Did the White House Meet its Stimulus Goal? (Weise, K., & Grabell, M., ProPublica, Oct. 1, 2010)
Report gives stimulus package high marks (Montgomery, L., Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2010)
Hard times then, hard times now as another stimulus is in the works (McNamara, T., Blueprint America, Sept. 15, 2010)
First Stimulus Project to Begin Construction Opens (Infrastructure Watch, Aug. 23, 2010)
Government Accountability Office Watches Recovery Act Implementation (Infrastructure Watch, Aug. 23, 2010)
ODOT's stimulus money creates jobs, funds about 300 projects (Off, G., Tulsa World, Aug. 24, 2010)
$800 Million in Stimulus Will Expand Broadband (New York Times [Reuters], July 2, 2010)
More jobs 'saved or created' by stimulus, White House says (USA Today [Associated Press], July 14, 2010)
Show Me the Money: Stimulus & Infrastructure News (Infrastructure Watch, July 7, 2010)
Signs of the Stimulus (Karl, J., & Simmons, G., ABC News, July 14, 2010)
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query white house. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query white house. Sort by date Show all posts
Friday, October 8, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Infrastructure & Environment Review
Ameren
Missouri Efficiency Program Ends
Unable to resolve
differences with state regulators, Ameren
Missouri has let its energy
efficiency rebate program lapse. Staff of the Missouri
Public Service Commission and the state’s Office
of Public Counsel believed that Ameren customer overpaid the cost of the
program, and opposed a three-year extension. A proposal from Kansas City Power & Light has been
approved, and it might serve as a model for a compromise between the state and
Ameren. You can read more about this issue here.
Bans
on Texting While Driving Introduced in Missouri
Bills that would
prohibit or greatly restrict texting while driving have been prefiled in the Missouri
General Assembly session that started January 6: HB1542 and SB821. Currently, texting while driving is
banned for drivers younger than 21 and for drivers of commercial vehicles. You
can find more about these bills here.
Bill
Would Add Missouri Highway Commissioners
HB1446 would increase the size of the Missouri
Highways and Transportation Commission from six members to eight. Each of
the seven Transportation
Department districts would be represented by a commissioner, and an eighth
commissioner would be appointed without regard to district residence.
Missouri
Legislators Propose Fuel Tax Increase
Two proposals have been
floated by Missouri
state legislators. One would increase the tax on
gasoline by 1.5 cents and diesel by 3.5 cents. Another would increase all fuel
taxes by 2 cents. You can find more about these proposals here or here.
As an alternative to the
fuel tax, SB645 would redirect 3 percent of
automobile sales tax revenues from state general revenue to the road fund.
Flooded
Wastewater Plants Release Sewage in St. Louis Area
Wastewater treatment
plants operated by the Metropolitan Sewer
District of St. Louis have released millions of gallons of sewage into
rivers. The Grand Glaize and Fenton plants were inundated by the recent floods
in Missouri. The two plants, which combined treat and average of 20 million
gallons of wastewater per day, discharge into the Meramec
River.
White
House Announces Water Strategy
The White House
announced a strategy to the sustainability of U.S. water
supplies and systems.
The cynic in me suspects that these strategies, programs, and actions were
things that were mostly in the works anyway, but someone cobbled them together
into a seemingly unified program (you can can get the details here). Even so, we need to take a serious look at our water
resources, policies and practices. Good policy that addresses today’s water
situation is needed, but sustainable water for our nation will come when we
have a culture that values water for the many roles it plays in our
environment, industry, health, recreation and almost every other aspect of
human life.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Energy Appointments Confirmed
The Senate confirmed six Department of Energy (DOE) nominees, including Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman, Under Secretary for Energy Kristina Johnson, and Under Secretary for Science Steven Koonin. Also confirmed this week were Scott Blake Harris, General Counsel; David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs; and Ines Triay, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management.
Since 2001, Daniel B. Poneman was 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 coauthored Going Critical: The First North Korean Nuclear Crisis, which received the 2005 Douglas Dillon Award for Distinguished Writing on American Diplomacy. He received A.B. and J.D. degrees with honors from Harvard, and an M.Litt. in politics from Oxford University.
Kristina M. Johnson was previously the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs of Johns Hopkins University. Prior to that, Johnson served as the Dean of Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering from 1999-2007 where she helped to set up interdisciplinary efforts in photonics, bioengineering and biologically inspired materials, and energy and the environment. Before that she was on the faculty of the University of Colorado, Boulder from 1985-1999 where she led an NSF Engineering Research Center and involved engineers, mathematicians, physicists, chemists and psychologists in working to make computers faster and better connected. Johnson is an electrical engineer with more than 129 US and foreign patents or patents pending.
Dr. Steven E. Koonin was previously Chief Scientist for BP, plc, where he was 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.
Scott Blake Harris was Managing Partner of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP, a Washington, D.C. law firm with nationally known telecommunications, litigation, and appellate practices. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Harris served as the first chief of the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. Before joining the Commission, he was Chief Counsel for Export Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Prior to government service, Mr. Harris was a partner at the law firm of Williams & Connolly. Mr. Harris is a magna cum laude graduate of both Brown University and Harvard Law School.
David Sandalow was most recently 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. 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).
Dr. Ines Triay spent 14 years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico before moving to the Department of Energy, first in the Carlsbad field office and then in the Washington, DC headquarters. In 2005, Triay became the Chief Operating Officer for Environmental Management, and she was named to the top career position there in October, 2007. In this capacity, she served as the acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management since November, 2008. Triay was born in Cuba and came to the US when she was 3 years old. Raised in Puerto Rico, she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Miami, Florida and conducted her post-doctoral studies at Los Alamos.
You can read the original news release here.
Since 2001, Daniel B. Poneman was 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 coauthored Going Critical: The First North Korean Nuclear Crisis, which received the 2005 Douglas Dillon Award for Distinguished Writing on American Diplomacy. He received A.B. and J.D. degrees with honors from Harvard, and an M.Litt. in politics from Oxford University.
Kristina M. Johnson was previously the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs of Johns Hopkins University. Prior to that, Johnson served as the Dean of Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering from 1999-2007 where she helped to set up interdisciplinary efforts in photonics, bioengineering and biologically inspired materials, and energy and the environment. Before that she was on the faculty of the University of Colorado, Boulder from 1985-1999 where she led an NSF Engineering Research Center and involved engineers, mathematicians, physicists, chemists and psychologists in working to make computers faster and better connected. Johnson is an electrical engineer with more than 129 US and foreign patents or patents pending.
Dr. Steven E. Koonin was previously Chief Scientist for BP, plc, where he was 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.
Scott Blake Harris was Managing Partner of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP, a Washington, D.C. law firm with nationally known telecommunications, litigation, and appellate practices. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Harris served as the first chief of the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. Before joining the Commission, he was Chief Counsel for Export Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Prior to government service, Mr. Harris was a partner at the law firm of Williams & Connolly. Mr. Harris is a magna cum laude graduate of both Brown University and Harvard Law School.
David Sandalow was most recently 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. 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).
Dr. Ines Triay spent 14 years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico before moving to the Department of Energy, first in the Carlsbad field office and then in the Washington, DC headquarters. In 2005, Triay became the Chief Operating Officer for Environmental Management, and she was named to the top career position there in October, 2007. In this capacity, she served as the acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management since November, 2008. Triay was born in Cuba and came to the US when she was 3 years old. Raised in Puerto Rico, she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Miami, Florida and conducted her post-doctoral studies at Los Alamos.
You can read the original news release here.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
New Chief of Natural Resources Conservation Service Named
Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack named Dave White as chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). NRCS operates programs related to soil and water conservation. White is a career conservationist with NRCS. He provided technical and management expertise in Missouri, South Carolina, Washington, D.C. and Montana, where he served as State Conservationist from 2002 to 2008. White also served in the Senate Agriculture Committee where he helped craft the Conservation Title for both the 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills. He also served on the White House Task Force for Livable Communities during the Clinton Administration.
Read the original news release here.
Read the original news release here.
Monday, February 9, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
President Sends Jobs Plan to Congress
President Barack Obama has submitted his $447 billion jobs plan to Congress. It includes about $50 billion on transportation spending.
Related posts and articles
Obama Gets Specific in His Jobs Bill
Obama Unveils $447 Billion Jobs Plan
Obama’s New $50 Billion Infrastructure Stimulus – Old Wine in New Bottles
President Obama’s American Jobs Act
President Obama’s American Jobs Act Factsheet
President Proposes New Recovery Plan
Texts: “American Jobs Act” and Obama’s Letter to Congress
White House: Obama to Send Jobs Bill to Congress on Monday
Related posts and articles
Obama Gets Specific in His Jobs Bill
Obama Unveils $447 Billion Jobs Plan
Obama’s New $50 Billion Infrastructure Stimulus – Old Wine in New Bottles
President Obama’s American Jobs Act
President Obama’s American Jobs Act Factsheet
President Proposes New Recovery Plan
Texts: “American Jobs Act” and Obama’s Letter to Congress
White House: Obama to Send Jobs Bill to Congress on Monday
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
National Infrastructure Bank Proposals Keep Coming
Many in Congress think the President Obama’s I-Fund proposal falls short of what they’d like to see in a national infrastructure bank. (The I-Fund isn’t really a bank, but more of a competitive grant for transportation infrastructure.) Lawmakers from Connecticut in particular are pushing for a bank that would be capitalized by the government and run by an independent board. The bank would be authorized to finance a variety of infrastructure projects in addition to transportation. They’d like to see a bill pass this year.
Related posts and articles:
Another National Infrastructure Bank Bill Proposed
As Geithner Touts Infrastructure, Skepticism Persists on $4B ‘I-Fund’ Plan
Budget Proposal Includes Something Like a Transportation Infrastructure Bank
DeLauro Pushes Alternative to ‘Disappointing’ White House I-Fund
Dodd and DeLauro Vow to Get Infrastructure Bank Done This Year
Infrastructure “Bank” Proposals Continue to Get Attention
LaHood Talks Budget: “Very Bright” Future for Infrastructure Fund
Related posts and articles:
Another National Infrastructure Bank Bill Proposed
As Geithner Touts Infrastructure, Skepticism Persists on $4B ‘I-Fund’ Plan
Budget Proposal Includes Something Like a Transportation Infrastructure Bank
DeLauro Pushes Alternative to ‘Disappointing’ White House I-Fund
Dodd and DeLauro Vow to Get Infrastructure Bank Done This Year
Infrastructure “Bank” Proposals Continue to Get Attention
LaHood Talks Budget: “Very Bright” Future for Infrastructure Fund
Monday, June 8, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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
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
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Energy, Transportation & Water News
Bill Would Change Electric
Ratemaking in Missouri
State
Rep. Rocky Miller, who represents parts of Camden and Miller Counties near
Osage Beach, introduced the 21st
Century Grid Modernization and Security Act (HB2816). The bill
would substantially change the state’s
method of regulating
electric utility rates. The method is modeled on processes in Illinois
and would allow annual adjustments to electric rates.
Another portion of the bill substantially changes provision related to
special electric rates for aluminum smelters. This is largely driven by Noranda, which operates smelter in New Madrid.
It seems unlikely that lower or more flexible electric rates will save the
company from plummeting aluminum prices.
With the exception of Noranda, large electricity users in Missouri
have generally come out against the proposal. Some companies that have
expressed opposition to the bill are Purina,
Bayer, Ford, General Motors and Procter
& Gamble. You can read more about this topic here.
Poop to Power Project Coming to
North Carolina
Duke
Energy has contracted with Carbon Cycle
Energy for the construction and operation of a facility to process animal
waste to produce methane gas for fuel. Waste will come from area pig and
chicken farms.
The gas will be piped to Duke plants as fuel in electric power generation.
North
Carolina is the second largest pork producing state in the U.S. Duke is a
major electric power producer, particularly in the Carolinas. Carbon Cycle is
based in Colorado.
Barrel Bob Found
Barrel
Bob, a character that serves as spokesman for worksite safety
for the Missouri
Department of Transportation (MoDOT), was found
in Columbia
on April 1 (no fooling) after he was stolen from his roadside station at
highway construction site in Jefferson
City on March 19. The statue, constructed from used orange and
reflective white barrels and cones, was previously set on fire by vandals at
this location.
This statue was one of seven Barrel Bobs. Each of MoDOT’s districts has
one. Bob was scheduled to make appearances at events to promote highway
worksite safety beginning April 11, so the agency had resorted to building a
new statue before Bob was found. You can find out more here,
here
and here.
Missourians Could Vote on Fuel
Tax Increase
A bill (SB623)
is making its way through the Missouri
Senate that could increase the state fuel tax from 17
cents per gallon to 22.9 cents per gallon. The tax, if implemented, is expected
to bring in $240 million annually. The bill would place a referendum on the
November ballot, meaning it would have to be approved directly by voters.
Before getting that far, it must complete its path through the General
Assembly. The Senate is expected to pass the bill in its final vote in the
first full week of April. Afterward it will be considered by the state House
of Representatives, where it is not expected to be warmly received. You can
read more about this here,
here
and here.
Significant funding for Missouri roads comes from the federal
government (which has its own funding issues). MoDOT is preparing to use cash
reserves to match federal grants for transportation projects (more here).
Name a Missouri Highway
An alternative to increased fuel taxes could be the auctioning of
naming rights for highways. There is no estimate of how much revenue it could
raise, but I’ll go out on a limb to say not enough to persuade the General
Assembly to this bill. You can read the bill here.
I have the impression the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch reporter who covered this story must have chuckled as
he typed.
Antibiotic Resistance Found in
Bacteria Downstream of Wastewater Discharge
Researchers studying the biofilm in a Spanish
river found antibiotic resistance genes. These genes occurred as far as 1 km
(0.6 mile) downstream from the of a wastewater
treatment plant. The genes provide resistance to some antibiotics commonly used
in hospitals. You can find more here.
In response to the issue of pharmaceutical pollution, some chemists are
considering biodegradable
drugs.
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