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STATE MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT RATE INCREASE –
The federal government has recently increased the standard mileage rate for transportation expenses from $0.655 per mile to $0.67 per mile.
1. For an employee using his/her own vehicle for the State's convenience, the mileage reimbursement rate has increased to $0.655 per mile from $0.67 per mile.
2. For an employee using his/her own vehicle for the employee's convenience, the employee will be reimbursed at one-half the standard mileage reimbursement rate, which has been increased to $0.3275 per mile from $0.335 per mile.
The rates are effective January 1, 2024, and will remain in effect throughout the calendar year. The GSA rate tables are located at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/100715.
Interior Department Announces Nearly $22 Million for Local Parks and New Actions to Increase Outdoor Access in Urban Areas
Launches Largest-Ever Funding Opportunity and Nationwide Tour
11/8/2023
Last edited 11/8/2023
COMUNICADO DE PRENSA EN ESPAÑOL
Date: Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today announced a funding opportunity for more than $224 million in grant funding for next year for local communities across the United States for the creation of new parks and trails, or substantial renovations to existing parks through the ORLP program. The announcement represents the largest grant funding since the launch of the program.
"The power of nature is undeniable. Children and families in every corner of America deserve spaces to recreate and enjoy the outdoors, regardless of their zip code or background,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program is a cornerstone of the Interior Department’s efforts to ensure that communities across America have access to nature. Today’s historic announcement will continue our work to connect communities to green spaces and ensure that efforts are community-centered and driven.”
“A sense of connection to nature and the outdoors begins in the places closest to where we live," said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “Improvements to city parks, like safe and engaging play areas for children and better outdoor recreational amenities for all ages, foster the health of the land and the health of a community. The National Park Service looks forward to working with communities to nurture a love for public lands starting with the discovery and enjoyment of city parks.”
This is the sixth round of funding from the ORLP program, which includes today’s announcement and additional awards expected in early 2024. In the latest round of selected cities, priority was given to projects incorporating or benefiting from green and blue natural surroundings that will help address city heat islands and provide health benefits to park visitors. The $21.9 million in funds will be matched at least 1:1 with state, local and private dollars.
The ORLP program helps advance the Biden-Harris administration's America the Beautiful initiative, a locally led, voluntary conservation and restoration effort that aims to address the nature and climate crises, improve equitable access to the outdoors, and strengthen the economy. Providing safe outdoor spaces for communities that are park-deprived is one of six areas of focus.
Since its inception in 1965, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has funded $5.2 billion to support more than 45,000 projects in every county in the country. In 2020, Congress permanently funded the LWCF at $900 million per year with wide bipartisan support. The LWCF supports increased public access to and protection for federal public lands and waters — including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas — and provides matching grants to state governments for the acquisition and development of public parks and other outdoor recreation sites.
The application process for the ORLP competition is different from most federal grant programs. Each State has a Lead Agency charged in administering the Land and Water Conservation fund within the State. This agency solicits proposals from project sponsors across the state, then selects and submits those they feel are best qualified to meet the goals of the ORLP program to the National Park Service (NPS) for inclusion in the national competition. If the project is selected in the national competition, the State Lead Agency than works with the project sponsor to prepare and submit additional required documents necessary for NPS to complete a full and final review of the project and make a funding determination. State Lead Agency selection deadlines are earlier than the NPS’s national ORLP competition deadline and may include additional requirements.
If your community is interested in applying for ORLP funding, please contact Elyse Jolly, Park and Recreation Program Manager at 775-684-2775 or at emjolly@parks.nv.gov for more information.
RTP 2024 TENTATIVE AWARDS LIST –
The tentative list of projects selected for 2024 RTP funding can be viewed here. The final awards list may vary slightly depending on the 2024 budget apportionment from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). For those applicants receiving an award, our grants staff will contact you in the near future to work out the details of the RTP agreement and NEPA/NHPA clearances. Please note that the grant approval process may take several months due to budget and approval delays at the state and federal levels. We will send follow-up emails updating awardees on the anticipated timeline once more is known.
After thoughtful and lengthy discussions, based on advice provided by the RTP Advisory Committee, NDSP has decided to re-open the motorized grant round for new applications, with more information coming soon. While the provided applications were eligible for funding, the RTP AC would like to see most motorized funds going towards on the ground projects vs staff time.
RTP BABA WAIVER INFORMATION
The Federal Highway Administration published Waiver of Buy America Requirements for De Minimis Costs and Small Grants.
The Waiver of Buy America Requirements for De Minimis Costs and Small Grants notice is the waiver. There is no need for waiver applications for projects that meet the criteria of this waiver.
To make clear: If the total amount of the project is below $500,000, the Buy America requirements for iron, steel, manufactured product, and construction materials is waived. If the total amount of the project is over $500,000, the allowable threshold for noncompliant products is the lesser of $1,000,000 or 5% of total applicable costs for the project. However, if the noncompliant products include iron, steel, manufactured products, the FHWA’s threshold amount of 0.1% of the total contract amount or $2,500 applies.
Do manufactured products made of iron or steel (such as snow grooming or trail construction and maintenance equipment) still need to go through the waiver process at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/construction/contracts/waivers.cfm?
Re: If the total amount of the grooming or trail construction and maintenance equipment project is below $500,000, the answer is NO. If the amount is over $500,000, the answer is YES.
Based on all the information available to the Agency, DOT finds that it is in the public interest to issue a waiver of BABA's domestic preferences for iron and steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in projects funded under DOT-administered financial assistance programs for iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials under a single financial assistance award for which:
- The total value of the non-compliant products is no more than the lesser of $1,000,000 or 5% of total applicable costs for the project; or
- The total amount of Federal financial assistance applied to the project, through awards or subawards, is below $500,000.
The waiver is applicable only to awards that are obligated or subawards that are made on or after the effective date of the waiver [August 16, 2023]. The waiver is applicable to subawards only if the subawards are made by a pass-through entity for a specific project.
In applying the waiver, the “total value of the non-compliant products” does not include the value of those products subject to a separate Buy America waiver. “Total applicable project costs” are defined as the cost of materials (including the cost of any manufactured products) used in the project that are subject to a domestic preference requirement, including materials that are within the scope of an existing waiver.
Because many DOT-administered financial assistance programs are also subject to program-specific domestic preference requirements, the waiver also applies to those requirements. Specifically, the waiver is also an exercise of DOT's authority to issue public interest waivers under 23 U.S.C. 313(b)(1), 49 U.S.C. 5323(j), 46 U.S.C. 54101(d)(2)(B)(i)(I), 49 U.S.C. 22905(a)(2), 49 U.S.C. 50101(b)(1), and 41 U.S.C. 8301(a)(2), as applied to DOT financial assistance. However, the de minimis cost portion of the waiver ( i.e., the first bullet in the finding above) does not apply to iron and steel subject to the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 313 on financial assistance administered by FHWA.[6 7]
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