01-2188. Announcement of Competitively Selected Fiscal Year 2001 Projects for the Job Access and Reverse Commute Competitive Grant Program

AGENCY:

Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), announces the selection of competitively submitted proposals for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 funding under the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants program funding, authorized under section 3037 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) Pub. L. 105-178. The Notice also provides information on how to proceed with the submission of a final application. Projects were competitively selected from projects submitted to FTA in (FY) 2000. Funding limitations in (FY) 2000 prevented FTA from funding or fully funding a number of qualified projects in that fiscal year.

This announcement is available on the DOT's FTA website at [http://www.fta.dot.gov/​wtw/​].

DATES:

All applications for selected projects must be completed and filed with the appropriate FTA Regional Offices by April 1, 2001. If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent filing an electronic application by that time, please contact the appropriate FTA regional administrator for a filing extension. Failure to file may mean that funding selection decisions may be rescinded. FTA regional offices will provide guidance on how to file electronic applications.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

The appropriate FTA Regional Administrator for application-specific information and issues (Appendix A). For general program information, refer to the Job Access and Reverse Commute Competitive Grants Notice, 65 Fed. Reg. 13210 et seq., March 10, 2000. A TDD is available at 1-800-877-8339 (TDD/FIRS). The notice can also be accessed through FTA's web site, [www.fta.dot.gov/​wtw].

Background

In (FY) 2001, the Congress provided $99,780,000 for the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants program. Congress designated $75,240,000 of this funding for projects in specified states, localities and, in some cases, to specific organizations. These designations are listed in Appendix B.

FTA has decided that the remaining (FY) 2001 selections would be chosen from meritorious proposals submitted in (FY) 2000 that were only partially funded or not funded because of funding limitations in (FY) 2000. The (FY) 2000 selections were announced in the Federal Register on October 16, 2000 and may be found on the FTA website, [http://www.fta.dot.gov/​wtw/​].

FTA has made this decision because project proposals submitted in (FY) 2000 far exceeded FTA's funding resources available for major urbanized areas with populations greater than 200,000 and for small urban and rural areas with populations of less than 50,000. Additionally, FTA wishes to continue timely support of meritorious projects previously funded by FTA. Selecting proposals at this time rather than issuing a new (FY) 2001 solicitation will significantly speed project implementation. To afford a full opportunity to all interested parties to participate in the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants program, FTA intends to issue a new solicitation for (FY) 2002 funding in the near future. This will permit FTA to announce proposal selections at the beginning of (FY) 2002 rather than at the end of the year as has occurred in the past. We believe this will improve program timing and make program announcements more predictable in the future.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants program is intended to establish an area-wide regional planning approach to job access challenges. This is accomplished through a coordinated transportation/human services planning activity developed as part of or in conjunction with the established transportation planning process conducted by MPOS in metropolitan areas and under state guidance in rural and small urban areas. Projects derived from this process support the implementation of a variety of transportation services that may be needed to connect welfare recipients to jobs and related employment activities. All projects funded under the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants program must be derived from this area-wide planning process.

The Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants program has two major goals: to provide transportation services in urban, suburban and rural areas to assist welfare recipients and low income individuals in gaining access to employment opportunities; and to increase collaboration among transportation providers, human service agencies, employers, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), states, and affected communities and individuals.

The following table lists the successful competitive applicants for fiscal year 2001, by state:

Fiscal Year 2001 Competitive Projects

State	Locality	Applicant (Sub-applicant)	FTA Funds
Alabama	Montgomery	City of Montgomery	$250,000
California	Oakland	AC Transit	130,108
California	Napa	Napa County Transportation Planning Agency	62,500
California	Sacramento	CALTRANS	500,000
California	Sacramento	Sacramento County Public Works Agency	96,395
California	San Diego	San Diego Association of Governments	800,000
California	San Francisco Metro Area	Metropolitan Transportation Commission	316,500
California	Ukiah	Mendocino Transit Authority	79,368
California	Woodland	YOLOBUS	137,440
Colorado	Breckenridge	Summit County (Summit Stage)	75,000
Colorado	Denver	Regional Transportation District	100,000
Connecticut	New Britain, Bristol, Plainville	Connecticut Department of Transportation (North Central Region)	857,786
Connecticut	Bridgeport	Connecticut Department of Transportation (Southwest Region)	309,623
Connecticut	Bridgeport, New Haven	Connecticut Department of Transportation (South Central Region)	473,000
Connecticut	Groton, Mystic, Montville, New London, Norwich, Pawcatuck, Foxwoods	Connecticut Department of Transportation (Eastern Region)	127,714
Delaware	Sussex County	Delaware Department of Transportation	95,000
Delaware	Wilmington Metro Area	Delaware Department of Transportation	432,500
Florida	Clearwater—Tampa Metro Area	Pinellas County MPO (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, Pasco County)	2,400,000
Florida	Jacksonville	Jacksonville Transportation Authority	930,000
Georgia	Atlanta	Georgia Department of Transportation (Hall County: rural)	150,000
Illinois	Chester	Interagency Transportation Consortium	93,868
Illinois	Chicago	Chicago Area Transportation Study (Chicago Transit Authority)	136,314
Illinois	Chicago	Chicago Area Transportation Study (Metra)	92,934
Illinois	Chicago Metro Area	Chicago Area Transportation Study (PACE)	362,445
Illinois	Karnak	Massac County (Shawnee Development Council)	53,600
Illinois	Rock Island	Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit	316,368
Indiana	South Bend	South Bend Public Transportation Group	245,919
Kentucky	Louisville	Transit Authority of River City	1,097,400
Massachusetts	Boston	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority	601,900
Massachusetts	Haverhill	Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority	500,000
Michigan	Barry	Michigan Department of Transportation (Barry County)	44,000
Michigan	Benzie County—Leelanau	Michigan Department of Transportation (Benzie County—Leelanau)	45,000
Michigan	Berrien, Cass, Van Buren	Michigan Department of Transportation (Berrien—Cass—Van Buren)	150,000
Michigan	Charlevoix, Emmet	Michigan Department of Transportation (Charlevoix—Emmet)	17,500
Michigan	Detroit	Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (City of Detroit Department of Transportation)	200,000
Michigan	Eaton	Michigan Department of Transportation (Eaton County)	58,939
Michigan	Ionia County	Michigan DOT (Ionia County)	81,570
Michigan	Lake Mason, Oceana Counties	Michigan Department of Transportation (Lake—Mason—Oceana Counties)	150,000
Michigan	Lansing	Capital Area Transportation Authority	26,000
Michigan	Midland	Michigan Department of Transportation (Midland County)	71,281
Nebraska	Buffalo County	Nebraska Department of Roads (Buffalo County Community)	131,925
New York	New York City	MTA/Human Resource Administration	477,568
New York	New York City	Non-Profit Assistance Corp.	929,040
New York	New York City	Phipps Community Development Corp	760,284
New York	New York City	Project Renewal	400,577
New York	New York City Metro—Westchester	Westchester County	55,000
New York	New York City Metro—Westchester	Westchester County Department of Transportation (Westchester Community Opportunity Program)	175,320
North Dakota	Fort Yates	Sitting Bull College	79,208
Ohio	Akron	Metro Regional Transit Authority	33,378
Ohio	Lorain	Lorain County Transit	300,000
Ohio	Muskingum	Ohio Department of Transportation (Muskingum Transit Authority)	142,582
Ohio	Pike County	Ohio Department of Transportation (Pike County Community Action Committee)	36,921
Ohio	Youngstown	Western Reserve Transit Authority	50,000
Oregon	Baker City	Oregon Department of Transportation (Community Connection of Baker County)	28,600
Oregon	LaGrande	Oregon Department of Transportation (Community Connection of Union County)	16,500
Oregon	Redmond	Oregon Department of Transportation (Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council)	110,000
Pennsylvania	Indiana	Indiana County Transit Authority	51,580
Tennessee	Knoxville	Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee	200,000
Tennessee	Memphis	Memphis Area Transit Authority	275,000
Texas	Austin, Colorado Counties	Texas Department of Transportation (Colorado Valley)	150,000
Texas	Dallas-Fort Worth	North Central Texas Council of Governments	1,500,000
Texas	El Paso	City of El Paso	720,000
Texas	Fort Worth	Fort Worth Transit	240,000
Texas	Guadalupe, Comal Counties	Texas Department of Transportation (Alamo Area Council of Governments)	150,000
Texas	Hunt, Rockwell, Dallas Counties	Texas Department of Transportation (The Connection)	200,000
Texas	Robstown, Petronila, Banquete, Driscoll	Texas Department of Transportation (Institute for Urban Development)	60,000
Virginia	Richmond	Greater Richmond Transit Company	1,000,000
Washington	Seattle	Puget Sound Regional Council	2,780,000

Pre-Award Authority

FTA is providing pre-award spending authority for this program which permits successful applicants to incur costs on eligible projects without prejudice to possible Federal participation in the cost of the project or projects. However, in exercising pre-award authority, successful applicants must comply with all Federal requirements. Failure to do so will render a project ineligible for FTA financial assistance. Successful applicants must consult the appropriate regional office regarding the eligibility of the project for future FTA funds or the applicability of the conditions and Federal requirements. Pre-award spending authority is provided to projects selected and announced by this notice effective October 23, 2000. Congressionally designated projects are likewise granted pre-award authority effective October 23, 2000. The Department of Transportation (DOT) and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (FY 2001 DOT Appropriations Act) (Pub. L. 106-346) was signed into law by President Clinton on October 23, 2000.

Certifications and Assurances Requirements

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5323(n), certifications and assurances have been compiled for the various FTA programs. Before FTA may award a Federal grant, each successful applicant must provide to FTA all certifications and assurances required by Federal laws and regulations applicable to itself and its project. A state providing certifications and assurances on behalf of its prospective subrecipients should obtain sufficient documentation from those subrecipients needed to provide informed certifications and assurances. A successful applicant for funds under the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants program will be required to comply with the requirements of the FTA's Annual Certifications and Assurances. It is important that each successful applicant be familiar with all certifications and assurances as they are a prerequisite for receiving FTA financial assistance. All successful applicants are advised to read the entire text of those Certifications and Assurances to be confident of their responsibilities and commitments.

The signature page accompanying the Certifications and Assurances contains the current fiscal year's certifications and, when properly attested to and submitted to FTA, assures FTA that the applicant intends to comply with the requirements for the specific program involved. FTA will not award any federal assistance until the successful applicant provides assurance of compliance by selecting Category I on the signature page and all other categories applicable to itself and its project.

FTA's (FY) 2001 Certifications and Assurances Notice is expected to be published in the Federal Register on or about January 18, 2001. They are also available on the World Wide Web at [http://www.fta.dot.gov/​library/​legal/​ca.htm]. Copies may also be obtained from FTA regional offices. Applicants that need further assistance should contact the appropriate FTA regional office (see Appendix A) for further information.

U.S. Department of Labor Certification

As a condition of release of Federal funds for this program, Federal Transit law requires that applicants must comply with 49 U.S.C. 5333(b), administered under the Department of Labor's (DOL) Mass Transit Employee Protection Program. These employee protections include the preservation of rights, privileges, and benefits under existing collective bargaining agreements, the continuation of collective bargaining rights, the protection of individual employees against a worsening of their positions related to employment, assurances of employment to employees of acquired mass transportation systems, priority of reemployment, and paid training or retraining. Generally, DOL processes the employee protection certification required under Section 5333(b) in accordance with the procedural guidelines published at 29 CFR 215.3. However, for the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants program, DOL has proposed to apply appropriate protections without referral for Job Access and Reverse Commute Grant applications serving populations under 200,000 and to utilize the guidelines for Job Access and Reverse Commute Grant applications serving populations of 200,000 or more. FTA will submit the grant application to DOL for certification.

Grant funds will NOT be released without DOL certification. Where there are questions regarding the DOL certification process and/or information needed by DOL to obtain a labor certification, successful applicants must contact the appropriate FTA regional office (See Appendix A). Additionally, guidance is provided on the World Wide Web at [http://www.fta.dot.gov/​wtw/​labor.htm].

Completed Application

All successful applicants must now proceed to complete their grant application by fully documenting all the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants program requirements that were not fully documented when the original grant proposal was submitted. FTA regional offices will advise applicants by letter of any remaining outstanding items, as well as stipulations specific to the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grant projects that need to be addressed and/or fully documented prior to grant approval.

Successful applicants will be notified in writing by the FTA regional offices with further guidance.

Issued on: January 16, 2001.

Nuria I. Fernandez,

Acting Administrator.

Appendix A—FTA Regional Offices

Region I

Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Richard Doyle, FTA Regional Administrator, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Kendall Square, 55 Broadway, Suite 920, Cambridge, MA 02142-1093, [phone]

Region II

New York, New Jersey, and Virgin Islands. Letitia Thompson, FTA Regional Administrator, One Bowling Green, Room 429, New York, NY 10004-1415, [phone]

Region III

Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and District of Columbia. Susan Schruth, FTA Regional Administrator, 1760 Market Street, Suite 500, Philadelphia, PA 19103-4124, [phone]

Region IV

Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico. Jerry Franklin, FTA Regional Administrator, 61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Suite 17T50, Atlanta, GA 30303, [phone]

Region V

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Joel Ettinger, FTA Regional Administrator, 200 West Adams Street, Suite 2410, Chicago, IL 60606-5232, [phone]

Region VI

Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. Robert Patrick, FTA Regional Administrator, 819 Taylor Street, Room 8A36, Ft. Worth, TX 76102, [phone]

Region VII

Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. Mokhtee Ahmad, FTA Regional Administrator, 901 Locust Street, Suite 404, Kansas City, MO 64106, [phone]

Region VIII

Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota. Lee Waddleton, FTA Regional Administrator, Columbine Place, 216 16th Street, Suite 650, Denver, CO 80202-5120, [phone]

Region IX

California, Hawaii, Guam, Arizona, Nevada, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Leslie Rogers, FTA Regional Administrator, 201 Mission Street, Suite 2210, San Francisco, CA 94105-1839, [phone]

Region X

Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Helen Knoll, FTA Regional Administrator, Jackson Federal Building, 915 Second Avenue, Suite 3142, Seattle, WA 98174-1002, [phone]

Appendix B—(FY) 2001 Projects Designated by Congress

State	FY 2001 funds allocated	Location/description
Alabama	$249,450	Mobile, Alabama.
Alabama	1,995,600	Troy State University, Alabama—Rosa Parks Center.
Alabama	1,496,700	State of Alabama.
Alabama	848,130	Easter Seals West Alabama work transition programs.
Alaska	59,868	Mantanuska-Susitna borough, M.A.S.C.O.T, Alaska.
Alaska	399,120	Sitka, Alaska transit expansion program.
Alaska	498,900	Central Kenai Peninsula public transportation.
Arizona	997,800	Tucson, Arizona.
Arkansas	3,991,200	State of Arkansas.
California	498,900	Alameda and Contra-Costa counties, California.
California	2,993,400	Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern Counties, California.
California	3,492,300	Los Angeles, California.
California	149,670	Monterey, California.
California	997,800	Sacramento, California.
California	274,395	San Francisco, California.
California	498,900	Santa Clara County, California.
Colorado	74,835	Archuleta County, Colorado.
District of Columbia	997,800	District of Columbia.
Florida	1,995,600	Broward County, Florida.
Florida	598,680	Hillsborough County, Florida.
Georgia	498,900	Chatham, Georgia.
Illinois	997,800	Chicago, Illinois.
Illinois	498,900	DuPage County, Illinois.
Illinois	149,670	Southern Illinois RIDES.
Illinois	997,800	State of Illinois.
Indiana	997,800	Indianapolis, Indiana.
Iowa	1,596,480	Des Moines, Dubuque, Sioux City, Delaware and Jackson Counties, Iowa.
Kansas	997,800	Kansas City, Kansas.
Maine	498,900	State of Maine.
Maine	898,020	York County, Maine.
Maryland	2,394,720	State of Maryland.
Massachusetts	399,120	Athol/Orange Community Transportation, Massachusetts.
Massachusetts	349,230	Western Massachusetts.
Michigan	249,450	North Oakland County, Michigan.
Missouri	748,350	OATS job access programs, Missouri.
Missouri	149,670	Meramec Community Transit programs, Missouri.
Nevada	997,800	Washoe County, Nevada.
New Hampshire	339,252	State of New Hampshire.
New Mexico	249,450	Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
New Mexico	259,428	Las Cruces, New Mexico.
New Mexico	1,995,600	State of New Mexico.
New York	249,450	Capital District Authority, New York.
New York	249,450	Broome County Transit, New York.
New York	498,900	Buffalo, New York.
New York	498,900	Nassau County, New York.
New York	299,340	Rochester, New York.
New York	444,021	Suffolk County, New York.
New York	199,560	Sullivan County, New York.
New York	299,340	Tompkins County, New York.
New York	199,560	Ulster County, New York.
Ohio	748,350	Central Ohio.
Oklahoma	4,490,100	State of Oklahoma.
Oregon	1,835,952	Portland, Oregon.
Pennsylvania	399,120	Greater Erie Community Action Committee, Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania	2,993,400	SEPTA, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania	1,995,600	Pittsburgh Port Authority of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Rhode Island	99,780	Rhode Island community food bank transportation.
Rhode Island	997,800	Rhode Island Public Transit Authority.
Tennessee	1,995,600	State of Tennessee.
Texas	548,790	Corpus Christi RTA, Texas.
Vermont	1,496,700	State of Vermont.
Virginia	498,900	Tysons Corner/Dulles Corridor, Virginia.
Virginia	4,490,100	Commonwealth of Virginia.
Washington	1,995,600	State of Washington.
West Virginia	1,496,700	State of West Virginia.
Wisconsin	4,689,660	State of Wisconsin.
	1,995,600	Ways to Work family loan program, Southeastern U.S.