February 24, 2010 > Federal Transportation Administration rejects BART Federal Transportation Administration rejects BART Submitted By James Allison The Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) rejected BART's plan to meet the FTA's standards of full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act for the Oakland Airport Connector Project (OAC) in a letter received by BART on February 12, 2010. According to BART, the letter cites no substantive deficiencies in BART's latest draft action plan to correct Title VI deficiencies identified in a December 2009 audit. Instead, the basis of the FTA's rejection rests solely on the fact that BART's plan contains a timetable with an end date beyond September 30, 2010, the deadline for awarding stimulus fund grants. BART's original draft action plan, submitted to the FTA on January 28, committed to complete all required tasks well before September 30, 2010, but following its review, FTA staff directed BART to plan for a longer timetable. Additionally, the FTA's letter referred to a September 30 funding disbursement deadline. The Federal Register (Vol. 79, No. 42) of March 5, 2009 states that ARRA funds need only to be awarded to specific projects by that date. Grant recipients have five years to draw down, or spend, these federal funds. "BART is extremely disappointed and dismayed the FTA will not use its discretion to allow stimulus funding to the Oakland Airport Connector while BART remedies Title VI deficiencies," said BART General Manager Dorothy W. Dugger. "BART's commitment to Title VI and Civil Rights is strong and abiding and we're fully committed to completing and correcting any deficiencies in our program. The action plan we submitted to FTA makes that clear." Under Title VI implementation regulations, the enforcement of Title VI relies on voluntary curing of deficiencies with the denial of funding as a final, not first, step in the process. "Long-time opponents of this project are using the Civil Rights Act to stop the Oakland Airport Connector project and the thousands of jobs it will bring to this region, many of which would be held by minority workers. Access to jobs is also a Civil Rights issue," said Dugger. "The Oakland Airport Connector contractor has committed that 20 percent of the construction work and 33 percent of the professional services work will go to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises." The FTA does not cite any deficiency in BART's last action plan other than it contains a timetable with an FTA-imposed deadline of September 30, 2010. BART is fully committed to completing and executing a final plan to FTA's satisfaction. On January 20, BART officials responded to the FTA's January 15 Title VI letter and announced their commitment to meet FTA requirements. A broad coalition of advocates joined BART officials to voice their support of the project. Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority, Omar Benjamin, Executive Director of the Port of Oakland, Andreas Cluver, Secretary-Treasurer of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County and Andy Slivka, Jr., Marketing and Political Representative of the Carpenters Union 713 Alameda County are examples of local leaders in support of OAC. Coalition in Support of the Oakland Airport Connector Project Congresswoman Barbara Lee Congressman Jerry McNerney Mayor Ron Dellums Oakland City Council Oakland Port Commission Metropolitan Transportation Commission Alameda County Congestion Management Authority Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority Assembly Member Sandre Swanson Bay Area Council Oakland Chamber of Commerce Oakland Branch NAACP Chinatown Chamber of Commerce Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce San Francisco Black Chamber of Commerce Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Cypress Mandella Partnership 100 Black Men Pastor Earl Crawford, frmr President CA State Baptist Convention Unity Council Airport Area Business Association Former City Council members and Port Commissioners Henry Chang and Dick Spees ABAG Executive Director Henry Gardner All airlines doing business at the Oakland International Airport Bay Area Business Coalition Alameda County Building Trades Council and all its affiliates - Operating Engineers, Laborers, Carpenters, Ironworkers, etc. IBEW Local 595 California Alliance for jobs Oakland Visitors and Convention Bureau Oakland Association of Black Trade and Trade East Bay Small Business Council Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce Association of General Contractors Oakland Post Newspaper - Editor Paul Cobb