43304 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 149 / Friday, August 6, 2021 / Notices 

409 3rd Street SW, Suite 6050, 

Washington, DC 20416, (202) 205–6734. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is 

hereby given that as a result of the 

President’s major disaster declaration on 

07/30/2021, Private Non-Profit 

organizations that provide essential 

services of a governmental nature may 

file disaster loan applications at the 

address listed above or other locally 

announced locations. 

The following areas have been 

determined to be adversely affected by 

the disaster: 

Primary Counties: Alfalfa, Bryan, Grant, 

Kiowa, Latimer, Love, Marshall, 

Pittsburg, Stephens. 

The Interest Rates are: 

Percent 

For Physical Damage: 

Non-Profit Organizations with 

Credit Available Elsewhere ... 2.000 

Non-Profit Organizations without Credit Available Elsewhere ..................................... 2.000 

For Economic Injury: 

Non-Profit Organizations without Credit Available Elsewhere ..................................... 2.000 

The number assigned to this disaster 

for physical damage is 17072 B and for 

economic injury is 17073 0. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Number 59008) 

James Rivera, 

Associate Administrator for Disaster 

Assistance. 

[FR Doc. 2021–16819 Filed 8–5–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8026–03–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

[FAA–2021–0012] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Requests for Comments; 

Clearance of Renewed Approval of 

Information Collection: Reduced 

Vertical Separation Minimum 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Transportation 

(DOT). 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA 

invites public comments about our 

intention to request the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

approval to renew information 

collection. The Federal Register Notice 

with a 60-day comment period soliciting 

comments on the following collection of 

information was published on January 

15, 2021. Aircraft Operators seeking 

specific operational approval to conduct 

Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum 

(RVSM) operations must submit 

application to the FAA for RVSM 

specific approval. Specific approval is 

required when aircraft operators intend 

to operate outside the United States 

(U.S.) or their aircraft are not equipped 

with Automatic Dependent 

Surveillance—Broadcast (ADS–B) Out. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

submitted by September 7, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this particular 

information collection by selecting 

‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open 

for Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Madison Walton, (FAA), Flight 

Technologies and Procedures Division 

by email at: Madison.Walton@faa.gov; 

phone: 202–267–8850. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Comments Invited: You are 

asked to comment on any aspect of this 

information collection, including (a) 

Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for FAA’s 

performance; (b) the accuracy of the 

estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to 

enhance the quality, utility and clarity 

of the information collection; and (d) 

ways that the burden could be 

minimized without reducing the quality 

of the collected information. 

OMB Control Number: 2120–0679. 

Title: Reduced Vertical Separation 

Minimum. 

Form Numbers: N/A. 

Type of Review: Renewal. 

Background: The Federal Register 

Notice with a 60-day comment period 

soliciting comments on the following 

collection of information was published 

on January 15, 2021 (86 FR 4172). The 

authority to collect data from aircraft 

operators seeking operational approval 

to conduct Reduced Vertical Separation 

Minimum (RVSM) operations is 

contained in Part 91, Section 91.180, as 

established by a final rule published in 

the Federal Register on October 27, 

2003 (68 FR 61304) and in Part 91, 

Section 91.706, as established by a final 

rule published April 9, 1997 (62 FR 

17487, Apr 9, 1997). Aircraft operators 

seeking specific operational approval to 

conduct RVSM operations outside the 

U.S. must submit their application to 

the responsible Flight Standards office. 

The responsible Flight Standards office 

registers RVSM approved airframes in 

the FAA RVSM Approvals Database to 

track the approval status for operator 

airframes. Application information 

includes evidence of aircraft equipment 

and RVSM qualification information 

along with operational training and 

program elements. 

Respondents: Operators are required 

to submit application for RVSM specific 

approval if they desire to operate in 

RVSM airspace outside the U.S. or if 

they do not meet the provisions of Title 

14 of the Code of Federal Regulations 

(14 CFR), Part 91, Appendix G, Section 

9—Aircraft Equipped with Automatic 

Dependent Surveillance—Broadcast 

Out. The FAA estimates processing 856 

initial applications annually and 1,998 

annual updates to existing approvals. 

Frequency: An Operator must make 

application for initial specific approval 

to operate in RVSM airspace, or 

whenever requesting an update to an 

existing approval. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Response: 4.00 hours for updates to 

existing applications and 6.8 hours for 

application of initial approvals. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 

13,813 hours [(1,998 × 4.00) + (856 × 

6.8)] 

Issued in District of Columbia, on August 

03, 2021. 

Herbert Madison Walton, Jr., 

Aviation Safety Inspector, FAA Flight 

Technologies & Procedures Division. 

[FR Doc. 2021–16801 Filed 8–5–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

FY 2021 Competitive Funding 

Opportunity: Passenger Ferry Grant 

Program 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity 

(NOFO). 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) announces the 

opportunity to apply for $38 million in 

competitive grants under the Fiscal Year 

(FY) 2021 Passenger Ferry Grant 

Program (Ferry Program). Of that 

amount, $4 million is available only for 

low or zero-emission ferries or ferries 

using electric battery or fuel cell 

components and the infrastructure to 

support such ferries. As required by 

Federal public transportation law, funds 

will be awarded competitively to 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 149 / Friday, August 6, 2021 / Notices 43305 

designated recipients or eligible direct 

recipients of Urbanized Area Formula 

funds to support capital projects to 

improve existing passenger ferry 

service, establish new ferry service, and 

repair and modernize ferry boats, 

terminals, and related facilities and 

equipment. FTA may award additional 

funding made available to the program 

prior to the announcement of project 

selections. 

DATES: Complete proposals must be 

submitted electronically through the 

GRANTS.GOV ‘‘APPLY’’ function by 

11:59 p.m. Eastern time on October 5, 

2021. Prospective applicants should 

initiate the process by promptly 

registering on the GRANTS.GOV 

website to ensure completion of the 

application process before the 

submission deadline. Instructions for 

applying can be found on FTA’s website 

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

grants/applying/applying-fta-funding 

and in the ‘‘FIND’’ module of 

GRANTS.GOV. The funding 

opportunity ID is FTA–2021–006–TPM– 

Ferry. Mail and fax submissions will not 

be accepted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Vanessa Williams, FTA Office of 

Program Management, (202) 366–4818, 

or vanessa.williams@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

A. Program Description 

B. Federal Award Information 

C. Eligibility Information 

D. Application and Submission Information 

E. Application Review Information 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 

H. Other Information 

A. Program Description 

Federal public transportation law (49 

U.S.C. 5307(h)) authorizes FTA to award 

grants for passenger ferries through a 

competitive process, as described in this 

notice. The Ferry Program provides 

funding to designated recipients and 

direct recipients under FTA’s Urbanized 

Area Formula Program, as well as public 

entities engaged in providing public 

transportation passenger ferry service in 

urban areas that are eligible to be direct 

recipients. Projects funded under the 

program will improve the condition and 

quality of existing passenger ferry 

services, support the establishment of 

new passenger ferry services, and repair 

and modernize ferry boats, terminals, 

and related facilities and equipment. 

FTA recognizes that passenger ferries 

provide critical and cost-effective 

transportation links in urban areas 

throughout the United States but face a 

critical backlog of state of good repair 

and safety investments. The Ferry 

Program (Federal Assistance Listing: 

20.507) supports FTA’s strategic goals 

and objectives through the timely and 

efficient investment in public 

transportation. This program also 

supports the President’s goals to 

mobilize American ingenuity to build a 

modern infrastructure and an equitable, 

clean energy future. In addition, this 

NOFO will advance the goals of the 

President’s January 20, 2021, Executive 

Order 13990, ‘‘Protecting Public Health 

and the Environment and Restoring 

Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.’’ 

B. Federal Award Information 

Federal public transportation law (49 

U.S.C. 5336(h)(1)) apportions $30 

million in FY 2021 funds for 

competitive grants under the Ferry 

Program. The Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116– 

260), appropriated an additional $8 

million for the Ferry Program, for a total 

of $38 million. Of that amount, $4 

million is available only for low or zeroemission ferries or ferries using electric 

battery or fuel cell components and the 

infrastructure to support such ferries. 

FTA may award additional funding 

made available to the program prior to 

the announcement of project selections. 

In FY 2020, FTA received 19 eligible 

proposals from 15 States and territories 

requesting $102 million in Federal 

funds. Twelve projects were funded at 

a total of $47.5 million, using a 

combination of funding from FY 2020 

and funding remaining from prior year 

appropriations. 

FTA will grant pre-award authority to 

incur costs for selected projects 

beginning on the date the FY 2021 

project selections are announced on 

FTA’s website. Funds are available for 

obligation for five years after the fiscal 

year in which the competitive awards 

are announced. Funds are available only 

for projects that have not already 

incurred costs prior to the 

announcement of project selections. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

Eligible applicants are: (1) Designated 

recipients as defined in FTA Circular 

‘‘Urbanized Area Formula Program: 

Program Guidance and Application 

Instructions’’ (FTA.C.9030.1E) and (2) 

direct recipients of FTA’s Urbanized 

Area Formula Grants, as well as public 

entities engaged in providing public 

transportation passenger ferry service in 

urban areas that are eligible to be direct 

recipients. 

If an applicant does not currently 

have an active Urbanized Area Formula 

Program grant with FTA, the applicant 

is encouraged to contact the FTA Ferry 

Program manager for assistance with 

determining if it is eligible to receive 

funds under the Ferry Program. An 

eligible applicant that does not 

currently have an active grant with FTA 

will, upon selection, be required to 

work with an FTA regional office to 

establish its organization as an active 

grant recipient. This process may 

require additional documentation to 

support the organization’s technical, 

financial, and legal capacity to receive 

and administer Federal funds under this 

program. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

a. The maximum Federal share for 

projects selected under the Ferry 

Program is 80 percent of the net project 

cost, with the following exceptions. 

b. The maximum Federal share is 85 

percent of the net project cost of 

acquiring vehicles (including clean-fuel 

or alternative fuel vehicles) for purposes 

of complying with or maintaining 

compliance with the Clean Air Act 

(CAA) and/or the Americans with 

Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. 

c. The maximum Federal share is 90 

percent of the net project cost of 

acquiring, installing or constructing 

vehicle-related equipment or facilities 

(including clean fuel or alternative-fuel 

vehicle-related equipment or facilities) 

for purposes of complying with or 

maintaining compliance with the ADA 

or CAA. The award recipient must 

itemize the cost of specific, discrete, 

vehicle-related equipment associated 

with compliance with the ADA or CAA 

to be eligible for the maximum 90 

percent Federal share for these costs. 

Eligible sources of non-Federal 

matching funds include: 

i. Cash from non-governmental 

sources other than revenues from 

providing public transportation 

services; 

ii. Non-farebox revenues from the 

operation of public transportation 

service, such as the sale of advertising 

and concession revenues; 

iii. Monies received under a service 

agreement with a State or local social 

service agency or private social service 

organization; 

iv. Undistributed cash surpluses, 

replacement or depreciation cash funds, 

reserves available in cash, or new 

capital; 

v. Amounts appropriated or otherwise 

made available to a department or 

agency of the Government (other than 

the U.S. Department of Transportation), 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
43306 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 149 / Friday, August 6, 2021 / Notices 

that are eligible to be expended for 

public transportation; 

vi. In-kind contributions integral to 

the project; 

vii. Revenue bond proceeds for a 

capital project, with prior FTA 

approval; and 

viii. Transportation Development 

Credits (TDC) (formerly referred to as 

Toll Revenue Credits). 

If an applicant proposes a Federal 

share greater than 80 percent, the 

applicant must clearly explain why the 

project is eligible for the proposed 

Federal share. 

3. Eligible Projects 

Eligible projects are capital projects 

for the purchase, construction, 

replacement, or rehabilitation of ferries, 

terminals, related infrastructure, and 

related equipment (including fare 

equipment and communication 

devices). Projects are required to 

support a passenger ferry service that 

serves an urbanized area, and may 

include services that operate between an 

urbanized area and non-urbanized areas. 

Ferry systems that accommodate cars 

must also accommodate walk-on 

passengers to be eligible for funding. 

Recipients are permitted to use up to 

0.5 percent of their grant award to pay 

for not more than 80 percent of the cost 

for workforce development activities 

eligible under Federal public 

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

and an additional 0.5 percent for costs 

associated with training at the National 

Transit Institute. Applicants must 

identify the proposed use of funds for 

these activities in the project proposal 

and identify them separately in the 

project budget. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address To Request Application 

A complete proposal submission 

consists of two forms: The SF–424 

Application for Federal Assistance can 

be downloaded from GRANTS.GOV and 

the supplemental form for the FY 2021 

Passenger Ferry Grant Program can be 

downloaded from GRANTS.GOV or the 

FTA website at: https://

www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/ 

passenger-ferry-grant-program-section5307. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

a. Proposal Submission 

Applications must be submitted 

electronically through GRANTS.GOV. 

General information for submitting 

applications along with specific 

instructions for the forms and 

attachments required for submission can 

be found at GRANTS.GOV. Mail and fax 

submissions will not be accepted. A 

complete proposal submission consists 

of two forms: (1) The SF–424 

Application for Federal Assistance; and 

(2) the FY 2021 Passenger Ferry Grant 

Program supplemental form. The 

supplemental form and any supporting 

documents must be attached to the 

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

The application must include responses 

to all sections of the SF–424 

Application for Federal Assistance and 

the supplemental form, unless 

designated as optional. The information 

on the supplemental form will be used 

to determine applicant and project 

eligibility for the program, and to 

evaluate the proposal against the 

selection criteria described in part E of 

this notice. Failure to submit the 

information as requested can delay 

review or disqualify the application. 

FTA will accept only one 

supplemental form per SF–424 

submission. FTA encourages States and 

other applicants to consider submitting 

a single supplemental form that 

includes multiple activities to be 

evaluated as a consolidated proposal. If 

a State or other applicant chooses to 

submit separate proposals for individual 

consideration by FTA, each proposal 

must be submitted using a separate SF– 

424 and supplemental form. 

Applicants may attach additional 

supporting information to the SF–424 

submission, including but not limited to 

letters of support, project budgets, fleet 

status reports, or excerpts from relevant 

planning documents. Supporting 

documentation should be described and 

referenced by file name in the 

appropriate response section of the 

supplemental form, or it may not be 

reviewed. 

Information such as applicant name, 

Federal amount requested, local match 

amount, and description of areas served 

may be requested in varying degrees of 

detail on both the SF–424 and 

Supplemental Form. Applicants must 

fill in all fields unless otherwise stated 

on the forms. Applicants should not 

place N/A or ‘‘refer to attachment’’ in 

lieu of typing in responses in the field 

sections. If information is copied into 

the supplemental form from another 

source, applicants should verify that 

pasted text is fully captured on the 

supplemental form and has not been 

truncated by the character limits built 

into the form. Applicants should use 

both the ‘‘Check Package for Errors’’ and 

the ‘‘Validate Form’’ validation buttons 

on both forms to check all required 

fields on the forms, and ensure that the 

Federal and local amounts specified are 

consistent. 

b. Application Content 

The SF–424 Application for Federal 

Assistance and the supplemental form 

will prompt applicants for the required 

information: 

a. Applicant name 

b. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number 

c. Key contact information (including 

contact name, address, email address, 

and phone) 

d. Congressional district(s) where 

project will take place 

e. Project information (including title, 

executive summary, and type) 

f. A detailed description of the need 

for the project 

g. A detailed description of how the 

project will support the Ferry Program 

objectives 

h. Evidence that the project is 

consistent with local and regional 

planning objectives 

i. Evidence that the applicant can 

provide the local cost share 

j. A description of the technical, legal, 

and financial capacity of the applicant 

k. A detailed project budget 

l. An explanation of the scalability of 

the project 

m. Details on the local matching 

funds 

n. A detailed project timeline 

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System 

for Award Management (SAM) 

Each applicant is required to: (1) Be 

registered in SAM before submitting an 

application; (2) provide a valid unique 

entity identifier in its application; and 

(3) continue to maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information at 

all times during which the applicant has 

an active Federal award or an 

application or plan under consideration 

by FTA. FTA may not make an award 

until the applicant has complied with 

all applicable unique entity identifier 

and SAM requirements. If an applicant 

has not fully complied with the 

requirements by the time FTA is ready 

to make an award, FTA may determine 

that the applicant is not qualified to 

receive an award and use that 

determination as a basis for making a 

Federal award to another applicant. 

These requirements do not apply if the 

applicant: Has an exception approved 

by FTA or the U.S. Office of 

Management and Budget under 2 CFR 

25.110(c) or (d). Non-Federal entities 

that have received a Federal award are 

required to report certain civil, criminal, 

or administrative proceedings to SAM 

(currently the Federal Awardee 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 149 / Friday, August 6, 2021 / Notices 43307 

Performance and Integrity Information 

System (FAPIIS)) to ensure registration 

information is current and comply with 

Federal requirements. Applicants 

should reference 2 CFR 200.113, for 

more information. 

All applicants must provide a unique 

entity identifier provided by SAM. 

Registration in SAM may take as little 

as 3–5 business days, but since there 

could be unexpected steps or delays (for 

example, if there is a need to obtain an 

Employee Identification Number), FTA 

recommends allowing ample time, up to 

several weeks, for completion of all 

steps. For additional information on 

obtaining a unique entity identifier, 

please visit www.sam.gov. 

4. Submission Dates and Times 

Project proposals must be submitted 

electronically through GRANTS.GOV by 

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 5, 

2021. GRANTS.GOV attaches a time 

stamp to each application at the time of 

submission. Mail and fax submissions 

will not be accepted. 

FTA urges applicants to submit 

applications at least 72 hours prior to 

the due date to allow time to correct any 

problems that may have caused either 

GRANTS.GOV or FTA systems to reject 

the submission. Proposals submitted 

after the deadline will be considered 

only under extraordinary circumstances 

not under the applicant’s control. Mail 

and fax submissions will not be 

accepted. Deadlines will not be 

extended due to scheduled website 

maintenance. GRANTS.GOV scheduled 

maintenance and outage times are 

announced on the GRANTS.GOV 

website. 

Within 48 hours after submitting an 

electronic application, the applicant 

should receive an email message from 

GRANTS.GOV with confirmation of 

successful transmission to 

GRANTS.GOV. If a notice of failed 

validation or incomplete materials is 

received, the applicant must address the 

reason for the failed validation, as 

described in the email notice, and 

resubmit before the submission 

deadline. If making a resubmission for 

any reason, include all original 

attachments regardless of which 

attachments were updated and check 

the box on the supplemental form 

indicating this is a resubmission. 

Applicants are encouraged to begin 

the process of registration on the 

GRANTS.GOV site well in advance of 

the submission deadline. Registration is 

a multi-step process, which may take 

several weeks to complete before an 

application can be submitted. Registered 

applicants may still be required to take 

steps to keep their registration up to 

date before submissions can be made 

successfully: (1) Registration in SAM is 

renewed annually; and (2) persons 

making submissions on behalf of the 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR) must be authorized in 

GRANTS.GOV by the AOR to make 

submissions. 

5. Funding Restrictions 

Funds made available under the Ferry 

Program may not be used to fund 

operating expenses, planning, or 

preventive maintenance. Any project 

that does not include the purchase, 

construction, replacement, or 

rehabilitation of ferries, terminals, 

related infrastructure, or related 

equipment is not eligible. Funds made 

available under this NOFO cannot be 

used to reimburse applicants for 

otherwise eligible expenses incurred 

prior to the posting of project selections 

on FTA’s website and the corresponding 

issuance of preaward authority. 

Allowable direct and indirect expenses 

must be consistent with the 

Governmentwide Uniform 

Administrative Requirements and Cost 

Principles (2 CFR part 200) and FTA 

Circular 5010.1E. 

6. Other Submission Requirements 

Applicants are encouraged to identify 

scaled funding options in case 

insufficient funding is available to fund 

a project at the full requested amount. 

If an applicant advises that a project is 

scalable, the applicant must provide an 

appropriate minimum funding amount 

that will fund an eligible project that 

achieves the objectives of the program 

and meets all relevant program 

requirements. The applicant must 

provide a clear explanation of how the 

project budget would be affected by a 

reduced award. FTA may award a lesser 

amount whether or not a scalable option 

is provided. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria 

Projects will be evaluated primarily 

on the responses provided in the 

supplemental form. Additional 

information may be provided to support 

the responses; however, any additional 

documentation must be directly 

referenced on the supplemental form, 

including the file name where the 

additional information can be found. 

FTA will evaluate project proposals for 

competitive passenger ferry grants based 

on the criteria described in this notice. 

Criteria are weighted equally. 

a. Demonstration of Need 

Applications will be evaluated based 

on the quality and extent to which they 

demonstrate how the proposed project 

will address an unmet need for capital 

investment in passenger ferry vehicles, 

equipment, or facilities. FTA also will 

evaluate the project’s impact on service 

delivery and whether the project 

represents a one-time or periodic need 

that cannot reasonably be funded from 

FTA formula program allocations or 

State and/or local resources. In 

evaluating applications, FTA will 

consider, among other factors, certain 

project-specific criteria as outlined 

below: 

i. For vessel replacement or 

rehabilitation projects (including low or 

zero emission ferries): 

• The age of the asset to be replaced 

or rehabilitated by the proposed project, 

relative to its useful life. 

• Condition and performance of the 

asset to be replaced by the proposed 

project, as ascertained through 

inspections or otherwise, if available. 

ii. For facility infrastructure 

improvements or related-equipment 

acquisitions: 

• The age of the facility or equipment 

to be rehabilitated or replaced, relative 

to its useful life. 

• The degree to which the proposed 

project will enable the agency to 

improve the maintenance and condition 

of the agency’s fleet and/or other related 

ferry assets. 

iii. For vessel or facility-related 

expansion or new service requests: 

• The degree to which the proposed 

project addresses a current capacity 

constraint that is limiting the ability of 

the agency to provide reliable service, 

meet ridership demands, or maintain 

vessels and related equipment. 

• The degree the proposed new 

service is supported by ridership 

demand. 

b. Demonstration of Benefits 

Applications will be evaluated based 

on how the ferry project will improve 

the (1) safety of existing ferry systems, 

(2) the state of good repair of the 

existing system, and/or (3) provide 

additional transportation options to 

existing or potential riders within the 

service area. FTA also will consider 

potential benefits such as increased 

reliability of service, improved 

operations or maintenance capabilities, 

or expanded mobility options, 

intermodal connections, and improved 

community benefits related to the 

economy or the environment. 

For low or no emission projects, 

applicants should demonstrate how the 

proposed ferries or infrastructure will 

reduce the emission of particulates that 

create local air pollution, which leads to 

local environmental health concerns, 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
43308 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 149 / Friday, August 6, 2021 / Notices 

smog, and unhealthy ozone 

concentrations. Applicants should also 

demonstrate how the proposed ferries or 

infrastructure will reduce emissions of 

greenhouse gases from transit vehicle 

operations. 

Applicants should address how the 

ferry service to be supported by the 

proposed project is integrated with 

other regional modes of transportation, 

including but not limited to: Rail, bus, 

intercity bus, and private transportation 

providers. Supporting documentation 

should include data that demonstrates 

the number of trips (passengers and 

vehicles), the number of walk-on 

passengers, and the frequency of 

transfers to other modes if applicable. 

c. Planning and Local/Regional 

Prioritization 

Applicants must demonstrate how the 

proposed project is consistent with local 

and regional planning documents and 

identified priorities. This will involve 

assessing whether the project is 

consistent with the transit priorities 

identified in the long-range 

transportation plan and the State and 

Metropolitan Transportation 

Improvement Program (STIP/TIP). 

Applicants should note if the project 

could not be included in the financially 

constrained STIP or TIP due to lack of 

funding, and if selected that the project 

can be added to the federally approved 

STIP before grant award. 

FTA encourages applicants to 

demonstrate local support by including 

letters of support from State 

Departments of Transportation, local 

transit agencies, local government 

officials and public agencies, local nonprofit or private sector organizations, 

and other relevant stakeholders. In an 

area with both ferry and other public 

transit operators, FTA will evaluate 

whether project proposals demonstrate 

coordination with and support of other 

related projects within the applicant’s 

Metropolitan Planning Organization 

(MPO) or the geographic region within 

which the proposed project will operate. 

d. Local Financial Commitment 

Applicants must identify the source of 

the local cost share and describe 

whether such funds are currently 

available for the project or will need to 

be secured if the project is selected for 

funding. FTA will consider the 

availability of the local cost share as 

evidence of local financial commitment 

to the project. Additional consideration 

will be given to those projects for which 

local funds have already been made 

available or reserved. Applicants should 

submit evidence of the availability of 

funds for the project, by including, for 

example, a board resolution, letter of 

support from the State, or other 

documentation of the source of local 

funds such as a budget document 

highlighting the line item or section 

committing funds to the proposed 

project. 

An applicant may provide 

documentation of previous local 

investments in the project, which 

cannot be used to satisfy local matching 

requirements, as evidence of local 

financial commitment. 

Applicants that request a Federal 

share greater than 80 percent must 

clearly explain why the project is 

eligible for the proposed Federal share. 

e. Project Implementation Strategy 

Projects will be evaluated based on 

the extent to which the project is ready 

to implement within a reasonable 

period of time and whether the 

applicant’s proposed implementation 

plans are reasonable and complete. 

In assessing whether the project is 

ready to implement within a reasonable 

period of time, FTA will consider 

whether the project qualifies for a 

Categorical Exclusion, or whether the 

required environmental work has been 

initiated or completed for projects that 

require an Environmental Assessment or 

Environmental Impact Statement under 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

of 1969. As such, applicants should 

submit information describing the 

project’s anticipated path and timeline 

through the environmental review 

process. The proposal must also state 

whether grant funds can be obligated 

within 12 months from time of award, 

if selected, and the timeframe under 

which the Metropolitan TIP and/or STIP 

can be amended to include the proposed 

project. Additional consideration will 

be given to projects for which grant 

funds can be obligated within 12 

months from time of award. 

In assessing whether the proposed 

implementation plans are reasonable 

and complete, FTA will review the 

proposed project implementation plan, 

including all necessary project 

milestones and the overall project 

timeline. For projects that will require 

formal coordination, approvals, or 

permits from other agencies or project 

partners, the applicant must 

demonstrate coordination with these 

organizations and their support for the 

project, such as through letters of 

support. 

f. Technical, Legal, and Financial 

Capacity 

Applicants must demonstrate that 

they have the technical, legal, and 

financial capacity to undertake the 

project. FTA will review relevant 

oversight assessments and records to 

determine whether there are any 

outstanding legal, technical, or financial 

issues with the applicant that would 

affect the outcome of the proposed 

project. 

Applicants with outstanding legal, 

technical, or financial compliance 

issues from an FTA compliance review 

or FTA grant-related Single Audit 

finding must explain how corrective 

actions taken will mitigate negative 

impacts on the project. 

2. Review and Selection Process 

FTA technical evaluation committees 

will evaluate proposals using the project 

evaluation criteria. Members of the 

technical evaluation committees and 

other FTA staff may request additional 

information from applicants, if 

necessary. After consideration of the 

findings of the technical evaluation 

committees, FTA will determine the 

final selection of projects for program 

funding. In determining the allocation 

of program funds, FTA may consider 

geographic diversity, diversity in the 

size of the transit systems receiving 

funding, and the applicant’s receipt of 

other competitive awards. FTA will also 

consider whether the project will 

include low or zero-emission ferries or 

ferries using electric battery or fuel cell 

components and the infrastructure to 

support such ferries. FTA may consider 

capping the amount a single applicant 

may receive. After applying the above 

criteria, in support of the President’s 

January 20, 2021, Executive Order 

13990, ‘‘Protecting Public Health and 

the Environment and Restoring Science 

to Tackle the Climate Crisis,’’ the FTA 

Administrator will give priority 

consideration to applications that are 

expected to create significant 

community benefits relating to the 

environment, including those projects 

that incorporate low or no emission 

technology. FTA seeks to select projects 

that have considered climate change 

and environmental justice in the 

planning stage and were designed with 

specific elements to address climate 

change impacts. Projects should directly 

support Climate Action Plans or apply 

environmental justice screening tools in 

the planning stage. As stated in this 

NOFO, of the $38 million, $4 million is 

available only for low or zero-emission 

ferries or ferries using electric battery or 

fuel cell components and the 

infrastructure to support such ferries. 

Projects should include components 

that reduce emissions, promote energy 

efficiency, incorporate electrification or 

zero emission vehicle infrastructure, 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 149 / Friday, August 6, 2021 / Notices 43309 

increase resiliency, and recycle or 

redevelop existing infrastructure. 

Furthermore, in support of Executive 

Order 13985, ‘‘Advancing Racial Equity 

and Support for Underserved 

Communities Through the Federal 

Government,’’ FTA may consider 

projects that advance racial equity and 

overcomes barriers to opportunity for 

underserved communities. FTA seeks to 

select projects that have considered 

racial equity in the planning stage and 

were designed with specific elements to 

address racial equity and barriers to 

opportunity. The applicant should 

indicate which (if any) planning and 

policies related to racial equity and 

barriers to opportunity they are 

implementing or have implemented, 

along with the specific project 

investment details necessary for FTA to 

evaluate if the investments are being 

made either to proactively advance 

racial equity and remove barriers to 

opportunity, or to redress prior 

inequities and barriers to opportunity. 

All project investment costs for the 

project that are related to racial equity 

and barriers to opportunity should be 

summarized. 

Prior to making an award, FTA is 

required to review and consider any 

information about the applicant that is 

in the FAPIIS accessible through SAM. 

An applicant may review and comment 

on information about itself that a 

Federal awarding agency previously 

entered. FTA may consider any 

comments by the applicant, in addition 

to the other information in FAPIIS, in 

making a judgment about the applicant’s 

integrity, business ethics, and record of 

performance under Federal awards 

when completing the review of risk 

posed by applicants as described in the 

Office of Management and Budget’s 

Uniform Requirements for Federal 

Awards (2 CFR 200.206). 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

Final project selections will be posted 

on the FTA website. Only proposals 

from eligible recipients for eligible 

activities will be considered for funding. 

There is no minimum or maximum 

grant award amount; however, FTA 

intends to fund as many meritorious 

projects as possible. Due to funding 

limitations, projects that are selected for 

funding may receive less than the 

amount originally requested. In those 

cases, applicants must be able to 

demonstrate that the proposed projects 

are still viable and can be completed 

with the amount awarded. 

Recipients should contact their FTA 

Regional Offices for additional 

information regarding allocations for 

projects under the Ferry Program. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

i. Pre-Award Authority 

At the time the project selections are 

announced, FTA will extend pre-award 

authority for the selected projects. There 

is no blanket pre-award authority for 

these projects before announcement and 

pre-award authority cannot be used 

prior to FTA issuance of pre-award 

authority. FTA does not provide preaward authority for competitive funds 

until projects are selected and even 

then, there are Federal requirements 

that must be met before costs are 

incurred. For more information about 

FTA’s policy on pre-award authority, 

please see the most recent 

Apportionment Notice at https://

www.transit.dot.gov. 

ii. Grant Requirements 

If selected, awardees will apply for a 

grant through FTA’s Transit Award 

Management System (TrAMS). All Ferry 

Program recipients are subject to the 

grant requirements of the Urbanized 

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

5307), FTA’s Master Agreement for 

financial assistance awards, the annual 

Certifications and Assurances required 

of applicants, and FTA Circular 

‘‘Urbanized Area Formula Program: 

Program Guidance and Application 

Instructions’’ (FTA.C.9030.1E). All 

recipients must also follow the Award 

Management Requirements 

(FTA.C.5010.1) and the labor 

protections required by Federal public 

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

All these documents are available on 

FTA’s website. Technical assistance 

regarding these requirements is 

available from each FTA regional office. 

iii. Buy America 

FTA requires that all capital 

procurements meet FTA’s Buy America 

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

require all iron, steel, or manufactured 

products be produced in the United 

States. Any proposal that will require a 

waiver must identify the items for 

which a waiver will be sought in the 

application. Applicants should not 

proceed with the expectation that 

waivers will be granted. 

iv. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise 

Projects that include ferry 

acquisitions are subject to the 

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise 

(DBE) program regulations (49 CFR part 

26) and ferry manufacturers must 

comply with that part to be eligible to 

bid on an FTA-assisted ferry 

procurement. Grant recipients must 

verify each Transit Vehicle 

Manufacturer’s (TVM) compliance 

before accepting its bid. A list of 

certified TVMs is posted on FTA’s web 

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

TVM. Recipients should contact FTA 

before accepting bids from entities not 

listed on this web-posting. In lieu of 

using a certified TVM, recipients may 

also establish project specific DBE goals 

for ferry purchases. The FTA will 

provide additional guidance as grants 

are awarded. For more information on 

DBE requirements, please contact 

Monica McCallum, Director of Regional 

Operations, Office of Civil Rights, 206– 

220–7519, email: Monica.McCallum@

dot.gov. 

v. Planning 

FTA encourages applicants to notify 

the appropriate State Departments of 

Transportation and MPOs in areas likely 

to be served by the project funds made 

available under these initiatives and 

programs. Selected projects must be 

incorporated into the long-range plans 

and transportation improvement 

programs of States and metropolitan 

areas before they are eligible for FTA 

funding. As described under the 

evaluation criteria, FTA may consider 

whether a project is consistent with or 

already included in these plans when 

evaluating a project. 

vi. Standard Assurances 

The applicant assures that it will 

comply with all applicable Federal 

statutes, regulations, executive orders, 

directives, FTA circulars, and other 

Federal administrative requirements in 

carrying out any project supported by 

the FTA grant. The applicant 

acknowledges that it is under a 

continuing obligation to comply with 

the terms and conditions of the grant 

agreement issued for its project with 

FTA. The applicant understands that 

Federal laws, regulations, policies, and 

administrative practices might be 

modified from time to time and may 

affect the implementation of the project. 

The applicant agrees that the most 

recent Federal requirements will apply 

to the project, unless FTA issues a 

written determination otherwise. The 

applicant must submit the Certifications 

and Assurances before receiving a grant 

if it does not have current certifications 

on file. 

3. Reporting 

Post-award reporting requirements 

include the electronic submission of 

Federal Financial Reports and Milestone 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
43310 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 149 / Friday, August 6, 2021 / Notices 

Progress Reports. Applicant should 

include goals, targets, and indicators 

referenced in their application to the 

project in the Executive Summary of the 

TrAMS application. Recipients of funds 

made available through this NOFO are 

also required to regularly submit data to 

the National Transit Database. National 

Transit Database reports include total 

sources of revenue and complete 

expenditure reports for all public 

transportation operations, not just those 

funded by this project. Applicants 

partnering with a private operator 

should ensure that the private operator 

will meet all of the comprehensive 

reporting requirements of the National 

Transit Database. 

As part of completing the annual 

certifications and assurances required of 

FTA grant recipients, a successful 

applicant must report on the suspension 

or debarment status of itself and its 

principals. If the award recipient’s 

active grants, cooperative agreements, 

and procurement contracts from all 

Federal awarding agencies exceeds 

$10,000,000 for any period of time 

during the period of performance of an 

award made pursuant to this Notice, the 

recipient must comply with the 

Recipient Integrity and Performance 

Matters reporting requirements 

described in Appendix XII to 2 CFR part 

200. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

For further information concerning 

this notice, please contact the Ferry 

Program manager, Vanessa Williams, by 

phone at 202–366–4818, or by email at 

vanessa.williams@dot.gov. A TDD is 

available for individuals who are deaf or 

hard of hearing at 800–877–8339. In 

addition, FTA will post answers to 

questions and requests for clarifications 

on FTA’s website at: https://

www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/ 

passenger-ferry-grant-program-section5307. To ensure receipt of accurate 

information about eligibility or the 

program, the applicant is encouraged to 

contact FTA directly, rather than 

through intermediaries or third parties. 

H. Other Information 

This program is not subject to 

Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’ FTA will consider 

applications for funding only from 

eligible recipients for eligible projects 

listed in Section C. Complete 

applications must be submitted through 

GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. EST on 

October 5, 2021. For issues with 

GRANTS.GOV, please contact 

GRANTS.GOV by phone at 1–800–518– 

4726 or by email at support@grants.gov. 

Contact information for FTA’s regional 

offices can be found on FTA’s website 

at http://www.transit.dot.gov/. 

Nuria I. Fernandez, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2021–16790 Filed 8–5–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Internal Revenue Service 

Open Meeting of the Taxpayer 

Advocacy Panel’s Toll-Free Phone 

Lines Project Committee 

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 

Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: An open meeting of the 

Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Toll-Free 

Phone Lines Project Committee will be 

conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy 

Panel is soliciting public comments, 

ideas, and suggestions on improving 

customer service at the Internal Revenue 

Service. 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

Tuesday, September 14, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Rosalind Matherne at 1–888–912–1227 

or 202–317–4115. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is 

hereby given pursuant to Section 

10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. (1988) 

that an open meeting of the Taxpayer 

Advocacy Panel Toll-Free Phone Lines 

Project Committee will be held Tuesday, 

September 14, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. 

Eastern Time. The public is invited to 

make oral comments or submit written 

statements for consideration. Due to 

limited time and structure of meeting, 

notification of intent to participate must 

be made with Rosalind Matherne. For 

more information please contact 

Rosalind Matherne at 1–888–912–1227 

or 202–317–4115, or write TAP Office, 

1111 Constitution Ave. NW, Room 1509, 

Washington, DC 20224 or contact us at 

the website: http://www.improveirs.org. 

The agenda will include various IRS 

issues. 

Dated: August 2, 2021. 

Kevin Brown, 

Acting Director, Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. 

[FR Doc. 2021–16777 Filed 8–5–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4830–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Internal Revenue Service 

Open Meeting of the Taxpayer 

Advocacy Panel’s Tax Forms and 

Publications Project Committee 

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 

Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: An open meeting of the 

Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Tax Forms 

and Publications Project Committee will 

be conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy 

Panel is soliciting public comments, 

ideas, and suggestions on improving 

customer service at the Internal Revenue 

Service. 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

Thursday, September 9, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fred 

Smith at 1–888–912–1227 or (202) 317– 

3087. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is 

hereby given pursuant to Section 

10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. (1988) 

that a meeting of the Taxpayer 

Advocacy Panel’s Tax Forms and 

Publications Project Committee will be 

held Thursday, September 9, 2021 at 

2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The public is 

invited to make oral comments or 

submit written statements for 

consideration. Due to limited time and 

structure of meeting, notification of 

intent to participate must be made with 

Fred Smith. For more information 

please contact Fred Smith at 1–888– 

912–1227 or (202) 317–3087, or write 

TAP Office, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, 

Room 1509, Washington, DC 20224 or 

contact us at the website: http://

www.improveirs.org. 

Dated: August 2, 2021. 

Kevin Brown, 

Acting Director, Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. 

[FR Doc. 2021–16778 Filed 8–5–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4830–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Internal Revenue Service 

Open Meeting of the Taxpayer 

Advocacy Panel’s Notices and 

Correspondence Project Committee 

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 

Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: An open meeting of the 

Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Notices and 

Correspondence Project Committee will 

be conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES