A bit more on that "MPO Coordination" proposed rule

On one hand, you can see why FHWA and FTA proposed a rule on realigning and coordinating metropolitan planning organizations. For instance, if you take a look at FHWA's "HEPGIS" map that overlays MPO boundaries with Census-defined urbanized areas (this map is at http://hepgis.fhwa.dot.gov/fhwagis/ViewMap.aspx?map=MPO+Boundaries|MPO+Boundary), you can see how a mapmaker would want to tidy things up a lot.

But as far as I know, nothing changed in either MAP-21 or the FAST Act that required FHWA to take a fresh look at MPOs' boundaries or planning areas, so what was the motivation?

One analysis of this was put forth by Alex Bond of the Eno Center for Transportation, in an article he wrote in the Eno Transportation Weekly. From what Alex writes, it sounds like DOT Secretary Foxx found it frustrating to work with multiple MPOs during his tenure as mayor of Charlotte.

Think you might be part of an alternative fuel corridor? FHWA seeks nominations

Per Section 1413 of the FAST Act, and as part of the federal government's campaign to promote increased use of electric vehicles and other alternatively fueled vehicles, the Federal Highway Administration has just announced that it's seeking nominations from states and local officials for designations of "alternative fuel corridors."

This notice was published on July 22; nominations are due August 22. Nope, there's no extra money in this for states or localities on the corridors that are designated, but there is the satisfaction of being part of a federal effort that promotes energy independence and greenhouse gas reduction. Oh, and FHWA will give attention and signage to the corridors it designates.

One interesting thing about this call for nominations is that the successful nominations must "involve a range of stakeholders," and must describe - among other things - the "benefits to disadvantaged groups and/or communities, which may include low-income groups, persons with visible or hidden disabilities, elderly individuals, and minority persons and populations" that will arise from receiving designation as an alternative fuel corridor.

Coming Soon: FTA's Transit Asset Management Rules

Although not yet printed in the Federal Register (and thus not yet really official), the Federal Transit Administration has posted its new final rule on transit asset management to its website. I've got a fairly full analysis posted here, at http://planningletter.blogspot.com/p/fta-poised-to-issue-transit-asset.html.

One important feature of this rule is that any entity that distributes FTA funds to subrecipients will be required to sponsor a group asset management plan for its subrecipients. These mandatory sponsors will include state DOTs that administer Section 5311 rural transit grants (as well as Section 5307 grants to some smaller urbanized areas), but also will include MPOs or transit agencies that distribute or suballocate Section 5310 or 5307 funds to subrecipients in urbanized areas.

The FHWA/FTA MPO Coordination NPRM - update & correction

Here are a couple more items related to the recently published proposed rule on "MPO Coordination" that FHWA and FTA published a few weeks ago. Several readers saw that I'd mistyped the date by which comments on this NRPM must be submitted. I've corrected that date, which - as you've said - is August 26, 2016. Take a fresh look at my analysis, and share any other corrections or reactions you may have! My analysis is not the only thing on this NPRM. Last week, AMPO hosted an FHWA webinar reviewing this NPRM, which did a great job at presenting the concepts and thinking behind the FHWA/FTA proposal. You can view the slides from that webinar at AMPO's website: http://www.ampo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MPOCoordinatonNPRM_7_15_16.pdf More recently, the National Association of Regional Councils developed a detailed analysis of the NPRM and the issues it may present to NARC's members, which you can view at http://narc.org/wp-content/uploads/NARC-MPO-Coordination-NPRM-Analysis-2016-07-19-FINAL.pdf. Finally, a couple of readers were glad that I pointed out how this proposed rule isn't just a thing for large metro areas with multiple MPOs, but proposes some changes that would affect every single MPO in the country to some degree. So, review the rule, figure out what matters most to you, and get your comments submitted by August 26!

More Far-Reaching Than It May Seem: FHWA/FTA Proposed Rule on MPO Coordination & Planning Areas

Just a month after issuing their long-awaited final rules on transportation planning, the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration have proposed rule changes on how metropolitan planning organizations would define their planning areas, and how they would coordinate their planning activities in places where there are more than one MPO for given planning area. For a closer look at this proposal, check out the summary posted on this site, at http://planningletter.blogspot.com/p/fhwa-fta-propose-more-changes-to.html. Note the July 15 webinar, that may be good viewing for those with a stake in this issue. Especially important is to consider the opportunity to comment on this proposed regulation before August 26, 2016.