Sec. 1119. Projects of national or regional significance
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Chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: The Secretary shall establish a program in accordance with this section to provide grants for projects that will have a significant impact on a region or the Nation. The purpose of the projects of national or regional significance program shall be to assist in funding critical high-cost surface transportation infrastructure projects that are difficult to complete with existing Federal, State, local, and private funds and that will provide 1 or more of the following benefits:
Generate national or regional economic benefits and increase the global economic competitiveness of the United States. Reduce congestion and the impacts of congestion. Improve roadways vital to national energy security. Improve the efficiency, reliability, and affordability of the movement of freight. Improve transportation safety. Improve existing and designated future Interstate System routes. Improve the movement of people through improving rural connectivity and metropolitan accessibility.
In this section, the following definitions apply: The term eligible applicant means— a State (or a group of States); a local government; a tribal government (or a consortium of tribal governments); a transit agency; a public authority; a port authority; a political subdivision of a State or local government; or a multistate or multijurisdictional group of entities described in subparagraphs
(A)through (G). The term eligible project means a surface transportation project or a program of integrated surface transportation projects closely related in the function the projects perform that— is a capital project that is eligible for Federal financial assistance under— this title; or chapter 53 of title 49; and has eligible project costs that are reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed the lesser of— $350,000,000; and for a project located in a single State, 30 percent of the amount of Federal-aid highway funds apportioned to the State for the most recently completed fiscal year; for a project located in a single rural State with a population density of 50 or fewer persons per square mile based on the most recent decennial census, 15 percent of the amount of Federal-aid highway funds apportioned to the State for the most recently completed fiscal year; or for a project located in more than 1 State, 75 percent of the amount of Federal-aid highway funds apportioned to the participating State that has the largest apportionment for the most recently completed fiscal year. The term eligible project costs means the costs of— development phase activities, including planning, feasibility analysis, revenue forecasting, environmental review, preliminary engineering and design work, and other preconstruction activities; construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and acquisition of real property (including land related to the project and improvements to land), environmental mitigation, construction contingencies, acquisition of equipment directly related to improving system performance, and operational improvements; and the subsidy amount (as defined in section 601(a)) and administrative costs of projects eligible for credit assistance under chapter 6, if the Secretary determines that the unobligated balances of amounts made available to carry out the TIFIA program (as defined in section 601(a)) are insufficient to meet the needs of the TIFIA program for that fiscal year. The term rural area means an area that is outside of an urbanized area with a population greater than 150,000 individuals, as determined by the Bureau of the Census. The term rural State means a State that has a population density of 50 or fewer persons per square mile, based on the most recent decennial census. The Secretary shall conduct a transparent and competitive national solicitation process to select eligible projects for funding under this section. An eligible applicant seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary determines necessary. Each application submitted under this paragraph shall include data on the most recent system performance and estimated system improvements that will result from completion of the eligible project, including projections for improvements 5, 10, and 20 years after completion of the project. An eligible applicant whose project is not selected by the Secretary for funding under this section may resubmit an application in a subsequent solicitation. The Secretary may select a project for funding under this section only if the Secretary determines that the project— is consistent with the national goals described in section 150(b); will significantly improve the performance of the national surface transportation network, nationally or regionally; is based on the results of preliminary engineering; is consistent with the long-range statewide transportation plan; cannot be readily and efficiently completed without Federal financial assistance; is justified based on the ability of the project to achieve 1 or more of the following: Generate national economic benefits that reasonably exceed the costs of the project. Reduce long-term congestion, including impacts on a national, regional, and statewide basis. Increase the speed, reliability, and accessibility of the movement of people or freight. Improve transportation safety, including reducing transportation accident and serious injuries and fatalities; and is supported by a sufficient amount of non-Federal funding, including evidence of stable and dependable financing to construct, maintain, and operate the infrastructure facility. In evaluating a project under this section, in addition to the criteria described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider the extent to which the project— leverages Federal investment by encouraging non-Federal contributions to the project, including contributions from public-private partnerships; is able to begin construction within 18 months of being selected; incorporates innovative project delivery and financing where practical; helps maintain or protect the environment; improves roadways vital to national energy security; improves or upgrades designated future Interstate System routes; uses innovative technologies, including intelligent transportation systems, that enhance the efficiency of the project; and helps to improve mobility and accessibility. In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall take measures to ensure, to the maximum extent practicable— an equitable geographic distribution of amounts; and an appropriate balance in addressing the needs of rural and urban communities. The amount of a grant under this section shall not exceed $50,000,000. Not less than 20 percent of the amounts made available for a fiscal year under this section shall be for eligible projects located in rural areas or in rural States. The Secretary shall reserve for projects eligible to receive grant assistance under this title (other than projects otherwise eligible under chapter 53 of title 49 or described in section 167(k)(2)) not less than 80 percent of the amount made available for a fiscal year to carry out this section. Not more than 20 percent of the funds made available for a fiscal year to carry out this section may be awarded to projects in a single State. The programming and expenditure of funds for projects under this section shall be consistent with the requirements of sections 134 and 135. If an eligible project that receives a grant under this section has a crossmodal component, the Secretary— shall determine the predominant modal component of the project; and may apply the applicable requirements of that predominant modal component to the project. For each project funded under this section, the project sponsor shall reassess system performance and submit to the Secretary a report not later than 5, 10, and 20 years after completion of the project to assess whether the project outcomes have met preconstruction projections. At least 30 days before notifying an applicant of selection of a project for funding under this section, the Secretary shall notify, in writing, the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives of the proposed selection along with a description of the reasons for selecting the project, based on the criteria described in subsection (e). The Secretary may not make any obligation or commitment to fund a project under this section if Congress enacts a joint resolution disapproving funding for the project before the last day of the 30-day period described in subparagraph (A). The Secretary shall make available on the website of the Department at the end of each fiscal year an annual report that lists each project that has received assistance under this section during that fiscal year. The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct an assessment of the establishment, solicitation, selection, and justification process with respect to the funding of projects under this section. Not later than 1 year after the initial awarding of funding under this section, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report that describes— the process by which each project was selected; the criteria used for the selection of each project; and the justification for the selection of each project based on the criteria described in subsection (e). The Inspector General of the Department shall conduct an assessment of the establishment, solicitation, selection, and justification process with respect to the funding of projects under this section. Not later than 2 years after the initial awarding of funding under this section, the Inspector General of the Department shall submit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report that describes the initial results of the assessment conducted under subparagraph (A). Not later than 4 years after the initial awarding of funding under this section, the Inspector General of the Department shall submit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a final report that describes the findings of the Inspector General of the Department with respect to the assessment conducted under subparagraph (A). . The analysis for chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 171. Projects of national or regional significance. .