Infrastructure Roundup

TRANSPORTATION

Missouri Highway Commission Selects New Chair

Gregg Smith has been appointed chairman of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. Smith, who owns an automobile dealership in Clinton, MO, will chair the commission that oversees the state Department of Transportation. You can find more here.

WATER

Superbug Found in Sewage

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in the sewage at a wastewater treatment plant in Los Angeles, CA. CRE is a lethal bacteria that is resistant to most antibiotics. It was the cause of recent outbreaks in Los Angeles-area hospitals. EPA did not test the discharge from the plant for the presence of CRE, but researchers indicate that the bacteria is not destroyed or removed by typical treatment and disinfection. You can find more about this issue here.

Infrastructure & Environment News

Energy

Alternative Energy Links

My lack of time to write for this blog has reduced me to a compiler of infrastructure news, though such compilation has always been part of Infrastructure Watch. You can links to several alternative energy articles here.

Google Pledges Investment in African Renewables Project

Google pledged to invest in the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project in Kenya. You can find more about this project here.

Low Gas Prices No Problem for Solar

Low gas prices didn’t last long around here (at least they didn’t stay less than $2 per gallon for long). Either way, Tony Randall discusses why low oil prices are not a problem for the continued growth of solar power in Bloomberg.

Renewables Generators Face Distribution Problems

As the U.S. develops renewable energy resources, it is facing a problem: the places where we most want to use the energy are some distance from the places where we are best able to generate it.  States in the middle of the country are becoming involved in conflicts between clean energy proponents and landowners, sometimes turning environmental and energy groups into uncomfortable allies.

Missouri is one state where the issue has come to head. Earlier this year, the Public Service Commission rejected a project that would carry energy from wind farms in Kansas to users in Indiana. The commission determined that the project was not needed, and many of the public comments received by the commission expressed opposition to the project. The company behind the proposal, Clean Line Energy Partners LLC of Texas, is also proposing a line to connect Oklahoma to Tennessee, which faces opposition in Arkansas.

Environmental groups have been supportive of the Missouri project. Missouri’s chapter of the Sierra Club has acknowledged that the Clean Line route avoids many environmentally sensitive areas, and expressed hope that it will help in the move away from coal. The Sierra Club also supported a Clean Line project in part of Arkansas where it was opposing an oil pipeline project.

Supreme Court Hears Demand Response Case

The Supreme Court has been hearing arguments in a case related to demand response. Demand response refers to methods large energy user adjust their use to reduced demand during normally high use times when energy is expensive. Demand response reduces peak demand, evens out energy use, and reduces cost of energy production.

Companies have created markets to trade these reductions in demand (sometimes called negawatts) as if they were power being supplied to the market. When major users reduce shift use or move use to off-peak times, they reduce the need to ramp up additional generating units, and save money for generators. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has enshrined this in regulations that require energy wholesalers to pay for these commitments to reduce demand the same amount they pay for a commitment to generate electricity.

The crux of the argument before the court is the regulatory authority of FERC. FERC has authority related to wholesale energy markets, where commitments to generate might be traded (and FERC rules say a commitment to reduce demand should get an equal price). The utility customers who are making the commitments to reduce demand are buying energy in the retail market, which is regulated by states.  Opponents of the FERC rules say that it is getting into retail markets in which it has not authority. FERC argues that it is the only agency that can effective regulate this kind of trading, and that there is a public good in the demand reductions and efficiencies provided by demand response.

You can find more about this case here, along with a description of how it may become important to small retail electricity users (i.e. almost all of us).

Infrastructure

John Oliver Thinks Infrastructure Sexy

Comedian John Oliver featured America’s infrastructure in a segment on his show Last Week Tonight. Obviously, Oliver’s tone is humorous and mocking, but he presents a thoughtful essay on the issue. You can see it on YouTube.

States

New Environmental Director in Nebraska

Congratulations to Jim Macy, who was recently appointed by Gov. Pete Ricketts to serve as director of the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. Macy has worked in the area of environmental regulation and compliance for decades, including leadership roles at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Transportation

States Take Lead on Infrastructure Funding

Washington senate leaders have proposed to raise the state gas tax to 11.7 cents per gallon over the next three years. The proposal would also redirect a portion of the state’s sales tax to its transportation fund (more here).

Oregon will experiment with a program of fees based on miles driven rather than a gas tax beginning this summer (more here). Many think this is a more rational way to fund highways.

In my home state of the Missouri, the governor came just short of calling for a gas tax hike as part of the state of the state address. Tax Justice Blog has a nice summary of proposals in several other states.

Water

Baltimore Sewers Featured on Radio

The radio program Marketplace featured the Baltimore, MD, sewer system and the issues associated with a large, aging infrastructure (listen to or read the story here). Baltimore is not unique; these problems are plaguing cities across the nation.

San Francisco Opens New Hetch Hetchy Tunnel

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission opened the New Irvington Tunnel. The 3.5-mile, 9-ft diameter tunnel will carry 265 million gallons a day. It is part of the Hetch Hetchy system, which brings water from reservoirs as far away as Yosemite National Park, 167 miles. (Read more about the project at KQED.)

Real-Time Sensor for Bacteria in Water

A device has been developed in Denmark that can detect bacteria in water. Of course, not all bacteria is harmful, so it seems the usefulness of the tool may be limited to screening for now. However, it continuous, real-time monitoring could be a useful screen to determine when additional testing is should be performed or when a contamination event started. If commercial versions of the sensor are affordable, multiple sensors could be placed in a drinking water distribution system to continuously monitor water quality, disinfection effectiveness, and potential contamination.  You can find out more about the sensor here.

Water and Art

Adres Jacque will build a temporary structure that uses plants to purify water in the courtyard of MoMA PS1. Organisms in the structure will glow in the dark to provide light. See this Fast Company article for more information.

New Briefs

It’s been a while since I’ve had to post anything on this blog, so some of this news is old. I appreciate those of you who still follow this blog. I hope I can continue to make something worthwhile for you.

Foxx Sworn in As Transportation Secretary

Anthony Foxx has been sworn in as Secretary of Transportation. Foxx was mayor of Charlotte, NC, and has had a career as an attorney and politician.

GAO Critiques Nonpoint Source Program

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report that critiques the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 319 program. This program (named for the section of the Clean Water Act that authorized it) provides grants to states to undertake activities to reduce nonpoint-source pollution, including subgrants to organizations to implement improvements. They found that the program sometime failed to produce desired results and that EPA’s oversight of the program sometimes was inadequate or produced unintended undesirable results. In addition, a complementary program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service introduces practices that, by themselves, can decrease water quality because their primary intent is soil conservation.

I-5 Bridge Collapse

At this time, IW has no news to add to what has been reported on the I-5 bridge collapse. The collapse of a bridge on I-35 was one of the events that prompted the launch of this blog. IW sends it’s condolences to those affected by this event and wishes the National Transportation Safety Board a fruitful investigation.

Many Highway Projects are Categorical Exclusions for NEPA

GAO published a report on expediting highway projects. One of the interesting things was that many highway projects were considered categorical exclusions for the purpose of review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Categorical exclusions are classes of projects that, individually or collectively, have been determined by rule to have no significant environmental impact. These projects receive no or limited NEPA review.

New Appointees to Advisory Committee on Construction Safety & Health

Acting Labor Secretary Seth D. Harris appointed or reappointed eight members to the ACCSH. The new members are

-Sarah M. Coyne of Arizona Construction Training Alliance and

-Jerry Rivera of the National Electrical Contractors Association.

OSHA Extends Deadline for Crane Operator Certification

The Occupational Safety and Health Agency announced its will extend the deadline for certification of crane operators to November 10, 2017. The original rule that was finalized in 2010 established a deadline next year.

Report on Rural Water Infrastructure

The GAO published a report on programs that fund drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in rural areas. In Missouri, agencies that administer the State Revolving Fund (a state-administered EPA-overseen program), Water and Waste Disposal Program (U.S. Department of Agriculture), and Community Development Block Grants Program (a state-administered program overseen by the Department of Housing and Urban Development) coordinate their water funding efforts.

Google

In Congress

Continuing Resolution

Because Congress still has resolved budget debates and passed appropriations bills, it will need to pass another continuing resolution by March 27. The bill passed by the House of Representatives (H.R. 933) holds non-defense spending at the levels approved in Fiscal Year 2012.

One consequence of this is, at least for the time being, the increased spending on surface transportation programs included in MAP-21 will not be enacted. Senate leaders indicated that they might add transportation spending increases in that chamber.

Related posts and articles

Continuing Resolution Puts Transportation Funds at Risk (Save America’s Infrastructure, Mar. 11, 2013)

House, Senate Transportation Bills Differ

Budget proposals from the House of Representatives and the Senate differ greatly on transportation (as well as other issues). Mainly, the House budget cuts transportation funding, and the Senate budget increases it.

Related posts and articles

Proposed 2014 Transportation Budgets Differ Wildly. Who Will Win? (Infrastructure USA, Mar. 18, 2013)

Ryan budget targets DOT, high-speed rail funding (Liang, K., The Hill, Mar. 12, 2013)

Senate Questions Interior Secretary Nominee

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee posed questions to Sally Jewell, President Barack Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Interior. As you might expect, questions focused on energy development on federal lands and environmental protection related to such projects. Of particular concern was hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for natural gas production in western states and oil drilling in the Pacific Ocean and Alaska.

Related posts and articles

US Interior nominee Jewell resists some drilling proposals, calls for 'balance' (Platts, Mar. 15, 2013)

Gina McCarthy Nominated to Lead Environmental Protection Agency

We previously posted that President Barack Obama nominated Gina McCarthy for the post of Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Given the president’s recent reemphasis on climate change, it makes sense that he might pick the director of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.

Emily Badger at The Atlantic Cities reminds us that McCarthy also had a connection to Mitt Romney. She was involved in the Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development, which promoted smart growth in the state during Romney’s governorship. So while picking a nominee with climate change credentials, he is also picking someone with a background in smart growth and land use.

Related posts and articles

Gina McCarthy, EPA’s air chief, nominated to head agency (Eilperin, J., Washington Post, Mar. 4, 2013)

News Brief (Infrastructure Watch, Mar. 5, 2013)

News Brief

Bill Would Limit Water Discharge Permitting of Pesticides

Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH) introduced the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2013 (H.R. 935). The bill would limit permitting of discharges to water of pesticides approved for use under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The bill modifies provisions of that act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

Gina McCarthy Nominated for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

President Barack Obama nominated Gina McCarthy for the post of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator. McCarthy currently heads EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. She has already received the endorsement of Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA), chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee.

In Brief

Fix-It-First

An analyst for the Brookings Institute reminded us that the term “Fix It First” previously appeared in a report from that organization calling for a reorganization of transportation funding priorities (find more about the Hamilton Project here→).  Others have expressed skepticism about President Barack Obama’s seriousness relating to expanding infrastructure investment.

Funding Transportation

The New York Times looked at alternatives to fuel taxes to fund highway maintenance and improvements.  Vermont officials are considering an increase in the state fuel tax.

House Passes Hydropower Bill

The House of Representatives passed the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 (H.R. 267).  The bill is intended to promote the development of hydropower projects, primarily by modifying permitting authority and programs of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Next Transportation Secretary?

Speculation about who will be the next Secretary of Transportation continues.  Railway Age considers several potential candidates including Sen. Chuck Schumer (NY), former Rep. Steve LaTourrette (OH), former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Rep. James Clyburn (SC), former Rep. Jim Oberstar (MN), former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, and NTSB Chair Debbie Hersman.

Partnership to Rebuild America

In the State of the Union, the president called for a “Partnership to Rebuild America” that would use private investment to partly fund public infrastructure.  A Forbes contributor expressed disappointment that the president did not address the use of tax-exempt bonds.

Federal News Brief

Hersman Floated as Potential Nominee for Transportation Secretary

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman has been rumored to be a top candidate to replace Ray LaHood as Secretary of Transportation.

LaHood Criticizes Congress, Republican on Highway Funding

Departing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood criticized Congress, and especially his former Republican colleagues, for failing to pass a long-term transportation bill. He anticipates bold moves from President Obama “when he gets around to it.”

Reactions to the State of the Union

As you might expect, infrastructure organizations were disappointed by President Obama’s State of the Union address.  ASCE gently criticized the president’s “Fix-It-First” plan because it does not address the long-term need to pay for infrastructure maintenance.

Supreme Court May Hear Interstate Water Dispute

Kansas has asked the Supreme Court to hear its case against Nebraska.  The Republic River is an important source of water for agriculture in both states, and the Wheat State claims the Cornhuskers are taking more than its fair share.

Nomination News

Energy

Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter has been suggested as a possible nominee to lead the Department of Energy.

Interior

Sally Jewell is the nominee to lead the Department of Interior.

Transportation

Governing has suggested several possible nominees to lead the Department of Transportation.

Infrastructure & Environment Roudup

Drinking Water Supplies Threatened by Dry Weather

The Associated Press put together a nice, short summary the problem of shrinking water supplies.  You can read it at the NBC News site and see video of a related story.

Earthquake Preparedness: The Great Shakeout

February 7 will be the Great Central U.S. Shakeout.  If you’re a fellow Missourian, find more information at the Missouri Division of Geology.  If you live elsewhere in the central United States, check out the Shakeout Web site (participating states are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Tennessee).

Highway Trust Fund Out of Money by 2015

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released projections of funds available in the Highway Trust Fund.  They expect it to have insufficient funds to meet obligations by fiscal year 2015.

The Highway Trust Fund is the primary source of money for the federal-aid highway system.  Revenues to the fund come primarily from the federal gas tax.

You can see the CBO projections here→.

Related posts and articles

Highway Trust Fund Running Out of Money (Infrastructure Watch, Feb. 9, 2012)

Hydropower Bill Reported Out of Committee

The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 (H.R. 267) was reported out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  The bill would expand hydropower development.

Mississippi River Affected by Drought

We’ve been following stories about the effects of the prolonged drought on the Mississippi River.  Our posts have mostly related to barge traffic and the effort to keep the river open downstream of St. Louis.

NPR has posted an article about the effects at the mouth of the river.  One of the issues is salt water intrusion, which as the potential to change the water quality in that part of the river and has already reached the intake of one drinking water system in Louisiana.  Of course, barge traffic is an issue for New Orleans, too, because the port there is where goods move from river barges to ocean-going vessels.

Recently, barge traffic has been back up by an oil spill on the river, too.  Cleanup of the spill near Vicksburg, Mississippi, continues.

Related posts and articles

Mississippi River barge backup shrinks, oil cleanup continues (Plume, K., Reuters, Feb. 1, 2013)

Rock clearing on drought-hit Mississippi River nears completion (Plume, K., Reuters, Jan. 29, 2013)

Work to Keep Mississippi River Open Continues (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 29, 2013)

New Staff Leader Announced for Senate Environment & Public Works Committee

Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA), chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, announced that Jeremy Symons will join the committee staff as Deputy Staff Director. He will focus on environmental issues, including clean water, air quality, wildlife, and climate change.  Symons currently serves as the Senior Vice President for Conservation and Education at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Previously, he was Executive Director of NWF's Climate Change Campaign, held positions in the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation, and served in Sen. Ron Wyden's (OR) office.

You can read the original news release here→.

Secretary Chu Leaving Energy

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced he will be resigning his post.  Other officials who announced their resignation include Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

Related posts and articles

Outgoing Energy Secretary Warns Of Dangers Of Climate Change (Shogren, E., NPR, Feb. 1, 2013)

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act News

$1 of Highway Spending Creates $2 of Economic Activity (Infrastructure Watch, Dec. 4, 2012)

Recovery Act: Most DOE Cleanup Projects Are Complete, but Project Management Guidance Could Be Strengthened (Government Accountability Office, Oct. 15, 2012)

GSA REPORT: OBAMA ADMINISTRATION BROKE STIMULUS RULES TO BUY CHINESE SOLAR PANELS (Hayward, J., Human Events, Sept. 25, 2012)

Feds ignore rules and use stimulus cash to buy Chinese solar panels (McElhatton, J., Washington Times, Sept. 17, 2012)

FL: Millions in fraud, waste rampant in federal energy stimulus, reveals state audit (Ossowski, Y., FloridaWatchdog.org, July 26, 2012)

Improving the Timeliness of Grant Closeouts by Federal Agencies and other Grant Management Challenges (Government Accountability Office, July 25, 2012)

Transportation Sec. LaHood jabs Republican critics of stimulus (Yokley, E., PoliticMo, July 10, 2012)

New Chair of Recovery Board Appointed (Recovery.gov, Dec. 27, 2011)

News about the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (Infrastructure Watch, Sept. 14, 2011)

Obama Hopes ‘Recovery Summer’ Will Warm Voters to the Stimulus (Cooper, M., New York Times, June 18, 2010)

Nominations Announced for Federal Environmental & Energy Positions

President Obama recently announced his nominations for several posts, including the following energy and environmental positions.

James J. Jones is nominee for Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Jones is the Acting Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention at EPA. In 2011, Mr. Jones served as Deputy Assistant Administrator in EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation and has held several other positions in the agency. He earned a B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park and a M.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Adam E. Sieminski is Nominee for Administrator, Energy Information Administration at the Department of Energy. Sieminski is currently the Chief Energy Economist for Deutsche Bank where he has served since 2005. Prior to this, he served as the Director and Energy Strategist for Deutsche Bank’s global oil and gas equity team, a position he has held since 1998. He served as Vice President and Senior Oil Analyst for NatWest Securities from 1995 until 1998 and Vice President and Oil Analyst for Washington Analysis Corporation from 1973 until 1995. In 2006, Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman appointed him to the National Petroleum Council. Sieminski received his B.S. and M.P.A. from Cornell University.

You can read the complete news release here.

Hunt Sworn In as Missouri Highway Commissioner

Joseph Hunt of St. Louis was sworn in as a member of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. Hunt is the general president emeritus of the Ironworkers International and has served as an official in the building and construction trades for more than 40 years. He has served as a board member of the Lambert St. Louis International Airport Commission, as a member of the National Heavy and Highway Alliance, and on the regional committee of the National Infrastructure Alliance. Hunt's term ends March 1, 2017.

The commission is a six-member citizens' panel that governs Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). Members are appointed to staggered six-year terms by the governor and must be confirmed by the senate.

You can read the original post on the MoDOT blog here.

Fossil Energy Nominee Announced

President Obama as nomitated Charles McConnell to the post of Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy. McConnell is the Chief Operating Officer in the Office of Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy (DOE). Prior to joining DOE in 2011, Mr. McConnell served as Vice President of Carbon Management at Battelle Energy Technology from 2009-2011, with responsibility for business and technology management. He previously spent 31 years with Praxair, Inc., in various positions in the U.S. and Asia, including as Global Vice President. Mr. McConnell has held a number of advisory positions including chairmanships of the Gasification Technologies Council and the Clean Coal Technology Foundation of Texas. He has served on the FutureGen Advisory Board in Texas, the Gulf Coast Carbon Center, T&P Syngas Company, the Pittsburgh Coal Conference and the Coal Utilization Research Council. Mr. McConnell holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Cleveland State University.

You can read the original DOE news release here.

Lyons Confirmed for Nuclear Energy Post

Dr. Peter B. Lyons was confirmed by the Senate as the Department of Energy's (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy.

As Assistant Secretary, Lyons will serve as the primary policy advisor to the Secretary of Energy on issues involving nuclear energy research, development and demonstration, as well as international nuclear activities. His responsibilities will include managing programs aimed at fulfilling the potential of nuclear power.

Lyons previously served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy since November 2010, and as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Nuclear Energy. Prior to this appointment, he served as a Commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 2005 until his term ended in 2009. From 2003 to 2005, he served as an advisor on the staff of Senator Pete Domenici and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, where he focused on military and civilian uses of nuclear technology, national science policy, and nuclear non-proliferation.

Lyons is a Fellow of both the American Nuclear Society and the American Physical Society. He received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Astrophysics from the California Institute of Technology and his undergraduate degree in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Arizona.

You can read the complete DOE news release here.

Missouri Transportation Commission Elects New Chair

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission recently elected Grace Nichols to serve a one-year term as chair. Nichols has been a member of the commission since March 2008. Prior to her appointment to the board, Nichols served as mayor of St. Charles and as a judge in St. Charles County.

Related posts and articles
Changing of the Chair
Ex-St. Charles Mayor Chairs MoDOT Governing Board

Congressional News

Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Announces New Communications Director
Mary Kerr has been named Communications Director for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Kerr previously worked for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where she served as Majority Press Secretary since 2007. From 1995 through 2007, she was the Communications Director in Rep. Jim Oberstar's (MN) personal office.

In addition, Kate Gilman has been promoted to Deputy Communications Director. Nathan McCray has been promoted to Press Assistant.

You can read the original news release here.

Florida Transportation Director Joins House Committee Staff
Outgoing Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos has been mad a senior advisor to the House Transportation Committee, which is chaired by Florida Congressman John Mica. Kopelousos will be responsible for coordinating with state and local officials.

Kopelousos has served for four years as FDOT Secretary under Governor Charlie Crist. She also previously served as FDOT chief of staff during the final year of the Jeb Bush administration, after serving in the Governor’s Washington, DC office.

She will remain with the Committee until assuming a position she has already accepted as County Manager for Clay County, Florida.

You can read the original news release here.

Kansas Ag Director Appointed Advisor to EPA Regional Administrator

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks announced the selection of Josh Svaty, recent Secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, to be his senior adviser. As secretary, Svaty managed a $27 million budget, a 380-employee workforce and statutory duties for 17 programs.

He is the fifth-generation of his family to farm in Ellsworth County, KS. Svaty served as the State Representative of the 108th District in Kansas for seven years. His committee assignments included the committees for Energy and Utilities, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the joint committee on Energy and Environmental Policy. Svaty has testified before the U.S. Congress on agriculture, energy and water policy issues. He holds a B.A. from Sterling College in Sterling, KS.

You can read the original EPA news release here.

Sarah Parker Pauley Nominated to Direct Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Sara Parker Pauley has been nominated to the position of Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources by Governor Jay Nixon. The department has not faired well under Nixon’s previous appointee, so Pauley faces rebuilding a damaged enterprise. She will also need to repair the agency’s relationship with the General Assembly.

Pauley previously served at the department as a deputy director during the administration of Governor Bob Holden. She must be confirmed by the state Senate, where tough confirmation hearings are expected, but will serve as director during the process.

Obama Nominates Lyons to Nuclear Energy Post

President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Peter Lyons for the post of Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. Dr. Lyons is currently the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy (2009-present).

Previous to this appointment, Dr. Lyons served as a Commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 2005 until his term ended in 2009. From 2003 to 2005, Dr. Lyons served as Science Advisor on the staff of Senator Pete Domenici and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, where he focused on military and civilian uses of nuclear technology, national science policy, and nuclear non-proliferation. From 1997 to 2003, Dr. Lyons was assigned by the Los Alamos National Laboratory to serve as Science Advisor on the staff of U.S. Senator Pete Domenici and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where he focused on military and civilian uses of nuclear technology, national science policy, and nuclear non-proliferation. From 1969 to 1996, Dr. Lyons held several positions at the Los Alamos National Laboratory including: Director for Industrial Partnerships, Deputy Associate Director for Energy and Environment, and Deputy Associate Director-Defense Research and Applications. Dr. Lyons has published more than 100 technical papers, holds three patents related to fiber optics and plasma diagnostics, and served as chairman of the NATO Nuclear Effects Task Group for five years.

Dr. Lyons is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Astrophysics from the California Institute of Technology (1969) and his undergraduate degree in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Arizona (1964).

You can read the original Department of Energy news release here.

Related posts and articles:
Federal Energy Nominations
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee Created