(a) Except as prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation, each Administrator is authorized to:

(1) Exercise the authority of the Secretary over and with respect to any personnel within their respective organizations.

(2) [Reserved]

(3) Exercise the authority vested in the Secretary to prescribe regulations under 49 U.S.C. 322(a) with respect to statutory provisions for which authority is delegated by other sections in this part.

(4) Carry out the functions of the Secretary concerning environmental enhancement by 49 U.S.C. 303 (Duties of the Secretary of Transportation: Policy on lands, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, and historic sites) and 23 U.S.C. 138 as they relate to matters within the primary responsibility of each Operating Administration.

(5) Carry out the functions of the Secretary under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7506(c)), and related environmental laws as they relate to matters within the primary responsibility of each Operating Administration.

(6) Carry out the functions of the Secretary under section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966, 16 U.S.C. 470f, as they relate to matters within the primary responsibility of each Operating Administration.

(7) Administer FOIA and 49 CFR part 7 (Public Availability of Information) in connection with the records of the Operating Administration.

(8) Administer the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, and 49 CFR part 10 (Maintenance of and Access to Records Pertaining to Individuals) in connection with the records of the Operating Administration.

(9) Make written requests under subsection (b)(7) of the Privacy Act for records maintained by other agencies that are necessary to carry out an authorized law enforcement activity.

(10) Carry out the emergency preparedness functions assigned to the Secretary by Executive Order 12656, (as amended; see Executive Order 13286) and by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and General Services Administration (FEMA and GSA) as they pertain to his or her administration, including those relating to continuity of operations, emergency resource management, associated Federal claimant procedures, facilities protection and warfare effects monitoring and reporting, research, stockpiling, financial aid, and training.

(11) Enter into inter- and intradepartmental reimbursable agreements other than with the head of another department or agency. This authority may be redelegated only to Office Directors, Regional Directors, District Commanders or other comparable levels and Contracting Officers.

(12) Determine the existence and amount of indebtedness and the method of collecting repayments from employees within their respective administrations and collect repayments accordingly, as provided by 5 U.S.C. 5514. Redelegation of this authority may be made only to the principal officials responsible for financial management or such officials' principal assistants.

(13) Waive claims of the United States arising out of an erroneous payment to an employee of the Operating Administration of pay or allowances, or travel, transportation, or relocation expenses and allowances, and deny requests for waiver of such claims, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5584 and the OMB memorandum, “Determination with Respect to Transfer of Functions Pursuant to Public Law 104-316” (December 17, 1996). But for claims arising from erroneous payments to current employees, this delegation of authority is limited to claims greater than $500. For claims arising from erroneous payments to former employees, this delegation of authority is not limited by claim amount. Redelegation of this authority may be made only to the principal officials responsible for financial management or such officials' principal assistants.

(14) Settle and pay claims by employees of the Operating Administration for personal property losses as provided by 31 U.S.C. 3721 (Claims of personnel of agencies and the District of Columbia government for personal property damage or loss). This authority may be redelegated only to Office Directors, Regional Directors, or other comparable levels and to those individuals that report to the above officials.

(15) Exercise the authority of the Secretary to resolve informal allegations of discrimination arising in or relating to their respective organizations through Equal Employment Opportunity counseling or the Alternative Dispute Resolution process and to develop and implement affirmative action and diversity plans within their respective organizations. With regard to external civil rights programs, each Administrator exercises authority pursuant to statutes, regulations, Executive Orders, or delegations in this subpart to carry out these programs, under the guidance of the Director of the Departmental Office of Civil Rights, including conducting compliance reviews and other activities relating to the enforcement of these statutes, regulations, and Executive Orders.

(16) Review and approve for payment any voucher for $25 or less the authority for payment of which is questioned by a certifying or disbursing officer.

(17) Authorize and approve official non-foreign travel and transportation for themselves, their subordinates, and others performing services for, or in cooperation with, their Operating Administrations.

(18) Exercise the authority of the Secretary to make certifications, findings and determinations under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601, et seq.) with regard to any rulemaking document for which issuance authority is delegated by other sections in this part. This authority may be redelegated to those officials to whom document issuance authority has been delegated.

(19) Carry out the functions vested in the Secretary by 15 U.S.C. 3710(a), which authorizes agencies to permit their laboratories to enter into cooperative research and development agreements.

(20) [Reserved]

(21) Exercise the Secretary's authority under 31 U.S.C. 3711 to collect, compromise, suspend collection action on, or terminate claims of the United States which are referred to, or arise out of the activities of, the Operating Administration, subject to the limits on that authority imposed by 31 U.S.C. 3711 and the Federal Claims Collection Standards, 31 CFR chapter IX.

(22) Exercise the Secretary's authority under 28 U.S.C. 2672 and 28 CFR part 14, related to the administrative disposition of federal tort claims, for claims involving the Operating Administration. The Administrator may request the approval of the Attorney General to adjust, compromise, and settle any such claim if the amount of the adjustment, compromise, or award exceeds $100,000, but only after the General Counsel concurs with the request. If the Administrator believes that a pending claim presents a novel question of law or of policy, he or she shall coordinate with the General Counsel to obtain the advice of the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Division. If the Administrator settles a claim for an amount greater than $50,000, the Administrator shall prepare a memorandum fully explaining the basis for the action taken and coordinate with the General Counsel before sending a copy of the memorandum to the Director, Federal Torts Claims Act Staff, Torts Branch of the Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice.

(23) Enter into memoranda of agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in regard to setting and enforcing occupational safety or health standards and whistleblower protection for employees in DOT-regulated industries. The General Counsel shall concur in each memorandum of understanding with OSHA prior to its execution by the Administrator of the Operating Administration concerned.

(24) Enter into memoranda of agreement with the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) in regard to setting and enforcing safety standards for employees in DOT-regulated industries while on mine property. The General Counsel shall concur in each memorandum of agreement with MSHA prior to its execution by the Administrator of the Operating Administration concerned.

(25) Exercise the authority vested in the Secretary by Section 329A of the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1995, Public Law 103-331, 329A, 108 Stat. 2471, 2493 (September 30, 1994), to enter into grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions with any person, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, any unit of state or local government, any educational institution, and any other entity in execution of the Technology Reinvestment Project authorized under the Defense Conversion, Reinvestment, and Transition Assistance Act of 1992, Public Law 102-484, 106 Stat. 2658 (October 23, 1992), and related legislation.

(26) Carry out the functions vested in the Secretary by 49 U.S.C. 40119(b), as implemented by 49 CFR part 15, in coordination with the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Intelligence, Security and Emergency Response, relating to the determination that information is Sensitive Security Information within their respective organizations.

(27) Exercise the authority vested in the Secretary by 49 U.S.C. 326(a) and 31 U.S.C. 1353 to accept, subject to the concurrence of the Operating Administration's Deputy Ethics Official, the following: Gifts of property (other than real property) not exceeding $1,000 in value, gifts of services (in carrying out aviation duties and powers) not exceeding $1,000 in value, and reimbursement of travel expenses from non-federal sources not exceeding $3,000. Acceptance of gifts or travel reimbursement that exceed these limits in value or are otherwise significant may only take place with the additional concurrence of the General Counsel. This delegation extends only to the acceptance of gifts or travel expenses and does not authorize the solicitation of gifts, which is reserved to the Secretary at § 1.21.

(28) Exercise the authority vested in the Secretary by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-410, 104 Stat. 890), as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321), to promulgate rules that adjust civil penalties.

(29) Carry out the functions vested in the Secretary to implement the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Act of 1970 (Uniform Act), 42 U.S.C. Chapter 61, with respect to programs administered by their respective Operating Administrations. Each Operating Administration may prescribe additional Uniform Act guidance that is appropriate to those particular programs, provided that such additional guidance must be consistent with the Uniform Act and 49 CFR part 24. The lead agency for Uniform Act matters is the Federal Highway Administration (see § 1.85 and 49 CFR part 24).