Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 31 / Thursday, February 18, 2021 / Notices 10061 

1075TH—MEETING—OPEN MEETING—Continued 

[February 18, 2021, 10:00 a.m.] 

Item No. Docket No. Company 

G–3 ........ OR19–23–001 ............................................. TransMontaigne Partners L.P. and Metroplex Energy, Inc. v. Colonial Pipeline Company. 

Hydro 

H–1 ........ RM20–21–000 ............................................. Removing Profile Drawing Requirement for Qualifying Conduit Notices of Intent and 

Revising Filing Requirements for Major Hydroelectric Projects 10 MW or Less. 

H–2 ........ P–14995–000 .............................................. Pumped Hydro Storage LLC. 

H–3 ........ P–15032–001 .............................................. ECOsponsible, LLC. 

H–4 ........ P–15001–000 .............................................. Navajo Energy Storage Station LLC. 

H–5 ........ P–2833–118 ................................................ Public Utility District No. 1 of Lewis County Washington. 

Certificates 

C–1 ........ PL18–1–000 ................................................ Certification of New Interstate Natural Gas Facilities. 

C–2 ........ CP20–496–000 ............................................ Andalusian Energy, LLC. 

C–3 ........ CP20–532–000 ............................................ Freeport LNG Development, L.P., FLNG Liquefaction, LLC, FLNG Liquefaction 2, LLC, 

and FLNG Liquefaction 3, LLC. 

C–4 ........ CP16–9–012 ................................................ Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, LLC. 

Issued: February 11, 2021. 

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., 

Deputy Secretary. 

The public is invited to listen to the 

meeting live at http://

ferc.capitolconnection.org/. Anyone 

with internet access who desires to hear 

this event can do so by navigating to 

www.ferc.gov’s Calendar of Events and 

locating this event in the Calendar. The 

event will contain a link to its audio 

webcast. The Capitol Connection 

provides technical support for this free 

audio webcast. It will also offer access 

to this event via phone bridge for a fee. 

If you have any questions, visit http:// 

ferc.capitolconnection.org/ or contact 

Shirley Al-Jarani at 703–993–3104. 

[FR Doc. 2021–03274 Filed 2–16–21; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

FY 2021 Competitive Funding 

Opportunity: Low or No Emission 

Grant Program 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity 

(NOFO). 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) announces the 

opportunity to apply for $180 million in 

competitive grants under the fiscal year 

(FY) 2021 Low or No Emission Grant 

Program (Low-No Program) (Federal 

Assistance Listing: 20.526). As required 

by Federal public transportation law, 

funds will be awarded competitively for 

the purchase or lease of low or 

noemission vehicles that use advanced 

technologies for transit revenue 

operations, including related equipment 

or facilities. Projects may include costs 

incidental to the acquisition of buses or 

to the construction of facilities, such as 

the costs of related workforce 

development and training activities, and 

project administration expenses. FTA 

may award additional funding that is 

made available to the program prior to 

the announcement of project selections. 

DATES: Complete proposals must be 

submitted electronically through the 

GRANTS.GOV ‘‘APPLY’’ function by 

11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 12, 

2021. Prospective applicants should 

initiate the process by registering on the 

GRANTS.GOV website promptly to 

ensure completion of the application 

process before the submission deadline. 

Instructions for applying can be found 

on FTA’s website at http://

www.transit.dot.gov/howtoapply and in 

the ‘‘FIND’’ module of GRANTS.GOV. 

The funding opportunity ID is FTA– 

2021–001-LowNo. Mail and fax 

submissions will not be accepted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy Volz, FTA Office of Program 

Management, 202–366–7484, or 

amy.volz@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

A. Program Description

B. Federal Award Information

C. Eligibility Information

D. Application and Submission Information

E. Application Review Information

F. Federal Award Administration

Information

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

H. Other Information

A. Program Description

Federal public transportation law (49

U.S.C. 5339(c)) authorizes FTA to award 

grants for low or no emission buses 

through a competitive process, as 

described in this notice. The Low-No 

Program provides funding to State and 

local governmental authorities for the 

purchase or lease of zero-emission and 

low-emission transit buses, including 

acquisition, construction, and leasing of 

required supporting facilities such as 

recharging, refueling, and maintenance 

facilities. FTA recognizes that a 

significant transformation is occurring 

in the transit bus industry, with the 

increasing availability of low and zero 

emission bus vehicles for transit 

revenue operations. This program 

supports FTA’s strategic goals and 

objectives through the timely and 

efficient investment in public 

transportation. This program also 

supports the President’s Build Back 

Better initiative to mobilize American 

ingenuity to build a modern 

infrastructure and an equitable, clean 

energy future. In addition, the Low-No 

Program and this NOFO will advance 

the goals of the President’s January 20, 

2021 Executive Order on Protecting 

Public Health and the Environment and 

Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate 

Crisis. 

B. Federal Award Information

Federal public transportation law (49

U.S.C. 5338(a)(2)(M)) authorizes 

$55,000,000 in FY 2021 for the Low-No 

Program. The Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2021, appropriated 

an additional $125,000,000 for the LowNo Program, for a total of $180,000,000 

for grants under this program. 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
10062 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 31 / Thursday, February 18, 2021 / Notices 

Additional funds made available prior 

to project selection may be allocated to 

eligible projects. 

In FY 2020, the program received 

applications for 147 projects requesting 

a total of $513 million. Forty-one 

projects were funded at a total of $130 

million. FTA may cap the amount a 

single recipient or State may receive as 

part of the selection process. In FY 

2020, for example, the largest amount 

awarded to a single applicant was 

approximately $7 million and no State 

received more than 5.4 percent of the 

total funding available. 

FTA will grant pre-award authority to 

incur costs for selected projects 

beginning on the date FY 2021 project 

selections are announced on FTA’s 

website. Funds are available for 

obligation for three fiscal years after the 

fiscal year in which the competitive 

awards are announced. Funds are only 

available for projects that have not 

incurred costs prior to the 

announcement of project selections. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

Eligible applicants include designated 

recipients, States, local governmental 

authorities, and Indian Tribes. Proposals 

for funding projects in rural (nonurbanized) areas may be submitted as 

part of a consolidated State proposal. To 

be considered eligible, applicants must 

be able to demonstrate the requisite 

legal, financial, and technical 

capabilities to receive and administer 

Federal funds under this program. 

States and other eligible applicants may 

submit consolidated proposals for 

projects in urbanized areas. Proposals 

may contain projects to be implemented 

by the recipient or its eligible 

subrecipients. Eligible subrecipients are 

entities that are otherwise eligible 

recipients under this program. 

As permitted by the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2021, applicants to 

the Low-No Program may submit 

applications that include partnerships 

with other entities that intend to 

participate in the implementation of the 

project, including, but not limited to, 

specific vehicle manufacturers, 

equipment vendors, owners or operators 

of related facilities, or project 

consultants. If an application that 

involves such a partnership is selected 

for funding, the competitive selection 

process will be deemed to satisfy the 

requirement for a competitive 

procurement under 49 U.S.C. 5325(a) for 

the named entities. Applicants are 

advised that any changes to the 

proposed partnership will require FTA 

written approval, must be consistent 

with the scope of the approved project, 

and may necessitate a competitive 

procurement. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

The maximum Federal share for 

projects that involve leasing or 

acquiring transit buses (including clean 

fuel or alternative fuel vehicles) for 

purposes of complying with or 

maintaining compliance with the Clean 

Air Act is 85 percent of the net project 

cost. 

The maximum Federal share for the 

cost of acquiring, installing, or 

constructing vehicle-related equipment 

or facilities (including clean fuel or 

alternative fuel vehicle-related 

equipment or facilities) for purposes of 

complying with or maintaining 

compliance with the Clean Air Act is 90 

percent of the net project cost of such 

equipment or facilities that are 

attributable to compliance with the 

Clean Air Act. The award recipient must 

itemize the cost of specific, discrete, 

vehicle-related equipment associated 

with compliance with the Clean Air Act 

to be eligible for the maximum 90 

percent Federal share for these costs. 

The Federal share of the cost of other 

projects shall not exceed 80 percent. 

Eligible sources of match include the 

following: cash from non-Government 

sources other than revenues from 

providing public transportation 

services; revenues derived from the sale 

of advertising and concessions; amounts 

received under a service agreement with 

a State or local social service agency or 

private social service organization; 

revenues generated from value capture 

financing mechanisms; funds from an 

undistributed cash surplus; replacement 

or depreciation cash fund or reserve; 

new capital; or in-kind contributions. 

Transportation development credits or 

in-kind match may be used for local 

match if identified and documented in 

the application. 

3. Eligible Projects 

Under the Low-No Program (49 U.S.C. 

5339(c)), eligible projects include 

projects or programs of projects in an 

eligible area for: (1) Purchasing or 

leasing low or no emission buses; (2) 

acquiring low or no emission buses with 

a leased power source; (3) constructing 

or leasing facilities and related 

equipment for low or no emission buses; 

(4) constructing new public 

transportation facilities to accommodate 

low or no emission buses; (5) or 

rehabilitating or improving existing 

public transportation facilities to 

accommodate low or no emission buses 

(49 U.S.C. 5339(c)(1)(B)). As required by 

Federal public transportation law (49 

U.S.C. 5339(c)(5)), FTA will only 

consider eligible projects relating to the 

acquisition or leasing of low or no 

emission buses or bus facilities that 

make greater reductions in energy 

consumption and harmful emissions 

than comparable standard buses or other 

low or no emission buses and are part 

of the recipient’s long-term integrated 

fleet management plan. 

A low or no emission bus is defined 

as a passenger vehicle used to provide 

public transportation that significantly 

reduces energy consumption or harmful 

emissions, including direct carbon 

emissions, when compared to a 

standard vehicle. The statutory 

definition includes zero emission transit 

buses, which are defined as buses that 

produce no direct carbon emissions and 

no particulate matter emissions under 

any and all possible operational modes 

and conditions. Examples of zero 

emission bus technologies include, but 

are not limited to, hydrogen fuel-cell 

buses and battery-electric buses. All 

new transit bus models must 

successfully complete FTA bus testing 

for production transit buses pursuant to 

FTA’s Bus Testing regulation (49 CFR 

part 665) in order to be procured with 

funds awarded under the Low-No 

Program. All transit vehicles must be 

procured from certified transit vehicle 

manufacturers in accordance with the 

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise 

(DBE) regulations (49 CFR part 26). The 

development or deployment of 

prototype vehicles is not eligible for 

funding under the Low-No Program. 

Recipients are permitted to use up to 

0.5 percent of their requested grant 

award for workforce development 

activities eligible under Federal public 

transportation law (49 U.S.C. 5314(b)) 

and an additional 0.5 percent for costs 

associated with training at the National 

Transit Institute. Applicants must 

identify the proposed use of funds for 

these activities in the project proposal 

and identify them separately in the 

project budget. 

If a single project proposal involves 

multiple public transportation 

providers, such as when an agency 

acquires vehicles that will be operated 

by another agency, the proposal must 

include a detailed statement regarding 

the role of each public transportation 

provider in the implementation of the 

project. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address To Request Application 

Applications must be submitted 

electronically through GRANTS.GOV. 

General information for submitting 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 31 / Thursday, February 18, 2021 / Notices 10063 

applications through GRANTS.GOV can 

be found at www.fta.dot.gov/howtoapply 

along with specific instructions for the 

forms and attachments required for 

submission. Mail and fax submissions of 

completed proposals will not be 

accepted. A complete proposal 

submission consists of two forms: The 

SF–424 Application for Federal 

Assistance (available at GRANTS.GOV) 

and the supplemental form for the FY 

2021 Low-No Program (downloaded 

from GRANTS.GOV or the FTA website 

at https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/ 

grants/lowno). Failure to submit the 

information as requested can delay 

review or disqualify the application. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

a. Proposal Submission 

A complete proposal submission 

consists of two forms: (1) The SF–424 

Application for Federal Assistance; and 

(2) the supplemental form for the FY 

2021 Low-No Program. The 

supplemental form and any supporting 

documents must be attached to the 

‘‘Attachments’’ section of the SF–424. 

The application must include responses 

to all sections of the SF–424 

Application for Federal Assistance and 

the supplemental form, unless indicated 

as optional. The information on the 

supplemental form will be used to 

determine applicant and project 

eligibility for the program, and to 

evaluate the proposal against the 

selection criteria described in part E of 

this notice. 

FTA will accept only one 

supplemental form per SF–424 

submission. FTA encourages States and 

other applicants to consider submitting 

a single supplemental form that 

includes multiple activities to be 

evaluated as a consolidated proposal. If 

a State or other applicant chooses to 

submit separate proposals for individual 

consideration by FTA, each proposal 

must be submitted using a separate SF– 

424 and supplemental form. 

Applicants may attach additional 

supporting information to the SF–424 

submission, including but not limited to 

letters of support, project budgets, fleet 

status reports, or excerpts from relevant 

planning documents. Any supporting 

documentation must be described and 

referenced by file name in the 

appropriate response section of the 

supplemental form, or it may not be 

reviewed. 

Information such as applicant name, 

Federal amount requested, local match 

amount, description of areas served, etc. 

may be requested in varying degrees of 

detail on both the SF–424 and 

supplemental form. Applicants must fill 

in all fields unless stated otherwise on 

the forms. If information is copied into 

the supplemental form from another 

source, applicants should verify that 

pasted text is fully captured on the 

supplemental form and has not been 

truncated by the character limits built 

into the form. Applicants should use 

both the ‘‘Check Package for Errors’’ and 

the ‘‘Validate Form’’ validation buttons 

on both forms to check all required 

fields on the forms, and ensure that the 

Federal and local amounts specified are 

consistent. 

b. Application Content 

The SF–424 Application for Federal 

Assistance and the supplemental form 

will prompt applicants for the required 

information, including: 

i. Applicant name 

ii. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data 

Universal Numbering System 

(DUNS) number 

iii. Key contact information (including 

contact name, address, email 

address, and phone) 

iv. Congressional district(s) where 

project will take place 

v. Project information (including title, 

an executive summary, and type) 

vi. A detailed description of the need for 

the project 

vii. A detailed description on how the 

project will support the Low-No 

Program objectives 

viii. Evidence that the project is 

consistent with local and regional 

planning documents 

ix. Evidence that the applicant can 

provide the local cost share 

x. A description of the technical, legal, 

and financial capacity of the 

applicant 

xi. A detailed project budget 

xii. An explanation of the scalability of 

the project 

xiii. Details on the local matching funds 

xiv. A detailed project timeline 

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System 

for Award Management (SAM) 

Each applicant is required to: (1) Be 

registered in SAM before submitting an 

application; (2) provide a valid unique 

entity identifier in its application; and 

(3) continue to maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information at 

all times during which the applicant has 

an active Federal award or an 

application or plan under consideration 

by FTA. These requirements do not 

apply if the applicant has an exemption 

approved by FTA under Federal grants 

and agreements law (2 CFR 25.110(d)). 

FTA may not make an award until the 

applicant has complied with all 

applicable unique entity identifier and 

SAM requirements. If an applicant has 

not fully complied with the 

requirements by the time FTA is ready 

to make an award, FTA may determine 

that the applicant is not qualified to 

receive an award and use that 

determination as a basis for making a 

Federal award to another applicant. 

Non-federal entities that have received a 

federal award are required to report 

certain civil, criminal, or administrative 

proceedings to SAM (currently the 

Federal Awardee Performance and 

Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)) 

to ensure registration information is 

current and comply with federal 

requirements. Applicants should 

reference 2 CFR 200.113, for more 

information. 

All applicants must provide a unique 

entity identifier provided by SAM. 

Registration in SAM may take as little 

as 3–5 business days, but since there 

could be unexpected steps or delays (for 

example, if there is a need to obtain an 

Employer Identification Number), FTA 

recommends allowing ample time, up to 

several weeks, for completion of all 

steps. For additional information on 

obtaining a unique entity identifier, 

please visit www.sam.gov. 

4. Submission Dates and Times 

Project proposals must be submitted 

electronically through GRANTS.GOV by 

11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 12, 

2021. GRANTS.GOV attaches a time 

stamp to each application at the time of 

submission. Proposals submitted after 

the deadline will only be considered 

under extraordinary circumstances not 

under the applicant’s control. Mail and 

fax submissions will not be accepted. 

Within 48 hours after submitting an 

electronic application, the applicant 

should receive an email message from 

GRANTS.GOV with confirmation of 

successful transmission to 

GRANTS.GOV. If a notice of failed 

validation or incomplete materials is 

received, the applicant must address the 

reason for the failed validation, as 

described in the email notice, and 

resubmit before the submission 

deadline. If making a resubmission for 

any reason, include all original 

attachments regardless of which 

attachments were updated and check 

the box on the supplemental form 

indicating this is a resubmission. 

FTA urges applicants to submit 

applications at least 72 hours prior to 

the due date to allow time to receive the 

validation messages and to correct any 

problems that may have caused a 

rejection notification. GRANTS.GOV 

scheduled maintenance and outage 

times are announced on the 

GRANTS.GOV website. Deadlines will 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
10064 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 31 / Thursday, February 18, 2021 / Notices 

not be extended due to scheduled 

website maintenance. 

Applicants are encouraged to begin 

the process of registration on the 

GRANTS.GOV site well in advance of 

the submission deadline. Registration is 

a multi-step process, which may take 

several weeks to complete before an 

application can be submitted. Registered 

applicants may still be required to take 

steps to keep their registration up to 

date before submissions can be made 

successfully: (1) Registration in SAM is 

renewed annually, and (2) persons 

making submissions on behalf of the 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR) must be authorized in 

GRANTS.GOV by the AOR to make 

submissions. 

5. Funding Restrictions 

Funds under this NOFO cannot be 

used to reimburse applicants for 

otherwise eligible expenses incurred 

prior to FTA award of a grant agreement 

until FTA has issued pre-award 

authority for selected projects. Refer to 

Section C.3., Eligible Projects, for 

information on activities that are 

allowable in this grant program. 

Allowable direct and indirect expenses 

must be consistent with the 

Governmentwide Uniform 

Administrative Requirements and Cost 

Principles (2 CFR part 200) and FTA 

Circular 5010.1E. 

6. Other Submission Requirements 

Applicants are encouraged to identify 

scaled funding options in case 

insufficient funding is available to fund 

a project at the full requested amount. 

If an applicant indicates that a project 

is scalable, the applicant must provide 

an appropriate minimum funding 

amount that will fund an eligible project 

that achieves the objectives of the 

program and meets all relevant program 

requirements. The applicant must 

provide a clear explanation of how the 

project budget would be affected by a 

reduced award. FTA may award a lesser 

amount regardless of whether a scalable 

option is provided. 

All applications must be submitted 

via the GRANTS.GOV website. FTA 

does not accept applications on paper, 

by fax machine, email, or other means. 

For information on application 

submission requirements, please see 

Section D.1., Address to Request 

Application. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria 

Projects will be evaluated primarily 

on the responses provided in the 

supplemental form. Additional 

information may be provided to support 

the responses; however, any additional 

documentation must be directly 

referenced on the supplemental form, 

including the file name where the 

additional information can be found. 

FTA will evaluate proposals for the 

Low-No Program based on the criteria 

described in this notice. 

If an applicant is proposing to deploy 

autonomous vehicles or other 

innovative motor vehicle technology, 

the application should demonstrate that 

all vehicles will comply with applicable 

safety requirements, including those 

administered by the National Highway 

Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 

and Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA). Specifically, 

the application should show that 

vehicles acquired for the proposed 

project will comply with applicable 

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 

(FMVSS) and Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Regulations (FMCSR). If the 

vehicles may not comply, the 

application should either (1) show that 

the vehicles and their proposed 

operations are within the scope of an 

exemption or waiver that has already 

been granted by NHTSA, FMCSA, or 

both agencies or (2) directly address 

whether the project will require 

exemptions or waivers from the FMVSS, 

FMCSR, or any other regulation and, if 

the project will require exemptions or 

waivers, present a plan for obtaining 

them. 

a. Demonstration of Need 

Since the purpose of this program is 

to fund vehicles and facilities, 

applications will be evaluated based on 

the quality and extent to which they 

demonstrate how the proposed project 

will address an unmet need for capital 

investment in vehicles and/or 

supporting facilities. For example, an 

applicant may demonstrate that it 

requires additional or improved 

charging or maintenance facilities for 

low or no emission vehicles, that it 

intends to replace existing vehicles that 

have exceeded their minimum useful 

life, or that it requires additional 

vehicles to meet current ridership 

demands. 

FTA will consider an applicant’s 

responses to the following criteria when 

assessing the need for capital 

investment underlying the proposed 

project: 

i. Consistency with Long-Term Fleet 

Management Plan: As required by 

Federal public transportation law (49 

U.S.C. 5339(c)(5)(B)), all project 

proposals must demonstrate that they 

are part of the intended recipient’s longterm integrated fleet management plan, 

as demonstrated through an existing 

transit asset management program, fleet 

procurement plan, or similarly 

documented program or policy. These 

plans must be attached to the 

application. FTA will evaluate the 

consistency of the proposed project with 

the applicant’s long-term fleet 

management plan, as well as the 

applicant’s previous experience with 

the relevant low or no emissions vehicle 

technologies. 

ii. For low or no emission bus projects 

(replacement and/or or expansion): 

Applicants must provide information on 

the age, condition, and performance of 

the vehicles to be replaced by the 

proposed project. Vehicles to be 

replaced must have met their minimum 

useful life at the time of project 

completion. For service expansion 

requests, applicants must provide 

information on the proposed service 

expansion and the benefits for transit 

riders and the community from the new 

service. For all vehicle projects, the 

proposal must address whether the 

project conforms to FTA’s spare ratio 

guidelines. Low or no emission vehicles 

funded under this program are not 

exempted from FTA’s standard spare 

ratio requirements, which apply to and 

are calculated on the agency’s entire 

fleet. 

iii. For bus facility and equipment 

projects (replacement, rehabilitation, 

and/or expansion): Applicants must 

provide information on the age and 

condition of the asset to be rehabilitated 

or replaced relative to its minimum 

useful life. 

b. Demonstration of Benefits 

Applicants must demonstrate how the 

proposed project will support the 

statutory requirements of the Low-No 

Program (See 49 U.S.C. 5339(c)(5)(A)). 

In particular, FTA will consider the 

quality and extent to which applications 

demonstrate how the proposed project 

will: (1) Reduce Energy Consumption; 

(2) Reduce Harmful Emissions; and (3) 

Reduce Direct Carbon Emissions. 

i. Reduce Energy Consumption: 

Applicants must describe how the 

proposed project will reduce energy 

consumption. FTA will evaluate 

applications based on the degree to 

which the proposed technology reduces 

energy consumption as compared to 

more common vehicle propulsion 

technologies. 

ii. Reduce Harmful Emissions: 

Applicants must demonstrate how the 

proposed vehicles or facility will reduce 

the emission of particulates that create 

local air pollution, which leads to local 

environmental health concerns, smog, 

and unhealthy ozone concentrations. 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 31 / Thursday, February 18, 2021 / Notices 10065 

FTA will evaluate the rate of particulate 

emissions by the proposed vehicles or 

vehicles to be supported by the 

proposed facility, compared to the 

emissions from the vehicles that will be 

replaced or moved to the spare fleet as 

a result of the proposed project, as well 

as comparable standard buses. 

iii. Reduce Direct Carbon Emissions: 

Applicants should demonstrate how the 

proposed vehicles or facility will reduce 

emissions of greenhouse gases from 

transit vehicle operations. FTA will 

evaluate the rate of direct carbon 

emissions by the proposed vehicles or 

vehicles to be supported by the 

proposed facility, compared to the 

emissions from the vehicles that will be 

replaced or moved to the spare fleet as 

a result of the proposed project, as well 

as comparable standard buses. 

c. Planning and Local/Regional 

Prioritization 

Applicants must demonstrate how the 

proposed project is consistent with local 

and regional long-range planning 

documents and local government 

priorities. FTA will evaluate 

applications based on the quality and 

extent to which they assess whether the 

project is consistent with the transit 

priorities identified in the long-range 

plan; and/or contingency/illustrative 

projects included in that plan; or the 

locally developed human services 

public transportation coordinated plan. 

Applicants may submit copies of the 

relevant pages of such plans to support 

their application. FTA will consider 

how the project will support regional 

goals and applicants may submit 

support letters from local and regional 

planning organizations attesting to the 

consistency of the proposed project with 

these plans. 

Evidence of additional local or 

regional prioritization may include 

letters of support for the project from 

local government officials, public 

agencies, and non-profit or private 

sector partners. 

d. Local Financial Commitment 

Applicants must identify the source of 

the local cost share and describe 

whether such funds are currently 

available for the project or will need to 

be secured if the project is selected for 

funding. FTA will consider the 

availability of the local cost share as 

evidence of local financial commitment 

to the project. Applicants should submit 

evidence of the availability of funds for 

the project; for example, by including a 

board resolution, letter of support from 

the State, or other documentation of the 

source of local funds such as a budget 

document highlighting the line item or 

section committing funds to the 

proposed project. FTA will note if an 

applicant proposes to use grant funds 

only for the incremental cost of new 

technologies over the cost of replacing 

vehicles with standard propulsion 

technologies. 

e. Project Implementation Strategy 

FTA will rate projects higher if grant 

funds can be obligated within 12 

months of selection and the project can 

be implemented within a reasonable 

time frame. In assessing when funds can 

be obligated, FTA will consider whether 

the project qualifies for a Categorical 

Exclusion (CE), or whether the required 

environmental work has been initiated 

or completed for projects that require an 

Environmental Assessment (EA) or 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

under the National Environmental 

Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended. 

As such, applicants should submit 

information describing the project’s 

anticipated path and timeline through 

the environmental review process. The 

proposal must state when grant funds 

can be obligated and indicate the 

timeframe under which the 

Metropolitan Transportation 

Improvement Program (TIP) and/or 

Statewide Transportation Improvement 

Program (STIP) can be amended to 

include the proposed project. 

In assessing whether the proposed 

implementation plans are reasonable 

and complete, FTA will review the 

proposed project implementation plan, 

including all necessary project 

milestones and the overall project 

timeline. For projects that will require 

formal coordination, approvals, or 

permits from other agencies or project 

partners, the applicant must 

demonstrate coordination with these 

organizations and their support for the 

project, such as through letters of 

support. 

For project proposals that involve a 

partnership with a manufacturer, 

vendor, consultant, or other third party, 

applicants must identify by name any 

project partners, including, but not 

limited to, other transit agencies, bus 

manufacturers, owners or operators of 

related facilities, or any expert 

consultants. FTA will evaluate the 

experience and capacity of the named 

project partners to successfully 

implement the proposed project based 

on the partners’ experience and 

qualifications. Applicants are advised to 

submit information on the partners’ 

qualifications and experience as a part 

of the application. Entities involved in 

the project that are not named in the 

application will be required to be 

selected through a competitive 

procurement. 

f. Technical, Legal, and Financial 

Capacity 

Applicants must demonstrate that 

they have the technical, legal, and 

financial capacity to undertake the 

project. FTA will review relevant 

oversight assessments and records to 

determine whether there are any 

outstanding legal, technical, or financial 

issues with the applicant that would 

affect the outcome of the proposed 

project. 

2. Review and Selection Process 

In addition to other FTA staff that 

may review the proposals, a technical 

evaluation committee will evaluate 

proposals based on the published 

evaluation criteria. Members of the 

technical evaluation committee and 

other FTA staff may request additional 

information from applicants, if 

necessary. Based on the findings of the 

technical evaluation committee, the 

FTA Administrator will determine the 

final selection of projects for program 

funding. In determining the allocation 

of program funds, FTA may consider 

geographic diversity, diversity in the 

size of the transit systems receiving 

funding, and the applicant’s receipt of 

other competitive awards. FTA may also 

consider capping the amount a single 

applicant may receive. 

After applying the above criteria, in 

support of the President’s January 20, 

2021 Executive Order on Protecting 

Public Health and the Environment and 

Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate 

Crisis, the FTA Administrator will 

consider applications that may provide 

other air quality benefits as part of the 

application review. Applicants should 

identify any nonattainment or 

maintenance areas under the Clean Air 

Act in the proposed service area. 

Nonattainment or maintenance areas 

should be limited to the following 

applicable National Ambient Air 

Quality Standards criteria pollutants: 

Carbon monoxide, ozone, and 

particulate matter 2.5 and 10. The U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency’s 

Green Book (available at https://

www.epa.gov/green-book) is a publiclyavailable resource for nonattainment 

and maintenance area data. This 

consideration will further the goals of 

the Executive Order, including the goal 

to prioritize environment justice (EJ). 

In addition, FTA will consider 

benefits to EJ communities when 

reviewing applications received under 

this program. Applicants should 

identify any EJ populations located 

within the proposed service area and 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
10066 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 31 / Thursday, February 18, 2021 / Notices 

describe anticipated benefits to that 

population(s) should the applicant 

receive a grant under this program. A 

formal EJ analysis that is typically 

included in transportation planning or 

environmental reviews is not requested. 

Additionally, the FTA Administrator 

will consider applications that include 

a funding request for workforce 

development activities that improve the 

technical expertise of America’s transit 

workers. 

Prior to making an award, FTA is 

required to review and consider any 

information about the applicant that is 

in the Federal Award Performance and 

Integrity Information System accessible 

through SAM. An applicant may review 

and comment on any information about 

itself that a Federal awarding agency 

previously entered. FTA will consider 

any comments by the applicant, in 

addition to the other information in the 

designated integrity and performance 

system, in making a judgment about the 

applicant’s integrity, business ethics, 

and record of performance under 

Federal awards when completing the 

review of risk posed by applicants as 

described in the Office of Management 

and Budget’s Uniform Requirements for 

Federal Awards (2 CFR 200.205). 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

FTA will announce the final project 

selections on the FTA website. 

Recipients should contact their FTA 

Regional Offices for additional 

information regarding allocations for 

projects under the Low-No Program. At 

the time the project selections are 

announced, FTA will extend pre-award 

authority for the selected projects. There 

is no blanket pre-award authority for 

these projects before announcement. 

Funds under the Low-No Program are 

available to States, designated 

recipients, local governmental 

authorities, and Indian Tribes. There is 

no minimum or maximum grant award 

amount. However, FTA intends to fund 

as many meritorious projects as 

possible. Only proposals from eligible 

recipients for eligible activities will be 

considered for funding. Due to funding 

limitations, applicants that are selected 

for funding may receive less than the 

amount originally requested. In those 

cases, applicants must be able to 

demonstrate that the proposed projects 

are still viable and can be completed 

with the amount awarded. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

a. Pre-Award Authority 

FTA will issue specific guidance to 

recipients regarding pre-award authority 

at the time of selection. FTA does not 

provide pre-award authority for 

competitive funds until projects are 

selected, and even then, there are 

Federal requirements that must be met 

before costs are incurred. For more 

information about FTA’s policy on preaward authority, please see the most 

recent Apportionment Notice at https:// 

www.transit.dot.gov. 

b. Grant Requirements 

If selected, awardees will apply for a 

grant through FTA’s Transit Award 

Management System (TrAMS). All LowNo Program recipients are subject to the 

grant requirements of the Urbanized 

Area Formula Grant program (49 U.S.C. 

5307), including those of FTA Circular 

‘‘Urbanized Area Formula Program: 

Program Guidance and Application 

Instructions’’ (FTA C.9030.1E). All 

recipients must also follow the Award 

Management Requirements (FTA 

C.5010.1) and the labor protections 

required by Federal public 

transportation law (49 U.S.C. 5333(b)). 

Technical assistance regarding these 

requirements is available from each FTA 

regional office. 

c. Buy America 

FTA requires that all capital 

procurements meet FTA’s Buy America 

requirements (49 U.S.C. 5323(j) and 49 

CFR part 661), which require that all 

iron, steel, or manufactured products be 

produced in the United States. Federal 

public transportation law provided for a 

phased increase in the domestic content 

for rolling stock between FY 2016 and 

FY 2020. For FY 2020 and beyond, the 

cost of components and subcomponents 

produced in the United States must be 

more than 70 percent of the cost of all 

components. There is no change to the 

requirement that final assembly of 

rolling stock must occur in the United 

States. FTA issued guidance on the 

implementation of the phased increase 

in domestic content on September 1, 

2016 (81 FR 60278). Applicants should 

read the policy guidance carefully to 

determine the applicable domestic 

content requirement for their project. 

Any proposal that will require a waiver 

must identify in the application the 

items for which a waiver will be sought. 

Applicants should not proceed with the 

expectation that waivers will be granted. 

d. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise 

FTA requires that its recipients 

receiving planning, capital, and/or 

operating assistance that will award 

prime contracts exceeding $250,000 in 

FTA funds in a Federal fiscal year 

comply with Department of 

Transportation Disadvantaged Business 

Enterprise (DBE) program regulations 

(49 CFR part 26). Applicants should 

expect to include any funds awarded, 

excluding those to be used for vehicle 

procurements, in setting their overall 

DBE goal. Note, however, that projects 

including vehicle procurements remain 

subject to the DBE program regulations. 

The rule requires that, prior to bidding 

on any FTA-assisted vehicle 

procurement, entities that manufacture 

vehicles, or perform post-production 

alterations or retrofitting, must submit a 

DBE program plan and goal 

methodology to FTA. Further, to the 

extent that a vehicle remanufacturer is 

responding to a solicitation for new or 

remanufactured vehicles with a vehicle 

to which the remanufacturer has 

provided post-production alterations or 

retrofitting (e.g., replacing major 

components such as an engine to 

provide a ‘‘like new’’ vehicle), the 

vehicle remanufacturer is considered a 

transit vehicle manufacturer and must 

also comply with the DBE regulations. 

FTA will then issue a transit vehicle 

manufacturer (TVM) concurrence/ 

certification letter. Grant recipients 

must verify each entity’s compliance 

with these requirements before 

accepting its bid. A list of compliant, 

certified TVMs is posted on FTA’s web 

page at https://www.transit.dot.gov/ 

regulations-and-guidance/civil-rightsada/eligible-transit-vehiclemanufacturers. Please note that this list 

is nonexclusive, and recipients must 

contact FTA before accepting bids from 

entities not listed on this web-posting. 

Recipients may also establish projectspecific DBE goals for vehicle 

procurements. FTA will provide 

additional guidance as grants are 

awarded. For more information on DBE 

requirements, please contact Scheryl 

Portee, Office of the Chief Counsel, 202– 

366–0840, email: scheryl.portee@

dot.gov. 

e. Planning 

FTA encourages applicants to notify 

the appropriate State Departments of 

Transportation and metropolitan 

planning organizations in areas likely to 

be served by the project funds made 

available under these initiatives and 

programs. Selected projects must be 

incorporated into the long-range plans 

and transportation improvement 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 31 / Thursday, February 18, 2021 / Notices 10067 

programs of States and metropolitan 

areas before they are eligible for FTA 

funding. As described under the 

evaluation criteria, FTA may consider 

whether a project is consistent with or 

already included in these plans when 

evaluating a project. 

f. Standard Assurances 

The applicant assures that it will 

comply with all applicable Federal 

statutes, regulations, executive orders, 

directives, FTA circulars, and other 

Federal administrative requirements in 

carrying out any project supported by 

the FTA grant. The applicant 

acknowledges that it is under a 

continuing obligation to comply with 

the terms and conditions of the grant 

agreement issued for its project with 

FTA. The applicant understands that 

Federal laws, regulations, policies, and 

administrative practices might be 

modified from time to time and may 

affect the implementation of the project. 

The applicant agrees that the most 

recent Federal requirements will apply 

to the project, unless FTA issues a 

written determination otherwise. The 

applicant must submit the Certifications 

and Assurances before receiving a grant 

if it does not have current certifications 

on file. 

3. Reporting 

Post-award reporting requirements 

include the electronic submission of 

Federal Financial Reports and Milestone 

Progress Reports in FTA’s electronic 

grants management system. Recipients 

of funds made available through this 

NOFO are also required to regularly 

submit data to the National Transit 

Database. Applicant should include any 

goals, targets, and indicators referenced 

in their application in the Executive 

Summary of the TrAMS application. 

As part of completing the annual 

certifications and assurances required of 

FTA grant recipients, a successful 

applicant must report on the suspension 

or debarment status of itself and its 

principals. If the award recipient’s 

active grants, cooperative agreements, 

and procurement contracts from all 

Federal awarding agencies exceeds 

$10,000,000 for any period of time 

during the period of performance of an 

award made pursuant to this Notice, the 

recipient must comply with the 

Recipient Integrity and Performance 

Matters reporting requirements 

described in Appendix XII to 2 CFR part 

200. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

For further information concerning 

this notice, please contact the Low-No 

Program Manager, Amy Volz, by phone 

at 202–366–7484, or by email at 

amy.volz@dot.gov. A TDD is available 

for individuals who are deaf or hard of 

hearing at 800–877–8339. In addition, 

FTA will post answers to questions and 

requests for clarifications on FTA’s 

website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/ 

funding/grants/lowno. To ensure 

applicants receive accurate information 

about eligibility or the program, 

applicants are encouraged to contact 

FTA directly, rather than through 

intermediaries or third parties, with 

questions. FTA staff may also conduct 

briefings on the FY 2021 competitive 

grants selection and award process upon 

request. 

H. Other Information 

This program is not subject to 

Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’ FTA will consider 

applications for funding only from 

eligible recipients for eligible projects 

listed in Section C. Complete 

applications must be submitted through 

GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. Eastern 

time on April 12, 2021. 

For issues with GRANTS.GOV, please 

contact GRANTS.GOV by phone at 1– 

800–518–4726 or by email at support@

grants.gov. Contact information for 

FTA’s regional offices can be found on 

FTA’s website at www.fta.dot.gov. 

Matthew J. Welbes, 

Executive Director. 

[FR Doc. 2021–03180 Filed 2–17–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA–2020–0027–N–35] 

Proposed Agency Information 

Collection Activities; Comment 

Request 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice 

announces that FRA is forwarding the 

Information Collection Request (ICR) 

abstracted below to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and comment. The ICR describes 

the information collection and its 

expected burden. On December 10, 

2020, FRA published a notice providing 

a 60-day period for public comment on 

the ICR. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before March 

22, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed ICR 

should be sent within 30 days of 

publication of this notice to 

www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 

Find this particular ICR by selecting 

‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open 

for Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Kim Toone, Information Collection 

Clearance Officer at (202) 493–6132 or 

kim.toone@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA, 

44 U.S.C. 3501–3520, and its 

implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 

1320, require Federal agencies to issue 

two notices seeking public comment on 

information collection activities before 

OMB may approve paperwork packages. 

See 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 

through 1320.12. On December 10, 

2020, FRA published a 60-day notice in 

the Federal Register soliciting comment 

on the ICR for which it is now seeking 

OMB approval. See 85 FR 79559. FRA 

received no comments in response to 

this 60-day notice. 

Before OMB decides whether to 

approve the proposed collection of 

information, it must provide 30 days for 

public comment. Federal law requires 

OMB to approve or disapprove 

paperwork packages between 30 and 60 

days after the 30-day notice is 

published. 44 U.S.C. 3507(b)–(c); 5 CFR 

1320.12(b); see also 60 FR 44978, 44983, 

Aug. 29, 1995. OMB believes the 30-day 

notice informs the regulated community 

to file relevant comments and affords 

the agency adequate time to digest 

public comments before it renders a 

decision. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. 

Therefore, respondents should submit 

their respective comments to OMB 

within 30 days of publication to best 

ensure having their full effect. 

Comments are invited on the 

following ICR regarding: (1) Whether the 

information collection activities are 

necessary for FRA to properly execute 

its functions, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) the accuracy of FRA’s estimates of 

the burden of the information collection 

activities, including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used to 

determine the estimates; (3) ways for 

FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information being 

collected; and (4) ways to minimize the 

burden of information collection 

activities on the public, including the 

use of automated collection techniques 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES