Time for Tiger II

   This post has nothing to do with Tiger Woods and everything to do with $600 million in grants.
The Department of Transportation began opening a $600 million grant account for project applications, in an indirect extension of discretionary “TIGER” grants the DOT awarded under the economic stimulus law.
   It also asked for quick-response comments, due May 7, on the DOT’s “intention to conduct a multi-agency evaluation and award process with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.” That way, the two departments could “better align transportation, housing, economic development and land use planning,” the DOT said in an April 26 Federal Register interim notice.
   Formally, the new funds account is for national infrastructure investments, but the DOT said it will call them TIGER II Discretionary Grants. The original name was an acronym for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery that the DOT created for its high-level stimulus coordinating team, and later applied to the $1.5 billion in discretionary grants the team distributed.
   The new money was put into a multi-agency 2010 appropriations bill Congress passed late last year, and which President Obama signed into law Dec. 16. Its terms are similar to the TIGER grants, but not identical. States, territories, tribes, ports and some other entities may apply.
   Eligible projects include highway or bridge work, public transit, passenger and rail freight, and port infrastructure. Applications must be for at least $10 million, except for certain projects in rural areas, and not more than $200 million each. But the DOT says since the largest TIGER grant was $105 million, it is unlikely any TIGER II grants will actually reach the maximum. Full story.