National RTAP is holding a webinar on What's New in National RTAP's Toolkits on September 19, 2022, from 2:00-3:00 PM ET.

Join National RTAP Review Board Member Laura Corff, Transit Director for United Community Action Program, Inc./Cimarron Transit, for an overview of pages she helped update in the ADA Toolkit and Transit Manager's Toolkit. National RTAP Analyst Nancy Doherty will discuss updates to the State RTAP Manager's Toolkit resulting from the 2022 State RTAP Manager’s survey. Knowledge and Resource Manager Cara Marcus will also introduce many of the updates to the toolkits.

The Transportation Technical Assistance Coordination Library (TACL), a project of FTA and its Technical Assistance Centers, helps rural and tribal transit agencies access information about public transportation coordination.

The TACL Task Force is conducting a survey to better understand how our users are accessing and using TACL in an effort to best meet the needs of those seeking resources on transportation coordination. Please fill out this brief survey to help us improve TACL.

The recommended practices described in FTA's Effective Practices in Bus Transit Accident Investigations include practices for accident scene investigations, documenting the scene, conducting interviews, and the safety risk management process.

FTA published its FY-23 Transit Training Schedule, which includes in-person, eLearning, and virtual courses. Courses include fatigue and sleep apnea for transit employees, a transit supervisor certification course, substance abuse management, and program compliance, and more. Courses are available through the Transportation Safety Institute (TSI).

FTA is requesting comments on information collection activities for State Safety Oversight, their Bus Testing Program, and Transit Research, Development, Demonstration, Deployment and Training Projects. Comments for the first topic are due September 23, 2022 and the second and third are due October 24, 2022.

FTA's August 2022 Transit Safety and Oversight Spotlight Newsletter includes FTA's upcoming rulemaking in the 2022 Spring Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources, and a data spotlight on Transit Fatalities and Injuries by System Type.

There are a number of upcoming trainings for Tribal transit organizations, including:

TCRP's Transit and Micromobility provides an analysis of the full benefits and impacts of micromobility on public transportation systems, including those in small urban areas.

National Aging and Disability Transportation Center's (NADTC) Meeting the Transportation Needs of Diverse Older Adults and People with Disabilities describes the challenges and opportunities of addressing the transportation need of older adults and people with disabilities and highlights the work of local programs.

Shared-Use Mobility Center's (SUMC) Managing the Labor Shortage at Transit Agencies provides ideas and solutions for managing the labor shortage at transit agencies, such as recruiting and retaining mechanics, operators, and administrative employees through high school and college internships and in-house professional development programs.

The Texas Transit Performance Dashboard provides interactive data on state-funded public transportation in Texas. Users can explore information on a single transit district through a list or map. Data includes fare structure, revenues, productivity measures, and other indicators.

The University of Montana Rural Institute provides a Disability Data Lookup tool. Users can select states, counties, and variables (such as disability population and percent by type of disability, metropolitan status, and demographic characteristics) to display data.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Environmental Justice Index combines data from national sources to rank the cumulative impacts of environmental injustice on health for every census tract. Domain rankings include transportation infrastructure, air pollution, socioeconomic indicators, and additional data.

The Volpe Center's Resilience and Disaster Recovery (RDR) Tool enables transportation agencies to assess transportation resilience return on investment for transportation assets over a range of potential future conditions and hazard scenarios.

Smart Growth America, Main Street America, and T-Mobile offer Hometown Grants funding to support improvement projects for small towns and rural communities. The upcoming cycle submission deadlines are September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2022.

The Fleet Safety Award is given to a fleet or risk manager whose leadership and innovation have enhanced the safety of fleet drivers, their organizations, and the general public. Nominations close on September 9, 2022.

Students from high school to the graduate level have opportunities for mentorship, publication, presentation, and more with TRB. For example, the TRB Minority Student Fellows Program funds students from select minority-serving institutions to attend and present their research at the TRB Annual Meeting.

The National Academy of Sciences James Prize in Science and Technology Integration honors outstanding contributions made by researchers who are able to adopt or adapt information or techniques from outside their fields, and thus integrate knowledge from two or more disciplines to solve a major contemporary challenge not addressable from a single disciplinary perspective. Nominations are due October 3, 2022.

The Rural Health Network Development (RHND) Program will support integrated health care networks that collaborate with cross-sector entities such as community-based and social service organizations, colleges and universities, and Tribal organizations. The application deadline is November 22, 2022.

The USDA Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) aims to increase the sales and use of higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel by expanding the infrastructure for renewable fuels derived from U.S. agricultural products. Applications for funding are being solicited through November 21, 2022.

Applications for National Tribal Broadband Grants are being accepted through October 17, 2022. The grant funding is to hire consultants to perform feasibility studies for the deployment or expansion of high-speed Internet/broadband.

Tribal and Insular Area Grants are available through the EPA Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) through October 14, 2022. Eligible diesel emissions reduction solutions include verified retrofit technologies, verified idle reduction technologies, verified aerodynamic technologies, verified low rolling resistance tires, certified engine replacements and conversions, and certified vehicle or equipment replacement.

S. 3451, A bill to include certain computer-related projects in the Federal permitting program under title XLI of the FAST Act, was signed into law on August 16, 2022. It expanded the expedited environmental review and permitting process to include computer-related infrastructure projects, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, high-performance computing, advanced computer hardware and software, quantum information technology, data storage, data management, and cybersecurity.

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a Memorandum with policy guidance to federal agencies performing research and development requesting that they update their public access policies as soon as possible, and no later than December 31, 2025, to make publications and their supporting data resulting from federally funded research publicly accessible without an embargo.

The U.S. Department of Energy issued a Request for Information on the Collection, Transportation, Sorting, Processing, and Second Life Applications for End-Of-Life Lithium-Ion Batteries to is to ensure that the United States has viable domestic manufacturing and recycling capability to support and sustain a domestic battery supply chain. Applications are due October 14, 2022.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted an Information Collection Request on the Renewable Fuel Standard Program. The program requires a certain volume of renewable fuel to replace or reduce the quantity of petroleum-based transportation fuel. Comments may be submitted by September 29, 2022.

FHWA is seeking comments through September 30, 2022 on a proposal under its Buy America waiver to modify its existing general applicability waiver for manufactured products to remove electric vehicle chargers. The waiver would initially waive all Buy America requirements and components for EV chargers and phase out the waiver with changes in 2023-2024.

September 1, 2:00-3:30 PM

Common Sources of Confusion Webinar (about ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards)

September 1, 2:30-4:00 PM

New York, NY, September 1-2

September 6, 2:00-3:00 PM

September 8, 2:00-3:00 PM

Santa Fe, NM, September 6-8

Bismark, ND, September 6-8

Scottsdale, AZ, September 6-9

September 7, 1:00-2:30 PM

September 7, 2:00 PM

September 7, 2:00-2:30 PM

Park City, UT, September 7-10

September 8, 12:00- 1:30 PM

New Orleans, LA, September 11-13

September 12-16

September 13, 1:00 PM

September 13, 3:00 PM

September 13, 2:00-3:30 PM

September 13, 20, and 27

September 14, 1:30 PM

Philadelphia, PA, September 14, 1:30-3:30 PM

September 15, 10:30 AM

September 15, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

September 15, 1:00-2:30 PM

September 15, 2:00 PM

September 15, 3:00 PM

Aberdeen, SD, September 16-20

Los Angeles, CA, September 18-22

September 19, 2:00-3:00 PM

September 19, 2:00-3:00 PM

September 19, 3:00-4:30 PM

Washington, D.C., September 19-21

Anaheim, CA, September 19–21

Keene, NH and Virtual, September 21, 10:00 AM - September 22, 5:30 PM

September 21, 12:30 PM

September 21, 12:30 PM

September 21, 1:00-2:00 PM

September 21, 2:00 PM

September 21, 2:00-3:30 PM

September 22, 1:00-2:00 PM ET

September 22, 2:00-3:00 PM

Memphis, TN, September 22-25

Dallas, TX, September 23-24

September 27, 2:00-3:00 PM

Austin, TX, September 27-28

Snowmass Village, CO, September 27-30

Springfield, MO, September 28-29

September 29, 2:00-3:00 PM

September 29, 2:00-3:30 PM

October 4, 12:00-1:30 PM

October 11, 2:00-3:00 PM

October 12, 1:00 PM

Pittsburgh, PA, October 15-18

Indianapolis, IN, October 19-21

October 20, 1:00 PM

October 25-27

Albany, NY, October 25-27

October 27, 1:00 PM

Greenwood Village, CO, November 1-3

Washington, DC, November 3-4

Interagency NEPA & Permitting Collaboration Tool (INPCT) Webinar

November 9, 1:00-2:30 PM

To register, contact David Williams

November 9-10

Fleet Forward Conference / Fleet Safety Conference

Santa Clara, CA, November 9 - 11

November 15, 1:00-2:00 PM

For a listing of all National RTAP and other national events, view our Calendar. Also, see the FTA Events Calendar. To submit an event, email info@nationalrtap.org.