The Secretary shall provide assistance for projects and activities to advance innovative public transportation research and development in accordance with the requirements of this section.

In order to carry out paragraph (1), the Secretary may make grants to and enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agreements with—

(1) In general.— The Secretary may make grants and enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agreements for research, development, demonstration, and deployment projects, and evaluation of research and technology of national significance to public transportation, that the Secretary determines will improve public transportation.

In order to carry out paragraph (1), the Secretary may make grants to and enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agreements with—

(A) departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government, including Federal laboratories;

(B) State and local governmental entities;

(C) providers of public transportation;

(D) private or non-profit organizations;

(E) institutions of higher education; and

(F) technical and community colleges.

An application under subparagraph (A) shall be in such form and contain such information as the Secretary may require, including—

(A) In general.— To receive a grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or other agreement under this section, an entity described in paragraph (2) shall submit an application to the Secretary.

(B) Form and contents.—An application under subparagraph (A) shall be in such form and contain such information as the Secretary may require, including— (i) a statement of purpose detailing the need being addressed; (ii) the short- and long-term goals of the project, including opportunities for future innovation and development, the potential for deployment, and benefits to riders and public transportation; and (iii) the short- and long-term funding requirements to complete the project and any future objectives of the project.

A public transportation research project that receives assistance under paragraph (1) shall focus on—

(1) In general.— The Secretary may make a grant to or enter into a contract, cooperative agreement, or other agreement under this section with an entity described in subsection (b)(2) to carry out a public transportation research project that has as its ultimate goal the development and deployment of new and innovative ideas, practices, and approaches.

A public transportation research project that receives assistance under paragraph (1) shall focus on—

(A) providing more effective and efficient public transportation service, including services to— (i) seniors; (ii) individuals with disabilities; and (iii) low-income individuals;

(B) mobility management and improvements and travel management systems;

(C) data and communication system advancements;

(D) system capacity, including— (i) train control; (ii) capacity improvements; and (iii) performance management;

(E) capital and operating efficiencies;

(F) planning and forecasting modeling and simulation;

(G) advanced vehicle design;

(H) advancements in vehicle technology;

(I) asset maintenance and repair systems advancement;

(J) construction and project management;

(K) alternative fuels;

(L) the environment and energy efficiency;

(M) safety improvements; or

(N) any other area that the Secretary determines is important to advance the interests of public transportation.

A public transportation innovation and development project that receives assistance under paragraph (1) shall focus on—

(1) In general.— The Secretary may make a grant to or enter into a contract, cooperative agreement, or other agreement under this section with an entity described in subsection (b)(2) to carry out a public transportation innovation and development project that seeks to improve public transportation systems nationwide in order to provide more efficient and effective delivery of public transportation services, including through technology and technological capacity improvements.

A public transportation innovation and development project that receives assistance under paragraph (1) shall focus on—

(A) the development of public transportation research projects that received assistance under subsection (c) that the Secretary determines were successful;

(B) planning and forecasting modeling and simulation;

(C) capital and operating efficiencies;

(D) advanced vehicle design;

(E) advancements in vehicle technology;

(F) the environment and energy efficiency;

(G) system capacity, including train control and capacity improvements; or

(H) any other area that the Secretary determines is important to advance the interests of public transportation.

An entity described in this paragraph is—

(1) In general.— The Secretary may, under terms and conditions that the Secretary prescribes, make a grant to or enter into a contract, cooperative agreement, or other agreement with an entity described in paragraph (2) to promote the early deployment and demonstration of innovation in public transportation that has broad applicability.

An entity described in this paragraph is—

(A) an entity described in subsection (b)(2); or

(B) a consortium of entities described in subsection (b)(2), including a provider of public transportation, that will share the costs, risks, and rewards of early deployment and demonstration of innovation.

A demonstration, deployment, or evaluation project that receives assistance under paragraph (1) shall seek to build on successful research, innovation, and development efforts to facilitate—

(A) the deployment of research and technology development resulting from private efforts or Federally funded efforts;

(B) the implementation of research and technology development to advance the interests of public transportation; or

(C) the deployment of low or no emission vehicles, zero emission vehicles, or associated advanced technology.

(4) Evaluation.— Not later than 2 years after the date on which a project receives assistance under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the success or failure of the projects funded under this subsection and any plan for broad-based implementation of the innovation promoted by successful projects.

(5) Prohibition.— The Secretary may not make grants under this subsection for the demonstration, deployment, or evaluation of a vehicle that is in revenue service unless the Secretary determines that the project makes significant technological advancements in the vehicle.

In this subsection—

(A) the term “direct carbon emissions” means the quantity of direct greenhouse gas emissions from a vehicle, as determined by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;

(B) the term “low or no emission vehicle” means— (i) a passenger vehicle used to provide public transportation that the Secretary determines sufficiently reduces energy consumption or harmful emissions, including direct carbon emissions, when compared to a comparable standard vehicle; or (ii) a zero emission vehicle used to provide public transportation; and

(C) the term “zero emission vehicle” means a low or no emission vehicle that produces no carbon or particulate matter.

Not later than the first Monday in February of each year, the Secretary shall make available to the public on the Web site of the Department of Transportation, a report that includes—

(1) a description of each project that received assistance under this section during the preceding fiscal year; and

(2) an evaluation of each project described in paragraph (1), including any evaluation conducted under subsection (e)(4) for the preceding fiscal year.

The Government share of the cost of a project carried out under this section shall not exceed 80 percent.

(1) In general.— The Government share of the cost of a project carried out under this section shall not exceed 80 percent.

(2) Non-government share.— The non-Government share of the cost of a project carried out under this section may be derived from in-kind contributions.

(3) Financial benefit.— If the Secretary determines that there would be a clear and direct financial benefit to an entity under a grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or other agreement under this section, the Secretary shall establish a Government share of the costs of the project to be carried out under the grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or other agreement that is consistent with the benefit.

In this subsection—

In this subsection—

(A) the term “covered institution of higher education” means an institution of higher education with which the Secretary enters into a contract or cooperative agreement, or to which the Secretary makes a grant, under paragraph (2)(B) to operate a facility selected under paragraph (2)(A);

(B) the terms “direct carbon emissions” and “low or no emission vehicle” have the meanings given those terms in subsection (e)(6);

(C) the term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002); and

(D) the term “low or no emission vehicle component” means an item that is separately installed in and removable from a low or no emission vehicle.

An institution of higher education described in clause (i) shall have—

(A) In general.— The Secretary shall competitively select at least one facility to conduct testing, evaluation, and analysis of low or no emission vehicle components intended for use in low or no emission vehicles.

(B) Operation and maintenance.— (i) In general.— The Secretary shall enter into a contract or cooperative agreement with, or make a grant to, at least one institution of higher education to operate and maintain a facility selected under subparagraph (A). (ii) Requirements.—An institution of higher education described in clause (i) shall have— (I) capacity to carry out transportation-related advanced component and vehicle evaluation; (II) laboratories capable of testing and evaluation; and (III) direct access to or a partnership with a testing facility capable of emulating real-world circumstances in order to test low or no emission vehicle components installed on the intended vehicle.

(C) Fees.— A covered institution of higher education shall establish and collect fees, which shall be approved by the Secretary, for the assessment of low or no emission vehicle components at the applicable facility selected under subparagraph (A).

(D) Availability of amounts to pay for assessment.—The Secretary shall enter into a contract or cooperative agreement with, or make a grant to an institution of higher education under which— (i) the Secretary shall pay 50 percent of the cost of assessing a low or no emission vehicle component at the applicable facility selected under subparagraph (A) from amounts made available to carry out this section; and (ii) the remaining 50 percent of such cost shall be paid from amounts recovered through the fees established and collected pursuant to subparagraph (C).

(E) Voluntary testing.— A manufacturer of a low or no emission vehicle component is not required to assess the low or no emission vehicle component at a facility selected under subparagraph (A).

(F) Compliance with section 5318.— Notwithstanding whether a low or no emission vehicle component is assessed at a facility selected under subparagraph (A), each new bus model shall comply with the requirements under section 5318.

(G) Separate facility.— A facility selected under subparagraph (A) shall be separate and distinct from the facility operated and maintained under section 5318.

(3) Low or no emission vehicle component performance reports.— Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Federal Public Transportation Act of 2015, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall issue a report on low or no emission vehicle component assessments conducted at each facility selected under paragraph (2)(A), which shall include information related to the maintainability, reliability, performance, structural integrity, efficiency, and noise of those low or no emission vehicle components.

(4) Public availability of assessments.— Each assessment conducted at a facility selected under paragraph (2)(A) shall be made publicly available, including to affected industries.

Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require—

(A) a low or no emission vehicle component to be tested at a facility selected under paragraph (2)(A); or

(B) the development or disclosure of a privately funded component assessment.

The amounts made available under section 5338(a)(2)(G)(ii) are available for a public transportation cooperative research program.

(1) In general.— The amounts made available under section 5338(a)(2)(G)(ii) are available for a public transportation cooperative research program.

The Secretary shall establish an independent governing board for the program under this subsection.

(A) Establishment.— The Secretary shall establish an independent governing board for the program under this subsection.

(B) Recommendations.— The board shall recommend public transportation research, development, and technology transfer activities the Secretary considers appropriate.

(3) Federal assistance.— The Secretary may make grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, the National Academy of Sciences to carry out activities under this subsection that the Secretary considers appropriate.

(4) Government share of costs.— If there would be a clear and direct financial benefit to an entity under a grant or contract financed under this subsection, the Secretary shall establish a Government share consistent with that benefit.

(5) Limitation on applicability.— Subsections (f) [2] and (g) shall not apply to activities carried out under this subsection.

(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(d), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 811; Pub. L. 105–178, title III, § 3015(a), June 9, 1998, 112 Stat. 359; Pub. L. 109–59, title III, §§ 3002(b)(4), 3014(a)–(e)(1), Aug. 10, 2005, 119 Stat. 1545, 1596, 1597; Pub. L. 110–244, title II, § 201(f), June 6, 2008, 122 Stat. 1610; Pub. L. 112–141, div. B, § 20011, July 6, 2012, 126 Stat. 686; Pub. L. 114–94, div. A, title III, § 3008(a), (b), Dec. 4, 2015, 129 Stat. 1465, 1468.)