By Admin
Reported by Carolina Worrell for Railway Age.
President Joe Biden on March 14 announced his intention to nominate Jennifer Lynn Homendy for Chair and Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The nomination is for a second five-year term as a Member expiring Dec. 31, 2029. Her first term expires Dec. 31. 2024. Her separate Chair nomination is for a three-year term.
Homendy is the 15th Chair of NTSB, an independent agency (from Executive Branch) now at full five-member strength with members serving five-year terms. She is the fourth woman to serve as Chair since the agency was created in 1967. As Chair, she is the agency’s Chief Executive, managing an annual budget of $140 million and more than 440 full-time employees across the country. She has also served as NTSB’s 44th Board Member since 2018.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Angus King, I-Maine, Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., introduced legislation to standardize the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance Process which is used by transportation workers nationwide. The applicants often have to apply for more than one security clearance program using the same background check paperwork and […]
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Railroad labor union leaders today urged the Federal Railroad Administration to reject or at least severely restrict a proposal that would allow a pair of Genesee & Wyoming short lines to conduct intensive tests of Parallel Systems autonomous, self-propelled battery-electric freight cars.
The Heart of Georgia and Georgia Central railroads last year asked the FRA to waive a number of federal rail equipment regulations that would allow operation of Parallel’s container cars. The tests aim to prove that the technology is safe and that the equipment can coexist with conventional railroad operations. Parallel says its zero-emissions cars would allow railroads to effectively compete with trucks for short-haul moves.
At a public hearing today, FRA officials heard from Parallel, the G&W short lines, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, elected officials, and area economic development executives. They all touted the potential benefits of shifting freight off the highway to rail and encouraged the FRA to allow the tests to proceed.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – After years of advocacy, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced today that she successfully pushed the Biden administration to implement stronger Buy America standards for federally funded highway projects to support domestic manufacturing and create good-paying jobs. Senator Baldwin had long called for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to end the 40-year waiver […]
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), a senior member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, re-introduced the Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act, which would authorize $20 billion annually for four years ($80B total) to transit systems for their operating budgets. More than 60 of his colleagues are original cosponsors. The bill would […]
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Bob Casey, D-Penn., introduced the Energizing American Shipbuilding Act. This legislation would increase the United States’ exports of liquified natural gas (LNG) and crude oil on American built, flagged, and crewed vessels, and, subsequently, it would expand our domestic shipbuilding […]
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Reported by John Oliver for HBO.
John Oliver discusses freight trains and railroads, how they’ve put profits over safety, and, crucially, what shows he watched as a child that explain…everything.
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Reported by David Lassen for Trains.
President Joe Biden and passenger rail advocates on Friday hailed announcement of two major Federal Railroad Administration programs — one providing $8.2 billion in grants for construction of passenger-focused projects [see “FRA announces $8.2 billion in Federal-State Partnership passenger grants,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 8, 2023] and the other announcing routes selected for further passenger development, either as new or extended routes, or with increased frequencies [see “Full list of passenger routes …,” News Wire, Dec. 8, 2023].
Biden highlighted the $6.1 billion for the Brightline West and California high speed projects included in the Federal-State Partnership funding during an appearance Friday in Las Vegas, Nev., saying “world-class high speed rail” had been one of his commitments as a presidential candidate. “Today I’m here to deliver on that vision,” he said. “You have no idea how much this pleases me.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Zach Nunn (IA-03) and Don Davis (NC-01) today introduced legislation to protect Iowa’s jobs in the face of increasing automation in the workforce. The bipartisan Workforce DATA Act requires the U.S. Department of Labor to develop a plan to ensure that automation is a tool to make work easier, not an excuse to eliminate jobs. […]
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Reported by Joanna Marsh for Freightwaves.
Prospects for rail safety legislation in Congress to move forward in the waning weeks of 2023 appear dim, given other pressing national issues and even “mental exhaustion” among politicians, according to a former U.S. Department of Transportation official who now heads a consulting firm.
“I think the bottom line is that it’s probably unlikely at this point that we’re gonna see any legislation this year. And next year — being an election year — is also looking pretty grim as far as prospects for the bill,” said Loren A. Smith Jr., president of Skyline Policy Risk Group, a research and consulting firm focused on the supply chain. Smith previously served as deputy assistant secretary for policy at DOT.
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