Statement of
Mary E. Peters
Administrator-Designate, Federal
Highway Administration
Before the
Committee on Environment and
Public Works
United States Senate
September 21, 2001
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today as you consider my nomination for Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. I am sincerely honored to have been nominated for this position by President Bush, with the concurrence of Secretary Mineta. Should you choose to confirm me I look forward to working with this committee, each of you, and your staff to administer the Federal highway program. I recognize the historic contributions this committee has made to surface transportation and the key role it has played in shaping national transportation policy.
Transportation
affects every person in our country and each one of them, every man, woman and
child, has the right to expect a safe, accessible, affordable and reliable
transportation system. This expectation
should be honored, whether it be that of a child living within tribal nation
boundaries who needs an education; a person with disabilities, like my own
brother, who needs access to training services; parents who need to spend less
time commuting and more time with their children, or a senior citizen who needs
mobility options. It is for these, our
ultimate customers, that we provide transportation services.
Transportation that
is responsive to the citizens and businesses we serve is vitally important to
our nation’s economic health and the quality of life of every American. There are a number of factors to be considered
in ensuring that transportation meets these needs.
I would like to
mention four of them today – national security, public safety, quality of life,
and commerce. I would normally always
mention safety first. However, after
the terrorist attacks on September 11, I thought it important not to
distinguish between public safety and national security on a priority
basis.
The Interstate
Highway System met a need identified during World War II, providing a
coast-to-coast highway system that would allow this country to efficiently move
troops and equipment, and respond to natural disasters. While the system is now complete, it is
essential that it be operated and maintained in a manner that continues to
enable the safe and efficient mobilization of military forces and deployment of
disaster response resources. As last
week’s tragic events demonstrated, it is essential that our highway system,
indeed our entire transportation system, dependably serve public safety,
disaster response and recovery, and other national security requirements.
Transportation is
important to public safety in a number of aspects, including safety of the
infrastructure itself and the ability of police, fire and other emergency
response personnel to reach the incidents to which they are responding. Most importantly, we must make our highways
safer for all who use them. Too many
die or are injured on our roads. In
addition, if an ambulance is stuck in traffic, or a fire truck cannot reach the
blaze, our public safety needs cannot be met.
An efficient, effective transportation system is a crucial component of
public safety.
Mobility is a key
component to a good quality of life.
The ability to safely, efficiently and predictably get to our jobs, our
children’s activities, our religious services, to obtain medical services, shop
for our needs or take a vacation are all affected by our nation’s
transportation systems.
Economic growth and
our ability to compete in a global economy are dependent on transportation
systems and services. As Secretary
Mineta has mentioned, when he served as Mayor of San Jose, California, he
learned that transportation was the most effective tool available to him in
fostering economic development. The
ability for commerce to move in a seamless, efficient transportation system can
position our country to remain a leader in the world economy or inhibit our
ability to do so. Building the
Interstate Highway System and designating the National Highway System were
strong steps toward ensuring viable interstate commerce. Now we must ensure that the operation of
that system supports, rather than hinders, commerce.
To respond to these
factors, if I am confirmed, I would immediately focus on several priority
areas. These are highway safety,
environmental streamlining, stewardship of public funds, congestion and
bottlenecks, and of course reauthorization.
While progress has
been made, more than 40,000 persons lose their lives every year in highway
crashes, and more than 3 million are injured.
Ninety-four percent of all transportation fatalities occur on highways,
and if confirmed I would make it a top priority to improve highway safety.
Using the three-pronged approach of engineering, enforcement and education we
can improve our safety record and reduce lives lost on the nation’s
highways. We must ensure that available
funds are spent in ways that generate the greatest possible improvements for
our investment. Rumble strips, for
example, are an excellent, relatively low-cost, way to reduce run-off-the-road
crashes that occur predominantly on rural two-lane roadway sections. Another area of emphasis is work zone
safety, both for highway workers and the public.
I believe that we can
be respectful stewards of the environment while improving review processes so
they are more efficient and less duplicative.
Secretary Mineta has said that taking longer does not necessarily result
in a better project. If confirmed, I
would work with you, my fellow modal administrators, state and local officials,
the environmental community, industry and others to develop methods for
streamlining the environmental approval processes while remaining mindful of
the critical importance of environmental stewardship.
In my position as
Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, I frequently reminded
people in my agency that the funds we had been entrusted with to accomplish our
mission were indeed the public’s money.
I bring that strong belief to the position for which I have been
nominated, and if confirmed will work to further improve and strengthen
oversight and accountability of the public funds entrusted to the Federal
Highway Administration. This includes
the responsibility to accurately and completely estimate and disclose costs at
the onset of all projects, as well as to monitor progress and expenditures
during the life of projects to ensure we indeed get what we are paying for.
Congestion and
bottlenecks have a detrimental effect on air quality, commerce, and our overall
quality of life; it is both expensive and aggravating. This growing level of congestion is, of
course, the result of demand significantly outpacing capacity; however, the
solution is not just to add capacity.
Congestion must be approached from a systemic and operational
standpoint, using a variety of tools including technology, intermodal and
multimodal solutions as well as capacity improvements. In addition, there are a number of options
to complete construction projects more quickly once they are approved. If confirmed, I would make relieving
congestion a top priority.
The Intermodal
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and the Transportation
Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) were landmark pieces of
legislation. These acts, including
firewalls, minimum guarantees and flexibility provided the funding and tools
that allowed transportation directors, such as myself, to be significantly more
responsive in meeting the state’s transportation needs. The upcoming 2003
Transportation Reauthorization provides an opportunity for us collectively to
build on these successes as well as to be forward-focused on the transportation
challenges and opportunities in the 21st Century. We can take this opportunity to encourage
innovation and take advantage of the exponential gains possible when the public
and private sectors collaborate to meet these challenges. If confirmed, I look forward to working with
you on transportation reauthorization.
I have spent more
than fifteen years in the transportation field. I have had the opportunity to be involved in a number of local,
regional and national transportation issues as State Director of Transportation
in Arizona. In that capacity, I had responsibility
for highway, transit, rail and aviation transportation functions, as well as
motor carrier programs, driver licensing and vehicle registration, and tax
collection and distribution. This
experience afforded me the opportunity to recognize the importance of dealing
systemically and inclusively with issues, remaining mindful of the integration
of the various modal functions in arriving at solutions for the many
transportation challenges in a rapidly growing state like Arizona.
I bring this experience
to the position for which I have been nominated, as well as knowledge in the
technical aspects of planning, building and operating transportation systems,
the use of technology in arriving at solutions, and a background in the finance
and economics of these systems. I have
the management and leadership skills to work with Secretary Mineta to lead the
Federal Highway Administration in a clear, strategic direction should I be
confirmed.
Recognizing the many
demands on your time, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity you have afforded
me to appear before you today as you consider my nomination. I would be pleased to respond to any
questions you may have.