Transportation Nominees on Senate’s Radar
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With members of Congress back in Washington after the elections, their lame-duck session in the Senate includes consideration of high-profile nominees.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) indicated this brief post-election session will reflect his caucus’ goal of confirming presidential nominees for the courts as well as Department of Transportation and other agencies.
Awaiting action in the Senate Commerce Committee are nominees for the National Transportation Safety Board as well as Amtrak and the Federal Maritime Commission. Scheduling a vote on the nomination of Thomas Chapman for another term on the board is a priority for the panel’s leaders. During a hearing this fall, Chapman expressed his commitment to safeguarding the nation’s mobility corridors as he defended his credentials for a reappointment to the independent agency.
“I devote much of my attention to traffic safety, because that is where our greatest safety challenges lie. I speak extensively on the Safe System Approach to traffic safety, pedestrian safety, alcohol and drug impairment, and rail worker and highway-rail grade crossing hazards. I am especially active on key initiatives to address two stubbornly persistent challenges — alcohol-impaired driving and excessive speed,” Chapman told senators, pointing to DOT’s comprehensive concept meant to mitigate risks inherent in the nation’s transportation system.
An area of focus for the nominee is the adoption of autonomous vehicles and related technologies. As a result of 2021’s bipartisan infrastructure law, the Biden administration has paved the way for the advancement of alternative fuels and emerging technologies in transportation networks.
Responding to a questionnaire from the committee, the nominee explained: “Advances in automation and the development of autonomous vehicles hold great promise for enhancing transportation safety. However, these advances present new questions and challenges — some of which will be difficult to anticipate.”
“NTSB must keep pace with the rapid changes,” he went on. “It must ensure that appropriate staff expertise is maintained and that appropriate tools and technical skills are available or developed to meet the challenge.”
Chapman joined the independent agency in 2020. He has four decades of transportation policy experience ranging from government to the private sector. Prior to joining the NTSB, Chapman was a staffer on the Senate Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation Subcommittee.
Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) endorsed the nominee while emphasizing the agency’s role in promoting safety along connectivity corridors.
“In his four years on the board, Mr. Chapman has been a strong advocate … for the Safe System approach to … highway traffic safety and has championed NTSB’s research into preventing intoxicated driving and speeding-related deaths,” she said during a hearing in September. “Chapman is also a strong advocate for safety at highway-grade crossings for rail workers.”
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Specific to the agency, Cantwell added, “I believe that the NTSB’s work has never been more important or more needed, East Palestine, Ohio’s rail derailment, or the Alaska issue, or this Francis Scott Key Bridge incident in Baltimore.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the panel’s ranking member, also touted the nominee’s credentials. As he put it, “Chapman has many years of experience working on aviation issues, including as staff to this very committee. During his first term at the NTSB, Mr. Chapman increased his attention on roadway safety and recommended several changes to traffic policy. I agree that roadway safety is an important priority — according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration there were almost 41,000 motor vehicle traffic fatalities last year.”
NTSB has delivered to Capitol Hill investigative reports detailing high-profile accidents. Its investigation into the collapse of the bridge in Baltimore is ongoing.
