,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hfec ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #d1 #bjbf,mr4 ,garamendi 7for himself and ,mr4 ,thompson of ,california7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,transportation to establish a grant program for demonstration projects that make critical transportation infrastructure resilient to natural hazards1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,accelerating ,demonstration ,approaches for ,protecting ,transportation ,assets ,act or the ,,adapt ,assets ,act4 #b4 ,accelerating ,demonstration ,approaches for ,protecting ,transportation ,assets ,program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,transportation shall establish and carry out a competitive grant program1 to be known as the ,accelerating ,demonstration ,approaches for ,protecting ,transportation ,assets ,program 7in this section referred to as the ,program71 to provide up to #aj grants to eligible applicants for demonstration projects that make critical transportation infrastructure resilient to natural hazards4 7b7 ,eligible applicants ,an eligible applicant under the ,program is-- 7#a7 a metropolitan planning organization 7as defined in section #acd of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code72 7#b7 a ,state2 7#c7 a unit of local government2 7#d7 a public transportation agency or authority2 7#e7 a port or public toll authority that owns or operates eligible transportation assets2 7#f7 a ,tribal government2 or 7#g7 a consortium of #b or more entities described in paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#e71 including a consortium led by a metropolitan planning organization1 so long as the applicants demonstrate a regional partnership and governance structure for project delivery4 7c7 ,application requirements ,to be eligible for a grant under the ,program1 an eligible applicant shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7d7 ,project selection criteria ,in selecting projects under the ,program1 the ,secretary shall consider1 at a minimum1 the extent to which the project-- 7#a7 addresses existing or predicted recurring damage or asset failure of a high-risk transportation asset or corridor based on documented exposure to hazard risk2 7#b7 provides transportation system benefits1 including preserving or enhancing regional or statewide mobility1 economy1 goods movement1 safety1 and emergency response access2 7#c7 provides additional benefits1 including enhancing resilience of adjacent communities1 the environment1 and other critical infrastructure2 7#d7 is consistent with a resilience improvement plan authorized under this ,act2 7#e7 demonstrates readiness to proceed1 including through-- 7,a7 demonstrating that it is supported by a regional partnership and governance plan that identifies roles1 responsibilities1 and decision-making processes across affected facility owners1 land owners1 funders1 jurisdictions2 and modes2 and 7,b7 completion of planning activities carried out in a manner consistent with section #afh of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 or other key predevelopment milestones1 or a credible schedule to complete such milestones2 and 7#f7 advances innovation and replicability1 including approaches that can be scaled by other regions4 7e7 ,eligible uses 7#a7 ,in general ,grants under the ,program may be used for a project or suite of projects within a region that1 taken together1 constitute a large-scale resilience investment to protect1 elevate1 adapt1 relocate1 or otherwise improve the resilience of transportation assets eligible for assistance under title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,eligible uses ,funds provided by a grant under the ,program may be used for-- 7,a7 predevelopment activities1 including data collection1 engineering and design1 environmental review1 permitting1 right-of-way activities1 and procurement planning2 and 7,b7 capital construction and implementation activities to harden or adapt transportation assets1 including-- 7i7 protective features described in section #aai7k7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code2 7ii7 system resilience improvements described in section #agf7;c77#c77;,c7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code2 7iii7 levees1 including engineered levees and levees utilizing natural infrastructure2 and 7iv7 other resilience improvements that are functionally connected to making an eligible transportation asset more resilient to extreme weather1 natural hazards1 and disaster risks4 7f7 ,multiyear project requirements 7#a7 ,multiyear agreements ,the ,secretary may enter into multiyear grant agreements to fund an eligible project under the ,program across multiple fiscal years1 including agreements that provide predictable funding for programmatic delivery of related resilience improvements4 7#b7 ,in general ,to be eligible for funding under a multiyear grant agreement described in paragraph 7#a71 the project or suite of projects shall-- 7,a7 have an estimated total cost of not less than #ejj1jjj1jjj1 except that the ,secretary may reduce such threshold for ,tribal applicants1 rural regions1 or insular areas2 and 7,b7 involve delivery challenges or institutional1 regulatory1 or funding barriers that are not routinely addressed through existing surface transportation programs and1 if successfully resolved through the demonstration1 would provide a replicable model for other projects4 7#c7 ,eligible barriers ,to be considered eligible under paragraph 7#b77;,b71 the barriers described in such paragraph shall include #a or more of the following3 7,a7 ,multiowner or multioperator governance and delivery structures4 7,b7 ,integration of natural or nature-based infrastructure into transportation projects subject to ,federal environmental review or permitting4 7,c7 ,resilience investments located outside the transportation right-of-way that reduce risk to an eligible transportation asset4 7,d7 ,projects that protect or enhance transportation assets while also benefitting communities and other critical infrastructure systems4 7,e7 ,projects requiring coordinated funding across two or more ,federal departments4 7g7 ,federal share 7#a7 ,federal share ,the ,federal share of the cost of a project carried out with a grant under this section may not exceed #hj percent4 7#b7 ,other ,federal funds ,other ,federal funds may be used to satisfy the non-,federal share only to the extent specifically provided for under the law authorizing the use of such ,federal funds4 7h7 ,administration 7#a7 ,notice of funding opportunity ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall publish a notice of funding opportunity for grants under the ,program4 7#b7 ,interagency coordination ,in carrying out the ,program1 the ,secretary shall coordinate with other ,federal departments and agencies1 including the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency1 ,department of ,interior1 ,department of ,commerce1 and ,u4,s4 ,army ,corps of ,engineers1 to ensure ,federal activities related to resiliency and ,federal funding are streamlined and coordinated to allow for comprehensive solutions across ,federal agencies to mitigate impacts from natural hazards on infrastructure1 the economy1 and the ,united ,states population4 7#c7 ,relationship to other ,federal programs ,a grant under this section may be used in combination with funds made available under other provisions of law administered by the ,department of ,transportation1 including funds for formula1 discretionary1 and emergency relief programs4 7#d7 ,dashboard 7,a7 ,in general ,in carrying out this section1 the ,secretary shall make publicly available in an easily identifiable location on the website of the ,department of ,transportation a dashboard containing the following information for each project in a grant agreement under this section3 7i7 ,project name4 7ii7 ,project sponsor4 7iii7 ,city or urbanized area and ,state in which the project will be located4 7iv7 ,project type4 7v7 ,anticipated total project cost4 7vi7 ,anticipated share of project costs to be sought under this section4 7vii7 ,date of compliance with the ,national ,environmental ,policy ,act of #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq474 7viii7 ,date on which the project entered the project development phase4 7ix7 ,date on which the project entered the engineering phase1 if applicable4 7x7 ,status of each permit necessary for the project to proceed1 the ,federal agency with principal responsibility for review of each necessary permit1 and any participating agencies involved in the review of each necessary permit4 7xi7 ,status of the project sponsor in securing non-federal matching funds4 7xii7 ,date on which a project grant agreement is anticipated to be executed4 7xiii7 ,federal grant programs for which the project would also be eligible1 if applicable4 7,b7 ,updates ,the ,secretary shall update the information provided under subparagraph 7,a7 not less frequently than monthly4 7,c7 ,project profiles ,the ,secretary shall continue to make profiles for projects that are receiving assistance under this section publicly available in an easily identifiable location on the website of the ,department of ,transportation4 7i7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall establish an interagency working group to develop and submit to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate a report not later than #d years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and every #b years thereafter that-- 7#a7 describes projects selected and funded under the ,program2 7#b7 evaluates the benefits of the projects' integration of natural and nature-based features in improving infrastructure resiliency2 7#c7 evaluates program outcomes and best practices2 7#d7 provides recommendations regarding whether and how to scale the ,program2 and 7#e7 provides a benefit-cost analysis of each project selected and funded under the ,program that uses the best available data1 including-- 7,a7 annual maintenance costs necessary for the upkeep of the project's components2 7,b7 risk to structures and infrastructure mitigated by the project2 7,c7 level of protection provided by the project2 7,d7 historical damage at the project location2 7,e7 information on the benefitting area of the project2 and 7,f7 additional data1 as applicable4 7j7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #b1jjj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbg through #bjca1 to remain available until expended1 of which not more than #b percent may be used for administrative expenses and technical assistance4 7k7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,eligible transportation asset ,the term eligible transportation asset means-- 7,a7 a highway project eligible for assistance under title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,b7 a public transportation facility or service eligible for assistance under chapter #ec of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code2 or 7,c7 a port facility1 including a facility that-- 7i7 connects a port to other modes of transportation2 7ii7 improves the efficiency of evacuations and disaster relief2 or 7iii7 aids transportation4 7#b7 ,region ,the term region means-- 7,a7 the geographic area served by a metropolitan planning organization2 7,b7 a multijurisdictional area defined by a consortium of eligible applicants2 or 7,c7 such other area as the ,secretary determines appropriate to address transportation system risk at a corridor or system scale4