Public Transportation Emergency Relief Funds for Transit Systems Affected by Major Declared Disasters Occurring in Calendar Year 2018

Citation84 FR 66271
Record Number2019-26068
Published date03 December 2019
SectionNotices
CourtFederal Transit Administration
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2019)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 66271-66276]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-26068]
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                DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
                Federal Transit Administration
                Public Transportation Emergency Relief Funds for Transit Systems
                Affected by Major Declared Disasters Occurring in Calendar Year 2018
                AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
                ACTION: Notice of Availability of Emergency Relief Funding (NAERF).
                -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the
                opportunity to apply for $10,462,935 in non-competitive grants under
                the Public
                [[Page 66272]]
                Transportation Emergency Relief Program (Emergency Relief Program) to
                States, Territories, local governmental authorities, Indian tribes, and
                other FTA recipients affected by major declared disasters occurring in
                calendar year 2018. Projects may include costs for disaster response,
                recovery, and rebuilding activities. FTA will distribute these funds in
                a manner consistent with the eligibility requirements of this program
                on a non-competitive basis, subject to the priorities set forth below.
                DATES: Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through the
                GRANTS.GOV ``APPLY'' function by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on January 17,
                2020. Prospective applicants should initiate the process by registering
                on the GRANTS.GOV website promptly to ensure completion of the
                application process before the submission deadline. Instructions for
                applying can be found on FTA's website at http://transit.dot.gov/howtoapply and in the ``FIND'' module of GRANTS.GOV. The funding
                opportunity ID is FTA-2020-002-TPM-ER. Mail and fax submissions will
                not be accepted.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For program-specific questions about
                applying for the funds through GRANTS.GOV as outlined in this notice,
                please contact Thomas Wilson, Office of Program Management, 1200 New
                Jersey Ave SE, Washington, DC 20590, phone: (202) 366-5279, or email,
                [email protected]. For legal questions, contact Bonnie Graves,
                Office of Chief Counsel, 90 Seventh St., Ste 15-300, San Francisco, CA
                94103, phone: (202) 366-0944, or email, [email protected].
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                Table of Contents
                I. Considerations for Recipients of Emergency Relief Funds
                 A. Program Description
                 B. Federal Award Information
                 C. Eligibility Information
                 D. Application and Submission Information
                 E. Allocation Methodology
                 F. Pre-Award Authority
                 G. Waiver of Remaining Useful Life Requirement
                 H. Treatment of Insurance Proceeds
                 I. Emergency Relief from FTA Regulatory Requirements
                II. Federal Award Administration
                 A. TrAMS Grant Application
                 B. Payment
                 C. Grant Requirements
                 D. Reporting
                 E. Oversight and Audits
                 F. Federal Awarding Agency Contact
                A. Program Description
                 Extreme weather and other destructive events occurring during
                calendar year 2018 resulted in 62 major disasters across the United
                States. Transit systems in some of the disaster-affected areas provided
                emergency transportation services or sustained damage to capital
                assets.
                 FTA's Emergency Relief Program provides FTA with primary
                responsibility for reimbursing public transportation emergency response
                and recovery costs after an emergency or major disaster that affects
                public transportation systems. As such, public transportation agencies,
                States, Territories, local governmental authorities, Indian tribes, and
                other FTA grant recipients that provide or fund public transportation
                service in the affected areas are eligible for Emergency Relief funding
                under the program. FTA will allocate funds consistent with the
                requirements of the final rule for the Emergency Relief Program (49 CFR
                part 602), published in the Federal Register on October 7, 2014.
                B. Federal Award Information
                 The Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act
                of 2019 (Disaster Relief Act) (Pub. L. 116-20), signed into law on June
                6, 2019, appropriated $10,542,000 for FTA's Emergency Relief Program
                (49 U.S.C. 5324) for transit systems affected by major declared
                disasters occurring in calendar year 2018.
                 Of the $10,542,000 million appropriated, three-quarters of 1
                percent, or a total of $79,065 is set aside for administrative expenses
                and ongoing program management oversight activities as authorized under
                the Disaster Relief Act, leaving $10,462,935 available for allocation
                to eligible recipients.
                C. Eligibility Information
                1. Eligible Applicants
                 Public transportation agencies, States, Territories, local
                governmental authorities, Indian tribes, and other FTA grant recipients
                that provide or fund public transportation service are eligible for
                Emergency Relief funding under the program. To be considered eligible
                to apply for the funding described in this NAERF, such entities must
                provide or fund public transportation services in counties designated
                as eligible for any category of Federal Emergency Management Agency
                (FEMA) Public Assistance for a major declared disaster with an incident
                period partially or entirely occurring within calendar year 2018.
                Entities that generally receive transit funding directly from FTA may
                apply for these funds according to the instructions in this NAERF.
                Public transit systems that are not FTA direct recipients (i.e., are
                subrecipients) but have incurred eligible expenses may receive
                Emergency Relief funding through a pass-through entity, such as a State
                or designated recipient. Please see www.fema.gov/disasters for a list
                of major disaster declarations, areas designated for Public Assistance,
                and incident periods.
                2. Cost Sharing or Matching
                 The maximum Federal share for all grants awarded via this NAERF is
                80 percent with the following exceptions:
                 1. The project is for the purposes of complying with or maintaining
                compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or the
                Clean Air Act (49 U.S.C. 5323(i)).
                 a. Vehicles procured for such purposes are eligible for a Federal
                share of 85 percent.
                 b. Vehicle-related equipment and facilities (or parts thereof)
                procured or constructed for such purposes are eligible for a Federal
                share of 90 percent.
                 2. The project is in response to or recovery from a major declared
                disaster in an insular area. Such projects are eligible for a Federal
                share of 100 percent (48 U.S.C. 1469a).
                 3. The project is in response to or recovery from the following
                major declared disasters: Oklahoma Wildfires (FEMA Disaster No. DR-
                4373), California Wildfires (FEMA Disaster No. DR-4382), or California
                Wildfires (FEMA Disaster No. DR-4407). To be consistent with the FEMA
                Public Assistance special cost-sharing arrangements authorized for
                these major disaster declarations, debris removal, emergency protective
                measures, emergency repairs, and emergency operations expenses are
                eligible for a Federal share of 90 percent.
                 4. The project is in response to or recovery from major declared
                disaster Florida Hurricane Michael (FEMA Disaster No. DR-4399). To be
                consistent with the FEMA Public Assistance special cost-sharing
                arrangements authorized for this major disaster declaration, debris
                removal, emergency protective measures, emergency repairs, and
                emergency operations:
                 a. Completed on or before November 24, 2018 are eligible for a
                Federal share of 100 percent.
                 b. Completed on or after November 25, 2018 are eligible for a
                Federal share of 90 percent.
                 5. In the event FEMA increases the Public Assistance Federal share
                for any
                [[Page 66273]]
                other major declared disasters occurring in calendar year 2018, FTA
                will increase the Federal share for Emergency Relief grants so that it
                is consistent with FEMA.
                 The non-Federal share of Emergency Relief grants may be provided
                from an undistributed cash surplus, a replacement or depreciation cash
                fund or reserve, or new capital. In addition, recipients may utilize
                the following provisions for complying with the non-Federal share
                requirement.
                 The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program (42 U.S.C.
                5305(a)(9)) provides that ``payment of the non-Federal share required
                in connection with a Federal grant-in-aid program undertaken as part of
                activities assisted under [chapter 53 of title 42]'' is an eligible
                activity. Since the CDBG statute specifically states it is available to
                fund the ``non-Federal share'' of other Federal grant programs, if the
                activity is eligible under the CDBG program, FTA will accept CDBG funds
                as local match.
                 Recipients may also utilize Transportation Development Credits
                (TDCs), formerly known as Toll Revenue Credits, in place of the non-
                Federal share. The use of TDCs must be approved by the State, which
                must send a letter to the FTA regional office certifying the
                availability of sufficient TDCs and approving their use prior to
                submitting a grant application. Recipients are advised that the use of
                TDCs means that no local funds will be required for projects in the
                grant, and that the funds allocated by the FTA may not alone be
                sufficient to fund the entirety of the proposed Emergency Relief
                projects. FTA may not allocate additional Federal funds to recipients
                that use TDCs in place of the non-Federal share, so sufficient
                alternative funds may need to be located to fully finance projects
                utilizing TDCs. FTA will not approve a retroactive application of TDCs.
                Recipients are advised to contact the applicable FTA regional office
                regarding any questions about eligible sources of local matching funds.
                3. Eligible Projects
                 Eligible projects include public transportation emergency
                operations, emergency protective measures, emergency repairs, and
                permanent repairs. Recipients are strongly encouraged to review FTA's
                Emergency Relief Manual, found at https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grant-programs/emergency-relief-program/emergency-relief-manual-reference-manual-states to assist in the identification of potentially
                eligible projects and emergency expenses.
                4. Transferring Unreimbursed Projects From FEMA to FTA
                 FTA's Emergency Relief Program provides FTA with primary
                responsibility for reimbursing public transportation emergency response
                and recovery costs after an emergency or major disaster that affects
                public transportation systems when appropriations for FTA's Emergency
                Relief Program are available. Per the March 2013 Memorandum of
                Agreement between FTA and FEMA, entities seeking funding for 2018 major
                declared disaster-related public transportation expenses from FEMA
                should transfer funding requests for eligible expenses that have not
                been disbursed or drawn down to FTA via the grant application process
                outlined in this NAERF. This includes expenses that are in an obligated
                but undisbursed FEMA Public Assistance grant. Documentation developed
                for the FEMA Public Assistance program may be used to satisfy
                applicable FTA grant application requirements.
                D. Application and Submission Information
                 The application process will occur in two stages. First, applicants
                will submit proposals requesting reimbursement of eligible costs.
                Applications for funding must be submitted between the date of
                publication of this notice and January 17, 2020 through GRANTS.GOV.
                Second, after the application period closes, FTA will announce
                allocations of funds on its website at www.transit.dot.gov. Recipients
                with allocations will then enter a grant application in the FTA's
                Transit Award Management System (TrAMS).
                1. Address To Request Application
                 Applications must be submitted electronically through GRANTS.GOV.
                General information for submitting applications through GRANTS.GOV can
                be found at www.fta.dot.gov/howtoapply along with specific instructions
                for the forms and attachments required for submission. Mail and fax
                submissions will not be accepted. The SF-424 Application for Federal
                Assistance is available at GRANTS.GOV and the supplemental form for
                Public Transportation Emergency Relief Funds for Transit Systems
                Affected by Major Declared Disasters Occurring in Calendar Year 2018
                can be downloaded from GRANTS.GOV or the FTA website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grant-programs/emergency-relief-program.
                Failure to submit the information as requested may delay review or
                disqualify the application.
                2. Content and Form of GRANTS.GOV Application Submission
                 A complete proposal submission consists of two forms and supporting
                documentation. The two required forms are: (1) The SF-424 Application
                for Federal Assistance; and (2) the supplemental form for the Public
                Transportation Emergency Relief Funds for Transit Systems Affected by
                Major Declared Disasters Occurring in Calendar Year 2018 Program. 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 indicated as optional. The
                information on the supplemental form will be used to determine
                applicant and project eligibility for the program. FTA encourages
                applicants to demonstrate the responsiveness of their application with
                the most relevant information the applicant can provide, regardless of
                whether FTA has specifically requested such information in this notice.
                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.
                 A list of projects must be included in the submission to GRANTS.GOV
                that identifies emergency operations, emergency protective measures,
                and emergency repairs completed as well as permanent repairs needed to
                repair, reconstruct or replace the seriously damaged or destroyed
                rolling stock, equipment, facilities, and infrastructure to a state of
                good repair. FTA will then assess the extent to which the application
                addresses each of the three criteria below.
                a. Documentation To Support Emergency Operating Requests
                 Applications to GRANTS.GOV must include the purpose of the
                emergency public transportation service provided, which may include:
                Evacuations; rescue operations; moving rolling stock to higher ground
                to protect it from storm surges; additional bus or ferry service to
                replace inoperable rail service or to detour around damaged areas;
                returning evacuees to their homes after the disaster; and the net
                project costs
                [[Page 66274]]
                related to reestablishing, expanding, or relocating public
                transportation service before, during, or after the disaster. The
                application must include the dates, hours, number and type of vehicles,
                and information relating to fares received for the emergency service.
                Only net project costs may be reimbursed.
                b. Documentation To Support Capital Requests
                 Applications to GRANTS.GOV must include copies of detailed damage
                assessments to support the request for assistance for capital projects.
                Some applicants may have previously worked with FTA or FEMA to develop
                damage assessments which may be included in the application. Typically,
                a damage assessment involves on-the-ground visits to the damage sites
                to verify the extent of the damage and to estimate the cost of repairs
                eligible for Emergency Relief funding. The damage assessment should
                document: (1) The specific location, type of facility or equipment,
                nature and extent of damage; (2) the most feasible and practical method
                of repair or replacement; and (3) the estimated repair and replacement
                cost.
                c. Other Relevant Items
                 Applicants must provide supporting documentation showing any other
                sources of funding available to address the damage resulting from a
                disaster, including, but not limited to, insurance policies and grant
                agreements with FEMA. FTA will not fund activities for which grant
                recipients have already drawn down funds obligated by FEMA. Any
                applicant to FTA's Emergency Relief Program that has also applied to
                FEMA for emergency funding must document the scope of any agreements
                with FEMA, including amounts obligated and drawn down, the dates for
                which FEMA agreed to fund any operating costs, and a list of any
                capital projects included in the FEMA application or equivalent
                document.
                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. 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 Employer 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 https://www.sam.gov/SAM/.
                4. Submission Dates and Times
                 Project proposals must be submitted electronically through
                GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on January 17, 2020. 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. 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. If confirmations
                of successful validation are not received or 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.
                 FTA urges applicants to submit applications at least 72 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
                website maintenance.
                 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
                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
                 FTA Emergency Relief Program funds may not be used to reimburse
                project costs for which a transit system has received funding from
                payments from insurance policies or from another Federal agency,
                including FEMA. Please see the FTA's Emergency Relief Manual for a
                complete list and description of ineligible expenses.
                6. Webinar
                 FTA will conduct a webinar that includes an overview of the
                application process for FTA recipients interested in applying for FTA
                Emergency Relief funds on a date to be determined. The webinar will be
                announced on FTA's website and through an email announcement to those
                who have signed up at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOTFTA/subscriber/new to receive email updates from FTA regarding the
                Emergency Relief Program.
                E. Allocation Methodology
                 Of the $10,542,000 million appropriated, three-quarters of 1
                percent, or a total of $79,065 is set aside for administrative expenses
                and ongoing program management oversight activities as authorized under
                the Disaster Relief Act, leaving $10,462,935 available for allocation
                to eligible recipients.
                 FTA will allocate funds on a non-competitive basis. The FTA
                Administrator will determine the final allocation of funding for each
                applicant after validating damage assessments and cost estimates. FTA
                reserves the right to request additional information prior to making a
                determination as to Emergency Relief funding eligibility of any
                particular project. FTA may also seek clarification from any applicant
                about any statement in its proposal that FTA finds ambiguous. FTA
                intends to announce final allocations on the FTA website.
                F. Pre-Award Authority
                 Pre-award authority allows recipients to incur certain project
                costs before grant approval and retain the eligibility of those costs
                for subsequent reimbursement after grant approval. Pre-award authority
                as it relates to the Emergency Relief Program is described in the
                Emergency Relief Program final rule (49 CFR 602.11). In considering the
                use of pre-award authority, recipients should be aware of the
                following:
                 1. Pre-award authority is not a legal or implied commitment that
                the subject project will be approved for FTA assistance or that FTA
                will obligate Federal funds. Furthermore, it is not a
                [[Page 66275]]
                legal or implied commitment that all activities undertaken by the
                applicant will be eligible for inclusion in the project.
                 2. Except as waived pursuant to the waiver process described in
                Section I.I.5 of this notice, all FTA statutory, procedural, and
                contractual requirements must be met.
                 3. The recipient must take no action that prejudices the legal and
                administrative findings that FTA must make in order to approve a
                project.
                 4. The Federal amount of any future FTA assistance awarded to the
                recipient for the project will be determined on the basis of the
                overall scope of activities and the prevailing statutory provisions
                with respect to the Federal/non-Federal match ratio at the time the
                funds are obligated.
                 5. When FTA subsequently awards a grant for the project, the
                Federal Financial Report in TrAMS indicates the use of pre-award
                authority.
                 FTA grants pre-award authority to affected recipients for response,
                recovery, and rebuilding expenses incurred as a result of major
                declared disasters occurring in calendar year 2018. Pre-award authority
                applies to expenses incurred in preparation for such disasters when
                forecasts specific to the disasters were available. Expenses incurred
                for general disaster preparedness are not eligible.
                 If a recipient intends to use pre-award authority for recovery and
                rebuilding expenses, FTA recommends the recipient work with the
                appropriate FTA regional office to verify that all of the proposed
                costs are eligible under the Emergency Relief Program in advance of
                incurring any costs to the extent practicable. FTA regional office
                contact information can be found at https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/regional-offices/regional-offices.
                G. Waiver of Remaining Useful Life Requirement
                 FTA is implementing a blanket waiver to relieve FTA recipients from
                its useful life requirement with respect to assets that were destroyed
                as a result of a major declared disaster in calendar year 2018 and
                taken out of service before the end of their useful life. Such assets
                are presumed to have no remaining useful life. As a result of this
                waiver, recipients may apply for funds to replace assets without regard
                to the Federal interest remaining in the destroyed asset.
                 Although FTA has determined that Federally-funded assets destroyed
                by major declared disasters have no remaining useful life, recipients
                may have a financial obligation to FTA for assets that have a fair
                market value (FMV) in excess of $5,000 at the time of disposition. For
                disposition requirements, please see FTA Circular 5010.1E, ``Award
                Management Requirements,'' Chapter IV, subsection 4.
                H. Treatment of Insurance Proceeds
                 As described in the Emergency Relief Program Manual, and consistent
                with the Emergency Relief Program final rule (49 CFR part 602) and FTA
                Circular 5010.1E: ``Award Management Requirements'', if a recipient
                receives or allocates insurance proceeds to a cost for which FTA either
                allocated or awarded Emergency Relief Program funds, the recipient will
                be required to amend the grant to reflect a reduced Federal amount, and
                will be required to reimburse FTA for any FTA payments (drawdown of
                funds) in excess of the new Federal amount. FTA will deobligate any
                excess or unliquidated funds from the grant. FTA may subsequently
                reallocate these funds through the Emergency Relief Program for other
                eligible projects.
                 In the event a recipient receives insurance proceeds for an asset
                and decides not to replace that asset, the waiver of useful life
                described in Section I.G does not apply, and the recipient must
                reimburse FTA the remaining Federal interest in that asset in
                accordance with FTA Circular 5010.1E.
                I. Emergency Relief From FTA Regulatory Requirements
                 Certain FTA regulatory requirements are waived during and after
                major declared disasters.
                1. Charter
                 Transit agencies may take actions, such as providing service for
                evacuations, returning evacuees from shelters to their homes,
                transporting utility workers, and providing service to shelter
                residents, as long as these actions are directly related to a
                declaration of emergency by the President, governor, or mayor, without
                triggering the charter rule. Transit agencies may provide such services
                for up to 45 days from the declaration of emergency.
                 If transit agencies need to provide the type of emergency
                transportation services described above past those dates, they must
                follow the procedures described in Section I.I.5 below.
                2. The National Environment Policy Act (NEPA)
                 FTA has determined that certain activities related to repairing
                transportation facilities damaged by an incident resulting in a
                Presidential disaster or emergency declaration are categorical
                exclusions and normally do not require any further NEPA approvals by
                FTA (23 CFR 771.118(c)(11)). These actions include:
                 a. Emergency repairs performed under FTA's Emergency Relief Program
                (49 U.S.C. 5324).
                 b. The repair, reconstruction, restoration, retrofitting, or
                replacement of any road, highway, bridge, tunnel, or transit facility
                (such as a ferry dock or bus transfer station), including ancillary
                transportation facilities (such as pedestrian/bicycle paths and bike
                lanes), that is in operation or under construction when damaged and the
                action occurs within the existing right-of-way and in a manner that
                substantially conforms to the preexisting design, function, and
                location as the original (which may include upgrades to meet existing
                codes and standards as well as upgrades warranted to address conditions
                that have changed since the original construction).
                3. Planning
                 In accordance with the planning regulation (23 CFR part 450),
                emergency relief projects that do not involve substantial functional,
                locational, or capacity changes are not required to be in the
                Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) or Statewide Transportation
                Improvement Program (STIP).
                4. Procurement
                 Generally, procurement of goods and services by transit agencies
                must be completed via a competitive procurement. However, Federal
                regulations (2 CFR 200.320) permit sole source contracting when the
                public exigency or emergency for the requirement will not permit a
                delay resulting from competitive solicitation; or the federal awarding
                agency expressly authorizes noncompetitive proposals in response to a
                written request from the transit agency.
                 The recipient must document its sole source justification in
                writing at the time of the procurement. FTA encourages grant recipients
                considering a sole source based on exigency or emergency to contact
                their FTA regional office for technical assistance and/or express
                authorization of a noncompetitive proposal.
                5. Waiver Process
                 Recipients may request waivers of FTA administrative requirements
                by submitting a request to www.regulations.gov, FTA docket
                [[Page 66276]]
                number FTA-2019-0001, as described in the Emergency Relief Program
                final rule (49 CFR 602.15), however, recipients should not proceed with
                a project with the expectation that waivers will be provided. It is
                recommended that recipients discuss waiver requests with their FTA
                regional office prior to submission to the docket.
                II. Federal Award Administration
                A. TrAMS Grant Application
                 Once FTA allocates Emergency Relief funds to a recipient, the
                recipient will be required to submit a grant application electronically
                via FTA's TrAMS system.
                 FTA will assign distinct project identification numbers for
                recovery/rebuilding projects.
                 Recipients are required to maintain records, including but not
                limited to all invoices, contracts, time sheets, and other evidence of
                expenses to assist FTA in validating the eligibility and completeness
                of a recipient's reimbursement requests under the Improper Payment
                Information Act.
                 Upon application, the eligible recipient should provide the
                information outlined in the Emergency Relief final rule (49 CFR
                602.17). For grant applications for reimbursement for emergency
                operations costs, applicants should include summary information as
                described in the final rule (dates, hours, number of vehicles, and
                total fare revenues, if any, received for the emergency service), as
                well as cost and a description of services in sufficient detail for FTA
                to identify the costs as reasonable and eligible under the Emergency
                Relief Program. Back-up or supporting documentation may be requested
                upon FTA's review of the application or at a later date. Any costs
                determined to be ineligible after disbursement of funds must be
                refunded to the FTA.
                B. Payment
                 Upon award, payments to recipients will be made by electronic
                transfer to the recipient's financial institution through the FTA's
                Electronic Clearing House Operation (ECHO) system.
                C. Grant Requirements
                 Emergency Relief funds may only be used for eligible purposes as
                defined in Federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. 5324) and as
                described in the Emergency Relief Program final rule (49 CFR part 602)
                and this notice. Additional grant requirement information can be found
                in FTA's Emergency Relief Manual.
                 Recipients of Emergency Relief funds must comply with all
                applicable Federal requirements, including FTA's Master Agreement. Each
                grant for Emergency Relief funds will include special grant conditions,
                including but not limited to, application of insurance proceeds,
                application of any FEMA funds received, and Federal share. These
                special conditions will be incorporated into the grant agreement for
                all Emergency Relief funds obligated for 2018 disaster response and
                recovery.
                D. Reporting
                 Post-award reporting requirements include submission of the Federal
                Financial Reports (FFRs) and Milestone Progress Reports (MPRs) in TrAMS
                consistent with the FTA's grants management Circular 5010.1E.
                E. Oversight and Audits
                 FTA will provide oversight of grants funded through the Emergency
                Relief Program using its standard oversight programs, including
                Triennial Reviews and State Management Reviews. FTA may assign program
                level reviews such as Procurement System Reviews or Financial
                Management Oversight reviews. FTA will monitor the use of insurance
                proceeds to ensure the recipient meets program requirements. FTA may
                undertake other reviews of projects, such as Technical Capacity and
                Capability Assessments; Risk Assessments; Cost, Schedule, and Scope
                Reviews; and other reviews FTA determines are necessary.
                F. Federal Awarding Agency Contact
                 For program-specific questions about applying for the funds through
                GRANTS.GOV as outlined in this notice, please contact Thomas Wilson,
                Office of Program Management, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC
                20590, phone: (202) 366-5279, or email, [email protected]. For
                legal questions, contact Bonnie Graves, Office of Chief Counsel, 90
                Seventh St., Ste 15-300, San Francisco, CA 94103, phone: (202) 366-
                0944, or email, [email protected].
                K. Jane Williams,
                Acting Administrator.
                [FR Doc. 2019-26068 Filed 12-2-19; 8:45 am]
                 BILLING CODE P
                

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