Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices 15053 

the parts-marking requirements of the 

Theft Prevention Standard (49 CFR part 

541). This conclusion is based on the 

information BMW provided about its 

device. 

For the foregoing reasons, the agency 

hereby grants in full BMW’s petition for 

exemption for the MY 2016 X1 MPV 

line from the parts-marking 

requirements of 49 CFR part 541. The 

agency notes that 49 CFR part 541, 

Appendix A–1, identifies those lines 

that are exempted from the Theft 

Prevention Standard for a given MY. 49 

CFR 543.7(f) contains publication 

requirements incident to the disposition 

of all Part 543 petitions. Advanced 

listing, including the release of future 

product nameplates, the beginning 

model year for which the petition is 

granted and a general description of the 

antitheft device is necessary in order to 

notify law enforcement agencies of new 

vehicle lines exempted from the partsmarking requirements of the Theft 

Prevention Standard. 

If BMW decides not to use the 

exemption for this line, it must formally 

notify the agency. If such a decision is 

made, the line must be fully marked as 

required by 49 CFR 541.5 and 541.6 

(marking of major component parts and 

replacement parts). 

NHTSA notes that if BMW wishes in 

the future to modify the device on 

which this exemption is based, the 

company may have to submit a petition 

to modify the exemption. 

Part 543.7(d) states that a Part 543 

exemption applies only to vehicles that 

belong to a line exempted under this 

part and equipped with the anti-theft 

device on which the line’s exemption is 

based. Further, § 543.9(c)(2) provides for 

the submission of petitions ‘‘to modify 

an exemption to permit the use of an 

antitheft device similar to but differing 

from the one specified in that 

exemption.’’ 

The agency wishes to minimize the 

administrative burden that Part 

543.9(c)(2) could place on exempted 

vehicle manufacturers and itself. The 

agency did not intend Part 543 to 

require the submission of a modification 

petition for every change to the 

components or design of an antitheft 

device. The significance of many such 

changes could be de minimis. Therefore, 

NHTSA suggests that if the 

manufacturer contemplates making any 

changes the effects of which might be 

characterized as de minimis, it should 

consult the agency before preparing and 

submitting a petition to modify. 

Issued in Washington, DC, under authority 

delegated in 49 CFR Part 1.95. 

Raymond R. Posten, 

Associate Administrator for Rulemaking. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06384 Filed 3–19–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Notice of Funding Availability and 

Solicitation of Applications for 

Magnetic Levitation Projects 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of funding availability. 

SUMMARY: This notice of funding 

availability (NOFA or Notice) details the 

grant application requirements and 

submission procedures for obtaining up 

to $27.8 million in Federal funding, as 

authorized by sections 1101(a)(18) and 

1307 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 

Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A 

Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU, Public 

Law 109–59 (August 10, 2005)), as 

amended by section 102 of the 

SAFETEA–LU Technical Corrections 

Act of 2008, Public Law 110–244 (June 

6, 2008), for existing magnetic levitation 

(maglev) projects located east of the 

Mississippi River. Pursuant to the Joint 

Committee statement accompanying the 

SAFETEA–LU Technical Corrections 

Act, three projects are eligible for 

funding under this Notice: The 

‘‘Pittsburgh project’’, the ‘‘BaltimoreWashington project’’, and the ‘‘AtlantaChattanooga project’’. FRA previously 

announced the availability of funds for 

maglev projects located east of the 

Mississippi River pursuant to a NOFA 

issued on October 16, 2008, but one of 

the selected applicants has decided not 

to pursue the project for which the 

funds were allocated resulting in the 

availability of the funds for this Notice. 

Funds awarded under this Notice can be 

used for preconstruction planning 

activities and capital costs of a viable 

maglev project. 

DATES: Applications for funding under 

this NOFA are due no later than 5:00 

p.m. EST, April 20, 2015. Applications 

for funding received after 5:00 p.m. EST 

on April 20, 2015, will not be 

considered. See Section 4 of this Notice 

for additional information regarding the 

application process. 

ADDRESSES: Applications must be 

submitted via Grants.gov. For any 

required or supporting application 

materials that an applicant is unable to 

submit via Grants.gov (such as oversized 

engineering drawings), an applicant 

may submit an original and two (2) 

copies to Renee Cooper, Office of 

Program Delivery, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Mail Stop 20, Washington, 

DC 20590. However, due to delays 

caused by enhanced screening of mail 

delivered via the U.S. Postal Service, 

applicants are advised to use other 

means of conveyance (such as courier 

service) to assure timely receipt of 

materials. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information regarding this 

Notice, please contact Renee Cooper, 

Office of Program Delivery, Federal 

Railroad Administration, 1200 New 

Jersey Avenue SE., Mail Stop 20, 

Washington, DC 20590; Email: FRAGrants@dot.gov; Phone: (202) 493–0491; 

Fax: (202) 493–6333. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FRA 

strongly suggests that applicants read 

this Notice in its entirety prior to 

preparing application materials. There 

are programmatic prerequisites and 

administrative requirements described 

herein that applicants must comply 

with in order to submit an application 

and be considered for funding. 

Table of Contents 

1. Funding Opportunity Description 

2. Award Information 

3. Eligibility and Review Criteria 

4. Application and Submission Information 

5. Application Review Information 

6. Award Administration Information 

7. Agency Contact 

Section 1: Funding Opportunity 

Description 

Section 102 of the SAFETEA–LU 

Technical Corrections Act (Public Law 

110–244, June 6, 2008) (the 2008 Act), 

amended sections 1101(a)(18) and 1307 

of SAFETEA–LU and provided $45 

million in contract authority for maglev 

projects located east of the Mississippi 

River. Of the funding available for 

projects east of the Mississippi River 

($45 million), approximately $27.8 

million in funding is available for award 

under this NOFA. 

In the Joint Explanatory Statement of 

the House Transportation and 

Infrastructure Committee and the Senate 

Environmental and Public Works, 

Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, 

and Commerce, Science and 

Transportation Committees 

accompanying the 2008 Act (the Joint 

Explanatory Statement), Congress 

explained that in amending SAFETEA– 

LU to allow FRA discretion to award 

funds to ‘‘projects’’ located east of the 

Mississippi River, ‘‘the intent is to limit 

the eligible projects to three existing 

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projects east of the Mississippi River: 

Pittsburgh, Baltimore-Washington, and 

Atlanta-Chattanooga.’’ Based upon that 

clear Congressional direction, the 

solicitation for applications under this 

NOFA is limited to those three projects. 

Through this NOFA, FRA will 

determine whether any of the three 

eligible projects east of the Mississippi 

River will receive all or a portion of 

available funds for maglev projects 

(based upon a review of submitted 

applications) and has the discretion to 

award funds to one or more of those 

three projects. 

Section 2: Award Information 

FRA will make available up to $27.8 

million in funding available under this 

NOFA. Should additional funds become 

available after the release of this Notice, 

FRA may elect to select an additional 

project for award or contribute 

additional funding to a selected project 

submitted under this NOFA (matching 

fund requirements would still apply). 

FRA may select one or more of the 

eligible projects for funding and may 

award less than the amount of project 

funding requested by the applicant 

based on considerations such as 

individual project scope and total 

available funding. FRA reserves the 

right to apportion the available funding 

at its discretion. 

Fund recipients under this NOFA 

must comply with the requirements 

outlined in Title 2, CFR (particularly 2 

CFR part 200, Uniform Administrative 

Requirements, Cost Principles, and 

Audit Requirements for Federal 

Awards), as required by the grant award 

conditions, and all other applicable 

Federal and DOT/FRA guidance. The 

funding provided under this NOFA will 

be made available in the form of a 

Cooperative Agreement between FRA 

and the selected applicant(s). 

Cooperative agreements allow for 

greater Federal involvement in carrying 

out the agreed upon investment, 

including technical assistance, review of 

interim work products, and increased 

program oversight. Funds will be 

transmitted to selected applicants on a 

reimbursable basis. 

Section 3: Eligibility and Review 

Criteria 

3.1 Applicant Eligibility 

In accordance with the Joint 

Explanatory Statement, eligible projects 

are limited to three existing projects east 

of the Mississippi River: Pittsburgh, PA; 

Baltimore, MD–Washington, DC; and 

Atlanta, GA–Chattanooga, TN. 

Applicants must be a State, States, or an 

authority designated by one or more 

States. 

If the project proponents propose 

service in more than one State, a single 

State or designated State authority 

should apply on behalf of all 

participating States. FRA encourages 

States to submit applications through 

their respective Departments of 

Transportation. 

3.2 Project Eligibility 

Congress established three project 

eligibility requirements for financial 

assistance under this program. The 

project must: (1) Involve a segment or 

segments of a high-speed ground 

transportation corridor; (2) result in an 

operating transportation facility that 

provides a revenue producing service; 

and (3) be approved by the Secretary 

based on an application submitted to 

the Secretary by a State or authority 

designated by one or more States. With 

respect to the second criterion, Congress 

titled section 1307 ‘‘Deployment of 

Magnetic Levitation Transportation 

Projects’’ and the funding provided 

through section 1101(a)(18) of 

SAFETEA–LU, as amended by the 2008 

Act, is made available for the 

‘‘deployment of magnetic levitation 

projects.’’ FRA interprets the statute as 

a whole as evidencing a Congressional 

intent that the Federal funds be used to 

directly advance and result in the 

construction of a maglev project. Thus, 

in order to be eligible for funding under 

this program, an application must 

include evidence that an operating 

transportation facility that provides a 

revenue producing service will be 

constructed. 

Congress also defined other key terms 

and program requirements. Maglev is 

defined to mean ‘‘transportation systems 

employing magnetic levitation that 

would be capable of safe use by the 

public at a speed in excess of 240 miles 

per hour.’’ 

Eligible project costs can include 

costs for preconstruction planning work 

and/or capital costs for fixed guideway 

infrastructure for a maglev project (see 

SAFETEA–LU section 1307(a)(1) for the 

complete definition). 

These criteria and definitions are 

prerequisites to FRA evaluating an 

application and the application 

materials must include data to support 

these eligibility requirements. If the 

criteria are not met to FRA’s 

satisfaction, the project is not eligible 

for funding. 

3.3 Cost Sharing and Matching Fund 

Requirements 

The Federal share of a selected project 

or projects shall not exceed 80 percent 

of the total project cost (based on the 

final project scope selected for funding 

by FRA). The grantee(s) is (are) 

responsible for providing a minimum of 

20 percent of the total project cost from 

non-federal sources. 

Section 4: Application and Submission 

Information 

4.1 Submission Dates and Times 

Complete applications must be 

submitted to Grants.gov no later than 

5:00 p.m. EST on April 20, 2015. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to 

apply early to ensure that all materials 

are received before this deadline. 

4.2 Application Procedures 

This NOFA will be available to the 

public beginning March 19, 2015. To 

apply for funding through Grants.gov, 

applicants must be properly registered. 

Complete instructions on how to 

register and submit an application can 

be found at Grants.gov. Registering with 

Grants.gov is a one-time process; 

however, it can take up to several weeks 

for first-time registrants to receive 

confirmation and a user password. FRA 

recommends that applicants start the 

registration process as early as possible 

to prevent delays that may preclude 

submitting an application package by 

the application deadline. Under no 

circumstances will applications be 

accepted after the due date. Delayed 

registration is not an acceptable 

justification for extending the 

application deadline. 

In order to apply for funding under 

this announcement and to apply for 

funding through Grants.gov, all 

applicants are required to complete the 

following: 

1. Acquire a DUNS Number. A Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number is required for Grants.gov 

registration. The Office of Management 

and Budget requires that all businesses 

and nonprofit applicants for Federal 

funds include a DUNS number in their 

applications for a new award or renewal 

of an existing award. A DUNS number 

is a unique nine-digit sequence 

recognized as the universal standard for 

identifying and keeping track of entities 

receiving Federal funds. The identifier 

is used for tracking purposes and to 

validate address and point of contact 

information for Federal assistance 

applicants, recipients, and sub 

recipients. The DUNS number will be 

used throughout the grant life cycle. 

Obtaining a DUNS number is a free, 

one-time activity. Applicants may 

obtain a DUNS number by calling 1– 

866–705–5711 or by applying online at 

http://www.dnb.com/us. 

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2. Acquire or Renew Registration with 

the System for Award Management 

(SAM) Database. All applicants for 

Federal financial assistance must 

maintain current registrations in the 

System for Award Management (SAM) 

database. An applicant must be 

registered in SAM to successfully 

register in Grants.gov. The SAM 

database is the repository for standard 

information about Federal financial 

assistance applicants, recipients, and 

sub recipients. Organizations that have 

previously submitted applications via 

Grants.gov are already registered with 

SAM, as it is a requirement for 

Grants.gov registration. Please note, 

however, that applicants must update or 

renew their SAM registration at least 

once per year to maintain an active 

status, so it is critical to check 

registration status well in advance of the 

application deadline. Information about 

SAM registration procedures can be 

accessed at www.sam.gov. 

3. Acquire an Authorized 

Organization Representative (AOR) and 

a Grants.gov Username and Password. 

Applicants must complete an AOR 

profile on Grants.gov and create a 

username and password. Applicants 

must use the organization’s DUNS 

number to complete this step. 

Additional information about the 

registration process is available at 

www.grants.gov/applicants/get_

registered.jsp. 

4. Acquire Authorization for your 

AOR from the E-Business Point of 

Contact (E-Biz POC). The Applicant’s EBiz POC must log in to Grants.gov to 

confirm a representative as an AOR. 

Please note that there can be more than 

one AOR at an organization. 

5. Search for the Funding Opportunity 

on Grants.gov. The Catalog of Federal 

Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for 

this opportunity is 20.318, titled 

‘‘Railroad Development.’’ 

6. Submit an Application Addressing 

All of the Requirements Outlined in this 

Funding Availability Announcement. 

After submitting the application through 

Grants.gov, a confirmation screen will 

appear on the applicant’s computer 

screen. This screen will confirm that the 

applicant has submitted an application 

and provide a tracking number to track 

the status of the submission. Within 24 

to 48 hours after submitting an 

electronic application, an applicant 

should receive an email validation 

message from Grants.gov. The validation 

message will explain whether the 

application has been received and 

validated or rejected, with an 

explanation. Applicants are urged to 

submit an application at least 72 hours 

prior to the due date of the application 

to allow time to receive the validation 

message and to correct any problems 

that may have caused a rejection 

notification. 

If an applicant experiences difficulties 

at any point during this process, please 

call the Grants.gov Customer Center 

Hotline at 1–800–518–4726, 24 hours a 

day, 7 days a week (closed on Federal 

holidays). 

Note: Please use generally accepted 

formats such as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, 

.xlsx and .ppt, when uploading 

attachments. While applicants may 

imbed picture files, such as .jpg, .gif, 

and .bmp, in document files, please do 

not submit attachments in these formats. 

Additionally, the following formats will 

not be accepted: .com, .bat, .exe, .vbs, 

.cfg, .dat, .db, .dbf, .dll, .ini, .log, .ora, 

.sys, and .zip. 

4.3 Content of Application 

Required documents for the 

application package are outlined in the 

checklist below. Applicants are 

encouraged to visit the FRA Web site 

(www.fra.dot.gov) to download the 

required templates and forms. 

FRA Documents and Forms 

• Project Narrative 

• Statement of Work 

• FRA’s Additional Assurances and 

Certifications 

OMB Standard Forms 

• SF 424: Application for Federal 

Assistance 

• SF 424A: Budget Information—Non 

Construction (for projects with 

planning costs only) 

• SF 424B: Assurances—Non 

Construction 

• SF 424C: Budget Information— 

Construction 

• SF 424D: Assurances—Construction 

• SF LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying 

Activities 

Applicants must complete and submit 

all components of the application 

package. FRA welcomes the submission 

of other relevant supporting 

documentation that may have been 

developed by the applicant (planning, 

environmental documentation, 

engineering and design documentation, 

letters of support, etc.). 

Applicants should submit all 

application materials through 

Grants.gov. For any required or 

supporting application materials that an 

applicant is unable to submit via 

Grants.gov (such as oversized 

engineering drawings), an applicant 

may submit an original and two (2) 

copies to Renee Cooper, Office of 

Program Delivery, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Mail Stop 20, Washington, 

DC 20590. However, due to delays 

caused by enhanced screening of mail 

delivered via the U.S. Postal Service, 

applicants are advised to use other 

means of conveyance (such as courier 

service) to assure timely receipt of 

materials. 

4.3.1 Project Narrative 

The following points describe the 

minimum content which will be 

required in the Project Narrative 

component of grant applications 

(additionally, FRA recommends that the 

Project Narrative generally adhere to the 

following outline sequence). These 

requirements must be satisfied through 

a narrative statement submitted by the 

applicant, and may be supported by 

spreadsheet documents, tables, maps, 

drawings, and other materials, as 

appropriate. The Project Narrative may 

not exceed 25 pages in length (including 

any appendices). 

The FRA recommends that applicants 

read this section carefully and submit 

all required information: 

1. Include a title page that lists the 

following elements in either a table or 

formatted list: project title, location 

(city, State, district), the applicant 

organization name, the name of any coapplicants, and the amount of Federal 

funding requested and the proposed 

non-Federal match. 

2. Designate a point of contact for the 

application and provide his or her name 

and contact information, including 

phone number, mailing address, and 

email address. The point of contact 

must be an employee of an eligible 

applicant. 

3. Indicate the amount of Federal 

funding requested, the proposed nonFederal match, and total project cost, 

including the methodology or practices 

deployed for accurately estimating costs 

(such as the best practices cited in the 

Government Accountability Office’s 

Cost Estimate and Assessment Guide). 

Additionally, identify any other sources 

of Federal funds committed to the 

project, as well as any pending Federal 

funding requests. Make sure to also note 

if the requested Federal funding must be 

obligated or expended by a certain date 

due to dependencies or relationships 

with other Federal or non-Federal 

funding sources, related projects, or 

other factors. Finally, specify whether 

Federal funding has ever previously 

been sought for the project and not 

secured, and name the Federal program 

and fiscal year from which the funding 

was requested. 

4. Explain how the applicant meets 

the respective applicant and project 

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eligibility criteria described earlier in 

Section 3 of this NOFA. 

5. Provide a brief 4–6 sentence 

summary of the proposed project, 

capturing the transportation challenges 

the proposed project aims to address, 

the market to be served by the new 

service, as well as the intended 

outcomes and anticipated benefits that 

will result from the proposed project. 

6. Include a detailed project 

description that expands upon the brief 

summary required above. This detailed 

description should provide, at a 

minimum, additional background on the 

transportation challenges the project 

aims to address, the expected users, 

beneficiaries, and outcomes of the 

project, and any other information the 

applicant deems necessary to justify the 

proposed project. Be specific regarding 

the relevance or relationship of the 

proposed project to other investments in 

the region along the corridor, as well as 

the operating changes that are 

anticipated to result from the 

introduction and integration of maglev 

services within existing transportation 

corridors and assess the major risks 

(including safety risks) or obstacles to 

maglev’s successful deployment and 

operation. Provide a detailed summary 

of all work done to date, including any 

preliminary engineering work, the 

project’s previous accomplishments and 

funding history, and a chronology of key 

documents produced and funding 

events (e.g., grants and contracts). 

7. Include a thorough discussion of 

how the project meets all of the 

selection criteria for the respective 

project type, as outlined in Section 5 of 

this notice. In responding to the criteria, 

applicants are reminded to clearly 

identify, quantify, and compare 

expected benefits and costs of proposed 

projects. 

8. Describe proposed project 

implementation and project 

management arrangements for the full 

maglev corridor project, including the 

activities proposed in this application. 

Include descriptions of the expected 

arrangements for project contracting, 

contract oversight, change-order 

management, risk management, and 

conformance to Federal requirements 

for project progress reporting. 

9. Describe the plan to finance any 

planning, land acquisition, buildout, 

testing, and implementation of the 

project, and specify long term financial 

plans to own, operate and maintain 

maglev services. 

10. Describe anticipated 

environmental or historic preservation 

impacts associated with the proposed 

project, any environmental or historic 

preservation analyses that have been 

prepared, and any ongoing progress 

toward completing environmental 

documentation or clearance required for 

the proposed project under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 

National Historic Preservation Act 

(NHPA), section 4(f) of the DOT Act, the 

Clean Water Act, or other applicable 

Federal or State laws, and provide, as 

available, timeline associated with the 

process to complete these actions. 

Applicants and grantees under FRA’s 

financial assistance programs are 

encouraged to contact FRA and obtain 

preliminary direction regarding the 

appropriate NEPA class of action and 

required environmental documentation. 

Generally, projects will be ineligible to 

receive funding if they have begun 

construction activities prior to the 

applicant/grantee receiving written 

approval from FRA that all 

environmental and historical analyses 

have been completed. 

4.3.2 Statement of Work 

Applicants are required to submit a 

Statement of Work (SOW) that addresses 

the scope, schedule, and budget for the 

proposed project if it were to be selected 

for award. The SOW should contain 

sufficient detail so that both FRA and 

the applicant can understand the 

individual tasks that comprise the 

project and the expected outcomes of 

the proposed work to be performed, and 

monitor progress toward completing 

project tasks and deliverables during a 

prospective grant’s period of 

performance. 

Section 5: Application Review 

Information 

5.1 Application Review and Selection 

Process 

Across all funding programs, FRA 

awards funds to projects that achieve 

the maximum public benefit possible 

given the amount of funding available 

for that project. Analysis provided by 

applicants that quantifies the monetary 

value (whenever possible) of the 

anticipated or potential public benefits 

of the project is relevant to FRA when 

assessing and evaluating applications 

for funding. 

5.2 Selection Criteria 

FRA will review applications and 

assess them against the following 

selection criteria: 

1. The extent to which the project will 

address at least one or more serious 

challenges to the feasibility of 

integrating maglev systems with 

conventional rail systems. 

2. The extent to which funds awarded 

under this section will result in 

investments that are beneficial not only 

to the maglev project, but also to other 

current or near-term transportation 

projects. Applicants should keep in 

mind, however, that—while project 

eligibility requires three areas of 

satisfaction, including the project 

resulting in an operating transportation 

facility that provides a revenue 

producing source—Federal funds may 

not be used for station construction 

costs or solely for land acquisition 

pursuant to securing operation right-ofway. 

3. The degree to which the project 

demonstrates the potential for a publicprivate partnership for the corridor in 

which the maglev project is involved, 

and/or for the project independently. 

Any corridor exhibiting partnership 

potential must meet at least the 

following conditions: (a) Once built and 

paid for, the corridor will stand alone as 

a complete, self-sustaining operation; (b) 

the total, fully allocated operating 

expenses of the maglev service are 

projected to be offset by revenues 

attributable to the service; and (c) the 

total public benefits of a maglev corridor 

must equal or exceed its total societal 

costs. 

4. The extent of the demonstrated 

financial commitment to the 

construction of the proposed project 

from both non-Federal public sources 

and private sources, including any 

financial contributions or commitment 

the applicant has secured from nonFederal entities that are expected to 

benefit from the project. If applicable, 

also include the extent to which the 

State or private entities exceed the 

required 20 percent match. 

5. The extent to which the project 

demonstrates the ability to meet all 

applicable Federal and State statutes, 

regulations, and environmental 

requirements—to include coordination 

and consistency with any ongoing or 

completed environmental and planning 

studies for passenger rail on or 

connecting to the geographic route 

segment being proposed for maglev 

investment (e.g., NEC FUTURE Tier 1 

EIS and Service Development Plan and 

Atlanta-Chattanooga High Speed 

Ground Transportation Tier 1 EIS). 

6. The degree to which the project 

will demonstrate the variety of maglev 

operating conditions which are to be 

expected in the United States. For 

example, these conditions might 

include a variety of at-grade, elevated 

and depressed guideway structures, 

extreme temperatures, and intermodal 

connections at terminals. 

7. The feasibility of the project 

meeting a top speed of at least 240 miles 

per hour (MPH). FRA will also consider 

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favorably the ability to meet higher 

speeds as well as the duration that 

speeds of at least 240 MPH can be 

attained. 

Section 6: Award Administration 

Information 

6.1 Award Notices 

Applications selected for funding will 

be announced after the application 

review period. FRA will contact 

applicants with successful applications 

after announcement with information 

and instructions about the award 

process. Notification of a selected 

application is not an authorization to 

begin proposed project activities. 

6.2 Administrative and National 

Policy Requirements 

Applicants selected for funding (and 

any subrecipient(s)) must comply with 

all applicable laws and regulations 

governing the grant agreement. A nonexclusive list of administrative and 

national policy requirements that 

grantees must follow includes: 

Procurement standards, compliance 

with Federal civil rights laws and 

regulations, disadvantaged business 

enterprises (DBE), debarment and 

suspension, drug-free workplace, FRA’s 

and OMB’s Assurances and 

Certifications, Americans with 

Disabilities Act (ADA), labor standards, 

safety oversight, environmental 

protection, National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA), and environmental 

justice. In addition, FRA expects 

applicants to comply with the Buy 

America standards in 49 U.S.C. 

24405(a). FRA expects this to apply to 

any capital costs funded under this 

NOFA for steel, iron, or manufactured 

goods used in construction of the 

Maglev project. 

6.3 General Requirements 

The grantee must comply with all 

post-award implementing, reporting, 

auditing, monitoring, and close-out 

requirements, as described in Title 2, 

CFR (particularly 2 CFR part 200, 

Uniform Administrative Requirements, 

Cost Principles, and Audit 

Requirements for Federal Awards), as 

required by the grant award conditions, 

and all other applicable Federal and 

DOT/FRA guidance. 

Section 7: Agency Contact 

For further information regarding this 

notice and the grants program, please 

contact Renee Cooper, Office of Program 

Delivery, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Mail Stop 20, Washington, 

DC 20590; Email: FRA-grants@dot.gov; 

Phone: (202) 493–0491; Fax: (202) 493– 

6333. 

Authority: The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 

Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy 

for Users (Pub. L. 109–59, August 10, 2005), 

and the SAFETEA–LU Technical Corrections 

Act (Pub. L. 110–244, June 6, 2008.) 

Issued in Washington, DC, on March 18, 

2015. 

Corey Hill, 

Director, Office of Program Delivery. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06542 Filed 3–19–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Surface Transportation Board 

[STB Docket No. EP 670 (Sub-No. 1)] 

Notice of Rescheduled Rail Energy 

Transportation Advisory Committee 

Meeting 

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, 

DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of Rescheduled Rail 

Energy Transportation Advisory 

Committee meeting. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of a 

meeting of the Rail Energy 

Transportation Advisory Committee 

(RETAC), pursuant to the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 

U.S.C. app. 2 10(a)(2). This meeting was 

originally scheduled for Thursday, 

March 5, 2015, 80 FR 8760. However, 

the meeting was cancelled because of 

inclement weather in Washington, DC, 

which ultimately led the Federal 

Government to close that day. 

DATES: The rescheduled meeting will be 

held on Tuesday, April 14, 2015, at 9:00 

a.m., E.D.T. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in 

the Hearing Room on the first floor of 

the Board’s headquarters at 395 E Street 

SW., Washington, DC 20423. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Higgins (202) 245–0284; 

Michael.Higgins@stb.dot.gov. 

[Assistance for the hearing impaired is 

available through the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at: 

(800) 877–8339]. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: RETAC 

was formed in 2007 to provide advice 

and guidance to the Board and to serve 

as a forum for discussion of emerging 

issues related to the transportation of 

energy resources by rail, including coal, 

ethanol, and other biofuels, 

Establishment of a Rail Energy 

Transportation Advisory Committee, 

Docket No. EP 670. The purpose of this 

meeting is to continue discussions 

regarding issues such as rail 

performance, capacity constraints, 

infrastructure planning and 

development, and effective coordination 

among suppliers, carriers, and users of 

energy resources. Agenda items for this 

meeting include introduction of new 

members, a performance measures 

review, industry segment updates by 

RETAC members, a presentation on the 

outlook for U.S. petroleum production, 

and a roundtable discussion. 

The meeting, which is open to the 

public, will be conducted in accordance 

with the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2; Federal Advisory 

Committee Management regulations, 41 

CFR pt. 102–3; RETAC’s charter; and 

Board procedures. Further 

communications about this meeting may 

be announced through the Board’s Web 

site at WWW.STB.DOT.GOV. 

Written Comments: Members of the 

public may submit written comments to 

RETAC at any time. Comments should 

be addressed to RETAC, c/o Michael 

Higgins, Surface Transportation Board, 

395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 

20423–0001 or Michael.Higgins@

stb.dot.gov. 

This action will not significantly 

affect either the quality of the human 

environment or the conservation of 

energy resources. 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 721, 49 U.S.C. 11101; 

49 U.S.C. 11121. 

Decided: March 17, 2015. 

By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Brendetta S. Jones, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06424 Filed 3–19–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Advisory Committee on Minority 

Veterans; Notice of Meeting 

The Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA) gives notice under the Public Law 

92–463 (Federal Advisory Committee 

Act) that a meeting of the Advisory 

Committee on Minority Veterans will be 

held in Seattle, Washington from April 

21–23, 2015, at the below times and 

locations: 

On April 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 

p.m., at the VA Puget Sound Health 

Care System, Building 100, 1660 South 

Columbian Way, Seattle, Washington; 

1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., at the Seattle 

Regional Benefit Office, Jackson Federal 

Building, 915 2nd Avenue, Seattle, WA; 

from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the 

Seattle Vet Center, 4735 E. Marginal 

Way S, Room 1103, Seattle, WA; 

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