Bush Nominates New PHMSA Head

President Bush has nominated Carl Johnson to head the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Bloomberg News reported.

The agency, known as PHMSA, was created in 2004 to be the single area in the U.S. Transportation Department that handles the nation’s pipeline infrastructure and the secure movement of almost 1 million daily shipments of hazardous materials, according to its Web site, Bloomberg said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Johnson would replace Rear Adm. Thomas Barrett, who left PHMSA in March to become acting deputy secretary of transportation. He was confirmed as the full-time deputy in August.

Johnson is a former president of the Compressed Gas Association, the White House said.