Recent News
08/06/2009
Federal Aviation Administration Needs to Strengthen Selection and Award Processes for Airport Improvement Grants
The Recovery Act calls for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to award $1.1 billion in grants to airport operators for projects that improve airport safety, capacity, and security. When reviewing FAA's process for selecting and funding the projects, the agency's Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that FAA selected some low-priority projects that have questionable economic merit—a key Recovery Act requirement. Also, in some cases, FAA awarded money to recipients with histories of grant-management problems, which raised doubts about their ability to administer effectively their Recovery funds. The OIG urged the FAA to revise its guidance on selecting Recovery-related airport improvement projects, and to ensure that funding is awarded only for the highest-priority projects with demonstrated economic merit. In addition, the OIG recommended that FAA provide stronger oversight of the entities receiving grant money.
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06/22/2009
Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General Proposes Strengthening Oversight of the Grants Payment Process
The Department of Transportation (DOT) will distribute 77 percent (approximately $37 billion) of its total Recovery Act funding through major grants programs. The Department has determined that four of these programs are at risk and susceptible to making improper payments, and therefore, need to be tested annually. DOT's Office of Inspector General reviewed the Department's sampling for improper payments made in Fiscal Year 2008 and found the results were not reliable due to the extremely small sample size and lack of a random sample selection. Because DOT is about to award a new contract for testing Fiscal Year 2009 payments, the Office of Inspector General emphasized the need for developing a more reliable test for improper payments.
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03/31/2009
Transportation Inspector General Issues Report on Oversight Challenges Facing the Department of Transportation
On March 31, 2009, the Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report identifying oversight challenges facing the Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The report condensed these challenges into 10 focus areas where DOT must exhibit sustained and effective actions related to providing oversight of ARRA funding recipients; implementing new requirements and programs mandated by ARRA; and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse. The OIG recommended that the Secretary of Transportation, through the DOT-wide Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) team, develop an oversight implementation plan outlining the key actions DOT already has underway or will take to address the potential risks discussed in this report.
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03/05/2009
$8.4 Billion for Public Transit
Today, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the availability of $8.4 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for public transportation.
“All over the country, resources are being put to work not only creating jobs now – but also investing in the future. A future that strengthens our transit system, makes us more energy efficient and increases safety,” said Vice President Joe Biden. “With this recovery package, we will be creating jobs, saving jobs, and putting money in people’s pockets. And with these resources, we’ll not only be rebuilding roads and bridges and schools, we’ll be rebuilding America.”
"Investments in public transportation put people to work, but they also get people to work in a way that moves us towards our long term goals of energy security and a better quality of life," added Secretary LaHood. "That is why transit funding was included in the ARRA and why we think it is a key part of America's transportation future."
Use the table below to learn how much funding has been made available to repair and build the public transportation infrastructure in your state. For additional details visit the Department of Transportation's recovery site here.
Alabama |
$46,459,047 |
Alaska |
$41,632,703 |
American Samoa |
$341,099 |
Arizona |
$100,561,948 |
Arkansas |
$28,409,450 |
California |
$1,068,448,693 |
Colorado |
$103,469,063 |
Connecticut |
$137,526,347 |
Delaware |
$17,643,474 |
District of Columbia |
$124,914,899 |
Florida |
$316,196,713 |
Georgia |
$143,561,526 |
Guam |
$921,976 |
Hawaii |
$43,837,375 |
Idaho |
$18,398,968 |
Illinois |
$467,537,681 |
Indiana |
$84,285,780 |
Iowa |
$36,483,617 |
Kansas |
$30,727,408 |
Kentucky |
$50,295,172 |
Louisiana |
$65,734,213 |
Maine |
$13,266,106 |
Maryland |
$179,262,087 |
Massachusetts |
$319,718,084 |
Michigan |
$134,956,466 |
Minnesota |
$94,093,115 |
Mississippi |
$25,466,306 |
Missouri |
$85,133,543 |
Montana |
$15,611,710 |
N. Mariana Islands |
$1,114,292 |
Nebraska |
$23,309,592 |
Nevada |
$49,463,771 |
New Hampshire |
$13,164,584 |
New Jersey |
$524,231,441 |
New Mexico |
$27,749,995 |
New York |
$1,222,252,991 |
North Carolina |
$103,304,242 |
North Dakota |
$10,997,090 |
Ohio |
$179,808,408 |
Oklahoma |
$39,163,565 |
Oregon |
$75,716,939 |
Pennsylvania |
$343,703,209 |
Puerto Rico |
$68,970,497 |
Rhode Island |
$29,552,290 |
South Carolina |
$41,154,218 |
South Dakota |
$11,289,101 |
Tennessee |
$72,016,364 |
Texas |
$374,524,702 |
Utah |
$58,084,648 |
Vermont |
$5,680,572 |
Virgin Islands |
$1,284,112 |
Virginia |
$116,105,505 |
Washington |
$179,046,604 |
West Virginia |
$18,675,475 |
Wisconsin |
$81,640,826 |
Wyoming |
$9,300,398 |
Total Apportioned |
$7,476,200,000 |
Oversight |
$56,800,000 |
Tribal Transit |
$17,000,000 |
Discretionary Energy Funding |
$100,000,000 |
New Starts |
$750,000,000 |
Grand Total |
$8,400,000,000 |
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