73134 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 236 / Tuesday, December 9, 2014 / Notices 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 

26, 2014. 

Edward Agnew, 

Acting Manager, Airports Division. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28796 Filed 12–8–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Public Transportation on Indian 

Reservations Program; Tribal Transit 

Program 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability: 

Solicitation of Grant Applications for 

FY 2014 Tribal Transit Program Funds. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) announces the 

availability of approximately $5 million 

in funding provided by the Public 

Transportation on Indian Reservations 

Program (Tribal Transit Program (TTP)), 

as authorized by 49 U.S.C. Section 

5311(j), as amended by the Moving 

Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century 

Act (MAP–21), Public Law 112–41 (July 

6, 2012). This notice is a national 

solicitation for project proposals and 

includes the selection criteria and 

program eligibility information for 

Fiscal Year 2014 projects. FTA may 

choose to fund the program for more or 

less than the announcement amount, 

including applying any FY 2015 

appropriations or other funding toward 

projects proposed in response to the 

Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). 

This announcement is available on 

the FTA Web site at: http://

www.fta.dot.gov/grants/15926_

3553.html. Additionally, a synopsis of 

the funding opportunity will be posted 

in the FIND module of the governmentwide electronic grants Web site at 

http://www.grants.gov. 

FTA requires that all project 

proposals be submitted electronically 

through http://www.GRANTS.GOV by 

11:59 p.m. EDT on February 18, 2015. 

Mail and fax submissions will not be 

accepted. A complete proposal 

submission will consist of at least two 

files: (1) The SF 424 Mandatory form 

(downloaded from GRANTS.GOV) and 

(2) the Tribal Transit supplemental form 

found on the FTA Web site at http://

www.fta.dot.gov/grants/15926_

3553.html. The Tribal Transit 

supplemental form provides guidance 

and a consistent format for applicants to 

respond to the criteria outlined in this 

NOFA. Once completed, the applicant 

must place the supplemental form in the 

attachments section of the SF–424 

Mandatory form. Applicants must use 

the supplemental form designated for 

TTP and attach the form to their 

submission in GRANTS.GOV to 

complete the application process. A 

proposal submission may contain 

additional supporting documentation as 

attachments. 

Within 24–48 hours after submitting 

an electronic application, the applicant 

should receive three email messages 

from GRANTS.GOV: (1) Confirmation of 

successful transmission to 

GRANTS.GOV; (2) confirmation of 

successful validation by GRANTS.GOV; 

and (3) confirmation of successful 

validation by FTA. If the applicant does 

not receive confirmations of successful 

validation and instead receives a notice 

of failed validation or incomplete 

materials, the applicant must address 

the reason for the failed validation or 

incomplete materials, as described in 

the notice, and resubmit the proposal 

before the submission deadline. If 

making a resubmission for any reason, 

the applicant must include all original 

attachments regardless of which 

attachments are updated and check the 

box on the supplemental form 

indicating this is a resubmission. 

Complete instructions on the 

application process can be found at 

http://www.fta.dot.gov/grants/15926_

3553.html. 

Important: FTA urges applicants to 

submit their project proposals at least 72 

hours prior to the due date to allow time 

to receive the validation message and to 

correct any problems that may have 

caused a rejection notification. FTA will 

not accept submissions after the stated 

submission deadline. GRANTS.GOV 

scheduled maintenance and outage 

times are announced on the 

GRANTS.GOV Web site http://

www.GRANTS.GOV. The deadline will 

not be extended due to scheduled 

maintenance or outages. 

Applicants may submit one proposal 

for each project or one proposal 

containing multiple projects. Applicants 

submitting multiple projects in one 

proposal must be sure to clearly define 

each project by completing a 

supplemental form for each project. 

Additional supplemental forms must be 

added within the proposal by clicking 

the ‘‘add project’’ button in Section II of 

the supplemental form. 

Information such as applicant name, 

Federal amount requested, description 

of areas served, and other information 

may be requested in varying degrees of 

detail on both the SF 424 form and 

supplemental form. Applicants must fill 

in all fields unless stated otherwise on 

the forms. 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. 

DATES: Complete proposals for the 

Tribal Transit Program announced in 

this Notice must be submitted by 11:59 

p.m. EDT on February 18, 2015. All 

proposals must be submitted 

electronically through the 

GRANTS.GOV APPLY function. Any 

tribe intending to apply should initiate 

the process of registering on the 

GRANTS.GOV site immediately to 

ensure completion of registration before 

the submission deadline. Instructions 

for applying can be found on FTA’s Web 

site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/grants/

15926_3553.html and in the ‘‘FIND’’ 

module of GRANTS.GOV. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Contact the appropriate FTA Regional 

Office at http://www.fta.dot.gov for 

proposal-specific information and 

issues. For general program information, 

contact E ́lan Flippin, Office of Program 

Management, (202) 366–3800, email: 

elan.flippin@dot.gov. A TDD is available 

at 1–800–877–8339 (TDD/FIRS). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

A. Overview 

B. Program Purpose 

C. Program Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

2. Eligible Projects 

3. Cost Sharing and Matching 

4. Proposal Content 

D. Technical Assistance and Other Program 

Information 

List of Appendices 

Appendix A: List of Regional Tribal Liaisons 

Appendix B: Technical Assistance Contacts 

Appendix C: Registering in SAM and 

Grants.gov 

A. Overview 

The Tribal Transit Program was 

established by section 3013 of 

SAFETEA–LU and modified under 

Section 20010 of MAP–21, Public Law 

112–41 (July 6, 2012) and codified at 49 

U.S.C. 5311(j). MAP–21 amended the 

Tribal Transit Program to consist of a 

$25 million formula allocation and a $5 

million discretionary program. The 

program authorizes direct grants ‘‘under 

such terms and conditions as may be 

established by the Secretary’’ to Indian 

tribes for any purpose eligible under 

FTA’s Rural Areas Formula Program, 49 

U.S.C. 5311. Approximately $5 million 

is available for the Tribal Transit 

discretionary allocation in FY 2014 to 

projects selected pursuant to the process 

described in the following sections. 


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B. Program Purpose 

The primary purpose of these 

competitively selected grants is to 

support planning, capital, and, in 

limited circumstances, operating 

assistance for tribal public transit 

services. Funds distributed to Indian 

tribes under the TTP should NOT 

replace or reduce funds that Indian 

tribes receive from States through FTA’s 

Section 5311 program. Specific project 

eligibility under this competitive 

allocation is described in Section C–2 

below. Priority consideration will be 

given to eligible projects that help to 

expand ladders of opportunity. 

Examples could include enhancing 

access to work, educational, and other 

training opportunities, and supporting 

partnerships that expand access to other 

governmental, health, medical, 

education, social, human service, and 

transportation providers to improve 

coordinated delivery of services. 

C. Program Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

Eligible applicants include federally 

recognized Indian tribes or Alaska 

Native villages, groups, or communities 

as identified by the U.S. Department of 

Interior (DOI), Bureau of Indian Affairs 

(BIA). As evidence of Federal 

recognition, an Indian tribe may submit 

a copy of the most up-to-date Federal 

Register Notice published by DOI, BIA: 

Entities Recognized and Eligible to 

Receive Service from the United States 

Bureau of Indian Affairs (79 FR 4748, 

January 29, 2014). To be an eligible 

recipient, an Indian tribe must have the 

requisite legal, financial and technical 

capabilities to receive and administer 

Federal funds under this program. 

Applicants must be registered in the 

System for Award Management (SAM) 

database (instructions for registration 

are located under Appendix C) and 

maintain an active SAM registration 

with current information at all times 

during which it has an active Federal 

award or an application or plan under 

consideration by FTA. 

2. Eligible Projects 

Eligible projects include public 

transportation planning, capital and 

operating projects, in limited 

circumstances. Public transportation 

includes regular, continuing shared-ride 

surface transportation services open to 

the public or open to a segment of the 

public defined by age, disability, or low 

income. FTA will award grants to 

eligible Indian tribes located in rural 

areas. Specific types of projects include: 

Capital projects for start-ups, 

replacement or expansion needs; 

operating assistance for start-ups; and 

planning projects up to $25,000. Indian 

tribes applying for capital replacement 

or expansion needs must demonstrate a 

sustainable source of operating funds for 

existing or expanded services. FY 2013 

was considered a transition year for the 

discretionary program and Indian tribes 

who did not receive an FY 2013 formula 

apportionment or only received a Tier 3 

allocation were allowed to apply for 

operating assistance under the 

discretionary program. This transition 

period gave tribes an opportunity to 

receive operating funds to run their 

transit systems and report Vehicle 

Revenue Miles (VRMs) to the National 

Transit Database (NTD) for inclusion in 

the FY14 formula program. In FY 2014, 

FTA will only consider operating 

assistance requests from tribes without 

existing transit service, or those tribes 

who received a TTP formula allocation 

of less than $20,000. 

3. Cost Sharing or Matching 

There is a 90 percent Federal share for 

projects selected under the TTP 

discretionary program, unless the Indian 

tribe can demonstrate a financial 

hardship in its application. FTA is 

interested in the Indian tribe’s financial 

commitment to the proposed project, 

thus the proposal should include a 

description of the Indian tribe’s 

financial commitment. 

4. Proposal Content (All Applicants 

Must Completely Respond to Items in 

This Section To Be Considered for TTP 

Funding) 

The following information MUST be 

included on the SF 424 and 

supplemental forms for all TTP funding 

proposals: 

i. Proposal Information 

a. Name of federally-recognized tribe 

and, if appropriate, the specific tribal 

agency submitting the application. 

b. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number if available. (Note: If selected, 

applicant will be required to provide 

DUNS number prior to grant award). 

c. Contact information including: 

Contact name, title, address, fax and 

phone number, and email address if 

available. 

d. Description of public transportation 

services including areas currently 

served by the tribe, if any. 

e. Name of person(s) authorized to 

apply on behalf of the tribe (attach a 

signed transmittal letter) must 

accompany the proposal. 

ii. Project Information 

a. Project Description 

Indicate the category for which 

funding is requested; i.e., project type: 

Capital, operating or planning, and then 

indicate the project purpose; i.e., startup, expansion or replacement. Describe 

the proposed project and what it will 

accomplish (e.g., number and type of 

vehicles, routes, service area, schedules, 

type of services, fixed route or demand 

responsive, safety aspects), route miles 

(if fixed route), ridership numbers 

expected (actual if an existing system, 

estimated if a new system), major 

origins and destinations, population 

served, and whether the tribe provides 

the service directly, contracts for 

services, and note vehicle maintenance 

plans. 

b. Project Timeline 

Include significant milestones such as 

date of contract for purchase of 

vehicle(s), actual or expected delivery 

date of vehicles; facility project phases 

(e.g. NEPA compliance, design, 

construction); or dates for completion of 

planning studies. If applying for 

operational funding for new services, 

indicate the period of time funds are 

used to operate the system (e.g. one 

year). This section should also include 

any needed timelines for tribal council 

project approvals, if applicable. 

c. Budget 

Provide a detailed budget for each 

proposed purpose noting the Federal 

amount requested and any additional 

funds that will be used. An Indian tribe 

use allow up to 15 percent of a grant 

award for capital projects for specific 

project-related planning and 

administration, and the indirect costs 

rate may not exceed ten percent (if 

necessary add as an attachment) of the 

total amount requested/awarded. 

d. Technical, Legal, Financial Capacity 

Indian tribes must be able to 

demonstrate adequate capacity in 

technical, legal and financial areas to be 

considered for funding. Every proposal 

MUST describe this capacity to 

implement the proposed project. 

1. Technical Capacity: Provide 

examples of the Indian tribe’s 

management of other Federal projects, 

including previously funded FTA 

projects and/or similar types of projects 

for which funding is being requested. 

Describe the resources the Indian tribe 

has to implement the proposed transit 

project. 

2. Legal Capacity: Provide 

documentation or other evidence to 

show that the applicant is a federally 


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recognized Indian tribe and has an 

authorized representative to execute 

legal agreements with FTA on behalf of 

the Indian tribe. If applying for capital 

or operating funds, identify whether the 

Indian tribe has appropriate Federal or 

State operating authority. 

3. Financial Capacity: Provide 

documentation or other evidence to 

show that the Indian tribe has adequate 

financial systems in place to receive and 

manage a Federal grant. Describe the 

Indian tribe’s financial systems and 

controls. Describe other sources of funds 

the Indian tribe manages and describe 

the long-term financial capacity to 

maintain the proposed or existing 

transit services. 

5. Evaluation Criteria for Operating and 

Capital Assistance Requests 

Applications will be grouped into 

their respective category for review and 

rating purposes. Applicants must 

address criteria in Sections i–v for 

operating and capital requests. 

Applicants applying for planning grants 

must address evaluation criteria in 

Section vi. 

i. Planning and Local/Regional 

Prioritization 

In this section, the applicant should 

describe how the proposed project was 

developed and demonstrate that there is 

a sound basis for the project and that the 

applicant is ready to implement the 

project if funded. Information may vary 

depending upon how the planning 

process for the project was conducted 

and what is being requested. Planning 

and local/regional prioritization should 

consider and address the following 

areas: 

a. Describe the planning document 

and/or the planning process conducted 

to identify the proposed project. 

b. Provide a detailed project 

description including the proposed 

service, vehicle and facility needs, and 

other pertinent characteristics of the 

proposed or existing service 

implementation. 

c. Identify existing transportation 

services in and near the proposed 

service area and document in detail, 

whether the proposed project will 

provide opportunities to coordinate 

service with existing transit services, 

including human service agencies, 

intercity bus services, or other public 

transit providers. 

d. Discuss the level of support by the 

community and/or tribal government for 

the proposed project. 

e. Describe how the mobility and 

client-access needs of tribal human 

service agencies were considered in the 

planning process. 

f. Describe what opportunities for 

public participation were provided in 

the planning process and how the 

proposed transit service or existing 

service has been coordinated with 

transportation provided for the clients 

of human service agencies, with 

intercity bus transportation in the area, 

or with any other rural public transit 

providers. 

g. Describe how the proposed service 

complements rather than duplicates any 

currently available services. 

h. Describe the implementation 

schedule for the proposed project, 

including time period, staffing, and 

procurement. 

i. Describe any other planning or 

coordination efforts not mentioned 

above. 

ii. Project Readiness: In this section, 

the applicant should describe readiness 

to implement the project. This involves 

assessing whether: 

a. Project is a Categorical Exclusion 

(CE) or the required environmental work 

has been initiated or completed for 

construction projects requiring an 

Environmental Assessment (EA) or 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

under, among others, the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 

amended. 

b. Project implementation plans are 

complete, including initial design of 

facilities projects. 

c. Project funds can be obligated and 

the project can be implemented quickly, 

if selected. 

d. Applicant demonstrates the ability 

to carry out the proposed project 

successfully. 

iii. Demonstration of Need 

FTA will evaluate each project to 

determine the need for resources. In 

addition to the project-specific criteria, 

this will include evaluating the project’s 

impact on service delivery and whether 

the project represents a one-time or 

periodic need that cannot reasonably be 

funded from the FTA program formula 

allocations or State and/or local 

resources. In this section, the proposal 

should demonstrate the transit needs of 

the Indian tribe and discuss how the 

proposed transit improvements or the 

new service will address the identified 

transit needs. Proposals should include 

information such as destinations and 

services not currently accessible by 

transit, needs for access to jobs or health 

care, safety enhancements or special 

needs of elders and individuals with 

disabilities, income-based community 

needs, or other mobility needs. If an 

applicant received a planning grant in 

previous fiscal years, it should indicate 

the status of the planning study and 

how the proposed project relates to that 

study. 

Capital expansion or replacement 

projects should also address the 

following in the proposal. If the 

proposal is for capital funding 

associated with an expansion or 

expanded service, the applicant should 

describe how current or growing 

demand for the service necessitates the 

expansion (and therefore, more capital) 

and/or the degree to how the project is 

addressing a current capacity constraint. 

Capital replacement projects should 

include information about the age, 

condition, and performance of the asset 

to be replaced by the proposed project 

and/or how the replacement may be 

necessary to maintain the transit system 

in a state of good repair. 

iv. Demonstration of Benefits 

In this section, proposals should 

identify expected or, in the case of 

existing service, achieved, project 

benefits. FTA is particularly interested 

in how these investments will improve 

the quality of life for the tribe and 

surrounding communities. Applicants 

should describe how the transportation 

service or capital investment will 

provide greater access to employment 

opportunities, educational centers, 

healthcare, or other needs that 

profoundly impact the quality of life for 

the community, as described in the 

program purpose above. Please note, 

DOT recognizes that a formal benefitcost analysis can be particularly 

burdensome on Tribal governments. 

Therefore, the Department is providing 

flexibility to Tribal governments to 

demonstrate benefits—including some 

of the following examples—for the 

purposes of this notice. Possible 

examples include increased or sustained 

ridership and daily trips, improved 

service, elimination of gaps in service, 

improved operations and coordination, 

increased reliability, health care, 

education, and economic benefits to the 

community. Benefits can be 

demonstrated by identifying the 

population of community members in 

the proposed project service area and 

estimating the number of daily one-way 

trips the proposed transit service will 

provide or the actual number of 

individual riders served. Applicants are 

encouraged to consider qualitative and 

quantitative benefits to the Indian tribe 

and to the surrounding communities 

that are meaningful to them. 

Based on the information provided 

under the demonstration of benefits, 

proposals will be rated based on four 

factors: 

a. Will the project improve transit 

efficiency or increase ridership? 


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b. Will the project improve or 

maintain mobility, or eliminate gaps in 

service for the Indian tribe? 

c. Will the project improve or 

maintain access to important 

destinations and services? 

d. Are there other qualitative benefits, 

such as greater access to jobs, education 

and health care? 

v. Financial Commitment and Operating 

Capacity 

In this section, the proposal should 

identify the source of local match (10 

percent is required for all operating and 

capital projects), and any other funding 

sources used by the Indian tribe to 

support proposed transit services, 

including human service transportation 

funding, FHWA’s Tribal Transportation 

Program funding, or other FTA 

programs. If requesting the local match 

to be waived based on financial 

hardship, the applicant must submit 

budgets and sources of other revenue to 

demonstrate hardship. FTA will review 

this information and notify tribes at the 

time of award if the waiver is approved. 

If applicable, the applicant should also 

describe how prior year TTP funds were 

spent to date to support the service. 

Additionally, Indian tribes applying for 

operating of new services should 

provide a sustainable funding plan that 

demonstrates how it intends to maintain 

operations. 

The proposal should describe any 

other resources the Indian tribe will 

contribute to the project, including inkind contributions, commitments of 

support from local businesses, 

donations of land or equipment, and 

human resources, and describe to what 

extent the new project or funding for 

existing service leverages other funding. 

Based upon the information provided, 

the proposals will be rated on the extent 

to which the proposal demonstrates 

that: 

a. TTP Funding does not replace 

existing funding; 

b. The Indian tribe will provide nonfinancial support to the project; 

c. The Indian tribe is able to 

demonstrate a sustainable funding plan; 

and 

d. Project funds are used in 

coordination with other services for 

efficient utilization of funds. 

vi. Evaluation Criteria for Planning 

Proposals 

For planning grants, the proposal 

should describe, in no more than three 

pages, the need for and a general scope 

of the proposed study. The proposal 

should also address the following: 

1. What is the tribes’ long-term 

commitment to transit? 

2. How will the proposed study be 

implemented and/or further tribal 

transit. 

6. Review and Selection Process 

A technical evaluation committee will 

review proposals under the project 

evaluation criteria. Members of the 

technical evaluation committee and 

other involved FTA staff reserve the 

right to screen, rate the applications, 

and seek clarification about any 

statement in an application. 

After consideration of the findings of 

the technical evaluation committee, the 

FTA Administrator will determine the 

final selection and amount of funding 

for each project. Geographic diversity 

and the applicant’s receipt and 

management of other Federal transit 

funds may be considered in FTA’s 

award decisions. FTA expects to 

announce the selected projects and 

notify successful applicants in summer 

2015. 

Once successful applicants are 

announced, they will work with the 

appropriate Regional office to develop a 

grant application consistent with the 

selected proposal in FTA’s electronic 

grant award and management system. 

D. Technical Assistance and Other 

Program 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–2. Due to funding 

limitations, applicants that are selected 

for funding may receive less than the 

amount requested. Complete 

applications must be submitted through 

GRANTS.GOV no later than February 

18, 2015. 

Additionally, FTA is continuing to 

expand its technical assistance and 

oversight of tribes receiving funds under 

this program by conducting technical 

assistance assessments. These 

assessments will include discussion of 

compliance areas and program 

requirements pursuant to the Master 

Agreement, a site visit and technical 

assistance from FTA and its contractors. 

To assist tribes with understanding 

program requirements, FTA will 

conduct Tribal Transit Technical 

Assistance Workshops in FY 2015. FTA 

plans to begin assessments in FY 2015, 

giving tribes an opportunity to attend 

offered workshops. FTA will use these 

assessments as a tool to focus on areas 

of improvement and as an indication of 

the areas where technical assistance is 

needed. 

FTA will post information about 

upcoming workshops to its Web site and 

will disseminate information about the 

reviews through its Regional offices. A 

list of Tribal Liaisons is available on 

FTA’s Web site at http:// 

www.fta.dot.gov/grants/15926_3553.

html and in Appendix A of this 

document. 

Applicants may also receive technical 

assistance for application development 

by contacting their FTA regional tribal 

liaison, or the National Rural 

Transportation Assistance Program 

office (Appendix B). Contact 

information for FTA’s regional offices 

can be found on FTA’s Web site at 

www.fta.dot.gov. 

Therese W. McMillan, 

Acting Administrator. 

Appendix A 

FTA REGIONAL TRIBAL LIAISONS

Region 1—Boston Region 6—Ft. Worth 

Regional Tribal Liaison: Sean Sullivan Regional Tribal Liaisons: Lynn Hayes and Luciana Nears. 

States served: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, 

Rhode Island, and Vermont 

States served: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and 

Texas. 

Region 2—New York Region 7—Kansas City, MO 

Regional Tribal Liaison: Darin Allan Regional Tribal Liaison: Cathy Monroe. 

States served: New Jersey, New York, New York Metropolitan Office States served: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. 

Region 3—Philadelphia Region 8—Denver 

Regional Tribal Liaisons: Jennifer Stewart and David Beckhouse. 

States served: Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and District of Columbia States served: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, 

and Wyoming. 


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FTA REGIONAL TRIBAL LIAISONS—Continued 

Region 4—Atlanta Region 9—San Francisco 

Regional Tribal Liaison: Tajsha LaShore Regional Tribal Liaison: Dominique Paukowits. 

States served: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North 

Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virgin Islands 

States served: American Samoa, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, 

Nevada, and the Northern Mariana Islands. 

Region 5—Chicago Region 10—Seattle 

Regional Tribal Liaisons: Susan Orona and Angelica Salgado Regional Tribal Liaison: Scot Rastelli. 

States served: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin States served: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. 

Appendix B 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CONTACTS

Alaska Tribal Technical Assistance Program, Kim Williams, University 

of Alaska, Fairbanks, P.O. Box 756720, Fairbanks, AK 99775–6720, 

(907)842–2521, (907)474–5208, williams@nushtel.net, http://community.uaf.edu/∼alaskattac. Service area: Alaska. 

Northern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance Program, Dennis Trusty, 

United Tribes Technical College, 3315 University Drive, Bismarck, 

ND 58504, (701)255–3285 ext. 1262, (701)530–0635, nddennis@

hotmail.com, http://www.uttc.edu/forum/ttap/ttap.asp. Service area: 

Montana (Eastern), Nebraska (Northern), North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming. 

National Indian Justice Center, Raquelle Myers, 5250 Aero Drive, 

Santa Rosa, CA 95403, (707) 579–5507 or (800) 966–0662, (707) 

579–9019, nijc@aol.com, http://www.nijc.org/ttap.html. Service area: 

California, Nevada. 

Northwest Tribal Technical Assistance Program, Richard A. Rolland, 

Eastern Washington University, Department of Urban Planning, Public & Health Administration, 216 Isle Hall, Cheney, WA 99004, 

(800)583–3187, (509)359–7485, rrolland@ewu.edu, http://

www.ewu.edu/TTAP/. Service area: Idaho, Montana (Western), Oregon, Washington. 

Tribal Technical Assistance Program at Colorado State University, 

Ronald Hall, Rockwell Hall, Room 321, Colorado State University, 

Fort Collins, CO 80523–1276, (800)262–7623, (970)491–3502, ronald.hall@colostate.edu, http://ttap.colostate.edu/. Service area: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah. 

Tribal Technical Assistance Program at Oklahoma State University, 

James Self, Oklahoma State University, 5202 N. Richmond Hills 

Road, Stillwater, OK 74078–0001, (405)744–6049, (405)744–7268, 

jim.self@okstate.edu, http://ttap.okstate.edu/. Service area: Kansas, 

Nebraska, (Southern), Oklahoma, Texas. 

Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP), Bernie D. Alkire, 301–E 

Dillman Hall, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend 

Drive, Houghton, MI 49931–1295, (888)230–0688, (906)487–1834, 

balkire@mtu.edu, http://www.ttap.mtu.edu/. Service area: Alabama, 

Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, 

Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, 

New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania. 

National RTAP (National Rural Transit Assistance Program), Contact: 

Patti Monahan, National RTAP, 5 Wheeling Ave., Woburn, MA 

01801, (781) 404–5015 (Direct), (781) 895–1122 (Fax), (888) 589– 

6821 (Toll Free), pmonahan@nationalrtap.org, www.nationalrtap.org. 

Community Transportation Association of America, The Resource Center—800–891–0590, http://www.ctaa.org/. 

Appendix C 

Registering In SAM and Grants.Gov 

Registration in Brief: 

Registration takes approximately 3–5 

business days, please allow 4 weeks for 

completion of all steps. 

In order to apply for a grant, you and/or 

your organization must first complete the 

registration process in Grants.gov. The 

registration process for an Organization or an 

Individual can take between three to five 

business days or as long as four weeks if all 

steps are not completed in a timely manner. 

So please register in Grants.gov early. 

The Grants.gov registration process ensures 

that applicants for Federal Funds have the 

basic prerequisites to apply for and to receive 

federal funds. Applicants for FTA 

discretionary funds must: 

• Have a valid DUNS number 

• Have a current registration in SAM 

(formerly CCR) 

• Register and apply in Grants.gov 

The required registration steps are 

described in greater detail on Grants.gov Web 

site. The following is a link to a helpful 

checklist and explanations published by 

Grants.gov to assist applicants: Organization 

Registration Checklist. If you have not 

recently applied for federal funds, we 

recommend that you initiate your search, 

registration, and application process with 

Grants.gov. Visiting the Grants.gov site will 

inform you of how to apply for grant 

opportunities, as well as assist you in linking 

to the other required registrations, i.e., Dun 

& Bradstreet to obtain a DUNS Number, and 

System for Award Management (SAM). 

Summary of steps (these steps are available 

in Grants.gov during registration): 

STEP 1: Obtain DUNS Number 

Same day. If requested by phone (1–866– 

705–5711) DUNS is provided immediately. If 

your organization does not have one, you 

will need to go to the Dun & Bradstreet Web 

site at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform to 

obtain the number. 

STEP 2: Register With SAM 

Three to five business days or up to two 

weeks. If you already have a TIN, your SAM 

registration will take 3–5 business days to 

process. If you are applying for an EIN please 

allow up to 2 weeks. Ensure that your 

organization is registered with the System for 

Award Management (SAM) at System for 

Award Management (SAM). If your 

organization is not, an authorizing official of 

your organization must register. 

STEP 3: Establish an Account in Grants.gov— 

Username & Password 

Same day. Complete your AOR 

(Authorized Organization Representative) 

profile on Grants.gov and create your 

username and password. You will need to 

use your organization’s DUNS Number to 

complete this step. https://

apply07.grants.gov/apply/OrcRegister. 

STEP 4: Grants.gov—AOR Authorization 

*Same day. The E-Business Point of 

Contact (E-Biz POC) at your organization 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 236 / Tuesday, December 9, 2014 / Notices 73139 

must login to Grants.gov to confirm you as 

an Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR). Please note that there can be more 

than one AOR for your organization. In some 

cases the E-Biz POC is also the AOR for an 

organization. *Time depends on 

responsiveness of your E-Biz POC. 

Please Note: Grants.gov gives you the 

option of registering as an ‘‘individual’’ or as 

an ‘‘organization.’’ If you register in 

Grants.gov as an as an ‘‘Individual,’’ your 

‘‘Organization’’ will not be allowed to use the 

Grants.gov username and password. To apply 

for grants as an Organization you must 

register as an Organization and use that 

specific username and password issued 

during the ‘‘organization’’ registration 

process. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28792 Filed 12–8–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

[Docket Number MARAD–2012–0015] 

Finding of No Significant Impact for 

America’s Marine Highway Program 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: This Notice announces the 

availability of the Finding of No 

Significant Impact (FONSI) for the 

America’s Marine Highway Program, 

which designates criteria, eligibility 

requirements, and information for 

applicants seeking to establish services 

on a ‘‘short sea’’ marine highway 

(America’s Marine Highway). 

The objective of the America’s Marine 

Highway (AMH) Program is to identify 

opportunities to reduce landside 

congestion and to optimize the 

transportation of goods and passengers 

through use of the waterway network. 

MARAD previously made available for 

public review a programmatic 

environmental assessment (PEA) that 

analyzed the potential environmental 

impacts of continuing to execute the 

AMH Program (Program). Based on the 

PEA, MARAD determined that the 

proposed action will not significantly 

affect the human or natural environment 

and therefore does not require the 

preparation of an environmental impact 

statement. For actions not described in 

the PEA, or for specific projects 

associated with an AMH, MARAD may 

prepare or oversee the preparation of a 

supplemental environmental assessment 

or other appropriate documentation. 

ADDRESSES: A copy of the FONSI is 

available for public review on the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://

www.regulations.gov. Search MARAD– 

2012–0015. You may also view the 

FONSI by visiting MARAD’s Marine 

Highway Web page at http://

www.marad.dot.gov/ships_shipping_

landing_page/mhi_home/mhi_

home.htm and clicking on ‘‘Finding of 

No Significant Impact.’’ 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Daniel Yuska, Office of Environment, 

(202) 366–0714 or via email at 

Daniel.Yuska@dot.gov. Persons who use 

a telecommunications device for the 

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 

800–877–8339 to contact the above 

individual during business hours. The 

FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven 

days a week, to leave a message or 

question. You will receive a reply 

during normal business hours. You may 

send mail to Mr. Yuska at Department 

of Transportation, Maritime 

Administration, Office of Environment, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Energy Independence and Security Act 

of 2007 directed the Secretary of 

Transportation to establish a ‘‘short sea’’ 

transportation program, and to designate 

short sea transportation routes and 

projects to be conducted under the 

program, for the purpose of mitigating 

landside congestion. Pursuant to the 

statutory mandate, in 2010, MARAD 

established the Program, designating 

criteria, eligibility requirements and 

information for applicants seeking to 

establish AMH routes and projects. 

Projects designated under the Program 

must use U.S. documented vessels, 

transport passengers or freight (in 

containers or trailers) and must operate 

on a designated route. Section 405 of the 

Coast Guard and Maritime 

Transportation Act of 2012 expanded 

the geographic scope of the program to 

include routes between all U.S. ports, 

including U.S. ports with no contiguous 

landside connection, as well as routes 

between U.S. ports and ports in Canada 

located in the Great Lakes Saint 

Lawrence Seaway System. The Act also 

added the purpose of promoting the use 

of short sea transportation. 

The Program itself does not develop 

or operate AMH services. Rather, the 

program provides a set of tools for use 

by ports, state and local governments, 

and private industry to consider 

expansion of AMH services. Where such 

designations are made, MARAD may 

encourage development of particular 

AMH projects or services when funding 

is available. 

America’s Marine Highway Program 

PEA 

On July 14, 2014, MARAD published 

a notice in the Federal Register (79 FR 

40838) entitled, ‘‘America’s Marine 

Highway Draft Programmatic 

Environmental Assessment and Public 

Comment Period.’’ This notice 

announced that a PEA for the Program 

had been prepared and made available 

to the public for comment in accordance 

with the National Environmental Policy 

Act, 42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq., the Council 

on Environmental Quality Regulations 

for Implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 

1500–1508), Department of 

Transportation Order 5610.1C, and 

MARAD Administrative Order 600–1. 

The notice informed the public on how 

to obtain, and submit comments on, the 

PEA. The PEA analyzed the potential 

environmental effects of the Program. 

The PEA was made available for a 30- 

day public comment period, beginning 

on the date of the publication of the 

notice. The comment period ended on 

August 13, 2014. No comments were 

received. On the basis of the PEA, 

MARAD determined that the 

environmental effects of the Program 

will not significantly affect the quality 

of the human or natural environment 

and therefore will not warrant 

preparation of an environmental impact 

statement. A FONSI was issued on 

September 11, 2014. The environmental 

impacts of specific AMH route or 

project designations or the 

establishment of specific AMH services 

will be considered in the context of 

specific proposals. Those future 

analyses may use the PEA as a starting 

point to analyze the specific 

environmental impacts of each 

particular proposal. 

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq., 40 

CFR parts 1500–1508, Department of 

Transportation Order 5610.1C, and 

MARAD Administrative Order 600–1) 

* * * 

Dated: December 3, 2014. 

By Order of the Maritime Administrator. 

Thomas M. Hudson, 

Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28684 Filed 12–8–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES