51220 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 175 / Tuesday, September 14, 2021 / Notices 

advice to FMCSA on ‘‘medical 

standards for operators of commercial 

motor vehicles that will ensure that the 

physical condition of operators of 

commercial motor vehicles is adequate 

to enable them to operate the vehicles 

safely.’’ The MRB operates in 

accordance with FACA under the terms 

of the MRB charter, filed November 25, 

2019. 

II. Agenda 

At the meeting, the agenda will cover 

MRB’s consideration of the U.S. Food 

and Drug Administration’s June 30, 

2021 announcement regarding the 

voluntary recall of certain Continuous 

Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) machines 

due to potential health risks. FMCSA 

will task the MRB with providing 

recommendations about how to best 

assist medical examiners on the 

National Registry of Certified Medical 

Examiners (National Registry) and the 

commercial motor vehicle (CMV) 

drivers who use these CPAPs on 

identifying reliable sources of 

information concerning options for 

drivers with machines covered by the 

recall. 

III. Meeting Participation 

Although not required, advance 

registration is encouraged. To indicate 

that you will attend, please register at 

the website listed in the ADDRESSES

section by the deadline referenced in 

the DATES section. The meeting will be 

open to the public for its entirety. 

The U.S. Department of 

Transportation is committed to 

providing equal access to this meeting 

for all participants. If you need 

alternative formats or services because 

of a disability, such as sign language, 

interpretation, or other ancillary aids, 

please contact the person listed in the 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

section. 

Verbal comments from the public will 

be heard throughout the meeting, at the 

discretion of the MRB chairman and 

designated federal officer. These 

statements may be limited in duration to 

ensure that all who wish to comment 

may do so. Members of the public may 

submit written comments to the person 

listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section on the topics to be 

considered during the meeting by the 

deadline referenced in the DATES

section. Any member of the public may 

submit a written statement after the 

meeting deadline, and it will be 

presented to the committee. 

Larry W. Minor, 

Associate Administrator for Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2021–19803 Filed 9–13–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Fiscal Year 2021 Competitive Funding 

Opportunity: Route Planning 

Restoration Program 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), Department of Transportation 

(DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of Funding Opportunity 

(NOFO). 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) announces the 

opportunity to apply for $25,000,000 in 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 funding under the 

Route Planning Restoration Program 

(Federal Assistance Listing: 20.505). As 

required by Federal public 

transportation law and subject to 

funding availability, funds will be 

awarded competitively to support 

planning designed to (i) increase 

ridership and reduce travel times, while 

maintaining or expanding the total level 

of vehicle revenue miles of service 

provided in the planning period; or (ii) 

make service adjustments to increase 

the quality or frequency of service 

provided to low-income riders and 

disadvantaged neighborhoods or 

communities. FTA may award 

additional funding that is made 

available to the program prior to the 

announcement of project selections. 

DATES: Complete proposals must be 

submitted through the GRANTS.GOV 

‘‘APPLY’’ function by 11:59 p.m. EDT 

November 15, 2021. Prospective 

applicants should initiate the process by 

registering on the GRANTS.GOV 

website promptly to ensure completion 

of registration before the submission 

deadline. Instructions for applying can 

be found on FTA’s website at https://

www.transit.dot.gov/howtoapply and in 

the ‘‘FIND’’ module of GRANTS.GOV. 

The GRANTS.GOV funding opportunity 

ID is FTA–2021–007–TPE. Mail and fax 

submissions will not be accepted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Colby McFarland, FTA Office of 

Planning and Environment, (202) 366– 

1648, or Colby.McFarland@dot.gov. A 

TDD is available at 1–800–877–8339 

(TDD/FIRS). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

A. Program Description 

B. Federal Award Information 

C. Eligibility Information 

D. Application and Submission Information 

E. Application Review Information 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

H. Other Information 

A. Program Description 

The American Rescue Plan Act of 

2021 (Pub. L. 117–2, March 11, 2021) 

provides funds to eligible applicants for 

the planning of public transportation 

associated with the restoration of transit 

service as the coronavirus disease 2019 

(COVID–19) pandemic subsides. This 

funding opportunity is being announced 

under Federal Assistance Listing 

Number 20.505. 

FTA will competitively award grants 

to undertake transit route planning 

activities that are designed to (i) 

increase ridership and reduce travel 

times, while maintaining or expanding 

the total level of vehicle revenue miles 

of service provided in the planning 

period; or (ii) make service adjustments 

to increase the quality or frequency of 

service provided to low-income riders 

and disadvantaged neighborhoods or 

communities. Route Planning 

Restoration Program grant projects may 

be in partnership with other local 

governmental entities, non-profits, 

social service organizations, or housing 

agencies, among others to identify 

barriers to opportunity for low-income 

riders and disadvantaged neighborhoods 

and communities that are dependent on 

transit. 

This program supports FTA’s strategic 

goals and objectives through timely and 

efficient investment in public 

transportation. This program supports 

the President’s plan to mobilize 

American ingenuity to build a modern 

infrastructure and an equitable future. 

By planning for the restoration of transit 

service that increases access for 

environmental justice populations, 

utilizes equity-focused community 

outreach and public engagement of 

underserved communities, and adopts 

equity-focused policies, this NOFO 

advances the goals of Executive Order 

13985: Advancing Racial Equity and 

Support for Underserved Communities 

Through the Federal Government. 

Additionally, intelligent route planning 

and transit service restoration can help 

reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in 

support of Executive Order 13990: 

Protecting Public Health and the 

Environment and Restoring Science to 

Tackle Climate Crisis; and Executive 


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Order 14008: Tackling the Climate 

Crisis at Home and Abroad. 

B. Federal Award Information 

FTA intends to award all available 

funding ($25 million) in the form of 

grants to selected applicants responding 

to this NOFO. Additional funds made 

available prior to project selection may 

be allocated to eligible projects. Only 

proposals from eligible recipients for 

eligible activities will be considered for 

funding. FTA anticipates maximum 

grant awards of $1,000,000. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

Applicants must be eligible recipients 

under Section 5307 of Title 49, United 

States Code (FTA’s Urbanized Area 

Formula Grants program), as of the 

publication date of this NOFO on 

GRANTS.GOV. 

Additionally, applicants must have 

experienced a reduction in transit 

service any time on or after January 20, 

2020, as a result of the COVID–19 

pandemic. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

The Federal funding share is 100 

percent. FTA will not review more 

favorably applications that propose nonFederal funding contributions. 

3. Eligible Projects 

Projects must be associated with a 

public transportation service area that 

experienced a reduction in transit 

services from pre-pandemic levels any 

time on or after January 20, 2020, as a 

result of the COVID–19 pandemic. Any 

planning activities proposed for funding 

must be designed to (i) increase 

ridership and reduce travel times, while 

maintaining or expanding the total level 

of vehicle revenue miles of service 

provided in the planning period; or (ii) 

make service adjustments to increase 

the quality or frequency of service 

provided to low-income riders and 

disadvantaged neighborhoods or 

communities. For a discussion of 

eligible planning activities, applicants 

should refer to FTA Circular 

C8100.1D—Program Guidance for 

Metropolitan Planning and State 

Planning and Research Program Grants, 

and FTA Circular 9030.1E—Urbanized 

Area Formula Program: Program 

Guidance and Application Instructions. 

Eligible applicants should utilize the 

definition of ‘‘low-income individual’’ 

in 49 U.S.C. 5302(11) when considering 

the service provided to ‘‘low-income 

riders’’ and the definitions of ‘‘minority 

population’’ and ‘‘low-income 

population’’ found in FTA Circular 

C4702.1B—Title VI Requirements and 

Guidelines for Federal Transit 

Administration Recipients when 

considering the service provided to 

‘‘disadvantaged neighborhoods or 

communities’’ for the purposes of this 

program. 

FTA will not make awards for: 

a. Capital, operating, or maintenance 

activities; 

b. Route planning specifically related 

to transitioning public transportation 

service provided as of the date of receipt 

of funds to a transportation network 

company or other third-party contract 

provider, unless the existing provider of 

public transportation service is a thirdparty contract provider; or 

c. Route planning focused on public 

transportation service areas that have 

not experienced a reduction in service 

any time on or after January 20, 2020, 

as a result of the COVID–19 pandemic. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address To Request Application 

Package 

A complete proposal submission 

includes two forms: The Standard Form 

(SF)–424 Application for Federal 

Assistance (downloaded from 

GRANTS.GOV) and the supplemental 

form for the FY 2021 Route Planning 

Restoration Program (downloaded from 

GRANTS.GOV or the FTA website at 

www.transit.dot.gov. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

A complete proposal must include a 

completed SF–424 and the following 

documents attached to the 

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

i. A supplemental form for the Route 

Planning Restoration Program. 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; and 

ii. A map of the proposed study area 

showing the transit routes, low-income 

and other disadvantaged neighborhoods 

or communities, major roadways, major 

landmarks, and the geographic 

boundaries of the proposed planning 

activities. 

FTA will accept only one 

supplemental form per SF–424 

submission. 

Applicants may attach additional 

supporting information to the SF–424 

submission, including but not limited to 

letters of support, project budgets, 

relevant data, or excerpts from relevant 

planning documents. Supporting 

documentation must be described and 

referenced by file name in the 

appropriate response section of the 

supplemental form, or it may not be 

reviewed. 

A complete application must include 

responses to all sections of the SF–424 

and the supplemental form. Information 

such as the applicant’s name, Federal 

amount requested, and description of 

the study area are requested in varying 

degrees of detail on both the SF–424 

and supplemental form. Applicants 

must fill in all fields unless stated 

otherwise on the forms. Applicants 

should not place ‘‘N/A’’ or ‘‘refer to 

attachment’’ in lieu of typing in 

responses in the field sections. 

Applicants should use both the ‘‘Check 

Package for Errors’’ and the ‘‘Validate 

Form’’ buttons on both forms to check 

all required fields, and ensure the 

Federal amounts requested are 

consistent. 

The SF–424 and supplemental form 

will prompt applicants to address the 

following items: 

i. Provide the name of the lead 

applicant and, if applicable, the specific 

co-sponsors submitting the application. 

ii. Provide the applicant’s Dun and 

Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number. 

iii. Provide contact information 

including: Contact name, title, address, 

phone number, and email address. 

iv. Specify the Congressional 

district(s) where the planning project 

will take place. 

v. Identify the project title and project 

scope to be funded, including 

anticipated substantial deliverables and 

the milestones at when they will be 

provided to FTA. 

vi. Identify and describe an eligible 

transit planning project that meets the 

requirements of Section C, subsection 3 

of this notice. 

vii. Address each evaluation criterion 

separately, demonstrating how the 

project responds to each criterion 

described in Section E. 

viii. Provide a line-item budget for the 

total planning effort, with enough detail 

to show the various key components of 

the planning project. 

ix. Identify the Federal amount 

requested. 

x. Provide an explanation of the 

scalability of the project. 

xi. Address whether other Federal 

funds have been sought or received for 

the planning project. 

xii. Provide a schedule and process 

for the development of the plan that 

includes anticipated dates for 

completing major tasks and substantial 

deliverables, and for completing the 

overall planning effort. 


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xiii. Identify potential State, local or 

other impediments to the products of 

the planning work and its 

implementation, and how the 

impediments will be addressed. 

xiv. Address the extent to which the 

proposed activities address climate 

change. Applicants should identify any 

air quality nonattainment or 

maintenance areas under the Clean Air 

Act in the planning or study area. 

Nonattainment or maintenance areas 

should be limited to the following 

applicable National Ambient Air 

Quality Standards criteria pollutants: 

Carbon monoxide, ozone, and 

particulate matter 2.5 and 10. The U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency’s 

Green Book (available at https://

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

and maintenance area data. This 

consideration will further the goals of 

Executive Order 13990: Protecting 

Public Health and the Environment and 

Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate 

Crisis, and Executive Order 14008: 

Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and 

Abroad. 

xv. Describe how the proposed 

activities serve environmental justice 

populations and other disadvantaged 

neighborhoods or communities, 

promote racial equity, and reduce 

barriers to opportunity. 

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 is an individual or has an 

exemption approved by FTA or the U.S. 

Office of Management and Budget 

pursuant to 2 CFR 25.110. SAM 

registration takes approximately 3–5 

business days, but 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. EDT November 15, 2021. 

GRANTS.GOV attaches a time stamp to 

each application at the time of 

submission. Proposals submitted after 

the deadline will only be considered 

under extraordinary circumstances not 

under the applicant’s control. 

Applications are time and date stamped 

by GRANTS.GOV upon successful 

submission. Mail and fax submissions 

will not be accepted. 

Within 48 hours after submitting an 

electronic application, the applicant 

should receive two email messages from 

GRANTS.GOV: (1) Confirmation of 

successful transmission to 

GRANTS.GOV; and (2) confirmation of 

successful validation by GRANTS.GOV. 

FTA will then validate the application 

and will attempt to notify any 

applicants whose applications could not 

be validated. If the applicant does not 

receive confirmation of successful 

validation or a notice of failed 

validation or incomplete materials, 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 it is a resubmission. An 

application that is submitted at the 

deadline and cannot be validated will 

be marked as incomplete and will not 

receive additional time to re-submit. 

FTA urges applicants to submit their 

applications at least 96 hours prior to 

the due date to allow time to receive the 

validation messages and to correct any 

problems that may have caused a 

rejection notification. GRANTS.GOV 

scheduled maintenance and outage 

times are announced on the 

GRANTS.GOV website. Deadlines will 

not be extended due to scheduled 

maintenance or outages. 

Applicants are encouraged to begin 

the registration process on the 

GRANTS.GOV site well in advance of 

the submission deadline. Registration in 

GRANTS.GOV 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 the System for Award 

Management (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 

See Section C of this NOFO for 

detailed eligibility requirements. Funds 

must be used only for the specific 

purposes requested in the application. 

Allowable direct and indirect expenses 

must be consistent with the 

Governmentwide Uniform 

Administrative Requirements and Cost 

Principles (2 CFR part 200) and FTA 

Circular C5010.1E—Award Management 

Requirements. 

Funds awarded under this NOFO 

cannot be used to reimburse projects for 

otherwise eligible expenses incurred 

prior to an FTA award under this 

program. FTA will issue pre-award 

authority to incur costs for selected 

projects beginning on the date that 

project selections are announced. FTA 

does not provide pre-award authority 

for competitive funds until projects are 

selected, and even then, there are 

Federal requirements that must be met 

before costs are incurred. FTA will issue 

specific guidance to awardees regarding 

pre-award authority at the time of 

selection. For more information about 

FTA’s policy on pre-award authority, 

please see the most recent 

Apportionment Notice on FTA’s 

website. 

6. Other Submission Requirements 

All applications must be submitted 

via the GRANTS.GOV website. FTA 

does not accept applications on paper, 

by fax machine, email, or other means. 

For information on application 

submission requirements, please see 

Section D.1., Address to Request 

Application and Section D.4., 

Submission Dates and Times. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria 

Project proposals 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. 

Applications will be evaluated based on 

the quality and extent to which the 

following evaluation criteria are 

addressed. 

Applicants are encouraged to identify 

scaled funding options in case 

insufficient funding is available to fund 

a project at the full requested amount. 


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If an applicant proposes 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. 

a. Demonstrated Need 

FTA will evaluate each project to 

determine the need for funding based on 

the following factors: 

i. Pre-pandemic service levels versus 

current service levels using both 

absolute numbers and relative 

proportions of service reduction and 

elimination of: 

a. Service routes and route mileage; 

and 

b. Scheduled daily hours of service; 

and 

c. Vehicle-revenue miles of service. 

ii. Pre-pandemic versus current levels 

of ridership due to reduced or 

eliminated services: 

a. Number and percentage of all 

transit riders impacted by reduced or 

eliminated services; and 

b. Number and percentage of lowincome transit riders impacted by 

reduced or eliminated services. 

iii. Pre-pandemic versus current 

numbers and percentages of low-income 

residents of affected neighborhoods or 

communities. Number and percentage of 

residents of affected disadvantaged 

neighborhoods or communities. 

b. Demonstrated Benefits 

FTA will evaluate the potential 

benefits of the proposed planning 

project based on the extent to which the 

public transit route planning activity 

would address the following: 

i. Transit service levels; 

ii. Anticipated ridership; 

iii. Anticipated transit travel times; 

iv. Improved transit service quality 

provided to low-income riders; 

v. Improved transit service frequency 

provided to low income riders; 

vi. Improved transit service quality 

provided to disadvantaged 

neighborhoods or communities; 

vii. Improved transit service 

frequency provided to disadvantaged 

neighborhoods or communities. 

viii. Racial Equity and Barriers to 

Opportunity; FTA will evaluate the 

extent to which the route planning 

study addresses racial equity and 

barriers to opportunity, including 

automobile dependence as a barrier. 

FTA will also consider the extent to 

which applications incorporate such 

activities as equity-focused community 

outreach and public engagement of lowincome transit riders, disadvantaged 

neighborhoods and communities in the 

planning process, and adoption of an 

equity and inclusion program or plan or 

equity-focused policies; and 

ix. Environmental Justice. FTA will 

evaluate the extent to which the route 

planning study will support increased 

access to transit for environmental 

justice populations and engages such 

populations in plan or study 

development. 

c. Project Implementation Strategy 

FTA will evaluate the strength of the 

work plan, schedule and process 

included in an application based on the 

following factors: 

i. Extent to which the schedule 

contains sufficient detail, identifies all 

deliverables and steps needed to 

implement the work proposed, and is 

achievable; 

ii. Extent to which deliverables would 

provide guidelines implementing a 

realistic sequence of route restoration 

steps that could be taken to restore and/ 

or expand transit service levels to 

improve ridership and serve lowincome riders and disadvantaged 

neighborhoods or communities; 

iii. Extent to which the route planning 

process will engage the local public, 

including low-income riders and 

disadvantaged neighborhoods or 

communities, as well as stakeholder 

groups; and 

iv. Extent to which there is 

coordination with city/county local 

government agencies, the metropolitan 

planning process, local social service 

agencies, housing authorities, and 

employers. 

v. Use of reliable route planning 

methods to undertake the route 

planning activities to estimate future 

ridership, changes in travel times, 

increases in vehicle revenue miles, and 

quality of transit service. 

vi. Use of reliable data and route 

planning methods to identify lowincome riders and disadvantaged 

communities and neighborhoods and 

assess equitable provision of transit 

service to low income riders and 

disadvantaged neighborhoods or 

communities. 

vii. Identification of deliverables 

(service plans, routing schemes, etc.) 

that will be produced from the route 

planning study. 

d. Technical, Legal, and Financial 

Capacity 

Applicants must demonstrate 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 

unresolved legal, technical, or financial 

compliance issues from an FTA 

compliance review or Federal grantrelated Single Audit finding must 

explain how corrective actions taken 

will mitigate negative impacts on the 

proposed project. 

2. Review and Selection Process 

In addition to other FTA staff who 

may review the proposals, a technical 

evaluation committee will verify each 

proposal’s eligibility and evaluate 

proposals based on the published 

evaluation criteria. Members of the 

technical evaluation committee and 

other FTA staff may request additional 

information from applicants, if 

necessary. 

Based on the findings of the technical 

evaluation committee, the FTA 

Administrator will determine the final 

selection of projects for program 

funding. In determining the allocation 

of program funds, FTA may consider 

geographic diversity, diversity in the 

size of the grant recipients receiving 

funding, or the applicant’s receipt of 

other competitive awards. 

3. Performance and Integrity Review 

Prior to making an award, FTA is 

required to review and consider any 

information about the applicant that is 

in the Federal Awardee Performance 

and Integrity Information Systems 

(FAPIIS) accessible through SAM. An 

applicant may review and comment on 

information about itself that a Federal 

awarding agency previously entered. 

FTA will consider any comments by the 

applicant, in addition to the other 

information in the designated integrity 

and performance system, in making a 

judgment about the applicant’s integrity, 

business ethics, and record of 

performance under Federal awards 

when completing the review of risk 

posed by applicants as described in 2 

CFR 200.206 Federal awarding agency 

review of risk posed by applicants. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

The FTA Administrator will 

announce the final project selections on 

the FTA website. Selected applicants 

should contact their FTA regional office 

for additional information regarding 

allocations for projects under the Route 

Planning Restoration Program. 


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2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

a. Pre-Award Authority 

FTA will issue specific guidance to 

recipients regarding pre-award authority 

at the time of selection. FTA does not 

provide pre-award authority for 

competitive funds until projects are 

selected and even then, there are 

Federal requirements that must be met 

before costs are incurred. Funds under 

this NOFO cannot be used to reimburse 

applicants for otherwise eligible 

expenses incurred prior to FTA award 

of a Grant Agreement until FTA has 

issued pre-award authority for selected 

projects, or unless FTA has issued a 

‘‘Letter of No Prejudice’’ for the project 

before the expenses 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. 

b. Grant Requirements 

If selected, awardees will apply for a 

grant through FTA’s Transit Award 

Management System (TrAMS). All 

competitive grants, regardless of award 

amount, will be subject to the 

Congressional Notification and release 

process. Technical assistance regarding 

these requirements is available from 

each FTA regional office. 

c. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise 

FTA requires its recipients receiving 

planning, capital, or operating 

assistance that will award prime 

contracts exceeding $250,000 in FTA 

funds in a Federal fiscal year comply 

with the U.S. Department of 

Transportation’s Disadvantaged 

Business Enterprise (DBE) program 

regulations (49 CFR part 26). Applicants 

should expect to include any funds 

awarded in setting their overall DBE 

goal. 

d. Planning 

FTA encourages applicants to notify 

the appropriate metropolitan planning 

organizations in areas likely to be served 

by the funds made available under this 

program. Selected projects must be 

incorporated into the unified planning 

work programs of metropolitan areas 

before they are eligible for FTA funding 

or pre-award authority. 

e. Standard Assurances 

If selected, the applicant must assure 

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 will be 

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 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 submission of Federal Financial 

Reports and Milestone Progress Reports 

in FTA’s electronic grants management 

system on a quarterly basis. Applicants 

should include any goals, targets, and 

indicators referenced in their 

application to the project in the 

Executive Summary of the TrAMS 

application. Awardees must also submit 

copies of the substantial deliverables 

identified in the work plan to the FTA 

regional office at the corresponding 

milestones. 

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 exceed $10,000,000 

for any period of time during the period 

of performance of an award made 

pursuant to this Notice, the recipient 

must maintain the currency of 

information reported to the System for 

Award Management (SAM) that is made 

available in the designated integrity and 

performance system (currently the 

Federal Awardee Performance and 

Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)) 

about civil, criminal, or administrative 

proceedings in connection with the 

award or performance of a grant, 

cooperative agreement, or procurement 

contract from the Federal Government. 

See Appendix XII to 2 CFR part 200 for 

more information. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

For program-specific questions, please 

contact Colby McFarland, Office of 

Planning and Environment, (202) 366– 

1648, email: Colby.McFarland@dot.gov. 

A TDD is available at 1–800–877–8339 

(TDD/FIRS). Any addenda that FTA 

releases on the application process will 

be posted at https://www.transit.dot.gov. 

To ensure applicants receive accurate 

information about eligibility or the 

program, the applicant is encouraged to 

contact FTA directly, rather than 

through intermediaries or third parties. 

FTA staff may also conduct briefings on 

the FY 2021 competitive grants 

selection and award process upon 

request. Contact information for FTA’s 

regional offices can be found on FTA’s 

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

For assistance with GRANTS.GOV, 

please contact GRANTS.GOV by phone 

at 1–800–518–4726 or by email at 

support@grants.gov. 

H. Other Program Information 

This program is not subject to 

Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’ 

Nuria I. Fernandez, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2021–19735 Filed 9–13–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

[Docket Number MARAD–2021–0209] 

Agency Request for Approval of a New 

Information Collection: Mariner Survey 

Pre-Test 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration 

(MARAD) invites public comments 

about our intention to request the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) 

approval for a new information 

collection. This Mariner Survey Pre-Test 

collection provides for cognitive 

interviews and a pilot survey of a 

sample of appropriately credentialed 

U.S. merchant mariners to validate and 

improve the study design for a 

subsequent Mariner Survey. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

submitted by November 15, 2021. 

MARAD will consider comments filed 

after this date to the extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by Docket No. MARAD– 

2021–0209 through one of the following 

methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Go to http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Search by using 

the docket number (provided above). 

Follow the instructions for submitting 

comments on the electronic docket site. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility; 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 


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