LaHood Announces Plan to Leave DOT

Secretary Ray LaHood announced to the employees of the Department of Transportation (DOT) that after serving for four years in President Obama’s cabinet, he would not be staying on for the second term.  The secretary sent the following email to DOT employees across the country, informing them of his plans:

I have let President Obama know that I will not serve a second term as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.  It has been an honor and a privilege to lead the Department, and I am grateful to President Obama for giving me such an extraordinary opportunity.  I plan to stay on until my successor is confirmed to ensure a smooth transition for the Department and all the important work we still have to do.

As I look back on the past four years, I am proud of what we have accomplished together in so many important areas.  But what I am most proud of is the DOT team. You exemplify the best of public service, and I truly appreciate all that you have done to make America better, to make your communities better, and to make DOT better.

Our achievements are significant.  We have put safety front and center with the Distracted Driving Initiative and a rule to combat pilot fatigue that was decades in the making.  We have made great progress in improving the safety of our transit systems, pipelines, and highways, and in reducing roadway fatalities to historic lows.  We have strengthened consumer protections with new regulations on buses, trucks, and airlines.

We helped jumpstart the economy and put our fellow Americans back to work with $48 billion in transportation funding from the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009, and awarded over $3.1 billion in TIGER grants to 218 transportation projects across the Nation.  We have made unprecedented investments in our nation’s ports.  And we have put aviation on a sounder footing with the FAA reauthorization, and secured funding in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act to help States build and repair their roads, bridges and transit systems.

And to further secure our future, we have taken transportation into the 21st century with CAFE Standards, NextGen, and our investments in passenger and High-Speed Rail.  What’s more, we have provided the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with the funding and leadership it needs to prepare a new generation of midshipmen to meet our country’s rapidly-evolving defense and maritime transportation needs.

Closer to home, we also have made great strides.  In December, the DOT was recognized as the most improved agency in the entire Federal government in the 2012 “Best Places to Work” rankings published by the Partnership of Public Service.  Even more impressive, DOT was ranked 9th out of the 19 largest agencies in the government.

Each of these remarkable accomplishments is a tribute your hard work, creativity, commitment to excellence, and most of all, your dedication to our country.  DOT is fortunate to have such an extraordinary group of public servants.  I look forward to continuing to work with all of you as the selection and confirmation process of the next transportation secretary moves forward.  Now is not the time to let up - we still have a number of critical safety goals to accomplish and still more work to do on the implementation of MAP-21.  

I’ve told President Obama, and I’ve told many of you, that this is the best job I’ve ever had.  I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work with all of you and I’m confident that DOT will continue to achieve great things in the future.

Thank you, and God bless you.

You can read the original DOT news release here→.

Related posts and articles

LaHood Leaving Transportation (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 31, 2013)

Secretary LaHood’s Legacy: Stronger, Safer Transportation Choices for All Americans (Schmitt, A., Livability Law, Jan. 30, 2013)

Transportation Secretary LaHood to leave office (Jansen, B., USA Today, Jan. 29, 2013)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood: I’m Out (Bernstein, A., Transportation Nation, Jan. 29, 2013)

LaHood Leaving Transportation

Last week, we posted a link to an article that suggested Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood would be staying on for President Obama’s second term.  That is wrong.

Secretary LaHood announced that he will step down as soon as the Senate confirms a replacement.  LaHood has been critical of Congress for its unwillingness to make needed investments in infrastructure or to even have consistent vision for infrastructure policy.

Related posts and articles

Government & Infrastructure News (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 23, 2013)

Ray LaHood Exit Interview: We Are Behind On High Speed Rail (Stein, S., Huffington Post, Jan. 29, 2013)

Transportation Secretary Discusses Economic Stimulus Package

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today met with leaders of state departments of transportation from across the country in preparation for final passage of the economic recovery bill.

“The upshot of these meetings is that we have thousands of worthwhile transportation projects that are ready to go. They’ve cleared all the hurdles and just need the funding,” said Secretary LaHood. “The U.S. Department of Transportation is ready to get the money out the door. We now need the Congress to pass a final bill.”

The meeting came one day after the U.S. Senate approved the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The House passed its version on January 28. The bills now go to a conference committee to resolve differences.

Secretary LaHood said the bills passed provide approximately $46 billion for transportation infrastructure, including up to $30 billion for highways, $12 billion for transit, $3.1 billion for passenger rail and $3 billion for airports. In addition, the Senate bill also includes $5.5 billion for a supplemental discretionary grant program. Eligible projects include highways and bridges, public transit, passenger and freight rail transportation and port infrastructure.

Secretary LaHood told participants that accountability would be one of his highest priorities and that his Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) team would be closely monitoring all aspects of the recovery funding. The Secretary’s TIGER team is composed of officials from across the Department’s operating administrations and offices.

Related articles and posts:
Congress to Consider Recovery Bill
Economic Stimulus Package Would Increase Transportation Funding
House Passes Stimulus Bill
Ray H. LaHood Appointed Secretary of Transportation

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.

Government & Infrastructure News

Governors Address Infrastructure

Several governors spoke about their states’ infrastructure needs in state of the state addresses.  Building America’s Future has a nice summary.

He Just Keeps Rollin’ Along

An auxiliary lock on the Mississippi River near Granite City, Illinois, was temporarily closed.  The lock was close after it was damaged by a barge.  By the time the lock was reopened, there were 106 barges and 19 vessels waiting to get through.

Coast Guard officials say the barge accident was unrelated to low water levels in the river.  Low water levels resulting from drought have threatened barge traffic on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

Related posts and articles

Mississippi River Shipping Resumes at Ill. Lock (KOMU [AP], Jan. 23, 2013)

Mississippi River Still Threatened by Drought (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 15, 2013)

Quick Hits: Drought (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 22, 2013)

Revisit: Mississippi River (Infrastructure Watch, Jan 13, 2013)

Senator Viewed Low Mississippi River (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 9, 2013)

LaHood Staying On

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced he plans to stay as President Barack Obama begins his second term.  LaHood and Obama both represented Illinois in Congress, and their terms overlapped.

Related posts and articles

LaHood Says He’s Staying On as Transportation Secretary (Plungis, J., Bloomberg, Jan. 22, 2013)

Ray H. LaHood Appointed Secretary of Transportation

Ray H. LaHood was sworn in as Secretary of Transportation on January 23, 2009. LaHood was joined for an official swearing-in ceremony in his new office by his wife Kathy, son Sam and fellow Illinoisan and Assistant Majority Leader, Senator Richard J. Durbin. The oath of office was administered by Linda Washington, Assistant Secretary for Administration, and took place before an audience of his new staff and members of the Department of Transportation transition team.

The full Senate confirmed LaHood by voice vote on January 22, following his being reported out of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee just the day before, on January 21.

Federal Agencies Agree on Sustainable Communities Principals

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced an interagency partnership for sustainable communities. Testifying together before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, they outlined the six guiding ‘livability principles’ they will use to coordinate federal transportation, environmental protection, and housing investments at their respective agencies.

The six livability principles that will act as a foundation for interagency coordination are

1. Provide more transportation choices. Develop safe, reliable and economical transportation choices to decrease household transportation costs, reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote public health.

2. Promote equitable, affordable housing. Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined cost of housing and transportation.

3. Enhance economic competitiveness. Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely access to employment centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs by workers as well as expanded business access to markets.

4. Support existing communities. Target federal funding toward existing communities – through such strategies as transit-oriented, mixed-use development and land recycling – to increase community revitalization, improve the efficiency of public works investments, and safeguard rural landscapes.

5. Coordinate policies and leverage investment. Align federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart energy choices such as locally generated renewable energy.

6. Value communities and neighborhoods. Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe and walkable neighborhoods – rural, urban or suburban.

Related articles and posts:
Original DOT news release
Federal Housing and Transportation Agencies Team Up

T&I Committee Takes Up Infrastructure Issues

During his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama proposed a program of investing in infrastructure, particularly energy and transportation, as a way to create jobs and stimulate the economy.  The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee delved into the issue.

The committee held hearings yesterday the featured proponents from infrastructure advocates, business, and labor. Speakers included

•  Edward G. Rendell, Co-Chair of Building America’s Future and former governor of Pennsylvania,
• Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and
• Terry O’Sullivan, General President of the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

The T&I committee will be looking at three major bills, one to address waterways and ports, one to address railroads, and finally a reauthorization of the surface transportation programs (i.e. highways and related automobile, trucking and transit programs).  The last surface transportation reauthorization was only for two years, rather than the typical five-year plan.  The last Congress punted, largely for lack of will or imagination to deal with the predicted shortfalls in revenues for highway funding, for which they were criticized by departing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Related posts and articles

At hearing on nation’s crumbling infrastructure, money is the theme (Halsey, A., Washington Post, Feb. 13, 2013)

The Federal Role in Infrastructure (Macheska, C., Save America’s Infrastructure, Feb. 14, 2013)

Hearing Highlights Federal Role in Infrastructure and Economic Importance of Transportation System (House T&I Committee news release, Feb. 13, 2013)

No easy funding fix for U.S. transportation woes –lawmaker (Palmer, D., Reuters, Feb. 13, 2013)

The State of the Union... and our Highways (Jones, P. D., Huffington Post, Feb. 13, 2013)

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)

Federal Housing and Transportation Agencies Team Up

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood announced a new joint effort between their departments to promote affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs. They discussed their plans for sustainable communities today at a U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing hearing titled, “Livable Communities, Transit Oriented Development, and incorporating Green Building Practices into Federal Housing and Transportation.”

DOT and HUD have created a interagency task force to better coordinate federal transportation and housing investments. The task force will facilitate integrated housing and transportation planning, redefine housing affordability to account for transportation costs, develop livability measures, and harmonize programs between the two departments.

You can read the original DOT new release here. You can read Secretary Donovan’s testimony at the House hearing here, and Secretary LeHood’s testimony here.

Federal Officials Discuss High-Speed Rail with State Officials

Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood discussed high-speed rail plans during with state officials at the White House. In April, the administration released a plan for $13 billion in federal funds ($8 billion in the Recovery Act and $5 billion budget) for passenger rail systems. Detailed guidance for up to the first $8 billion in federal grant applications will be announced later this month and the first round of grants are expected to be awarded as soon as late summer 2009.

Several governors and state transportation officials attended including Governor Jay “Boondoggle Bridge” Nixon of Missouri.

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

Related posts and articles:
Economic Stimulus Funds 2000 Transportation Projects
Obama Signs Stimulus Bill
U.S. Transportation Dept. Releases Budget Framework

USDOT Redirects High-Speed Rail Stimulus Away from Slow States

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that $1.195 billion in high-speed rail funds originally designated for Wisconsin and Ohio will be redirected to other states. Wisconsin has suspended work under its existing high-speed rail agreement and the incoming Governors in Wisconsin and Ohio have both indicated that they will not move forward to use high-speed rail money received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

ARRA included $8 billion to launch a national high-speed rail program. High-speed rail grants announced under ARRA can be used only for high-speed rail projects and not for other transportation projects.

The Federal Railroad Administration originally announced $810 million for Wisconsin’s Milwaukee-Madison corridor and $400 million for Ohio’s Cincinnati-Columbus-Cleveland “3C” route. The Federal Railroad Administration will redirect $810 million from Wisconsin and $385 million from Ohio, and will work with these states to determine whether they have already spent money under their contracts that should be reimbursed.

The $1.195 billion originally designated for those high-speed rail projects in Wisconsin and Ohio will be used to support projects in the following states:

California: up to $624 million
Florida: up to $342.3 million
Washington State: up to $161.5 million
Illinois: up to $42.3 million
New York: up to $7.3 million
Maine: up to $3.3 million
Massachusetts: up to $2.8 million
Vermont: up to $2.7 million
Missouri: up to $2.2 million
Wisconsin: up to $2 million for the Hiawatha line
Oregon: up to $1.6 million
North Carolina: up to $1.5 million
Iowa: up to $309,080
Indiana: up to $364,980

You can read the original Department of Transportation statement here.

Related posts and articles
Federal News in Brief
Federal Officials Discuss High-Speed Rail with State Officials
Infrastructure Economic Stimulus in the News
Transportation Department Releases Guidelines for Stimulus Funding of High-Speed Rail

Senate Approves Environmental Appointments

The Senate has approved appointments to several key environmental positions. These include:

Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

Ken Salazar, Secretary of Interior

Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality

Additional articles and posts:
President-Elect Obama Announces Environmental Nominations
Ray H. LaHood Appointed Secretary of Transportation
Senate confirms Jackson as USEPA chief

Federal Infrastructure & Environment Nominees Announced

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Daniel B. Poneman, Deputy Secretary--Since 2001, Poneman has been a Principal of The Scowcroft Group, an international business advisory firm based in Washington, D.C. Prior to that he was a partner in the law firm of Hogan & Hartson. From 1993 through 1996, Poneman served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Nonproliferation and Export Controls at the National Security Council. He joined the NSC staff in 1990 as Director of Defense Policy and Arms Control, after serving as a White House Fellow in the Department of Energy. Poneman has served on several federal commissions and advisory panels, and has authored books on nuclear energy policy and on Argentina. He coauthored Going Critical: The First North Korean Nuclear Crisis, which received the 2005 Douglas Dillon Award for Distinguished Writing on American Diplomacy. Poneman received A.B. and J.D. degrees with honors from Harvard, and an M.Litt. in politics from Oxford University. He is an Adjunct Senior Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Aspen Strategy Group.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Mercedes Márquez, Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development--Márquez assumed her duties as the General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) in January 2004. Mercedes returned to public service after serving as Vice-President of McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc., a national firm specializing in the development, consultation, and management of urban communities. Márquez oversaw developments throughout the Southwest and California, which included initiating new developments, coordinating the planning process, acting as liaison with joint venture partners, and interfacing with government officials and local community groups. Prior to her time with McCormack Baron Salazer, Inc, she served in the Clinton administration as the Senior Counsel to the Secretary and Deputy General Counsel for Civil Rights and Fair Housing for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Washington, D.C. She was principal advisor to former Secretary Andrew Cuomo on civil rights policy including fair lending and fair housing enforcement, and led investigations and negotiations of housing discrimination cases resulting in landmark settlements. She also advised the Secretary on rural housing and economic development policy, supervised farm worker and Colonias Community Builder specialists in five states, and served as a U.S. delegate to international commissions. From 1992 to 1997, Márquez was a partner at Litt & Márquez, where she specialized in complex public interest litigation including slumlord, fair housing, public housing, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and constitutional issues cases. Márquez is an Advisory Board Member of The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers & Human Rights Project and the Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence, a former Trustee of The McAuley Institute, and past national Vice-President of the YWCA of the USA. Márquez has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California and a J.D. and LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.


DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Thomasina Rogers, Chairman, Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission--Rogers is a member of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. She was first appointed to the Review Commission by President Clinton in 1998 and served as Chairman from 1999 to 2002; she was then reappointed to the Review Commission in 2003. The agency Chairman is responsible for the administrative operations of the quasi-judicial agency, along with participating with the other Commissioners in case adjudication. Ms. Rogers previously served as Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States from 1994 until its dissolution at the end of 1995. Rogers also served for seven years in the Federal Government's Senior Executive Service (SES). During her time in the SES, she served as Legal Counsel to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission where she had primary responsibility for managing the development of the Americans With Disabilities Act employment regulations. She is a member of the American Bar Association and the National Bar Association. Rogers is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Journalism and the Columbia University School of Law.

Lorelei Boylan, Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division--Boylan is currently the Director of Strategic Enforcement at the New York State Department of Labor, Labor Standards Division. In this capacity she supervises the Apparel Industry/Fair Wages Task Force, a state-wide specialized unit charged with investigating low-wage industries where workers are at risk of exploitation. Under her leadership, the Task Force has flourished into a groundbreaking investigative unit with a high rate of success in the resolution of wage and hour investigations. The Task Force has developed complex investigations, conducted around-the-clock field work and built coalitions with low wage workers' advocates. Boylan has a wealth of experience in the enforcement field, ranging from private monitoring for retailers with social accountability initiatives to affirmative litigation and field investigative experience. Prior to heading the Task Force, Boylan spearheaded the Bureau of Immigrant Workers' Rights, a newly formed division of the Department of Labor, where she formulated innovative policies to respond to the needs of individuals with Limited English proficiency. She is the recipient of the 2008 Frances Perkins Leadership Award for exceptional leadership in developing the mission of the Department. Boylan practiced law as an Assistant Attorney General in the New York State Attorney General's Office. She was hired under the Honor's Program to represent the State in defensive and affirmative litigation. In this position, Boylan investigated businesses for violations of state and federal labor laws and represented the Department of Health in New York State Supreme Court and the New York Court of Appeals. Prior to becoming an attorney, Boylan worked for several years for a global monitoring company, counseling firms on compliance with state and federal labor laws, OSHA, Immigration and tax laws. She graduated cum laude from Hunter College and received a J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School where she was a Writing Competition and Articles Editor of the Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law. Boylan speaks Spanish and French fluently and is admitted to practice law in New York State.

You can read the original news releases here and here.

Other recent nominations and appointments:
More Federal Environment and Infrastructure Appointees Announced
New Chief of Natural Resources Conservation Service Named
New Commissioner Appointed to Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission
Nominations for Federal Environmental and Infrastructure Posts Announced
Ray H. LaHood Appointed Secretary of Transportation
Senate Approves Environmental Appointments

More Federal Environment and Infrastructure Appointees Announced

Several additional nominations to federal environment and infrastructure posts were announced. Some are described below.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Jonathan S. Adelstein, Administrator for the Rural Utilities Service - Jonathan S. Adelstein is currently a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, where he has served since 2002, and was confirmed to a second term in 2004, where he led efforts to improve rural telecommunications and broadband. Previously, he served for fifteen years as a staff member in the US Senate, including his final seven years with Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), advising him on telecommunications, financial services, housing, transportation and other key issues. Prior to that, he served as Professional Staff Member to Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman David Pryor (D-AR), including an assignment as a special liaison to Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), and earlier as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (D-MI). Before his service in the Senate, he was a Teaching Fellow in the Department of History, Harvard University, while studying at the Kennedy School of Government, and a Teaching Assistant in the Department of History, Stanford University, and as a Communications Consultant to the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He received an M.A. in History and a B.A. with Distinction in Political Science from Stanford University. Born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota, he and his wife, Karen, have two children, Adam and Lexi.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information - Lawrence E. Strickling is a technology policy expert with more than two decades of experience in the public and private sectors. As Policy Coordinator for Obama for America, Strickling oversaw two dozen domestic policy committees and was responsible for technology and telecommunications issues. Prior to joining the campaign, Strickling was Chief Regulatory and Chief Compliance Officer at Broadwing Communications for three years. His private sector experience also includes serving in senior roles at Allegiance Telecom and CoreExpress, Inc. and as a member of the Board of Directors of Network Plus. In government, Strickling served at the Federal Communications Commission as Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau from 1998 to 2000. Prior to that, Strickling was Associate General Counsel and Chief of the FCC's Competition Division. During his tenure at the FCC, Strickling developed and enforced rules to foster competition and protect consumers in the telecommunications marketplace. Prior to joining the FCC, Strickling was Vice President, Public Policy at Ameritech. Before Ameritech, he was a litigation partner at the Chicago law firm of Kirkland & Ellis. Strickling earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in economics. He serves on the Board of Visitors at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of Chicago's Court Theatre, and on the Board of Directors of Music of the Baroque in Chicago.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - In January 2007, Cathy Zoi joined the Alliance for Climate Protection as its founding CEO. Established and chaired by former Vice President Al Gore, the Alliance is a non-profit organization spearheading a multi-year, multimillion dollar effort aimed at persuading Americans of both the urgency and solvability of global warming. From 2003 until joining the Alliance, Zoi served as Group Executive Director at the Bayard Group. The firm, recently renamed Landis+Gyr Holdings, is a world leader in energy measurement technologies and systems, with operations in 30 countries and revenues in excess of $1.2 billion. Her work focused on the key role of smart metering to improving energy efficiency in markets in North America, Europe, India, China , Brazil and Australia. Prior to joining Bayard, Cathy was Assistant Director General of the New South Wales EPA in Sydney, Australia. She was also the founding CEO of the NSW Sustainable Energy Development Authority, a $50 million fund to commercialize greenhouse-friendly technology, from 1996-1999. Under her leadership, SEDA launched the world’s first nationwide Green Power program (1997) and the world¹s largest solar-powered suburb (1998). Cathy has served on boards and advisory committees of a variety of companies in the clean technology sector. Cathy was Chief of Staff in the White House Office on Environmental Policy in the Clinton-Gore administration, where she managed the team working on environmental and energy issues (1993-95). She was also a manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where she pioneered the Energy Star Program. Ms. Zoi earned a B.S. in Geology from Duke University and an M.S. in Engineering from Dartmouth College.

Dr. Steven E. Koonin, Under Secretary for Science - Dr. Steven E. Koonin is currently Chief Scientist for BP, plc, where he is responsible for guiding the company's long-range technology strategy, particularly in alternative and renewable energy sources. Koonin joined BP in 2004 following a 29-year career at the California Institute of Technology as a Professor of Theoretical Physics, including a 9-year term as the Institute's Provost. He has served on numerous advisory bodies for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy and its various national laboratories. Koonin's research interests have included theoretical and computational physics, as well as global environmental science. He did his undergraduate work at Caltech and has a PhD from MIT.

David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs - David Sandalow is Energy & Environment Scholar and a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program of the Brookings Institution. He is the author of Freedom from Oil (2008) and has written widely on energy and environmental policy. Sandalow is a senior advisor to Good Energies, Inc. and has served as Chair of the Energy & Climate Working Group of the Clinton Global Initiative. Previously, Sandalow served as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment & Science; Senior Director for Environmental Affairs, National Security Council; Associate Director for the Global Environment, White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Executive Vice President, World Wildlife Fund-US. Sandalow is a graduate of Yale College (BA Philosophy) and the University of Michigan Law School (JD).

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

J. Randolph Babbitt, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration - J. Randolph Babbitt, known as Randy, is a partner in the worldwide aviation consultancy of Oliver Wyman. He was the former Chairman and CEO of Eclat Consulting until they were acquired by Oliver Wyman in 2007. Babbitt is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of aviation safety and policy, and labor relations with almost 40 years of experience in the industry. Babbitt began his aviation career as a pilot for Eastern Airlines and flew for more than 25 years. He served as President and CEO for US ALPA, the world’s largest professional organization of airline pilots. In 1993 he served as a Presidential appointee on the National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry. In 2008 Babbitt was named by the Secretary of Transportation to an independent review team of aviation and safety experts tasked with evaluating and crafting recommendations to improve the FAA's implementation of the aviation safety system and its culture of safety. Babbitt attended both the University of Georgia and the University of Miami.

You can read the original news releases here and here.

Other recent nominations:Nominations for Federal Environmental and Infrastructure Posts Announced
Ray H. LaHood Appointed Secretary of Transportation
Senate Approves Environmental Appointments