§ 16071. Pilot program
(a)
Establishment
The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, shall establish a competitive grant pilot program (referred to in this subpart as the “pilot program”), to be administered through the Clean Cities Program of the Department, to provide not more than 30 geographically dispersed project grants to State governments, local governments, or metropolitan transportation authorities to carry out a project or projects for the purposes described in subsection (b).
(b)
Grant purposes
A grant under this section may be used for the following purposes:
(2)
The acquisition of alternative fueled vehicles, hybrid vehicles, or fuel cell vehicles, including—
(c)
Applications
(1)
Requirements
(A)
In general
The Secretary shall issue requirements for applying for grants under the pilot program.
(B)
Minimum requirements
At a minimum, the Secretary shall require that an application for a grant—
(i)
be submitted by the head of a State or local government or a metropolitan transportation authority, or any combination thereof, and a registered participant in the Clean Cities Program of the Department; and
(ii)
include—
(I)
a description of the project proposed in the application, including how the project meets the requirements of this subpart;
(III)
an estimate of the air pollution emissions reduced and fossil fuel displaced as a result of the project, and a plan to collect and disseminate environmental data, related to the project to be funded under the grant, over the life of the project;
(IV)
a description of how the project will be sustainable without Federal assistance after the completion of the term of the grant;
(V)
a complete description of the costs of the project, including acquisition, construction, operation, and maintenance costs over the expected life of the project;
(d)
Selection criteria
In evaluating applications under the pilot program, the Secretary shall—
(2)
give priority consideration to applications that—
(e)
Pilot project requirements
(1)
Maximum amount
The Secretary shall not provide more than $15,000,000 in Federal assistance under the pilot program to any applicant.
(2)
Cost sharing
The Secretary shall not provide more than 50 percent of the cost, incurred during the period of the grant, of any project under the pilot program.
(3)
Maximum period of grants
The Secretary shall not fund any applicant under the pilot program for more than 5 years.
(4)
Deployment and distribution
The Secretary shall seek to the maximum extent practicable to ensure a broad geographic distribution of project sites.
(5)
Transfer of information and knowledge
The Secretary shall establish mechanisms to ensure that the information and knowledge gained by participants in the pilot program are transferred among the pilot program participants and to other interested parties, including other applicants that submitted applications.
(f)
Schedule
(1)
Publication
Not later than 90 days after August 8, 2005, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register, Commerce Business Daily, and elsewhere as appropriate, a request for applications to undertake projects under the pilot program. Applications shall be due not later than 180 days after the date of publication of the notice.
(g)
Definitions
For purposes of carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary shall issue regulations defining any term, as the Secretary determines to be necessary.