Document wrkdqvRLgab6b75yaNG7N958D

MAPAOmaha -Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency June 20, 2025 Senator Chuck Grassley 135 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510 Dear Senator Grassley, I am writing to you today with regard to MAPA's recent award of funding through the Prioritization Process Pilot Program (PPPP), established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). MAPA was notified of our $2 million award through the program on December 2, 2024 and notified on June 18, 2025 that the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) no longer plans to move forward with grant agreements for these awards or issue a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This funding program presented an exceptional opportunity to advance a long lasting and coordinated relationship between MAPA and our state DOT partners. The intended use of these federal funds will develop a data-driven process that will integrate safety, sustainability, and economic strength into MAPA and NDOT's selection processes. Our joint project seeks to leverage this opportunity to enhance the current project selection process, thereby informing critical regional and statewide planning efforts, including the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), Comprehensive Safety Action Plans (SS4A CSAP), Complete Streets initiatives, and to provide a shared understanding of localized priorities that impact regionally significant and state projects. MAPA's PPPP award would lay the groundwork for the accelerating infrastructure investment through NDOT's anticipated Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) project. This new framework would tap financing and project development tools to implement public-private partnerships on transportation investments. We ask your office, as a supporter of this project and MAPA's efforts to accelerate infrastructure investment in the region, to communicate the importance of these resources to the USDOT and encourage the agency to move forward with grant agreements for FY2024 awards under the PPPP program. These resources are crucial 2222 Cuming Street Omaha, NE 68102-4328 402.444.686O6ST-2025-1200 Pwawgwe.m03a0p9a2cog.org r 402.342.0949 mapa@mapacog.org Sierra Club v. Dept. of Transp. - 3:25-cv-06221 SC_EVERSPLIT0028800 to ushering in the next way of transformative infrastructure investment for MAPA's members and driving economic growth throughout the region. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely, Michael Helgerson Executive Director OST-2025-1200 Page 03093 Sierra Club v. Dept. of Transp. - 3:25-cv-06221 SC_EVERSPLIT0028801