(a) To apply to participate in the Pilot Program, a State must submit an application to the applicable Operating Administration(s) (i.e., FHWA, FRA, or FTA).

(b) Each application submitted must contain the following information:

(1) A full and complete description of the alternative environmental review and approval procedures, including:

(i) The procedures the State uses to engage the public and consider alternatives to the proposed action; and

(ii) The extent to which the State considers environmental consequences or impacts on resources potentially impacted by the proposed actions (such as air, water, or species).

(2) Each Federal environmental requirement the State is seeking to substitute, within the limitations of § 778.103(b);

(3) Each State environmental law and regulation the State intends to substitute for a Federal environmental requirement, within the limitations of § 778.103(b);

(4) A detailed explanation (with supporting documentation, incorporated by reference where appropriate and reasonably available) of the basis for concluding the State environmental law or regulation intended to substitute for a Federal environmental requirement is at least as stringent as that requirement;

(5) A description of the projects or classes of projects (defined as either a defined group of projects or all projects to which NEPA, the procedures governing the implementation of NEPA and related procedural laws under the authority of the Secretary, including 23 U.S.C. 109 and 139, and related regulations and Executive orders would apply) for which the State would exercise the authority that may be granted under the Pilot Program;

(6) Verification that the State has the financial and personnel resources necessary to fulfill its obligations under the Pilot Program;

(7) Evidence that the State has sought public comments on its application prior to the submittal and the State's response to any comments it received;

(8) A point of contact for questions regarding the application and a point of contact regarding potential implementation of the Pilot Program (if different);

(9) Certification and explanation by the State's Attorney General or other State official empowered by State law to issue legal opinions that bind the State:

(i) That the State has legal authority to enter into the Pilot Program;

(ii) That the State waives its sovereign immunity to the extent necessary to consent to exclusive Federal court jurisdiction for the compliance, discharge, and enforcement of any responsibility under this Pilot Program;

(iii) That the State has laws that are comparable to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552 (FOIA), including laws that allow for any decision regarding the public availability of a document under those laws to be reviewed by a court of competent jurisdiction;

(iv) Identifying within the State's laws the jurisdictional requirements and standards of review applicable to judicial review of decisions under the environmental laws proposed for substitution under the Pilot Program; and

(10) The State Governor's (or in the case of the District of Columbia, the Mayor's) or the State's top-ranking transportation official's signature approving the application.