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101 Number 02 |
January 12, 2001 |
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Executive Digest
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Schenendorf Outlines Transportation Challenges for New
Administration
Airline delays and mergers
and tight funding for transportation will provide immediate
challenges to the incoming Bush administration, Jack Schenendorf
told a group of transportation officials during this week's
Transportation Research Board meeting. Schenendorf is chairing
President-elect George Bush's transportation transition team.
Schenendorf recently left his post as chief of staff for
the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and he is
now leading President-elect George Bush's transportation policy
team, who will help Bush nominee Norman Mineta in his transition
to Secretary of Transportation. The transition policy team and a
group of about 50 advisers are currently compiling summaries of
legislative and regulatory issues the new administration will
face, along with future workforce issues in the Department of
Transportation.
Public anger over increasing airline
delays and proposed airline mergers will likely draw the immediate
attention of the new administration, according to Schenendorf. As
a result there may be additional pressure in Congress to consider
some form of re-regulation of the airlines or to revisit
"passenger bill of rights" legislation. Modernization of the air
traffic control system may also be addressed, as well as the
recently announced merger of American Airlines and TWA and the
proposed United Airlines/US Airways merger (see related article).
Funding for the transportation program is likely to be
extremely tight, according to Schenendorf, with many high-priced
transportation programs up for reauthorization and some seeking
additional funding. He noted that the Federal Aviation
Administration is planning to request an additional $800 million
for operations, and Amtrak may seek an additional $450 million.
Issues to be Addressed
Schenendorf discussed
several pending legislative and regulatory issues. Leftover
legislative items include a proposal to give Amtrak bonding
authority, rail retirement reform legislation, and Surface
Transportation Board and hazardous-materials transportation
reauthorization.
In addition, there are 460 Department of
Transportation rulemakings currently open, 155 of which are
"significant," according to Schenendorf. Some have been open for
as long as 11 years. Schenendorf said the new administration would
either redo the planning and environment proposed rules or "deal
with" rules that may be issued. Also in play are revised
motor-carrier hours of service regulations, which generated
controversy last year.
The Department of Transportation
also has some urgent workforce issues, Schenendorf added. By 2005,
25 percent of DOT engineers will be eligible for retirement, while
42 percent will be eligible by 2010. There could be a drain of
Senior Executive Service-level employees, given that 60 percent
will be eligible to retire by 2005. This includes 90 percent of
senior engineers.
Portions of Planning Regs Sent to OMB
Parts of the proposed
planning regulations issued by the U.S. Department of
Transportation last spring were forwarded to the Office of
Management and Budget for its sign-off..
For the past
month, Federal Highway Administrator Kenneth Wykle has indicated
that the Department was considering moving the non-controversial
portions of planning regulations, along with the environmental
justice and consultation provisions. Wykle indicated they did not
intend to move forward with the NEPA regulations. This week the
intelligent transportation systems (ITS) project architecture
proposal was finalized in a rule published on Monday (see related
article).
Tuesday evening, the Office of the Secretary
sent OMB some proposals for final approval. It is not known
specifically what portions of the planning proposed rules were
sent to OMB. In order to be issued as final rules, OMB must review
and approve the regulation before the inauguration of
President-elect George Bush on January 20. Whether OMB will
finalize the rules is uncertain, given a likely crush of
last-minute regulations awaiting action before the new
administration takes over.
In the meantime, Wykle sent a
letter to AASHTO President Dean Carlson in response to concerns
raised over FHWA's efforts to move forward with certain portions
of the proposed rules. Carlson stated, in a December 21 letter to
Wykle, that the proposal should not be finalized until it has been
comprehensively revised and issued for a second round of public
review and comment (AASHTO Journal, December 22).
In a
January 5 letter to Carlson, Wykle said "We are mindful of the
many differing views on the rulemaking, but also of our obligation
to implement the provisions of TEA-21 and other statutes through a
timely and effective rulemaking process. I want to assure you that
we are carefully considering the comments received on the
transportation planning NPRM, including the extensive, detailed
comments from AASHTO and its member State transportation
departments, as we decide whether to proceed with a partial Final
Rule on statewide and metropolitan transportation planning."
In the letter, Wykle noted that FHWA staff conveyed the
recent concerns raised by AASHTO while briefing congressional
staff on planning for the proposed rules.
Wykle added, "I
share the State transportation departments' commitment to
advancing effective and workable programs, policies, and
strategies. I am confident that in 2001, the Federal Highway
Administration will continue to work with AASHTO and our many
other partners to complete the Final Rules on transportation
planning and environmental review in a way that fulfills that
commitment."
House Committee Changes Underway
Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers
(R-KY) was named to head the Transportation Appropriations
Subcommittee last week.
House Appropriations Chairman C.W.
"Bill" Young announced the new so-called "cardinals" who will
oversee annual funding for federal programs. Rogers and Rep. Frank
Wolf (R-VA) switched chairmanships, with Wolf moving to chair the
Commerce-State-Justice Appropriations Subcommittee while Rogers
takes over the transportation subcommittee. Rogers will oversee a
program that saw funding levels rise to $57.9 billion in FY 2001.
In a statement, Rogers said "I look forward to working
with the Congress and with the Bush administration to ensure that
our nation's transportation system is ready for the demands of the
future." Among the challenges he cites are properly funding and
managing the National Highway System, improving air travel,
promoting the nation's railways and Coast Guard, and getting "the
most efficient use of our federal transit dollars in communities
across the nation."
On the staff level, John Blazey,
former clerk for the Transportation Subcommittee, will join the
full Appropriations Committee. Richard Efford, who has been a
staff assistant to the subcommittee, will move up to replace
Blazey as clerk.
The full committee gained four new
Republicans, including John T. Doolittle (R-CA), Ray LaHood
(R-IL), John Sweeney (R-NY), and David Vitter (R-LA). All four
were members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee and must relinquish their seats on that committee.
Moves at T&I Under Way
In the meantime, as the
new chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) must assign subcommittee
leadership posts within the next few weeks. Young, who is moving
from his previous post as chairman of the House Resources
Committee, is also expected to reinstate the Rail Subcommittee,
which two years ago was incorporated into the Ground
Transportation Subcommittee.
Such a change may allow Rep.
Thomas Petri (R-WI) to remain chairman of the reinstated Surface
Transportation Subcommittee. Petri had to give up his chairmanship
of the Ground Transportation Subcommittee due to committee term
limits, and was not successful in his bid to chair the Education
Committee. The structural changes to the subcommittee, with the
removal of jurisdiction over rail issues, would allow the
term-limit clock to be restarted for Petri.
As for other
subcommittees, Congressional Quarterly reports that the following
members are seeking positions: Jack Quinn (R-NY) or James
Traficant (D-OH), if he switches party affiliation, to head the
Rail Subcommittee; James Duncan (R-TN) or Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD)
for Water Resources and Environment; and Donald Sherwood (R-PA)
for Aviation.
Some staff changes have been made for the
full committee, with Lloyd Jones, former chief of staff for the
Resources Committee, becoming chief of staff for the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, replacing Jack
Shenendorf. Current Chief Counsel Roger Nober will remain with the
committee.
Also moving over from the Resources Committee
are: Michael Stachn, who will be deputy chief of staff; Elizabeth
Megginson as general counsel; and Steve Hansen as communications
director. Moving from Young's personal office is Levon Boyagian,
who will be special assistant to the
chairman.
Senate
Committee Assignments Announced
After reaching a historic
agreement last week to evenly split committee membership between
Republicans and Democrats, Senate leaders on Thursday announced
new committee assignments.
The plan by Senate Majority
Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) and Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) to
provide for even membership on Senate committees was approved last
week by the Republican and Democratic delegations. Currently,
Democrats are leading the Senate until President-elect George Bush
and Vice President-elect Richard Cheney are sworn in on January
20, at which point Cheney will have the tie-breaking vote, which
will give Republicans a majority.
New committee
assignments were announced Thursday, with Democrats gaining seats
on all committees. The Environment and Public Works Committee now
has nine Democratic and nine GOP members. Sens. Craig Thomas
(R-WY) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) no longer sit on the
committee, while Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) joined it.
Rounding out the Republican membership of the Committee are
Chairman Robert Smith (R-NH), John Warner (R-VA), Christopher Bond
(R-MO), George Voinovich (R-OH), Michael Crapo (R-ID), Robert
Bennett (R-UT), and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI).
Three
first-term Democrats will join the Environment and Public Works
Committee, including Thomas Carper (D-DE), Hillary Rodham Clinton
(D-NY) and Jon Corzine (D-NJ). Remaining Democratic members
include Harry Reid (D-NV), the new ranking member, Max Baucus
(D-MT), Bob Graham (D-FL), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Barbara Boxer
(D-CA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Commerce Assignments Made
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation also will feature evenly divided membership by
party, with 11 members from each side of the aisle. Republicans
new to the panel will be Gordon Smith (R-OR), Peter Fitzgerald
(R-IL), John Ensign (R-NV) and George Allen (R-VA); they will join
Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) and members Ted Stevens (R-AK), Conrad
Burns (R-MT), Trent Lott (R-MS), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX),
Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Sam Brownback (R-KS).
Sens.
Barbara Boxer (D-CA), John Edwards (NC) and Jean Carnahan (R-MO)
are new Democratic members of the Committee. They join ranking
member Ernest Hollings (D-SC), and members Daniel Inouye (D-HI),
John Rockefeller (D-WV), John Kerry (D-MA), John Breaux (D-LA),
Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Max Cleland (D-GA).
Subcommittee assignments for both committees are expected
in the near future.
Mineta Confirmation Hearing Set
A hearing on the nomination
of Norman Mineta for Secretary of Transportation will be held
Wednesday, January 24.
The hearing will take place at 9:30
a.m. in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building in
Washington, D.C.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' "Migratory Bird Rule"
Overturned by High Court
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers' "Migratory Bird Rule" was thrown out by the U.S.
Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote on Tuesday (January 9), on the ground
the Corps exceeded its authority under the Clean Water Act. The
rule had been used by the Corps to assert regulatory authority
over isolated wetlands because they were stopping places for
migratory birds.
According to The New York Times, the
ruling leaves in place an earlier interpretation of the act
allowing federal regulation of wetlands that abut navigable rivers
or their tributaries, even though the wetlands are not themselves
navigable. The scope of Tuesday's ruling likely will depend on how
"isolated" is defined through future rulings; at maximum, an
estimated 20 percent of the nation's waters could be taken out of
federal protection.
In its ruling on the case B which was
closely watched because of potentially sweeping effects on state
and local governments and industry B the high court overturned an
earlier ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh
Circuit, which had upheld the Corps' regulation. Oral arguments in
the case occurred October 31, 2000. Voting with the majority were
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who authored the opinion, and
Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Anthony M. Kennedy, Antonin Scalia,
and Clarence Thomas.
Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook
County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dealt with a parcel of
land, including a former strip mine, that a garbage-handling
agency representing 23 Illinois municipalities seeks to build a
landfill on.
The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook
County (SWANCC) argued that the Corps initially gave two approvals
for the baled solid waste, or "balefill," project to proceed, then
abruptly blocked the project after making a finding that
water-filled depressions left behind by the strip mining were
visited by migratory birds.
The Corps' jurisdiction for
Section 404 permits usually applies to navigable waters and other
waters of the United States "the use, degradation or destruction
of which could affect interstate commerce." However, the Corps
also applied such regulation to waters used by migratory birds
through what became known as its "migratory bird rule," which in
effect included ponds and isolated waters used by such birds
within the definition of "navigable."
A dissenting opinion
authored by Justice John Paul Stevens, and joined in by Justices
Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David H. Souter, stated
that "there is no principled reason for limiting the statute's
protection to those waters or wetlands that happen to lie near a
navigable stream."
Opponents of such Section 404
regulation also put forward an argument that Congress B with the
Corps as its agent B overstepped its constitutional authority
under the commerce clause of the Constitution by using the Clean
Water Act to make decisions that should be local, when the
affected activities have no impact on interstate commerce. The
waters on the landfill site are entirely within Cook County,
Illinois. However, the high court did not cite the commerce clause
in making its ruling.
C. Brooke Beal, executive director
of SWANCC, said "We're very pleased B the agency is very pleased
the Supreme Court has validated our opinion of a number of years,
that the Army Corps of Engineers did not have jurisdiction on our
property."
He said the agency's board of directors met on
Wednesday and authorized the staff to report, within 30-60 days,
on steps needed to move the balefill project forward.
EPA
Administrator Carol M. Browner voiced disappointment at the
ruling, saying in a statement that "It weakens America's ability
to protect its wetlands, which are among this country's most
valuable natural resources Y This decision further underscores the
need for Congressional action."
The Seventh Circuit Court
of Appeals, in its earlier ruling in favor of the Corps, noted
that the presence of migratory birds in the United States attracts
hunters and birders by the millions, "who spend more than a
billion dollars on hunting, trapping, and observing migratory
birds."
SWANCC asked the high court to review that
decision, noting that appeals courts in other circuits had made
rulings on cases covering similar issues and did not always reach
the same conclusions. SWANCC argues in court briefs that the
migratory bird rule "impinges on traditional state powers" and
notes that "Approximately five billion land birds migrate across
North America every year ... By the Corps' rationale, the commerce
clause would stretch to cover virtually every piece of property in
the country, regardless of its commercial or noncommercial
use."
American
Airlines Announce Plans to Acquire TWA
The plan by American
Airlines to acquire TWA may serve to facilitate the controversial
United Airlines/U.S. Airways merger, industry experts assert. If
both are approved, 50 percent of air travel would be controlled by
the two airlines.
American Airlines unveiled its plans to
purchase TWA on Wednesday (January 10) for $500 million. TWA, the
oldest currently operating airline running in the U.S., also filed
for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S.
Bankruptcy Code on Wednesday. Under the merger plan, American
Airlines would acquire all of TWA's assets, including 190
aircraft, 175 gates, and a new hub at St. Louis. The merger must
be approved by a federal bankruptcy court.
In addition,
American Airlines announced that it would purchase 20 percent of
U.S. Airways' current operations for $1.5 billion, which includes
a 49 percent share of DC Air and half of the U.S. Airways shuttle
operations along the east coast. The east-coast operations would
be run in cooperation with United Airlines.
The merger
plans were cheered by United and U.S. Airways officials, who
believe the deal ameliorates some concerns raised by the Justice
Department that their merger would severely hamper competition
along many routes.
The announcement leaves the Bush
administration and newly nominated Secretary of Transportation
Norman Mineta with two large airline mergers to consider, and
experts believe more may be at hand. Concerns have also been
raised in Congress, with committee hearings likely to be held soon
after it convenes.
Pisarski: Implied Benefits of Transportation Must be Made
Explicit
In a speech before The Road
Gang on Thursday (January 11), transportation analyst Alan E.
Pisarski said the implied benefits of transportation must be made
explicit B and suggested the road to reauthorization of TEA-21
should be paved with tangible "deliverables" such as proof of
reduced fatality rates and shortened travel times.
"In
years past, those of us who plan and build and operate the
nation's transportation system were able to depend on the implicit
recognition of the value of transportation among the general
public," Pisarski said. Though it was, and is "very real," today
it is "kind of vague, and soft." Where consensus behind the need
for new and improved transportation was "almost automatic" years
ago, "Today that consensus has almost evaporated as a social force
... It is our own fault" for failing to make transportation's
value clear, he said.
Making the case for the value of
mobility should include linking it with improved economic
outcomes; pointing out its role helping Americans maintain family
and other ties in a nation where "communities" often span
thousands of miles; and reminding folks of the negative effects
when mobility is denied, Pisarski said.
He also challenged
some recent assertions within the transportation industry,
including:
B The idea that America's transportation system
is generally complete. "A nation that adds 25 million people every
decade, whose economy adds $4 trillion per decade, that is a
beacon to immigrants from all over the world, can never say that
its job is done," Pisarski said.
B America can't build its
way out of traffic congestion. "Yes, you must operate; yes, you
must manage B but yes, you must build," he said.
B "If you
build it, it just fills up again." Pisarski said bringing
Americans who now lack mobility B due to economic or other
circumstances B into the world of the mobile will reflect
improvement in America's overall quality of life. "If the price of
that newfound mobility for those on the lower rungs of the economy
is a little congestion, we should celebrate it, not condemn it,"
he said.
Pisarski called on transportation officials to
prepare a set of tangible "deliverables" that can help sell a
successful reauthorization of TEA-21, such as demonstrated lower
highway fatality rates or publishable reductions in travel time on
specific routes. He warned that existing spending levels may have
taken away the "sky is falling" argument that infrastructure will
simply fail without more funding; AASHTO and its members must
demonstrate that past funds were used conscientiously.
"We
need to stop apologizing for transportation. We are working
effectively to ameliorate its negative consequences," Pisarski
said. "We must dedicate ourselves to enhancing the benefits of
transportation for the nation and the society ... expanding
mobility for all Americans is a great public
service."
New
CEOs Chosen for State DOTs
New Chief Executive Officers
have been named in six state transportation departments and Puerto
Rico, while North Carolina awaits the appointment of its
transportation secretary.
New appointees are:
Delaware
Nathan Hayward III took over as Secretary
of the Delaware Department of Transportation after the retirement
of Anne Canby.
Michigan
Gregory J. Rosine,
three-year Chief Administrative Officer for the Michigan
Department of Transportation, replaced MDOT Director James Desana.
Rosine began his career in state service in 1979 as an analyst
with the Michigan House of Representatives, House Fiscal Agency.
He was promoted to Associate Director of the Education and
Regulatory Services Unit in 1987, and in 1995 became the
Associated Director of Human Resources.
Rosine is a
graduate of Central Michigan University with a Bachelor's degree
in Political Science, emphasis in Public Administration.
Montana
David A. Galt was appointed Director of
the Montana Department of Transportation, replacing Marvin Dye.
Galt was the 2000 Executive Vice-President of the Montana Motor
Carriers Association, after serving 20 years with the MDT Motor
Carrier Services Division. He was the Division Administrator from
1989 to 2000.
Galt earned a Bachelor's degree in Business
Administration with an Economics emphasis - while working
full-time as Administrator of the Motor Carrier Services Division
- from Carroll College in Helena, Montana.
North Carolina
At presstime, Governor Michael F. Easley had not named a
replacement for North Carolina Department of Transportation
Secretary David T. McCoy.
North Dakota
David A.
Sprynczynatyk replaced North Dakota Department of Transportation
Director Tom Freier. In 1989, Sprynczynatyk was appointed state
engineer by the North Dakota State Water Commission. Employed by
the State Water Commission since 1972, he also served as its chief
engineer and secretary.
Sprynczynatyk attended North
Dakota State University in Fargo, where he received a Bachelor's
degree in Civil Engineering.
Puerto Rico
Governor
Sila Calderon named Jose Manuel Izquierdo Encarnacion as the
Secretary of Transportation for the Puerto Rico Highway and
Transportation Authority, replacing Sergio L. Gonzales. The
majority of Mr. Izquierdo's transportation experience has been in
the private sector. Prior to this appointment, he was a partner in
an engineering consulting firm.
The appointment of an
executive director for highways is pending.
West Virginia
Fred Van Kirk will replace West Virginia Department of
Transportation Secretary Samuel H. Beverage on January 16,
2001.
FHWA
Implementation Guidance for Financing Megaprojects Available
The Federal Highway
Administration has made available the implementation guidance on
financial plans for megaprojects -- federal highway projects with
an estimated total cost of at least $1 billion.
FHWA's
guidance provides information and assistance to states preparing
annual financial project plans for the Secretary of Transportation
as required by section 1305(b) of the Transportation Equity Act
for the 21st Century. TEA-21 requires that the plans be based on
annual cost estimates, with future increases considered, to
complete projects. Potential funding shortages and future
financial resources must also be identified.
The
implementation guidance is meant to promote consistency of content
and format in the way the documents are prepared. It will also
allow a more streamlined review by the USDOT Office of the
Secretary, by Congress, and by transportation professionals.
The guidance is effective immediately for all megaprojects
with no more that 50 percent of construction complete as of May
31, 2000. Revisions of FHWA's guidance may be made after its
initial implementation if significant comments are received by
March 2, 2001. Comments should include the docket number
FHWA-2000-8494 and be sent to: USDOT, Dockets Management Facility,
Room PL-401, 400 7th St., SW, Washington, DC 20590; or submitted
electronically at dmses.dot.gov/submit. For further information,
contact Contract Administration Group Leader Carol Jacoby at (202)
366-1561.
RSPA
Preparing for Reauthorization of Hazardous Materials Program
The Research and Special
Programs Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation
seeks public comment in preparing a legislative proposal to
reauthorize its hazardous materials transportation safety program,
last authorized by Congress in 1994.
RSPA is looking for
ways to improve the effectiveness of this safety program through
amendments to federal hazardous-materials transportation law --
the basis for USDOT's hazardous-materials law. RSPA welcomes ideas
from the public, state and local governments, and industry.
According to the January 10, 2001 Federal Register,
current federal hazardous-materials law authorizes the Secretary
of Transportation to establish regulations for the safe
transportation of hazardous materials in intrastate, interstate,
and foreign commerce. Specifically, the statute authorizes the
Secretary to issue regulations that apply to persons who:
transport hazardous materials in commerce; cause hazardous
materials to be transported in commerce; or manufacture, mark,
maintain, recondition, repair, or test packagings or containers
(or components thereof) that are represented, marked, certified,
or sold as qualified for use in the transportation of hazardous
materials in commerce. The Secretary also has the authority to
issue regulations governing any safety aspect of
hazardous-materials transportation that the Secretary considers
appropriate.
Comments must be submitted by February 26,
2001 to the Dockets Management System, USDOT, 400 7th St., SW,
Washington, DC 20590, or electronically at dms.dot.gov, and should
identify docket number RSPA-01-8587. Contact Edward H. Bonekemper,
III at (202) 366-4400 for more
information.
TRB Names Samuels Executive Committee Chairman; Awards Downey
its Turner Medal
Norfolk Southern Corp.
executive John Samuels was named Chairman of the Transportation
Research Board Executive Committee on Wednesday (January 10), as
more than 8,000 participants attended TRB's Annual Meeting in
Washington, D.C.
TRB also conferred its prestigious,
biennial Frank C. Turner Medal for Lifetime Achievement on
Mortimer L. Downey, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
Samuels, who is Norfolk Southern's Senior
Vice President for Operations Planning and Support, joined the
railroad in 1998 following a 20-year career at Conrail. Samuels,
who has also taught industrial engineering at Pennsylvania State
University, has been on TRB's Executive Committee since 1997 and
was Vice Chairman last year. Samuels also has served on the
research board's Subcommittee on Planning and Policy Review and
the Committee for the Review of the Federal Railroad
Administration R&D Program. He chairs the North American
Positive Train Control Project and the Railway Technology Working
Committee of the Association of American Railroads.
Downey, only the second recipient of the Turner medal B
its namesake was the first, in 1999 B was recognized not only for
his career at USDOT, where he has been Deputy Secretary throughout
the Clinton Administration and served as Assistant Secretary for
Budget and Programs during the Carter Administration B but for his
turnaround of New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority as its
Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer during the 1980s
and early 1990s, his distinguished service 1958-1975 at the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey, and his service as a
transportation program analyst for the U.S. House of
Representatives during the late 1970s. He has been active in TRB
for three decades, providing leadership across modes and
departments and levels of government.
New officers and
members of TRB's Executive Committee for 2001 also were announced
during the Annual Meeting. Thomas R. Warne, Executive Director of
the Utah Department of Transportation, will serve as TRB's Vice
Chair. New Executive Committee members are Director William D.
Ankner of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation; Secretary
James C. Codell III of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet;
Professor Michael D. Meyer of the School of Civil and
Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology;
Chief Executive Officer Paul P. Skoutelas of the Port Authority of
Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Executive Director
Catherine L. Ross of the Georgia Regional Transportation Agency.
New ex-officio members of the executive committee are
Administrator Sue Bailey of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, Chief of Engineers and Commander Lt. General
Robert B. Flowers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and
Director Margo T. Oge of the Office of Transportation and Air
Quality in the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
TRB
Names Samuels Executive Committee Chairman; Awards Downey its Turner
Medal
Norfolk Southern Corp.
executive John Samuels was named Chairman of the Transportation
Research Board Executive Committee on Wednesday (January 10), as
more than 8,000 participants attended TRB's Annual Meeting in
Washington, D.C.
TRB also conferred its prestigious,
biennial Frank C. Turner Medal for Lifetime Achievement on
Mortimer L. Downey, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
Samuels, who is Norfolk Southern's Senior
Vice President for Operations Planning and Support, joined the
railroad in 1998 following a 20-year career at Conrail. Samuels,
who has also taught industrial engineering at Pennsylvania State
University, has been on TRB's Executive Committee since 1997 and
was Vice Chairman last year. Samuels also has served on the
research board's Subcommittee on Planning and Policy Review and
the Committee for the Review of the Federal Railroad
Administration R&D Program. He chairs the North American
Positive Train Control Project and the Railway Technology Working
Committee of the Association of American Railroads.
Downey, only the second recipient of the Turner medal B
its namesake was the first, in 1999 B was recognized not only for
his career at USDOT, where he has been Deputy Secretary throughout
the Clinton Administration and served as Assistant Secretary for
Budget and Programs during the Carter Administration B but for his
turnaround of New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority as its
Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer during the 1980s
and early 1990s, his distinguished service 1958-1975 at the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey, and his service as a
transportation program analyst for the U.S. House of
Representatives during the late 1970s. He has been active in TRB
for three decades, providing leadership across modes and
departments and levels of government.
New officers and
members of TRB's Executive Committee for 2001 also were announced
during the Annual Meeting. Thomas R. Warne, Executive Director of
the Utah Department of Transportation, will serve as TRB's Vice
Chair. New Executive Committee members are Director William D.
Ankner of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation; Secretary
James C. Codell III of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet;
Professor Michael D. Meyer of the School of Civil and
Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology;
Chief Executive Officer Paul P. Skoutelas of the Port Authority of
Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Executive Director
Catherine L. Ross of the Georgia Regional Transportation Agency.
New ex-officio members of the executive committee are
Administrator Sue Bailey of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, Chief of Engineers and Commander Lt. General
Robert B. Flowers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and
Director Margo T. Oge of the Office of Transportation and Air
Quality in the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
Abstracts Sought for Recycled Materials Conference
The Recycled Materials
Resource Center is co-organizing the upcoming international
conference, "Beneficial Use of Recycled Materials in
Transportation Applications," and is currently inviting abstracts
on recycled materials from the transportation, industrial,
municipal, and mining sectors.
The conference, scheduled
for November 13-15, 2001 in Washington, DC, will bring together
researchers from all areas to focus on research and policy topics
related to the use of different types of recycled materials in the
highway environment.
Abstracts should be prepared and
submitted by February 1, 2001, according to the conference
information outlined at www.rmrc.unh.edu. All information about
the event, including paper submission, venue, and registration can
be accessed at the preceding web
address.
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