CAGTC Members,
Since sending this first email below, CAGTC has obtained additional background documents that may be useful for Members. Please find the DOT’s Build America Bureau resources to support INFRA Grant here, a INFRA vs. FASTLANE fact sheet here, and INFRA Grant Program FAQs here.
Best,
Katie Cross
Manager, Member Communications & Policy
Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors
1444 Eye St N.W.
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 828-9100
tradecorridors.org
From: Katie Cross
Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2017 3:27 PM
Subject: CAGTC: FASTLANE/ “INFRA Grants” Update
CAGTC Members,
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is expected to publish a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) soon, as early as tomorrow, requesting applications for grants under the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects program (referred to as FASTLANE by the Obama Administration). As expected, the Trump Administration has rebranded the grant program, which will now be referred to as the INFRA grant program.
It is likely that this revised NOFO will include an announcement that only the carve out for “small project set aside” (roughly $80 million) will be awarded under the October ’16 solicitation criteria that the Obama Administration published. USDOT’s suggested award announcements will likely be forthcoming shortly; the FAST Act requires a 60-day Congressional review period before a formal announcement is made. Under the FY16 grant round, the list was first available through the House T&I website as opposed to through USDOT.
The revised NOFO will include the remainder of the FY17 money as well as all of the FY18 money, which will make around $1.5 billion available for grants. The NOFO is also expected to outline new criteria, including merit criteria based on: national and regional economic vitality; the potential for innovation in key categories including safety, environmental review and permitting, and project delivery approach; the leveraging of federal funding; and performance and accountability. Under the Obama Administration, merit criteria focused on economic, mobility, safety, and community and environmental outcomes. Of significance, USDOT states that freight projects will be a priority in the INFRA program: INFRA’s focus on “economic vitality, leverage, innovation, and performance, means that freight project will be competitive.”
Additional considerations that will most likely be included in the new NOFO include geographic diversity (USDOT said it will provide “careful consideration to projects that address transportation needs in rural areas of varying sizes”) and project readiness, which were also included in the FASTLANE criteria. The application window will be 120 days; applicants that submitted under the October NOFO can resubmit their old applications if they believe they align with the new INFRA criteria, as long as they include an appendix explaining how the project fits the new requirements. Finally, USDOT still plans on providing feedback on previous applications but noted that feedback will be “more limited” for large projects submitted under the October NOFO because full evaluations were not completed.
The website where this information is based is in the process of being updated but eventually more information will be found online at: https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/infragrants. Attached is a fact sheet obtained by the Eno Center for Transportation.
We will continue to monitor these developments and reach out when we know more.
Best,
Katie Cross
Manager, Member Communications & Policy
Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors
1444 Eye St N.W.
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 828-9100
tradecorridors.org