Latest Updates from DOT

 LATEST UPDATES FROM USDOT 

A Weekly Bulletin from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Public Engagement     

Vol. 4, Number 104, May 10, 2024    

Once again, Secretary Buttigieg was on the move this week! He kicked off the week by visiting Western Montana, shedding light on the historic investments made possible by the Biden Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Additionally, he took part in a joint hearing between the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and DOT, focusing on airline rewards and credit card programs to ensure fairness and transparency for consumers who rely on loyalty points. 

This week’s efforts emphasize the real difference being made by President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. 

We invite you to continue reading for further updates on DOT's continued push to advance crucial projects. Wishing you all a fantastic Mother’s Day weekend! 

Sharing below a roundup of the latest activities and opportunities to engage with USDOT  

and the Biden-Harris Administration. Thanks as always for your interest.  

If you know others who would like to receive these updates, please invite them to sign up here. 

USDOT LEADERSHIP ON THE MOVE 

Secretary Visits Montana to Highlight Infrastructure Funding and Safety Improvements 

Earlier this week, Secretary Pete Buttigieg traveled to Western Montana to highlight major investments in the state made possible by President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. The Secretary began his visit in Montana on Monday by touring a terminal modernization project at the Missoula Montana Airport (MSO) and then hosted a press conference to highlight federal investments in the project, including a $17 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program. Later in the day, he visited with student apprentices at the University of Montana Missoula College Industrial Tech Program. 

Secretary Buttigieg at the MSO press conference on Monday 

On Tuesday, the Secretary traveled to the Flathead Indian Reservation, also in western Montana, to participate in a roundtable with leaders of the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles tribes – also known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation (CSKT) – to hear from tribal leaders about their infrastructure priorities. He then hosted a press conference to highlight the US 93 North – Post Creek Hill Project, a priority project of the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT). FHWA awarded the CSKT a $30.5 million grant for the project from the FY 2022 Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) Program. The project will provide necessary safety improvements for drivers and wildlife to US 93, a critical north-south corridor in western Montana that connects to major cities in the region and provides critical access to services, recreation, and economic opportunities for the Flathead Indian Reservation. The project includes new wildlife overpasses across US-93 with high rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions. This effort will reduce fatal crashes and benefit grizzly bear populations. More information on the Administration’s infrastructure investments in Montana can be found here. 

Secretary Buttigieg meeting with tribal leaders at the Flathead Indian Reservation on Tuesday 

FAA Reauthorization Bill Passed by Senate, Awaits House Action 

In response to the passage yesterday of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2024, Secretary Buttigieg said, “The reauthorization bill just passed in the Senate will help continue the FAA's work to safely operate the world’s most complex airspace, while strengthening worker and passenger protections. Hoping for prompt House action next week and then on to the President’s desk.” The Senate voted 88 to 4 to reauthorize the FAA for the next five years and put new safety measures and consumer protections for passengers in place. The bill would provide more than $105 billion to the FAA and another $738 million to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for airport modernization, technology programs and safety. It would also bolster the hiring and training of air traffic controllers, codify airlines’ refund obligations to passengers, ensure fee-free family seating and strengthen protections for passengers with disabilities.  

Video Available of Joint CFPB/USDOT Hearing on Airline Reward and Credit Card Programs 

Yesterday the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and DOT held a virtual joint hearing on airline rewards and credit card programs. CFPB Director Rohit Chopra and Secretary Buttigieg moderated a discussion with industry representatives, labor leaders, and consumer advocates about competition issues and challenges that consumers are experiencing with airline rewards and credit card programs. You can watch the recording of the hearing here. In addition, the CFPB issued a new report yesterday, Credit Card Rewards Issue Spotlight, highlighting consumer frustrations with credit card rewards programs. 

BUILD AMERICA BUREAU INNOVATIVE FINANCING NEWS  

Build America Bureau Approves First Loan to Support Transit-Oriented Development 

On May 1, DOT announced that its Build America Bureau has approved its first Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) loan for up to $26.8 million for the Mt. Vernon Library Commons Project in Washington state. The loan is from the Bureau’s TIFIA Credit Program, which is designed to fill market gaps and leverage substantial private co-investment through supplemental, subordinate investment in critical improvements to the nation's transportation system. The Mt. Vernon project includes a multi-use building with a public library, community center, meeting rooms, commercial kitchen, parking garage, public restrooms, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) center, computing space, and numerous electric vehicle (EV) chargers. The project, slated to be completed this summer, encompasses half a city block in downtown Mount Vernon, and will be a short walk from Skagit Station, Skagit County’s multi-modal transportation center. TOD is a new but fast-growing category within the Bureau, which offers below-market rate financing on infrastructure projects.  

Federal Transit Administration TOD Graphic 

In addition to the loan from the Build America Bureau, FHWA awarded the City of Mount Vernon $12.5 million in funding through the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 to install 78 EV charging ports in the project’s parking garage. The project design allows for another 200 charging ports in the future, creating what could be the nation's largest regional EV charging hub. The project is also receiving financial assistance through the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  

SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES FROM DOT 

DOT Launches DOT Connect to Capital, Linking Small Businesses to Private Capital Investors 

DOT’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) has launched USDOT Connect to Capital as a component of a new comprehensive Access to Capital Initiative to help small businesses increase access to private equity capital investors. U.S. DOT Connect to Capital is an online portal that serves as a database of Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SBDs), Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) and capital investors licensed by the Small Business Administration (SBA)’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program which allows investors to connect with small businesses seeking to attract private investments. For more information, please send an e-mail message to dot-osdbu@dot.gov.   

EMERGENCY RESPONSE 

FHWA Announces $3 Million in “Quick Release” E.R. Funding for I-95 Repairs in Connecticut 

On Monday, FHWA announced the immediate availability of $3 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief (E.R.) Program funds for the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT). On May 2, a collision involving a gas tanker caused a fire on Interstate-95 in Norwalk, Connecticut. CTDOT evaluated the crash site, determined the bridge will need to be demolished and reconstructed, and is conducting necessary emergency operations and repairs to maintain traffic throughout the crash site. CTDOT reopened I-95 Sunday evening. Watch a timelapse video of the Norwalk I-95 emergency repair here.  

COMBATTING CLIMATE CHANGE 

FAA Finalizes Rule to Reduce Carbon Particle Emissions from Aircraft Engines 

On April 26, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it has released a final rule to limit carbon particles emitted by subsonic aircraft engines. The rule sets maximum standards for the amount of non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM) emissions from U.S. civil aircraft engines. It aligns with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommendations and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. Ultrafine carbon particles that aircraft engines produce are an inhalation concern for humans. Also, nvPM emissions can become the nucleus for persistent contrails, meaning that the line-shaped clouds behind some jet engines expand into broader cloudiness that may affect the planet.   

FAA Sustainability Chart 

Engine manufacturers will have new emissions standards to follow to reduce harmful effects to health and the environment. This new rule gives manufacturers certainty about nvPM emissions criteria that they can use in developing the next generation of aircraft engines. This action is part of the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan that sets out to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. aviation sector by 2050. Find more information about the FAA and its environmental efforts at its Sustainability Gateway Page. The rule takes effect on May 24, 2024, and comments must be received by June 24, 2024. 

ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY  

Mark Your Calendar: 2024 FAA Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Symposium 

This year's FAA Drone and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Symposium will focus on how the FAA continues to safely integrate these aircraft while creating a framework to accelerate advanced operations. The event, which runs from July 30-August 1 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland, will bring together representatives from the FAA, other government agencies, international aviation experts, industry leaders and academia. The presenters and panelists will discuss the latest information and advancements related to the diverse uses of drones and the safe integration of Advanced Air Mobility aircraft, like air taxis, into the National Airspace System. 

FAA Drone/AAM Symposium Graphic 

This year’s theme is Connected Skies/Connected Communities. Sessions and workshops will focus on how the FAA continues to safely integrate drones while creating a regulatory and operational framework to accelerate advanced operations such as beyond visual line of sight and UAS Traffic Management (UTM). AAM sessions and workshops will focus on how air taxis and electric vertical take-off, and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will change aviation as we know it.  To register and get updates on event programming, visit the FAA Drone and AAM Symposium website. 

ROADWAY SAFETY 

Speeding Wrecks Lives Campaign Materials Now Available 

In 2022, there were 12,151 fatalities in speeding-related motor vehicle crashes – 29 percent all traffic fatalities. Thirty-five percent of all motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes were speeding, and 87 percent of all speeding-related traffic fatalities on American roads occurred on non-interstate roadways. Safer speeds are a critical component of the Safe System Approach (SSA), which DOT formally adopted as a core tenet of its National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS), issued in 2022. Speed prevention messaging is essential to any road safety communication plan. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers communication resources on its Traffic Safety Marketing website for a year-round social norming campaign (Speeding Catches Up With You) as well as for a high-visibility enforcement (HVE) campaign (Speeding Slows You Down).  

NHTSA Graphic on its two speeding prevention campaigns 

While both campaigns help spread awareness and educate the public about the deadly consequences of speeding and urge drivers to obey speed limits, the high-visibility enforcement campaign also includes messaging related to increased law enforcement. Many tools are available in both English and Spanish. 

FMCSA Observes Annual Our Roads, Our Safety Week  

This week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducted Our Roads, Our Safety Week, an annual national safety observance dedicated to educating road users on sharing the road safely with large trucks and buses. Together with the larger safety community, FMCSA is committed to sharing safety tips, resources, and materials that help improve road safety and reach zero roadway deaths. To view Secretary Buttigieg’s video message for Our Roads, Our Safety Week 2024, please click here. 

ENSURING EQUITY IN TRANSPORTATION 

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Uniform Act Final Rule with Enhanced Protections      

and Assistance for People Affected by Federally Funded Projects 

On May 3, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a final rule to update the government-wide Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition for Federal and Federally Assisted Programs (Uniform Act), which provides protections and assistance for people affected by federally funded projects. Federally funded programs or projects which are designed to benefit the public often need to acquire private property to be developed - which sometimes results in the displacement of individuals from their homes, businesses, or farms. To ensure property owners and tenants are treated fairly, equitably and receive relocation assistance, the Uniform Act was enacted by Congress in 1970. The final rule is the first update in almost 20 years and makes important changes to help those displaced or otherwise affected by federally funded projects and includes important equity considerations. 

To provide guidance and assistance to federal government agencies, DOT was named as the lead federal agency for the Uniform Act, a role fulfilled by FHWA's Office of Real Estate Services. The lead agency is responsible for developing, issuing, and maintaining government-wide regulations, as well as aiding the 17 federal Uniform Act agencies and providing an annual report to Congress. For more information on the Uniform Act, please review these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and visit FHWA’s Uniform Act webpage. A webinar will take place on May 21, 2024, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. eastern time, to inform stakeholders of the latest updates.  Please watch the Uniform Act webpage for the details, which will be posted soon. 

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOPS 

Register Now for DOT Public Engagement Workshops in Atlanta and Chicago 

DOT’s Office of Public Engagement is organizing a series of in-person and virtual public engagement workshops this spring and summer. The workshops engage transportation practitioners, community leaders, and members of the public on ensuring that public involvement is meaningful and considered in the transportation decision-making process. On April 30, the first workshop was held in Phoenix, Arizona, featuring speakers and participants eager to implement and influence transportation plans, projects, and programs with robust community involvement. Click here to learn more about two upcoming in-person workshops, which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on June 12 and in Chicago, Illinois on July 30, and to register for the workshops. A virtual workshop will also be conducted, the date for which is still being finalized. 

DOT Office of Public Engagement graphic 

The content in these workshops is based on two USDOT documents: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making: and Transportation Decision-Making: A Guide to Getting Involved. 

RESOURCES 

POSTS OF THE WEEK 

More people are signing up for airline credit cards & loyalty programs. As regulators, it's our job to ensure the flying public isn't being treated unfairly or deceptively through programs. I joined @chopracfpb, consumer advocates, airlines, & labor groups to discuss this issue. (@SecretaryPete, May 9, 2024) 

On the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, we're reconstructing and improving US93. I had an opportunity to meet with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes about this transportation corridor which connects them and other residents to jobs, schools, & medical care. (@SecretaryPete, May 9, 2024) 

Safety is our top priority, and we just took a big step to leverage technology to prevent car crashes. Making automatic emergency braking systems *standard* on new cars will save lives and prevent injuries for tens of thousands of Americans each year. (@USDOT, May 7, 2024) 

Missoula, Montana is putting President Biden's infrastructure package to work to improve the community.  

@SecretaryPete is in Montana this week to meet with local leaders, workers, and tour ongoing construction projects in the state. (@USDOT, May 6, 2024) 

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As always, please reach out to us with questions, feedback, and suggestions at engage@dot.gov.        

Thank you!      

Kala Wright 

Director of Public Engagement 

Office of the Secretary