, it was 2 percent higher; at
neither position is the difference
between certified-advanced and sledcertified air bags statistically significant.
• The fatality rate, in frontal crashes
per billion vehicle registration years
showed a 4 percent reduction overall, 5
percent reduction for drivers, and 5
percent reduction for child right-front
passengers 12 and younger, after
vehicles were equipped with certifiedadvanced air bags. None of these were
statistically significant.
Overall, the analysis found no evidence
that certified-advanced air bags result in
higher fatality risk to front-seat

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