Senate Confirms LaHood to Run DOT

This story appears in the Feb. 2 print edition of Transport Topics.

The U.S. Senate confirmed several key cabinet posts, including Ray LaHood as secretary of transportation, but the Obama administration has yet to announce the president’s choices to lead several key transportation agencies within DOT.

LaHood, a Republican congressman from Illinois from 1994 to 2008, was confirmed Jan. 22 by the Senate and sworn into office the following day.

On Jan. 22, the Senate also confirmed Lisa Jackson to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Nancy Sutley as chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The two also were formally sworn in Jan. 23.

The president has yet to send nominations to the Senate to head several key DOT agencies, including the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The current acting administrators are: Rose McMurray at FMCSA, Jeffrey Paniati at FHWA and Ronald Medford at NHTSA.

In a Jan. 26 statement, LaHood said that Obama has signed a presidential memo directing DOT to finish drafting national federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for 2011 model year and later vehicles and light trucks.

“CAFE is a top priority for this administration, and the Department of Transportation and its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are poised to move quickly on new fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks,” LaHood said.

Jackson said in a Jan. 23 statement that she was honored to be nominated to lead EPA when the agency has “environmental challenges.”

“As administrator, I will ensure EPA’s efforts to address the environmental crises of today are rooted in three fundamental values:

science-based policies and programs, adherence to the rule of law and overwhelming transparency,” Jackson said. “By keeping faith with these values and unleashing innovative, forward-thinking approaches, we can further protect neighborhoods and communities throughout the country.”