Description
Reading responses should be no more than two pages. the reading response should be in a short essay format (including an introduction and a conclusion paragraph). It has to be single-spaced and the title page and/or references do not count against the page limit. Here is what needs to be answered.
a) Identify and discuss the main thesis of the author(s): what they are arguing and what they found. (3 points)
b) Why did the author(s) write this material? (1 points)
c) What competing perspectives might exist to this reading response? Have others found similar results and/or arrived at similar conclusions? In particular, how does this reading compare to other assigned readings? (4 points)
d) Did the reading lead you to have broader questions (e.g. about transportation policy)? (2 points)
Readings:
(Required) Sciara, Gian-Claudia and Susan Handy. “Regional Transportation Planning.” in The Geography of Urban Transportation, Fourth Edition, Susan Hanson and Genevieve Giuliano, Editors. New York: The Guilford Press. Pages 113 138, 2017.
(Required) “Policy on Using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources to Build a Better America,” from Stephanie Pollack, Deputy Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bipartisan-infrastructure-law/docs/building_a_better_america-policy_framework.pdf).
(Required) “Building Better Transit,” Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/2022-01/FTA-BIL-Implementation-Webinar-Presentation-01-07-2022.pdf)
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FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
1
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Significant
Funding Increases
New Grant
Programs
• Up to $108 billion for public transit
over five years
• Rail Vehicle Replacement Program
• All Station Accessibility Program
• Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot
Program
• Ferry Service for Rural Communities
o $69.9 B from Highway Trust Fund
o $21.25 B in Advance Appropriations
o $17 B in Authorized Appropriations
• New and increased funding for State
of Good Repair, Low or No Emission,
and CIG Grants
• Continues existing structure for FTA
programs focused on urban, rural,
and targeted populations
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
2
Increased Funding for Public Transportation
$25.00
An additional $45 Billion
authorized over 5 years
$20.00
$21.64
$21.93
$22.29
$21.01
$21.28
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
$15.00
$12.18
$12.38
$12.59
$12.96
$11.79
$12.18
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
$10.00
$5.00
$-
FAST Act
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
3
Increased Formula and Competitive Funding
$21 B
20
18
16
14
$13 B
12
10
8
6
0
Discretionary
Programs $3 B
FAST Act (FY 21)
All Stations Accessibility,
$350M
Discretionary
Programs
$7 B
Other, $641M
Buses/Bus Facilities
Formula, $604M
Buses/Bus Facilities
Competitive, $376M
Urbanized Area Formula,
$7B
Low-No Competitive,
$1.1B
Formula
Programs
$10 B
4
2
Formula
Programs
$14 B
Ferry Service for Rural
Communities, $400M
Seniors and Individuals
with Disabilities, $421M
Formula Grants for Rural
Areas, $893M
State of Good Repair
Formula, $4.4B
Railcar Replacement
Program, $300M
Capital Investment
Grants, $4.6B
Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law (FY 22)
Note: Total funding shown includes authorized trust fund contract authority, authorized annual appropriations for FY22 and certain advance
appropriations for FY22 enacted as a part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Annual appropriations are subject to Congressional action.
4
Apportionments and Funding Competitions
Full year funding not yet available – Continuing Resolution through Feb. 18, 2022
• FY22 Apportionment Tables
• FTA plans to post a partial year apportionment based on Continuing Resolution levels
by the end of January 2022
• FY22 Apportionment Notice with Interim Guidance
• Guidance for transit agencies, applicants, and funding recipients
• Notices of Funding Opportunity for 10 competitive programs
•
•
•
•
Will be issued on a rolling basis; will combine to extent possible
NOFOs will contain program guidance for new programs
Buses & Bus Facilities and Low or No Emission Vehicle Program likely first to be issued
Schedule for some programs depends on timing of a full year appropriation
5
FTA Is Ready To Make History!
• FTA wants to continue the dialogue about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
• Multiple FTA Listening Sessions conducted
• Regional Office outreach
• Meetings and discussions at conferences
•
•
•
•
•
Ahead of passage, FTA had a running start on implementation
Program Fact Sheets and website
Guidance on program changes to be published
FTA staff in Regions and in DC are ready and available to answer questions
Technical Assistance will be provided on discretionary funding programs, fleet
transition plans, additional sources of funding from within DOT
6
FTA Priorities for Implementation
Safety – The law will enable FTA to enhance state safety
oversight programs by strengthening rail inspection practices
to protect transit workers and riders from injuries and to
ensure safe access to transit.
FTA Bipartisan
Infrastructure
Law Priorities
Modernization – Increased formula and competitive
funding will begin to reduce the enormous state of
good repair investment backlog in the nation’s transit
systems by repairing aging infrastructure and
modernizing bus and rail fleets.
Climate – The law includes landmark investments to support
the replacement of thousands of transit vehicles, including
buses and ferries, with cleaner low- and zero-emission
vehicles.
Equity – Investments in equity, including Justice40, will help eliminate transit
deserts, improve connectivity to economic and social opportunities, ensure
universal accessibility for people with disabilities, support minority and womenowned businesses, and reduce the disparity in quality and frequency of service
in underserved communities.
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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• Ensure the safety of the transit
rider
• Ensure the safety of the transit
workforce
• Ensure the safety of the general
public
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
Strategies
Our Priorities
FTA Priorities – Workforce and Rider Safety
• Collect data on safety incidents
and operator assaults
• Provide additional training to
transit agency staff
• Promote continued adoption of
safety management systems
• Enhance oversight of safety
requirements and regulations
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• Ensure the availability of modern,
safe, and efficient transit
infrastructure
• Reduce the backlog of transit
modernization investments
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
Strategies
Our Priorities
FTA Priorities – Modernizing Transit Infrastructure
• Provide funding to repair and
replace aged and outdated transit
infrastructure
• Promote equitable and climate
friendly transit investments
• Incorporate new technologies
• Build and expand transit to serve
growing communities and those
without adequate mobility options
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• Reduce carbon emissions from
transit vehicles, infrastructure
and construction
• Increase the resilience of transit
systems to climate and extreme
weather hazards
• Support the adoption of
American-made low and zeroemission vehicle technologies
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
Strategies
Our Priorities
FTA Priorities – Addressing the Climate Crisis
• Focus discretionary
investments on projects that
address the climate crisis
• Technical assistance to
support adoption of zeroemission vehicles
• Research and innovation
investments
10
• Expand access and opportunity to
underserved, overburdened, and
disadvantaged communities
• Incorporate equity in transportation
planning and funding decisions
• Increase social and economic opportunity
through investments in equitable transit
projects
• Justice40: Ensure that no less than 40% of
the benefits of FTA investments reach
underserved, overburdened, and
disadvantaged communities
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
Strategies
Our Priorities
FTA Priorities – Improving Equity in Transit
• Support underserved, overburdened,
and disadvantaged communities by:
o Ensuring that planning organizations
responsible for planning hear from
these communities
o Focusing discretionary investments on
projects that promote equity
o Directing technical assistance
o Collecting data on the effects of transit
service that can address historic
inequities
o Supporting minority and womenowned businesses
11
Program Areas Changed by the Law
Formula Programs
Competitive Programs
Planning
Environment
Capital Investment Grants Program
Safety
Research, Innovation, and Administration
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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Formula Programs
Urbanized
Area
Formula
Formula
Grants for
Rural Areas
Buses and
Bus
Facilities
• 30% increase to program funding levels from FY21 to FY22 ($4.8B to $6.3B)
• Increases the set-aside for Small Transit Intensive Cities from 2% to 3%
• Requires recipients in large UZAs to use at least 0.75% of their funds for safety-related projects
eligible under the Urbanized Area Formula program (Section 5307)
• 30% increase to program funding levels from FY21 to FY22 ($601M to $781M)
• Provides $229 million for Public Transportation on Indian Reservations over five years
• 20% of the Public Transportation on Indian Reservations funds must be distributed on a
competitive basis, while the remainder must be apportioned by formula
• 3% of Rural Formula funding is available for the Appalachian Development Public
Transportation Assistance program
• 30% increase to program funding levels from FY21 to FY22 ($461M to $599M)
• The Formula National Distribution is increased to $4 million for each State and $1 million for
each territory
• Encourages use of Innovative Procurement tools, such as cooperative procurement contracts or
state cooperative procurement schedules
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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Competitive Programs: Changes to Existing
Buses and Bus
Facilities
Competitive and
Low or No
Emissions
Competitive
Programs
• 30% increase to authorized funding levels, plus additional $1.1 billion
per year for Low or No Emissions Competitive Grants
• Requires a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) be issued no more
than 30 days after the passage of a full-year appropriation, and awards
be announced 75 days after the NOFO closes or the end of the fiscal
year the NOFO was issued, whichever is earlier
• An applicant that is submitting a project to both Low-No and Bus, or
only Low-No, may propose partnerships with TVMs to satisfy the
competitive procurement requirements
• Both require that for projects related to zero-emission buses, a zeroemission fleet transition plan must also be submitted with the
application
• Not less than 25% of Low-No funding must be made available for low
emission vehicles and related facilities
• 5% of funds used to purchase zero-emission vehicles or infrastructure
must be utilized for workforce development unless the applicant
certifies that less is needed to carry out their transition plan
• Minimum amount of rural funding has increased from 10% to 15% for
the Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
14
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
Eligible Recipients
• Will be identified in a
NOFO
Eligible Activities:
• Electric or lowemitting ferries that
use alternative fuel or
onboard energy
storage systems,
related
charging infrastructure
$400M Per Year
($200M of which subject
to appropriations)
Eligible Recipients:
• States for ferry service
that operated a
regular schedule at
any time during fiveyear period ending
March 1, 2020 and
served at least 2 rural
areas located more
than 50 sailing miles
apart
Eligible Activities:
• Capital and operating
assistance
All Stations Accessibility Program
Eligible Recipients:
• States and local
government
authorities
Eligible Activities:
• Replacement of
rail rolling stock
$100M Per Year
($50M of which subject
to appropriations)
Ferry Service for Rural
Communities
$300M Per Year
Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot
Program
Rail Vehicle Replacement Program
Competitive Programs: New Programs
$350M Per Year
Eligible Recipients:
• States and local
government
authorities
Eligible Activities:
• Upgrade legacy rail
transit stations that
remain inaccessible
to individuals with
disabilities
15
• Adds consideration of state and local housing
patterns in the planning process
• Requires MPOs to ensure the consistency of data
used in the planning process if more than one
MPO is designated within an urbanized area
• Permits the use of social media and other web
tools to encourage public participation in planning
• Requires MPOs to consider the equitable and
proportional representation of the population of
the planning area when designating officials
• Permits more than 80% federal share for planning
in lower-density or lower-income portions of
metropolitan or adjoining rural areas
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
Pilot Program for
Transit Oriented Development
Metro & Statewide Planning
Planning
• Permits federal financing for site-specific
and comprehensive planning for TOD
16
Environment
Environmental
Programs
• Codifies “One Federal Decision” under “Major Project”
references in FTA’s environmental statute
o Applies to projects meeting the “Major Project” definition
o Creates schedule expectations for Major Projects
• Establishes page limit for environmental impact statements
(no more than 200 pages, unless the lead agency establishes
a different page limit)
• Requires the lead agency calculate annually the average time
taken by the lead agency to complete all environmental
documents for each project during the previous fiscal year
• Increases the project cost thresholds for the Limited Federal
Assistance Categorical Exclusion (23 CFR 771.118(c)(13))
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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Capital Investment Grants & Expedited Project Delivery Program
• Revises the eligibility parameters for:
Capital Investment
Grants (CIG) &
Expedited Project
Delivery (EPD)
Programs
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
o Small Starts – capital cost of < $400 million and a CIG request of < $150 million
o New Starts - capital cost of > $400 million or that are seeking > $150 million
from CIG
o Core Capacity to projects at capacity today or that will be in 10 years
• Establishes a new process for bundling CIG projects, to replace the “Program of
Interrelated Projects” eligibility
• Changes Congressional notification period for CIG Full Funding Grant
Agreements, EPD Program Letter of Intent or construction grant from 30 to
15 days
• Adds a requirement for the FTA to determine that the CIG project sponsor has
made progress toward meeting transit asset management performance targets
• Requires a routinely updated public dashboard providing the status on each
project seeking funding
• Transfers the responsibility for the “before-and after study report” to GAO
18
Safety
Requires recipients of Urbanized Area Formula program funds that
serve urbanized areas with populations of 200,000 or more to:
1.Establish a Safety Committee, composed of representatives of
frontline employees and management, that is responsible for
identifying, recommending, and analyzing the effectiveness of
risk-based mitigations or strategies to reduce consequences
identified in the agencies’ safety risk assessment
2.Develop, and add to their agency safety plan, a risk reduction
program for transit operations to improve safety by reducing
the number and rates of accidents, injuries, and assaults on
transit workers based on data submitted to the National
Transit Database
3.Set risk reduction performance targets using a three-year
rolling average of the data submitted by the recipient to the
National Transit Database and allocate not less than 0.75% of
their Urbanized Area Formula program funds to safety related
projects
4.Require maintenance personnel to meet the existing safety
training requirements and safety, operations, and
maintenance personnel to complete de-escalation training
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
Provides state safety oversight
agencies authority to collect and
analyze data and conduct risk-based
inspections of rail fixed guideway
transportation systems
Requires recipients of Urbanized Area
Formula program funds serving an
urbanized area with a population of
fewer than 200,000 to develop their
agency safety plan in cooperation with
frontline employee representatives
Requires agency safety plans to be
consistent with Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and State
health authority guidelines to minimize
exposure to infectious diseases
19
Research, Bus Testing, NTD
Public Transportation Innovation
1. Directs FTA to establish an Advanced Digital Construction Management Systems program
2. Allows low or no component testing facilities to conduct directed technology research and use
funds for equipment and capital projects related to testing low or no emission vehicle
components, or research related to advanced vehicle technologies
Bus Testing Program
1. Federal funds may now be used for the purchase of equipment and capital projects related to
testing new bus models
2. Prohibits facilities selected to conduct low or no component testing from carrying out bus
testing performed through the Bus Testing Facility program
National Transit Database
1. Adds geographic service area coverage as a reporting requirement
2. Requires data relating to assaults on transit workers and fatalities resulting from impact with a bus to
be reported
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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Other Changes
Joint Development
Electric vehicle charging infrastructure eligible as part of a joint development project, subject to certain
conditions
Administrative Provisions for Disposition
1. For assets with a fair market value of more than $5,000:
•If sold, recipient retains $5,000 and the non-Federal share of the remainder
•Remaining Federal share must be returned to FTA and may not be kept for public transportation use
2. The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act also included a provision expanding property
disposition to permit transfers for TOD projects with affordable housing under certain circumstances
Emergency Relief Program
Requires applicants for Emergency Relief Funds to submit proof of insurance required by Federal law for
structures related to grant applications and certify that it has insurance required under State law for all
structures related to grant applications
21
Resources and Contacts
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Website – https://www.transit.dot.gov/BIL
Program Fact Sheets – https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/fta-programfact-sheets-under-bipartisan-infrastructure-law
Contact [email protected]
Contact your FTA Regional Office for assistance
Additional webinars will be held by Regional Offices
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TRANSIT.DOT.GOV
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