Notice of Funding Availability for Applications for Credit Assistance Under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Program; Clarification of TIFIA Selection Criteria; and Request for Comments on Potential Implementation of Pilot Program To Accept Upfront Payments for the Entire Subsidy Cost of TIFIA Credit Assistance

Zusammenfassung

The DOT's TIFIA Joint Program Office (JPO) announces the availability of a limited amount of funding in fiscal year (FY) 2010 to support new applications for credit assistance. Under TIFIA, the DOT provides secured (direct) loans, lines of credit, and loan guarantees to public and private applicants for eligible surface transportation projects of regional or national significance. Projects must meet statutorily specified criteria to be selected for credit assistance. Because demand for the TIFIA program now exceeds budgetary resources, the DOT hereby formally announces the suspension of the program's open application process and the return to periodic fixed-date solicitations that will establish a competitive group of projects to be evaluated against program objectives. This notice outlines the process that applicants must follow for Federal FY 2010. Additionally, the DOT provides new language clarifying its use of the TIFIA selection criteria, incorporating explicit consideration of these policy objectives: livability, economic competitiveness, safety, sustainability, and state of good repair. Finally, in light of constrained resources vis-[agrave]-vis demand for TIFIA assistance,