Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 40 / Thursday, March 1, 2007 / Notices 9385 

or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may 

not discuss this competition with 

applicants until the proposal review 

process has been completed. 

VIII. Other Information 

Notice 

The terms and conditions published 

in this RFGP are binding and may not 

be modified by any Bureau 

representative. Explanatory information 

provided by the Bureau that contradicts 

published language will not be binding. 

Issuance of the RFGP does not 

constitute an award commitment on the 

part of the Government. The Bureau 

reserves the right to reduce, revise, or 

increase proposal budgets in accordance 

with the needs of the program and the 

availability of funds. Awards made will 

be subject to periodic reporting and 

evaluation requirements per section VI.3 

above. 

Dated: February 20, 2007. 

Dina Habib Powell, 

Assistant Secretary for Educational and 

Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. E7–3623 Filed 2–28–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Office of the Secretary 

[OST Docket No. OST–2007–27401] 

RIN 2105–ADO4 

Application To Renew Information 

Collection Request OMB No. 2105–

0551 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, 

Department of Transportation 

(Department or DOT). 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended) this 

notice announces the Department of 

Transportation intention to apply to the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) to renew approval of the 

information collection request (ICR) 

OMB No. 2105–0551, ‘‘Reporting 

Requirements for Disability-Related 

Complaints.’’ The current information 

collection request approved by OMB 

expires April 30, 2007. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by April 30, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on this action 

must refer to the docket and notice 

numbers cited at the beginning of this 

document and must be submitted to the 

Docket Management Facility (SVC–124), 

Office of the Secretary, located on the 

Plaza Level of the Nassif Building, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Room 

PL–401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. The DOT 

Docket Facility is open to the public 

from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except federal holidays. The 

telephone number is 202–366–9329. 

Comments will be available for 

inspection at this address and will also 

be viewable via the Web site for the 

Docket Management System at http:// 

dms.dot.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Damon P. Whitehead or Blane A. 

Workie, Office of the General Counsel, 

400 7th Street, SW., Room 4116, 

Washington, DC 20590, (202) 366–9342 

(voice), (202) 366–7152 (Fax) or 

damon.whitehead@ dot.gov or 

blane.workie@dot.gov (E-mail). 

Arrangements to receive this document 

in an alternative format may be made by 

contacting the above-named 

individuals. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Reporting Requirements for 

Disability-Related Complaints. 

OMB Control Number: 2105–0551. 

Type of Request: Renewal of currently 

approved Information Collection 

Request. 

Background: On July 8, 2003, the 

Office of the Secretary published a final 

rule that requires most certificated U.S. 

and foreign air carriers operating to, 

from and within the U.S. that conduct 

passenger-carrying service utilizing 

large aircraft to record complaints that 

they receive alleging inadequate 

accessibility or discrimination on the 

basis of disability. The carriers must 

also categorize these complaints 

according to the type of disability and 

nature of complaint, prepare a summary 

report annually of the complaints 

received during the preceding calendar 

year, submit the report to the 

Department of Transportation’s Aviation 

Consumer Protection Division, and 

retain copies of correspondence and 

records of action taken on the reported 

complaints for three years. The Rule 

requires carriers to submit their annual 

report via the World Wide Web except 

if the carrier can demonstrate an undue 

burden by doing so and receives 

permission from the Department to 

submit it in an alternative manner. The 

first required report covered complaints 

received during calendar year 2004 and 

was due by January 25, 2005. 

Subsequent reports of disability-related 

complaints received by carriers are due 

each year on the last Monday in January 

for the prior calendar year. On April 23, 

2004, OMB approved information 

collection of disability-related 

complaints, ‘‘Reporting Requirements 

for Disability-related Complaints’’

through April 30, 2007. 

Respondents: Certificated U.S. and 

foreign air carriers operating to, from 

and within the United States that 

conduct passenger-carrying service with 

large aircraft. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

370. 

Estimated Total Burden on 

Respondents: 185 hours. 

Comment are invited on: (a) Whether 

the collection of information is 

necessary for the proper performance of 

the functions of the Department, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of 

the Department’s estimate of the burden 

of the proposed information collection; 

(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility 

and clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 26, 

2007, under authority delegated in 49 CFR 

part 1. 

Rosalind A. Knapp, 

Acting General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. E7–3665 Filed 2–28–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Office of the Secretary 

[Docket OST–2007–27370] 

Notice of Order Soliciting Community 

Proposals 

AGENCY: Department of Transportation, 

Office of the Secretary. 

ACTION: Notice of Order Soliciting 

Community Proposals (Order 2007–2–

22). 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Transportation is soliciting proposals 

from communities or consortia of 

communities interested in receiving a 

grant under the Small Community Air 

Service Development Program. The full 

text of the Department’s order is 

attached to this document. There are 

two mandatory requirements for filing 

of applications, both of which must be 

completed for a community’s 

application to be deemed timely and 

considered by the Department. The first 

requirement is the submission of the 

community’s proposal to Dockets, as 

described below; the second 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
9386 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 40 / Thursday, March 1, 2007 / Notices 

1For detailed background on the Small 

Community Program, see our Web site at: http:// 

ostpxweb.dot.gov/aviation/X–50%20Role_files/

smallcommunity.htm#Funds. 

2This funding is subject to a 1% across-the-board 

rescission. Furthermore, the program’s funding for 

this year may be affected by a provision that 

provides the Secretary with authority to transfer 

funds from any program within or administered by 

the Office of the Secretary to the Essential Air 

Service (EAS) program if the EAS program does not 

have sufficient funds to meet its statutory 

obligations. In addition, a portion of the funds 

available for the Small Community Program may be 

used by the Department for grants-management 

purposes. 

3The hub classifications are based on the Federal 

Aviation Administration’s CY 1997 enplanement 

data. 

requirement is the filing of SF424 

through http://www.grants.gov. 

DATES: Grant Proposals as well as the 

SF424 should be submitted no later than 

April 27, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Interested parties can 

submit applications either electronically 

using the procedures at http:// 

dms.dot.gov or by hard copy. For the 

latter, an original and two copies of the 

application should be submitted to 

Dockets Operations and Media 

Management, M–30, Room PL–401, 

Department of Transportation, 400 7th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. 

Whichever method used, the 

application and any copies should bear 

the title ‘‘Proposal under the Small 

Community Air Service Development 

Program, Docket OST–2007–27370, as 

well as the name of the applicant 

community or consortium of 

communities, the legal sponsor, and the 

applicant’s DUNS number. The SF424 is 

submitted electronically through http:// 

www.grants.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Aloha Ley, Office of Aviation Analysis, 

400 7th Street SW., Washington, DC 

20590, (202) 366–2347. 

Dated: February 26, 2007. 

Michael W. Reynolds, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and 

International Affairs. 

Issued by the Department of Transportation 

on the 26th day of February, 2007. 

[Docket OST–2007–27370] 

In the Matter of Grant Applications; 

Small Community Air Service 

Development Program Under 49 U.S.C. 

41743 et seq.; Order Soliciting 

Community Grant Proposals 

Overview 

By this order, the Department invites 

proposals from communities and/or 

consortia of communities interested in 

obtaining a federal grant under the 

Small Community Air Service 

Development Program (Small 

Community Program) to develop costeffective air services in their 

communities. Proposals should be 

submitted in the above-referenced 

docket no later than April 27, 2007. 

Applicants must submit form SF424, a 

standard federal government application 

form, in Grants.gov. An application will 

not be deemed complete until and 

unless all required documents are filed. 

(All applicants must register as 

Grants.gov users and are advised that 

the registration process can take two 

weeks to complete. See Appendix C for 

additional information on filing form 

SF424 using Grants.gov.) 

Funding Opportunity 

The Small Community Program was 

established under the Wendell H. Ford 

Aviation Investment and Reform Act for 

the 21st Century (AIR–21), Public Law 

106–181, as a three-year ‘‘pilot’’

program and was designed to provide 

financial assistance to small 

communities to help them enhance their 

air service. The Department provides 

this assistance in the form of financial 

grants that are disbursed on a 

reimbursable basis. The program was 

subsequently reauthorized for an 

additional five years, through fiscal year 

2008, under the Vision 100-Century of 

Aviation Reauthorization Act, Public 

Law 108–176 (Vision 100), which also 

eliminated the ‘‘pilot’’ status of the 

program.1 On February 15, 2007, the 

President signed in to law the Revised 

Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 

2007 (Pub. L. 110–005), which provides 

the Department with $10 million to 

administer the Small Community 

Program.2

The program’s authorizing statute 

limits the Department to a maximum of 

40 grant awards, with a maximum of 

four grants per state, in each year the 

program is funded. However, the law 

does not prescribe any limits on the 

amounts of individual awards, and the 

amounts awarded will vary depending 

upon the features and merits of the 

proposals selected. Over the past five 

years, the Department’s individual 

grants have ranged from $20,000 to 

nearly $1.6 million. Awarded grant 

funds do not have to be expended in the 

year of award, nor do they need to be 

used within a one-year period. 

Authorized grant projects may include 

activities that extend over a multi-year 

period under a single grant award; 

however, grant funds are to be used in 

a timely manner. Generally speaking, 

grant awards have not exceeded a threeto-four-year period. 

Eligibility Information 

Who is Eligible to Apply for a Grant? 

Basic Criteria 

Eligible applicants are those 

communities that (1) are served by an 

airport that was not larger than a small 

hub airport for calendar year 1997 and 

(2) had insufficient air service or 

unreasonably high airfares.3

Communities that do not currently have 

commercial air service are also eligible, 

but they must have met or be able to 

meet in a reasonable period all 

necessary requirements of the Federal 

Aviation Administration for the type of 

service involved in their grant 

proposals. Communities served by 

medium and large hubs are not eligible 

to apply. 

EAS Communities May Apply 

Small communities that meet the 

basic criteria and currently receive 

subsidized air service under the 

Essential Air Service (EAS) program are 

eligible to apply for funds under the 

Small Community Program. Indeed, a 

number of EAS-subsidized communities 

applied in past years and some have 

received grant awards. However, grant 

awards to EAS-subsidized communities 

are limited to (1) marketing or 

promotion projects that support existing 

or newly subsidized air services or (2) 

new air services, such as on-demand air 

taxi service. Furthermore, grants funds 

will not be authorized for EASsubsidized communities to support 

either additional flights by EAS carriers 

or changes to those carriers’ existing 

schedules. 

Additional Consideration for 

Communities/Members of Consortia 

That Have Previously Received a Grant 

Communities or members of a 

consortia that were awarded grants in 

previous years and want to apply for a 

grant this year should be aware that (1) 

they are precluded from seeking funds 

for projects for which they have already 

received an award under the Small 

Community Program, and (2) they 

cannot accept a new grant while they 

are a party to an existing grant under the 

program, either as an individual 

community or as a member of a 

consortium. 

New projects are eligible. Previous 

grant recipients may submit grant 

proposals and seek funds for new 

projects in a different category. For 

example, although a community which 

had received a grant for a market study 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 40 / Thursday, March 1, 2007 / Notices 9387 

could not apply for a new grant for 

another market study, it could apply for 

funding for a revenue guarantee for new 

air service. Communities should note, 

however, that interest in this program 

could exceed both the funds available 

and the number of communities that can 

participate in any one year. For this 

reason, the fact that a community has 

already received one or more grants will 

be a consideration when comparing its 

new proposal with those of other 

applicant communities. 

No concurrent grants are permitted. A 

community or member of a consortia 

may participate in the program a 

subsequent time only after its 

participation in a prior grant has 

terminated. 49 U.S.C. 41743(c)(4). 

Simply stated, for a grant applicant to 

enter into a subsequent grant, its most 

recent grant must have expired or its 

participation in the grant otherwise 

terminated. If a grant applicant is 

applying for a subsequent grant and its 

current grant has not yet expired, it 

must notify the Department of its intent 

to terminate the current grant prior to 

entering into the new grant. In addition, 

for grant applicants that are members of 

a consortia grant, permission must be 

granted from both the grant sponsor and 

the Department to withdraw from the 

current grant prior to being eligible to 

receive a subsequent grant. 

City-pair Subsidies for a Carrier to 

Compete Against an Incumbent Raise 

Concerns 

Communities that propose to use the 

grant funds for service in a city-pair 

market that is already served by a carrier 

must explain in detail why the existing 

service is insufficient or unsatisfactory, 

or provide other compelling information 

to support such proposals. This 

information is necessary for the 

Department to consider the competitive 

implications of giving financial or other 

tangible incentives for one carrier that 

the other carrier is not receiving. The 

Department is concerned generally 

about subsidizing one carrier but not 

others in a competitive market and that, 

while bringing new competition may 

benefit the community in the short term, 

a market may prove insufficient to 

support two carriers and service may 

deteriorate to the point that the 

community’s service is less beneficial 

than before. 

A Consortium Is More Than a Collection 

of Communities 

The statute permits individual 

communities and consortia of 

communities to apply for grant awards 

under this program. In some instances 

in the past, several communities in a 

state have filed a single application as 

a ‘‘consortium’’ while in effect the 

application is a collection of individual 

community requests that involve 

different projects. We do not view this 

as a consortium. Rather, an application 

representing a consortium would be one 

that facilitates efforts of communities 

working together toward a joint grant 

project. For example, several 

communities surrounding an airport 

may apply together to improve air 

services at that airport, or surrounding 

airports may work together to provide 

regional air service. 

Multiple Applications by a Community 

Will Not Be Considered 

The Department requests that 

communities file only one application 

for a grant. In the past, some 

communities have filed both individual 

applications and requests as part of a 

consortium. In many cases these 

applications have involved the same 

project at the same or different funding 

levels. We will not consider the standalone application if a community is also 

submitting a largely identical request as 

part of a consortium. To the extent that 

a community files separately and as part 

of a consortium for complementary 

projects—for example, one request for 

funding a revenue guarantee and one for 

marketing—we will consider such 

proposals. However, communities 

should be aware that they can still only 

receive one grant, either the stand-alone 

grant or as a member of a consortium, 

since a community may not have 

concurrent grants. 

Cost Sharing and Local Contributions 

Are Important Factors 

The statute does not require 

communities to contribute toward a 

grant project, but those communities 

that contribute from local sources other 

than airport revenues are accorded 

priority consideration. One core 

objective of the Small Community 

Program is to promote community 

involvement in addressing air service/ 

air fare issues through public/private 

partnerships. As a financial stakeholder 

in the process, the community gains 

greater control over the type, quality, 

and success of the air service initiatives 

that will best meet its needs, and 

demonstrates a greater commitment 

towards achieving the stated goals. The 

Department has historically received 

many more applications than can be 

accommodated and nearly all of those 

applications have proposed a 

community financial contribution to the 

project. Thus, proposals that do not 

propose a community financial 

contribution will be at a competitive 

disadvantage. 

Types of Contributions 

Contributions should represent a new 

financial commitment or new financial 

resources devoted to attracting new or 

improved service, or addressing specific 

high-fare or other service issues, such as 

improving patronage of existing service 

at the airport. Contributions from 

already-existing programs or projects 

(e.g., designating a portion of an 

airport’s existing annual marketing 

budget to the project) are considered 

less favorably than contributions for 

new and innovative programs or 

projects. For those communities that 

propose to contribute to the grant 

project, that contribution can be in the 

following forms: 

Cash from non-airport revenues. This 

cash contribution can include funds 

from the State, the County or the local 

government, and/or from local 

businesses, or other private 

organizations in the community. Cash 

contributions exclude intangible or noncash items, such as the ‘‘value’’ of 

donated advertising. 

Cash from airport revenues. This 

includes contributions from funds 

generated by airport operations. Federal 

law (49 U.S.C. sections 47107(b), (l)–(p)) 

and policy concerning the use of airport 

revenue (64 FR 7696, February 16, 1999) 

preclude the use of airport revenues for 

revenue guarantees to airlines. 

Community proposals that include local 

contributions based on airport revenues 

do not receive priority consideration for 

selection. 

In-Kind Contributions from the 

airport. This can include such items as 

waivers of landing fees, terminal rents, 

fuel fees, and/or parking fees. 

In-Kind Contributions from the 

community. This can include such 

items as donated advertising from media 

outlets, catering services for inaugural 

events, or in-kind trading, such as 

advertising in exchange for free air 

travel. Travel banks and travel 

commitments/pledges are regarded as 

an in-kind contribution. Similarly, 

reduced fares by airlines will be 

considered an in-kind contribution. 

Cash vs. In-Kind Contributions 

Only cash contributions will be 

eligible for reimbursement. ‘‘In-kind’’

contributions involve services or 

benefits that do not include a cash 

transaction between the parties. Because 

grant funding under the Small 

Community Program is provided on a 

reimbursable basis, the Department 

cannot reimburse the grant sponsor for 

‘‘in-kind’’ or non-cash contributions. 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
9388 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 40 / Thursday, March 1, 2007 / Notices 

4 Interested communities can view proposals 

submitted in prior years in Docket OST–2002–

11590, Docket OST–2003–15065, Docket OST–

2004–17343, Docket OST–2005–20127, and Docket 

OST–2006–23671 for FY 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 

and 2006 grants, respectively, through the 

Department’s docket management system at the 

following Web address: http://dms.dot.gov/. 

Therefore, in-kind contributions are not 

considered as part of the community’s 

cash financial contribution to the 

project. Of course, communities are free 

to include in-kind contributions in their 

proposals. In fact, communities are 

encouraged to offer in-kind 

inducements as an extra incentive to 

facilitate air service/fare improvements. 

While these contributions will not be 

considered as part of the community’s 

cash contribution toward the project on 

which reimbursements are made, they 

will be considered as illustrative of the 

community’s overall commitment to the 

proposed grant project. If there is any 

question about whether a proposed 

contribution would be considered as 

‘‘in-kind’’ or cash, the applicant should 

contact the Department before 

submitting its proposal. 

Financial Commitments Must Be 

Fulfilled 

Applicant communities should also 

note that, as part of the grant agreement 

between the Department and the 

community, the community has legally 

committed itself to fulfilling its 

proposed financial contribution to the 

project. Community participation with 

respect to all aspects of the proposal, 

including the financial aspects, is 

critical to the success of the authorized 

project initiative. As with the grant 

awards in past years, receipt of the full 

federal contribution awarded will thus 

be linked to the community’s fulfillment 

of its financial contribution. 

Furthermore, communities cannot 

propose a certain level of cash 

contribution from non-airport sources, 

and subsequent to being awarded a 

grant, seek to substitute or replace that 

contribution with either ‘‘in-kind’’

contributions or contributions from 

airport revenues, or both. Given the 

statute’s priority for contributions from 

non-airport sources and the competitive 

nature of the selection process, a 

community’s grant award could be 

reduced or terminated altogether if it is 

unable to replace the committed funds 

from non-airport revenue sources. 

Application and Submission 

Information 

Filing Deadline and Procedures 

Grant applications are due by April 

27, 2007. They may be submitted in 

hard-copy form or by electronic filing. 

Regardless of the filing method used, 

however, applicants must also register 

for and complete SF424, Application 

For Federal Domestic Assistance. In 

addition, the cover page of each 

application should contain the 

information specified under ‘‘Cover 

page contents,’’ below. Questions 

regarding the program or the filing of 

proposals should be directed to the 

Office of Aviation Analysis, at (202) 

366–2347 or aloha.ley@dot.gov. 

Hard-copy Submission 

Applications may be submitted by 

hand, mail, or express delivery. 

Proposals postmarked after the due date 

will not be accepted. There are two 

mandatory requirements for hard-copy 

filing of applications, both of which 

must be completed for a community’s 

application to be deemed timely and 

considered by the Department. 

• First, the applicant must submit a 

proposal that includes all of the 

information required by this 

Application and Submission section, 

including the Summary Sheet that 

appears in Appendix B. Applicants 

should submit an original and two 

copies of their proposals, including the 

Summary Information Sheet, if 

submitting their proposals using the 

hard-copy option. 

• Second, the application (including 

original and two copies) must be sent/ 

delivered to Dockets Operations and 

Media Management, M–30, Room PL–

401, Department of Transportation, 400 

7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. 

Electronic Submission 

Communities may submit their 

proposals electronically by following 

the instructions at our Web site, 

http://dms.dot.gov. If a community 

elects to file electronically, it should not 

submit a hard copy of the application to 

the Dockets Operations and Media 

Management Office. Questions about 

electronic filing procedures should be 

addressed to Renee Wright, Dockets 

Operations and Media Management, at 

(202) 493–0402.4

SF424 Required 

To comply with Grants.gov initiative, 

a mandate of the President’s 

Management Agenda, all applicants 

must submit form SF424, Application 

for Federal Domestic Assistance, found 

on http://www.grants.gov. Applicants 

must complete a one-time registration 

process in order to submit the SF424 

application. This registration process 

can take approximately three to five 

days to complete. For this reason, 

communities intending to file 

applications should complete the 

registration process as soon as 

practicable to ensure they can meet the 

application deadline. Appendix C 

provides additional information with 

respect to the registration process in 

Grants.gov as well as instructions on 

submitting SF424 once the registration 

process has been completed. An 

application will not be deemed 

complete unless the proposal has been 

submitted to the Department’s Docket 

Operations and Media Management 

office (hard copy or electronic 

submission) and the SF424 application 

has been submitted through Grants.gov 

by the April 27 deadline. 

Cover Page Contents 

The cover page for all applications, 

regardless of the method of submission, 

should bear the title ‘‘Proposal Under 

the Small Community Air Service 

Development Program,’’ and should 

include the docket number as shown on 

the first page of this order, the name of 

the community or consortium of 

communities applying, the legal 

sponsor, and the community’s Dun and 

Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number. 

Additional Materials 

Additional materials such as DVDs 

and videos cannot be included in the 

Docket Management System. If 

communities want to include such 

information in their proposals, they 

should provide that information, along 

with a copy of their application, to the 

Department’s Office of Aviation 

Analysis, X–50, Room 6401, 400 7th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. 

Confidential Treatment of Information 

Applicants will be able to provide 

certain information relevant to their 

proposals on a confidential basis. Under 

the Department’s regulations, such 

information is limited to commercial or 

financial information that, if disclosed, 

would either significantly harm the 

competitive position of a business or 

enterprise or make it more difficult for 

the Federal Government to obtain 

similar information in the future. 

Applicants seeking confidential 

treatment of a portion of their 

applications must segregate the 

confidential material in a sealed 

envelope marked ‘‘Confidential 

Submission of X (the applicant) in 

Docket OST–2007–27370’’ and include 

with that material a request in the form 

of a motion seeking confidential 

treatment of the material under 14 CFR 

302.12 (Rule 12) of the Department’s 

regulations. The applicant should 

submit an original and two copies of its 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 40 / Thursday, March 1, 2007 / Notices 9389 

5These examples are illustrative only and are not 

meant as a list of projects favored by the 

Department. 

6The projected timetable will be an integral part 

of the grant agreements between the selected 

communities and the Department. Therefore, there 

is no advantage to a community in proposing an 

aggressive timetable that cannot be met, and there 

may be disadvantages if the community finds that 

it cannot meet its timetable. Communities should 

carefully consider all factors affecting 

implementation of their projects and develop 

realistic timeframes for achieving those objectives, 

keeping in mind that authorized projects generally 

have averaged three to four years. 

motion and an original and two copies 

of the confidential material in the sealed 

envelope. The confidential material 

should not be included in the original 

or in any of the copies of the applicant’s 

proposal that are submitted to the 

Department. Those submissions, 

however, should indicate clearly where 

the confidential material would have 

been inserted. If applicants invoke Rule 

12, the confidential portion of the filing 

will be treated as confidential pending 

a final determination. All confidential 

material must also be received by April 

27, 2007. 

Types of Projects and Application 

Content 

The statute is very general about the 

types of projects that can be authorized 

so that communities are provided 

greater flexibility in addressing their 

particular air service and airfare issues. 

Since circumstances may differ among 

communities, applicants have some 

latitude in identifying their own 

objectives and developing strategies for 

accomplishing them. 

Another objective of the Small 

Community Program is to help 

communities secure enhancements that 

will be responsive to their air 

transportation/air fare needs on a longterm basis after the financial support of 

the grant has discontinued. There are 

many ways that a community might 

enhance its current air service or attract 

new service, such as: 

• Promoting awareness among 

residents of locally available service; 

• Attracting a new carrier through 

revenue guarantees or operating cost 

offsets; 

• Attracting new forms of service, 

such as on-demand air taxi service; 

• Offering an incumbent carrier 

financial or other incentives to lower its 

fares, increase its frequencies, add new 

routes, or deploy more suitable aircraft, 

including upgrading its equipment from 

turboprops to regional jets; 

• Combining traffic support from 

surrounding communities with 

regionalized service through one airport; 

or 

• Providing local ground 

transportation service to improve access 

to air service to the community and the 

surrounding area.5

Communities are encouraged to be 

innovative and to consider a wide range 

of initiatives and air transportation 

services in developing their proposals. 

At the same time, general, vague, or 

unsupported proposals will not be 

entertained. The more highly defined 

and focused the proposal, the more 

likely it will enhance its attractiveness, 

particularly given the statute’s priority 

consideration for applicants who can 

use the funds in a timely manner. (49 

U.S.C. 41743 (c)(5)(E)). 

There is no set format that must be 

used in submitting grant proposals. At 

a minimum, however, a proposal must 

provide the following information: 

• A description of the community’s 

existing air service, including the 

carrier(s) providing service, service 

frequency, direct and connecting 

destinations offered, available fares, and 

equipment types. 

• A synopsis of the community’s 

historical service, including 

destinations, traffic levels, service 

providers, and any extenuating factors 

that might have affected traffic in the 

past or that can be expected to influence 

service needs in the near to intermediate 

term. 

• A description of the community’s 

air service needs or deficiencies, 

including any major origin/destination 

markets not now served or not served 

adequately. In addition, communities 

are free to submit any information about 

their fare levels that they deem relevant 

to consideration of their grant request. 

• A strategic plan for meeting those 

needs under the Small Community 

Program, including the community’s 

specific project goal(s) and detailed plan 

for attaining that goal(s). Proposals 

should: 

✓ Clearly identify the target audience 

of each component of the proposed 

transportation initiative, including all 

advertising and promotional efforts. 

✓ Set forth a realistic timetable for 

implementation of the grant project. In 

this regard, the statute includes timely 

use of the grant funds as a priority 

consideration. Consequently, 

communities must have a welldeveloped project plan and detailed 

timetable for implementing that plan. In 

establishing the timetable, however, 

communities should be realistic about 

their ability to meet their project 

deadlines.6

✓ Proposals involving new or 

improved service explain how the 

service will become self-sufficient since, 

under the statute, a community cannot 

seek grant funding in subsequent years 

in support of the same project. It is 

important that communities seriously 

consider the scale of their proposed 

projects in developing their proposals 

and the timetable for achieving them. To 

the extent that a proposed project is 

dependent upon or relevant to 

completion of other federally funded 

capital improvement projects, the 

community should provide a 

description of, and the construction 

time-line for, those projects, keeping in 

mind the statutory requirement to use 

Small Community Program funding in a 

timely manner. 

✓ Of particular importance when 

drafting a proposal, applicants should 

fully and clearly outline the goals and 

objectives sought to be achieved, e.g., 

‘‘to broaden the awareness by residents 

in the Tri-County area of the operations 

provided by passenger carriers at the 

Tri-County airport,’’ or ‘‘to obtain new 

and affordable service to a hub airport 

in a direction where there is no such 

service.’’ When an application is 

selected, these goals and objectives will 

be incorporated into the grant agreement 

and define its basic project scope. Once 

an agreement is signed, if circumstances 

change and an amendment is sought to 

allow for different activities or a 

different approach, the Department will 

look to whether the change being sought 

is consistent with those fundamental 

project goals and objectives. Proposed 

changes that would alter those 

fundamental goals and objectives cannot 

be authorized, because doing so would 

undermine the competitive nature of the 

selection process. Applicants are also 

encouraged to include in their proposals 

alternative or back-up strategies for 

achieving their desired goals and 

objectives. By incorporating such 

information into the grant agreement, 

desired changes may be more easily 

accommodated. 

• A description of any public-private 

partnership that will participate in the 

project. Full community involvement is 

a key aspect of the Small Community 

Program. The statute gives a priority to 

those communities that already have 

established, or will establish, a publicprivate partnership to facilitate air 

service to the public. The proposal 

should give a full description of the 

public-private partnership that will 

participate in the community’s proposal 

and how the partnership will actively 

participate in the implementation of the 

proposed project. In addition, 

applicants should identify each member 

of the partnership, the role that each 

will play, and its specific 

responsibilities in the implementation 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
9390 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 40 / Thursday, March 1, 2007 / Notices 

7 In this regard, instances have arisen in the past 

where communities have relied extensively on what 

they characterize as travel banks for a significant 

portion of their local contribution. A travel ‘‘bank’’

involves an actual deposit of funds from the 

participating entities into a bank for the purpose of 

purchasing committed air travel on the selected 

airline and defined procedures for use of those 

funds under an agreement with the airline. Most 

often, however, what communities refer to as a 

travel ‘‘bank’’ in reality involves travel ‘‘pledges’’

from businesses in the community without any 

collection of funds or formal procedures for use of 

the funds. In either case, communities that include 

travel banks in their proposals must also include a 

written confirmation from an airline supporting it. 

8The community has the responsibility to ensure 

that the recipient of any funding has the legal 

authority under State and local laws to carry out all 

aspects of the grant. 

of the project. If the application does not 

include specific information on the 

partnership participation in the project, 

the Department cannot evaluate how 

well a community has met this 

consideration, and the applicant will 

not be deemed as having met this 

priority consideration in the 

Department’s evaluation of the 

community’s proposal. 

• A detailed description of the 

funding necessary for implementation of 

the community’s project, including the 

federal and non-federal contributions. 

Proposals should clearly identify the 

level of federal funding sought. They 

should also clearly identify the other 

cash contributions toward the proposed 

project, ‘‘in-kind’’ contributions from 

the airport, and ‘‘in-kind’’ contributions 

from the community. Cash contributions 

from airport revenues should be 

identified separately from cash 

contributions from other community 

sources. Similarly, cash contributions 

from the state and/or local government 

should be separately identified and 

described.7

Applicant communities should be 

aware that, if awarded a grant, the 

Department will not reimburse the 

community for pre-award expenses such 

as the cost of preparing the grant 

application or for any expenses incurred 

prior to the community executing a 

grant agreement with the Department. In 

addition, 10 percent of the grant funds 

will be withheld until the Department 

receives the final report of the grant 

project. See ‘‘Award Administration 

Information,’’ below. 

• An explanation of how the 

community will ensure that its own 

funding contribution is spent in the 

manner proposed. 

• Descriptions of how the community 

will monitor the progress of the grant 

project and identify critical milestones 

during the life of the grant, including 

the need to modify or discontinue 

funding if identified milestones cannot 

be met. This is an important component 

of the community’s proposal and serves 

to demonstrate the thoroughness of the 

community’s planning of the proposed 

grant project. Applicant communities 

are on notice that any modifications 

must first be approved by the 

Department. Moreover, modifications to 

the project will be considered only to 

the extent that the changes do not 

deviate from the original goal and scope 

of the authorized grant project. As noted 

above, the Department will not permit 

fundamental changes to a community’s 

proposal in order to preserve a grant 

award. 

• A description of how the 

community plans to continue with the 

project if it is not self-sustaining after 

the grant award expires. A particular 

goal of the Small Community Program is 

to provide long-term, self-sustaining 

improvements to air service at small 

communities. A community cannot seek 

further grant funding in support of the 

same project. 49 U.S.C. 41743(c)(4). It is 

possible that a new or improved service 

at a community will be well on its way 

to becoming self-sustaining, but will not 

have reached that goal when the grant 

has expired. Similarly, it is possible that 

extensive marketing and promotional 

efforts may be in process, but not 

completed, at the end of the grant 

period and will require continued 

support. Therefore, in developing its 

proposal, the community should 

carefully consider and describe its plans 

for continued financial support for the 

project after the grant funding is no 

longer available. This aspect of the 

application reflects on the community’s 

commitment to the grant project and is 

an important component to the 

Department’s consideration of the 

community’s proposal for selection for a 

grant award. 

• A description of the community’s 

air service development efforts over the 

past five years and the results of those 

efforts. Many communities have been 

active on an on-going basis for many 

years in air service development efforts, 

while others are just beginning. To the 

extent that a community has previously 

engaged in other air service initiatives, 

including through public/private 

partnerships, it should describe those 

efforts and their results in its grant 

proposal. This should include 

marketing and promotional efforts of 

airport services as well as efforts to 

recruit additional or improved air 

service and airfare initiatives. 

• Designation of a legal sponsor 

responsible for administering the 

program. The legal sponsor must be a 

government entity. If the applicant is a 

public-private partnership, a public 

government member of the organization 

must be identified as the community’s 

sponsor to accept program 

reimbursements. In this regard, 

communities can designate only a single 

government entity as the legal sponsor, 

even if a consortium, for example, 

consists of two or more local 

government entities. Private 

organizations cannot be designated as 

the legal sponsor of a grant under the 

Small Community Program.8

Air Service Development Zone 

Designation 

The statute authorizing the Small 

Community Program also provides that 

the Department will designate one of the 

grant recipients as an Air Service 

Development Zone. The purpose of the 

designation is to provide communities 

interested in attracting business to the 

area surrounding the airport and/or 

developing land-use options for the area 

to work with the Department on means 

to achieve those goals. The Department 

will assist the designated community in 

establishing contacts with and obtaining 

advice and assistance from appropriate 

government agencies, including the 

Department of Commerce as well as 

other offices within the Department of 

Transportation, and in identifying other 

pertinent resources that may aid the 

community in its efforts to attract 

businesses and to formulate land-use 

options. However, the community 

receiving the designation will be 

responsible for developing, 

implementing, and managing activities 

related to the air service development 

zone initiative. Only communities that 

are interested in these objectives and 

have a plan to accomplish them should 

compete for the available designation. 

There are no additional funds associated 

with this designation, and applying for 

the designation will provide no special 

benefit or preference to a community in 

receiving a grant award under the Small 

Community Program. 

Grant applicants interested in 

selection for the Air Service 

Development Zone designation must 

include in their applications a separate 

section, titled, Support for Air Service 

Development Zone Designation. That 

section should include: 

✓ Detailed information regarding the 

property and facilities available for 

development such as an existing airpark 

or land for such an airpark; 

✓ The other modes of transportation 

that would be available to support 

additional economic development, such 

as rail, road, and/or water access; 

✓ Information concerning historic, 

existing, and any future business 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 40 / Thursday, March 1, 2007 / Notices 9391 

activity in the area that would support 

further development; 

✓ Demographic information 

concerning the community and its 

environs relevant to the developmental 

efforts, including population, 

employment, and per capita income 

data; and 

✓ Any other information that the 

community believes is relevant to its 

plans to enhance air service 

development. 

The community should provide as 

detailed a plan as possible, including 

what goals it expects to achieve from the 

air service development zone 

designation and the types of activities 

on which it would like to work with the 

Department in achieving those goals. 

The community should also indicate 

whether further local government 

approvals are required in order to 

implement the proposed activities. 

Application Review Information 

The Department will carefully review 

each proposal and the staff may contact 

applicants if clarification is needed. The 

grant awards will be made as quickly as 

possible so that communities awarded 

grants can complete the grant agreement 

process and proceed to implement their 

plans. Pending unforeseen 

circumstances, this process should be 

completed before September 2007. 

Given the competitive nature of the 

grant process, the Department will not 

meet with grant applicants with respect 

to their grant proposals. Our selection of 

communities for grant awards will be 

based on the communities’ written 

submissions. 

Priority Factors Considered 

The law directs the Department to 

give priority consideration to those 

communities or consortia where: 

• Air fares are higher than the 

national average air fares for all 

communities; 

• The community or consortium will 

provide a portion of the cost of the 

activity from local sources other than 

airport revenue sources; 

• The community or consortium has 

established or will establish a publicprivate partnership to facilitate air 

carrier service to the public; 

• The assistance will provide material 

benefits to a broad segment of the 

traveling public, including business, 

educational institutions, and other 

enterprises, whose access to the national 

air transportation system is limited; and 

• The assistance will be used in a 

timely manner. 

Additional Factors Considered 

Applications will be evaluated against 

the priority considerations listed above. 

Our experience has been that more 

applications are received than can be 

funded under the Small Community 

Program. Consequently, consistent with 

the criteria stated above, the selection 

process will take into consideration 

such additional factors as: 

• The relative size of each applicant 

community; 

• The geographic location of each 

applicant, including the community’s 

proximity to larger centers of air service 

and low-fare service alternatives; 

• The community’s existing level of 

air service and whether that service has 

been increasing or decreasing; 

• Whether the community’s proposal, 

if successfully implemented, could 

serve as a working model for other 

communities; 

• Current demographic indicators for 

the community, such as population, 

income and business activity; 

• The community’s demonstrated 

commitment to and participation in the 

proposed grant project; 

• The grant amount requested 

compared with total funds available for 

all communities; 

• The proposed federal grant amount 

requested compared with the local share 

offered; 

• Whether the community has a 

realistic plan to use the funds in a 

timely manner; 

• The uniqueness of an applicant’s 

claimed problems and whether the 

proposed project addresses those 

problems; 

• The extent to which the applicant’s 

proposed solution(s) to solving the 

problem(s) is new or innovative; 

• Whether the community’s 

proximity to an existing grant recipient 

could impact its proposal; and 

• Whether the applicant community 

has previously received a grant award 

under this program. 

Full community participation is a key 

goal of this program as demonstrated by 

the statute’s focus on local contributions 

and active participation in the project. 

Therefore, applications that demonstrate 

broad community support will be more 

attractive. For example, communities 

providing proportionately higher levels 

of cash contributions from other than 

airport revenues will have more 

attractive proposals. Communities that 

provide multiple levels of 

contributions—cash and in-kind 

contributions—also will have more 

attractive proposals. Similarly, 

communities that demonstrate historic 

and/or active participation in the 

proposed air service project will have 

the attractiveness of their proposals 

enhanced. In this regard, the 

Department welcomes letters of intent 

from airlines on behalf of community 

proposals that are specifically intended 

to enlist new or expanded air carrier 

presence. Such letters will be accorded 

greater credence when authorized by 

airline planning departments. 

Proposals that offer innovative 

solutions to the transportation issues 

facing the community will be more 

attractive. Small communities have 

faced many problems retaining and 

improving their air services and in 

coping with air fares that are higher 

than typical for larger communities. 

Therefore, proposals that offer new, 

creative approaches to addressing these 

problems, to the extent that they are 

reasonable, will have their 

attractiveness enhanced. Proposals that 

provide a well-defined plan, a 

reasonable timetable for use of the grant 

funds, and a plan for continuation and/ 

or monitoring of the project after the 

grant expires also will possess greater 

attractiveness. 

Award Administration Information 

The Department will announce its 

grant selections by Order, which will be 

served on each grant recipient, all other 

applicants, and all parties served with 

this order. The selection order will also 

be posted on the Department’s Docket 

Management System and Web page. 

Grant Agreement 

Communities awarded grants are 

required to execute a grant agreement 

with the Department before they begin 

to spend funds under the grant award. 

Grant funds will be provided on a 

reimbursable basis only, with 

reimbursements made only for expenses 

incurred and billed during the period 

that the grant agreement is in effect. 

Applicants should not assume they have 

received a grant, nor should they 

obligate or spend local funds prior to 

receiving and fully executing a grant 

agreement with the Department. 

Expenditures made prior to the 

execution of a grant agreement, 

including costs associated with 

preparation of the grant application, 

will not be reimbursed. Moreover, 

numerous assurances are required to be 

made and honored when federal funds 

are awarded. All communities receiving 

a grant under the Small Community 

Program will be required to accept the 

responsibilities of these assurances and 

to execute the assurances when they 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
9392 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 40 / Thursday, March 1, 2007 / Notices 

9With respect to grants administration generally, 

the Department is considering possible actions to 

streamline and simplify certain aspects of its 

existing administrative processes. Grantees will be 

apprised if any such actions are to be implemented. 

10The applicable regulations include, among 

others: (1) 49 CFR Parts 21 and 27 and 14 CFR Parts 

271 and 382—Nondiscrimination in federallyassisted programs of the Department of 

Transportation—Effectuation of title VI of the Civil 

Rights Act of 1964; 49 CFR Part 27—

Nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in 

programs and activities receiving or benefiting from 

Federal financial assistance; and 14 CFR Part 382—

Nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in air 

travel; (2) 49 CFR Part 29—Government-wide 

debarment and suspension (non-procurement) and 

government-wide requirements for drug-free 

workplace (grants); and (3) 49 CFR Part 20—New 

restrictions on lobbying. The complete list of the 

applicable assurances is on the cited webpage. The 

assurances noted are for reference purposes only 

and should not be included in the community’s 

application. The assurances are part of the grant 

agreement that will be sent to each grant recipient 

and should be completed at that time. 

11Proposals must be postmarked no later than 

April 27, 2007. The original application should be 

submitted on 8.5′′ x 11′′ paper, in dark ink (not 

green) and without tabs to facilitate inclusion in the 

Department’s docket management system. The 

remaining copies may be tabbed and include use of 

any color ink. 

execute their grant agreements.9 Copies 

of the applicable assurances are 

available for review on the Department’s 

Web page at http://ostpxweb.dot.gov/ 

aviation/X-50%20Role_files/ 

smallcommunity.htm#Funds.10

Grantee Reports 

The grant agreements between the 

Department and the selected 

communities will require quarterly 

reports on the progress of 

implementation of the grant project, as 

well as the submission on a quarterly or 

other time-specific basis of additional 

material relevant to the grant project, 

such as copies of advertising and 

promotional material and copies of 

contracts with consultants and service 

providers. In addition, communities 

will be required to submit a final report 

to the Department with respect to their 

grant projects, and 10 percent of the 

grant funds available will not be 

reimbursed to the community until the 

final report has been received. 

Communities will be permitted to seek 

reimbursement of project 

implementation costs on a regular basis. 

The frequency of such requests will be 

established in the grant agreement, 

which will be tailored to the specific 

features of the community’s grant 

project. In most cases, reimbursements 

will be made on a monthly basis. In this 

regard, the Department will provide the 

grant recipient communities with 

details and procedures for securing 

reimbursements electronically. 

Grant Amendments 

A grantee may wish to amend its 

agreement with the Department in the 

event of a material change in 

circumstances after the date the 

agreement is executed. Typically, 

amendments involve an extension to the 

time period for completing the grant or 

a change in the types of activities 

authorized for reimbursement under the 

goals and objectives (‘‘project scope’’) of 

the grant agreement. Grantees are 

cautioned, however, that the 

Department cannot authorize 

amendments that are incompatible with 

the scope of the agreement. For 

example, a grant awarded solely for the 

purpose of developing an airport 

marketing plan cannot be amended to 

permit subsidization of an air carrier’s 

startup costs, since the latter was never 

contemplated by the original agreement. 

Likewise, an agreement intended to 

subsidize new service expressly to an 

‘‘eastern hub city’’ cannot be amended 

to permit a subsidy for service to a hub 

on the West Coast. Accommodating 

such a change would effectively require 

the Department to consent to a new 

grant agreement, an action for which we 

have no legal authority. 

Grantees are also advised that the 

Department will not extend the 

expiration date of an agreement simply 

to allow more time for a community to 

solicit air carriers for new air service. 

Many grants have been awarded for the 

purpose of subsidizing new or 

additional air service for a small 

community, with the goal of that service 

becoming self-sustaining by the end of 

the subsidy period. In virtually all cases, 

the community seeking the grant funds 

has received expressions of interest 

from one or more air carriers. In some 

instances, these expressions of interest 

failed to pan out and the community 

was left without any immediate 

prospects, at which time it would ask 

for a grant extension to allow more time 

to pursue other carriers. Because we are 

charged by law to consider timely use 

of funds when selecting grant recipients, 

the Department will grant an extension 

only when the community can provide 

strong evidence of a firm commitment 

on the part of an air carrier to deliver 

the desired service. 

To avoid misunderstandings, grantees 

contemplating amendments to their 

agreements are urged to discuss their 

situations with the Small Community 

Program staff before requesting a formal 

amendment. 

This order is issued under authority 

delegated in 49 CFR 1.56a(f). 

Accordingly, 

1. Community proposals for funding 

under the Small Community Air Service 

Development Program should be 

submitted in Docket OST–2007–27370 

no later than April 27, 2007; 11 and 

2. This order will be published in the 

Federal Register and also will be served 

on the Conference of Mayors, the 

National League of Cities, the National 

Governors Association, the National 

Association of State Aviation Officials 

(NASAO), the Association of County 

Executives, the American Association of 

Airport Executives (AAAE), and the 

Airports Council International-North 

America (ACI), and posted on http:// 

www.grants.gov 

By: 

Michael W. Reynolds, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and 

International Affairs. 

An electronic version of this 

document is available on the World 

Wide Web at http://dms.dot.gov. 

Appendix A 

United States Code Annotated 

Title 49. Transportation 

Subtitle VII. Aviation Programs 

Part A. Air Commerce and Safety 

Subpart II. Economic Regulation 

Chapter 417. Operations of Carriers 

Subchapter II. Small Community Air Service 

§ 41743 Airports not receiving sufficient 

service 

(a) Small community air service 

development program.—The Secretary 

of Transportation shall establish a 

program that meets the requirements of 

this section for improving air carrier 

service to airports not receiving 

sufficient air carrier service. 

(b) Application required.—In order to 

participate in the program established 

under subsection (a), a community or 

consortium of communities shall submit 

an application to the Secretary in such 

form, at such time, and containing such 

information as the Secretary may 

require, including—

(1) An assessment of the need of the 

community or consortium for access, or 

improved access, to the national air 

transportation system; and 

(2) An analysis of the application of 

the criteria in subsection (c) to that 

community or consortium. 

(c) Criteria for participation.—In 

selecting communities, or consortia of 

communities, for participation in the 

program established under subsection 

(a), the Secretary shall apply the 

following criteria: 

(1) Size.—For calendar year 1997, the 

airport serving the community or 

consortium was not larger than a small 

hub airport, and—


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 40 / Thursday, March 1, 2007 / Notices 9393 

(A) Had insufficient air carrier 

service; or 

(B) Had unreasonably high air fares. 

(2) Characteristics.—The airport 

presents characteristics, such as 

geographic diversity or unique 

circumstances, that will demonstrate the 

need for, and feasibility of, the program 

established under subsection (a). 

(3) State limit.—Not more than 4 

communities or consortia of 

communities, or a combination thereof, 

from the same State may be selected to 

participate in the program in any fiscal 

year. 

(4) Overall limit.—No more than 40 

communities or consortia of 

communities, or a combination thereof, 

may be selected to participate in the 

program in each year for which funds 

are appropriated for the program. 

No community, consortia of 

communities, nor combination thereof 

may participate in the program in 

support of the same project more than 

once, but any community, consortia of 

communities, or combination thereof 

may apply, subsequent to such 

participation, to participate in the 

program in support of a different 

project. 

(5) Priorities.—The Secretary shall 

give priority to communities or 

consortia of communities where—

(A) Air fares are higher than the 

average air fares for all communities; 

(B) The community or consortium 

will provide a portion of the cost of the 

activity to be assisted under the program 

from local sources other than airport 

revenues; 

(C) The community or consortium has 

established, or will establish, a publicprivate partnership to facilitate air 

carrier service to the public; 

(D) The assistance will provide 

material benefits to a broad segment of 

the traveling public, including business, 

educational institutions, and other 

enterprises, whose access to the national 

air transportation system is limited; and 

(E) The assistance will be used in a 

timely fashion. 

(d) Types of assistance.—The 

Secretary may use amounts made 

available under this section—

(1) To provide assistance to an air 

carrier to subsidize service to and from 

an underserved airport for a period not 

to exceed 3 years; 

(2) To provide assistance to an 

underserved airport to obtain service to 

and from the underserved airport; and 

(3) To provide assistance to an 

underserved airport to implement such 

other measures as the Secretary, in 

consultation with such airport, 

considers appropriate to improve air 

service both in terms of the cost of such 

service to consumers and the 

availability of such service, including 

improving air service through marketing 

and promotion of air service and 

enhanced utilization of airport facilities. 

(e) Authority to make agreements.—

(1) In general.—The Secretary may 

make agreements to provide assistance 

under this section. 

(2) Authorization of appropriations.—

There is authorized to be appropriated 

to the Secretary $20,000,000 for fiscal 

year 2001, $27,500,000 for each of fiscal 

years 2002 and 2003, and $35,000,000 

for each of fiscal years 2004 through 

2008 to carry out this section. Such 

sums shall remain available until 

expended. 

(f) Additional action.—Under the 

program established under subsection 

(a), the Secretary shall work with air 

carriers providing service to 

participating communities and major air 

carriers (as defined in section 

41716(a)(2)) serving large hub airports to 

facilitate joint-fare arrangements 

consistent with normal industry 

practice. 

(g) Designation of responsible 

official.—The Secretary shall designate 

an employee of the Department of 

Transportation—

(1) To function as a facilitator 

between small communities and air 

carriers; 

(2) To carry out this section; 

(3) To ensure that the Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics collects data 

on passenger information to assess the 

service needs of small communities; 

(4) To work with and coordinate 

efforts with other Federal, State, and 

local agencies to increase the viability of 

service to small communities and the 

creation of aviation development zones; 

and 

(5) To provide policy 

recommendations to the Secretary and 

Congress that will ensure that small 

communities have access to quality, 

affordable air transportation services. 

(h) Air Service Development Zone.—

The Secretary shall designate an airport 

in the program as an Air Service 

Development Zone and work with the 

community or consortium on means to 

attract business to the area surrounding 

the airport, to develop land use options 

for the area, and provide data, working 

with the Department of Commerce and 

other agencies. 

Appendix B 

Small Community Air Service Development 

Program 

[Docket OST–2007–27370] 

Summary Information 

All applicants must submit this 

information along with their proposal. 

In addition, applicants must also fill out 

form SF424 on http://www.grants.gov. 

(See Appendix C for the SF424 filing 

process) 

A. Applicant Information: (Check All 

That Apply) 

b Not a Consortium 

b Interstate Consortium 

b Intrastate Consortium 

b Community now receives EAS 

subsidy 

b Community (or Consortium member) 

previously received a Small Community 

Grant 

If previous recipient, expiration date of 

grant: lllllllllllllll

B. Public/Private Partnerships: (List 

Organization Names) 

Public 

1. lllllllllllllllll

2. lllllllllllllllll

3. lllllllllllllllll

4. lllllllllllllllll

5. lllllllllllllllll

Private 

1. lllllllllllllllll

2. lllllllllllllllll

3. lllllllllllllllll

4. lllllllllllllllll

5. lllllllllllllllll

C. Project Proposal: (Check All That 

Apply) 

b Marketing 

b Personnel 

b Travel Bank 

b Upgrade Aircraft 

b Increase Frequency 

b Service Restoration 

b New Route 

b Low Fare Service 

b Subsidy 

b Surface Transportation 

b Revenue Guarantee 

b Start Up Cost Offset 

b Study 

b Regional Service 

b Launch New Carrier 

b First Service 

b Secure Additional Carrier 

b Other (specify) 

lllllllllllllllllll

lllllllllllllllllll

lllllllllllllllllll

lllllllllllllllllll

lllllllllllllllllll

D. Existing Landing Aids at Local 

Airport: 

b Full ILS 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
9394 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 40 / Thursday, March 1, 2007 / Notices 

b Outer/Middle Marker 

b Published Instrument Approach 

b Localizer 

b Other (specify) 

lllllllllllllllllll

E. Project Cost: 

Federal amount requested: llllll

Total local cash financial contribution: 

lllllllllllllllllll

Airport funds: lllllllllll

Non-Airport funds: lllllllll

State cash financial contribution: lll

Existing funds: lllllllllll

New funds: lllllllllllll

Airport In-kind contribution: (amount & 

description) llllllllllll

Other In-Kind contribution: (amount & 

description) llllllllllll

Total cost of project: lllllllll

F. Enplanements: 

2000 llllllllllllllll

2001 llllllllllllllll

2002 llllllllllllllll

2003 llllllllllllllll

2004 llllllllllllllll

2005 llllllllllllllll

G. Is this application subject to review 

by State under Executive Order 12372 

process? 

b a. This application was made available to the State under the Executive 

Order 12372 Process for review on 

(date) . lllllllllllllll

b b. Program is subject to E.O. 12372, 

but has not been selected by the State 

for review. 

b c. Program is not covered by E.O. 

12372. 

H. Is the Applicant delinquent on any 

Federal debt? (if ‘‘yes’’, provide 

explanation) 

b No 

b Yes (explain) llllllllll

Appendix C 

Filing Form SF424—Application for Federal 

Domestic Assistance 

Grants.gov, originally called the E-Grants 

Initiative, a mandate of the President’s 

Management Agenda, states, 

‘‘Agencies will allow applicants for Federal 

Grants to apply for and ultimately manage 

grant funds online through a common Web 

site, simplifying grants management and 

eliminating redundancies.’’

Public Law 106–107, the legislation that 

mandates streamlining and improved 

accountability for Federal grants, and related 

references in the President’s Management 

Agenda, requires that Federal grant 

management activities be standardized. As a 

result, the Office of Management and Budget 

recently issued a policy directive requiring 

that all Federal agencies post grant 

opportunities online as of November 7, 2006. 

Therefore, this year, to comply with the 

Grants.gov initiative, the Department will 

begin accepting grant applications via http:// 

www.grants.gov. In order for an application 

to be considered in the Small Community Air 

Service Development Program, the 

community must submit its application of 

form SF424—Application for Federal 

Domestic Assistance—via http:// 

www.grants.gov. Below are instructions on: 

• How to FIND the SCASDP application 

online at http://www.grants.gov; 

• How to register to submit applications; 

and 

• How to APPLY or complete and submit 

the application form SF424. 

Finding the SCASDP Grant Opportunity on 

Grants.Gov 

Start your search for the Small Community 

Air Service Development Program grant 

opportunity by entering http:// 

www.grants.gov and clicking the Find Grant 

Opportunities tab at the top of the page. In 

the search box titled ‘‘Search for Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) 

number’’ enter 20.930. You will see a 

summary of the SCASDP requirements. 

Register to Submit Applications 

Prior to applying, you must register to 

create a Grants.gov account and receive 

approval from your organization to submit 

applications. Detailed instructions on how to 

complete the registration is available on 

http://www.grants.gov. 

1. Register your Organization. 

• Obtain a Data Universal Number System 

(DUNS) number. 

• Register the organization with a Central 

Contractor Registry (CCR). 

2. Register yourself as an Authorized 

Organization Representative (AOR). 

• Obtain a username and password. 

• Register with Grants.gov. 

3. Get Authorized as an AOR by your 

Organization. 

• Obtain E-Business Point of Contact 

authorization. 

Applying for the Grant 

Once you have located the Small 

Community Air Service Development 

Program grant opportunity, you will need to 

enter the Funding Opportunity and/or the 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Application 

(CFDA) number 20.930 to access the 

application package and instructions online. 

However, you must complete the registration 

process before applying (see B above). In 

order to view the application package and 

instructions, you will also need to download 

and install the PureEdge Viewer. 

1. Download PureEdge Viewer [Required]. 

2. Download an Application Package. 

3. Complete an Application Package. 

4. Submit an Application Package. 

Enter the SCASDP CFDA number (20.930) 

to download the application form SF424 and 

begin the process to apply for the grant 

through http://www.grants.gov. It is a 4-step 

process: 

Apply Step 1: Download the Grant 

Application Form SF424 and Application 

Instructions 

You will need to enter the Funding 

Opportunity and/or CFDA number to access 

the application package and instructions. 

Download and install the PureEdge Viewer 

(available on http://www.grants.gov). This 

small, free program will allow you to access, 

complete, and submit applications 

electronically and securely. 

Apply Step 2: Complete the Selected Grant 

Application Package 

You can complete the application offline—

giving you the flexibility to complete grant 

applications when and where you want. It 

also enables you to easily route it through 

your organization for review, or completion 

of various components, just like any other 

e-mail attachment. 

Apply Step 3: Submit a Completed Grant 

Application Package 

You will submit the application online. 

When you are ready to submit the completed 

application form SF424, you must have 

already completed the Get Started Steps. You 

will then need to log into http:// 

www.grants.gov using the username and 

password you entered when you registered 

with a Credential Provider to submit the 

application. 

Note: To submit electronic grant 

applications, you must be fully authorized by 

your organization, i.e., been given status as 

an Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR). You can easily check your status by 

logging into http://www.grants.gov by 

accessing the Applicant link at the top of the 

screen. If you have registered your user name 

and password with Grants.gov, you will be 

able to log in. After logging in, access the 

‘Manage Profile’ link. Your status, located 

below your title, will state: ‘‘AOR—request 

sent’’ or ‘‘AOR—Approved’’. If your status is 

‘AOR—request sent’, you cannot yet submit 

grant applications. You may correct this by 

contacting your E-Business Point of Contact 

(POC). He or she will need to log in by 

accessing the Ebiz link at the top of the 

screen. They will need your organization’s 

DUNs number and MPIN, to approve you as 

an AOR. 

Apply Step 4: Track the Status of a 

Completed Grant Application Package 

Once you have submitted an application, 

you can check the status of your application 

submission. You can identify your 

application by CFDA Number, Funding 

Opportunity Number, Competition ID, and/or 

Grants.gov Tracking Number. 

[FR Doc. E7–3581 Filed 2–28–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Electronic Subscription Service for 

Airworthiness Directives and Special 

Airworthiness Information Bulletins 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of policy change. 

SUMMARY: This notice publishes 

additional information about the FAA’s 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES