Federal Mass Transportation Act of 1991

Federal Mass Transportation Act of 1991 - Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 (the Act) to declare that one of the purposes of the Act is to provide assistance to State and local governments in their efforts to implement programs that support national goals, improve air quality, energy conservation and independence, international competitiveness, and mobility for elderly, disabled, and economically disadvantaged persons.

Redesignates the Urban Mass Transportation Administration as the Federal Transit Administration.

Declares that the Congress strongly supports a Federal policy that promotes increased use of commute-to-work benefits and that is consistent with national objectives of energy conservation, reduced reliance on energy imports, lessened congestion, and clean air.

Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to make discretionary grants or loans to States and local agencies to finance mass transportation services to meet the special needs of elderly and handicapped persons. Authorizes the Secretary to pay any costs (inclusive of debt service) to retire any long-term debt incurred by an applicant to finance mass transportation projects, including debt to complete such a project for which a letter of intent or full funding contract has been issued by the Secretary when the debt is incurred, in spite of an approved project budget, because of lack of funds made available in an appropriations Act.

Revises criteria for the award of grants or loans for the construction of any new fixed guideway system or extension of such a system to require a project to be based upon a thorough assessment of a variety of innovative financing mechanisms in connection with its construction and operation, as well as for its long-range finance plan for meeting overall system capital and operating costs. Sets forth specified factors to be considered by the Secretary in making such grants or loans.

Requires the Secretary to make specified determinations with respect to such projects.

Requires the Secretary to consider specified factors in assessing the availability of local funding for such projects. Requires such projects to be implemented by means of a full funding contract.

Allocates such grants and loans based on a percentage formula for: (1) rail modernization; (2) new fixed guideway systems and extensions; and (3) purchase of buses and the construction of bus-related facilities.

Requires apportionment of funds based on a percentage formula for urbanized areas with fixed guideway facilities.

Revises provisions relating to the development and planning of transportation systems in urbanized areas. Authorizes the Secretary, as an alternative to grants and contracts with State and local agencies to enter into working agreements with other Federal departments for the planning of public transportation projects and for other technical studies.

Revises the formula for apportioning public transportation block grantees for urbanized areas according to fixed guideway revenue vehicle or route miles. Includes in such formula, in the case of routes where multiple tracks or lanes are in use in the same direction, all such tracks or lanes in the computation of total fixed guideway route miles. Provides for a special apportionment of block grants based on the fixed guideway revenue vehicle miles whenever grantees can certify to the Secretary certain energy or operating efficiencies without a reduction in service.

Requires block grantees to submit to the Secretary an annual certification that such grantee has continuing control, through operation or lease, including domestic and offshore safe harbor lease transactions, over the use of facilities and equipment (excluding track, signal and communications, and other wayside equipment).

Allows grant recipients, when developing a program to propose the sum of proposed program projects concerning activities for local planning purposes, to propose projects whose sum exceeds annual mass transportation apportionments made to urbanized areas.

Includes certain supplies (excluding fuel and lubricants) as associated capital maintenance items.

Requires a recipient of a mass transportion project grant to retain net income received from the use, lease, or sale of certain acquired airspace or adjacent property acquired or derived from the disposal of certain fungible items. Prohibits the Secretary from awarding grants or making loans on the condition that such net income must be used to finance part of any mass transportation project, or to reimburse the United States for grants or loans made with respect to such projects, or use such net income in any calculation of net project costs.

Authorizes the use of a specified percentage of mass transportation funds to finance capacity expansion construction projects, improve the movement or use of mass transit and shared ride programs, or facilitate the development of intermodal facilities. Prohibits the award of a grant unless the recipient certifies that basic transit maintenance needs have been addressed in the metropolitan planning process, and projects have been programmed in the transportation improvement program to meet such needs.

Authorizes designated recipients of mass transportation funds prior to enactment of this Act for urbanized areas with populations under 200,000 to continue to receive and dispense such funds.

Authorizes the Governor of a State to transfer an amount of the State's apportionment of grants and loans for mass transportation services to meet the needs of the elderly and handicapped to supplement funds apportioned to such State for public transportation projects and technical assistance to non-urbanized areas.

Authorizes the Secretary to issue regulations providing for the delegation of environmental review, decisionmaking, and other action pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to certified recipients of mass transportation assistance.

Authorizes a grant for the research and investigation by nonprofit institutions of higher learning of urban transportation problems to cover the safety aspects related to such problems. Requires the Secretary to make grants to the National Cooperative Transit Research Center to research short-term operating problems experienced by assisted public transportation service providers.

Authorizes the Secretary to permit recipients of mass transportation assistance to transfer, under specified conditions, facilities and equipment that are no longer needed for a mass transportation project to a public body for a public use, with no further obligation to the Federal Government.

Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to allow the leasing to public transit operators of vehicles purchased by States, local agencies, private nonprofit corporations, and associations for elderly and handicapped persons.

Prohibits a State from imposing further terms or conditions with respect to the administration of public transportation grants awarded to it for non-urbanized areas.

Authorizes appropriations for mass transportation projects. Makes specified amounts available: (1) from the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund; (2) for substitute mass transportation projects; (3) for rural transportation programs; (4) for planning and design of mass transportation facilities for elderly and handicapped persons; (5) for research, planning, and training programs; and (6) for administrative expenses.

Requires the Secretary to make a report to the Congress that includes: (1) actions taken to identify conditions in any facility, equipment, or manner of operation as part of findings and determinations required in providing mass transportation grants and loans; (2) actions to correct or eliminate conditions that create a serious hazard of death or injury as a condition for making such grants and loans; (3) a summary of passenger-and employee-related deaths and injuries resulting from unsafe conditions in such facilities, equipment, or manner of operation, including actions taken to correct or eliminate such conditions; (4) a summary of actions taken to alert transit operators to such conditions; and (5) recommendations to the Congress of any legislative or administrative actions necessary to ensure that recipients of transportation assistance will institute the best means available to correct or eliminate hazards of death or injury.

Makes a specified amount of Mass Transit Account funds available: (1) to the Secretary for grants or contracts for specifed mass transportation planning and research projects, including special demonstration initiatives and transit technology development; and (2) for State and local transit cooperative research and planning and research programs. Sets forth a formula for the apportionment and allocation of such funds among the States.

Authorizes the Secretary to charge fees for planning and research conferences, seminars, and training sessions.

Requires the Secretary to establish an Industry Technical Panel consisting of representatives of transportation suppliers and operators and others involved in technology development to assist in the identification of priority technology development areas and in establishment of guidelines for project development, sharing, and execution.

Requires a 80 percent matching Federal share for State and local planning and research programs, with specified exceptions.

Requires the Secretary to negotiate and execute a letter of intent and a full funding agreement that provides the Federal share of the cost of construction of the Queens Local/Express Connection in New York City.

Directs the Secretary to provide mass transportation funds to the State of New York to meet the transportation needs associated with the staging of the 1993 World University Games.

Requires the Secretary to determine, in cooperation with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), the environmental impact as required by NEPA of the Cross-County Metro project from Morrisville to Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Requires the Secretary, upon a finding that NEPA requirements have been met, to enter into a Full Funding Grant Agreement with SEPTA for the construction of such project.

Directs the Secretary to prepare a multiyear funding contract for the rehabilitation of the Drake/Library and Overbrook trolley lines in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the status of completion of such agreement.