This FAST Act Fact Sheet has been superseded by a BIL FBP Fact Sheet.
Ferry Boat Program
| Fiscal year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorization | $80 M | $80 M | $80 M | $80 M | $80 M |
Program purpose
The FAST Act continues the Ferry Boat Program, which funds the construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities.
Statutory citations
FAST Act § 1112; 23 U.S.C. 147
Funding features
Type of budget authority
Contract authority from the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund, subject to the overall Federal-aid obligation limitation. Funds are available until expended but are subject to redistribution (described below) if not timely obligated.
Formula
The FAST Act continues to allocate FBP funds to States, U.S. territories, and Puerto Rico, and then further among eligible entities (ferry systems), based on a statutory formula. However, the FAST Act modifies that formula, giving greater weight to the number of passengers carried by ferry systems. The formula is now—
- 35% based on the number of ferry passengers, including passengers in vehicles, carried by each ferry system;
- 35% based on the number of vehicles carried by each ferry system; and
- 30% based on the total route nautical miles serviced by each ferry system. [23 U.S.C. 147(d)]
The FAST Act also newly guarantees that a State with an eligible entity under the program will receive a minimum of $100,000 in FBP funding each fiscal year. [23 U.S.C. 147(f)]
Redistribution of amounts unobligated within four fiscal years
The FAST Act requires DOT to—
- withdraw from an eligible entity any allocated FBP funds that that entity has not obligated by the end of the third fiscal year following the year in which DOT initially allocated the funds; and
- redistribute those withdrawn funds (in accordance with the FBP formula described above) among other eligible entities. [23 U.S.C. 147(e)]
Federal share
80% [23 U.S.C. 147(b)]
Eligible activities
The FAST Act continues without modification all existing FBP eligibilities. It explicitly prohibits FBP funding for the construction or purchase, for private ownership, of a ferry boat, terminal facility, or other project. [23 U.S.C. 129(c)(3)(B)] It also changes the mechanism used for selling, leasing, or otherwise disposing of Federally-funded ferry boats and terminal facilities. [23 U.S.C. 129(c)(7)]
Program features
National ferry database
The FAST Act continues to require the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to maintain a national ferry database, and authorizes the use of up to $500,000 per year of the Bureau’s funding for this purpose. [FAST Act § 1112(b); SAFETEA-LU § 1801(e)(4)]
Ferry entities are required to submit data to the most recent collection of data for the national ferry database in order to be eligible for FBP funding. FBP funds will be allocated using the most current data. At the discretion of the Secretary, adjustments can be made to misreported or inconsistent data. [FAST Act § 1112(b)-(c); 23 U.S.C. 147(g)]
February 2016