[Senate Hearing 114-54]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 114-54
NOMINATION HEARING FOR KRISTEN KULINOWSKI TO BE A MEMBER OF THE
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD AND GREG NADEAU TO BE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
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HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JULY 15, 2015
__________
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COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma, Chairman
DAVID VITTER, Louisiana BARBARA BOXER, California
JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland
MIKE CRAPO, Idaho BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont
JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island
JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon
ROGER WICKER, Mississippi KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, New York
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska CORY A. BOOKER, New Jersey
MIKE ROUNDS, South Dakota EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
Ryan Jackson, Majority Staff Director
Bettina Poirier, Democratic Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
JULY 15, 2015
OPENING STATEMENTS
Collins, Hon. Susan M., U.S. Senator from the State of Maine..... 1
King, Hon. Angus S., Jr., U.S. Senator from the State of Maine... 2
Markey, Hon. Edward J., U.S. Senator from the State of
Massachusetts.................................................. 3
Inhofe, Hon. James M., U.S. Senator from the State of Oklahoma... 4
Boxer, Hon. Barbara, U.S. Senator from the State of California... 6
WITNESSES
Nadeau, Greg, nominated to be Administrator of the Federal
Highway Administration......................................... 8
Prepared statement........................................... 11
Kulinowski, Kristen, nominated to be a member of the Chemical
Safety Board................................................... 17
Prepared statement........................................... 20
Responses to additional questions from Senator Inhofe........ 24
NOMINATION HEARING FOR KRISTEN KULINOWSKI TO BE A MEMBER OF THE
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD AND GREG NADEAU TO BE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2015
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Environment and Public Works,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:30 a.m. in room
406, Dirksen Senate Building, Hon. James Inhofe (chairman of
the committee) presiding.
Present: Senators Inhofe, Capito, Boozman, Fischer, Rounds,
Carper, Gillibrand, and Markey.
Senator Inhofe. Consistent with our policy of starting on
time, we are going to start on time, Senator Collins.
I know that Senator King is going to be coming to join you
in the introduction, but since he is not here, we will start
with you, if you would proceed.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SUSAN M. COLLINS,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF MAINE
Senator Collins. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and
Ranking Member Boxer, for convening this hearing on the
nomination of Greg Nadeau to be the Administrator of the
Federal Highway Administration at the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
I am truly honored to speak before this committee in strong
support of Mr. Nadeau's nomination. He is a Maine native. That
gives him great credibility in my eyes to start and perhaps
more important to this committee, he truly is a transportation
expert.
He is also a former member of the Maine State Legislature
and he was an advisor to two of Maine's Governors, John
Baldacci and my colleague, Angus King.
I have known Greg for many years and have worked closely
with him on many important transportation issues. As Angus will
describe in greater detail, Greg has a long record of public
service and experience in transportation policy, including
serving very ably as the Deputy Administrator of the Federal
Highway Administration since 2009.
The President's nomination of Greg is a well earned
recognition of his expertise in highway policy and his
effectiveness as a manager of people and programs.
As Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations
Subcommittee, I have enjoyed working closely with Greg and I
look forward to the opportunity to continue this relationship
if he is confirmed to serve as the Administrator.
Greg's nomination comes at a critical time for FHA, the
transportation industry and the traveling public. As this
committee is well aware, the Highway Trust Fund faces yet
another shortfall at the end of this month.
A lapse in Federal funding, particularly at a time when
most States are at the peak construction season, would be
disastrous for local economies throughout the Nation. I want to
salute the leaders of this committee for your hard work in
unanimously crafting and passing a bill to reauthorize our
surface transportation programs for the next 6 years.
As Greg's nomination process moves forward, I want to tell
the committee that I cannot think of a better person to lead
the Federal Highway Administration in its ongoing stewardship
of the construction, maintenance and preservation of our
Nation's highways, bridges and tunnels. He is a remarkable
leader, a man of integrity and an expert in transportation
policy.
I urge this committee to support Greg Nadeau and to move
this nominee swiftly through the confirmation process.
I mentioned earlier in my remarks that Greg worked for
Senator King as his advisor on a host of issues. I am sure that
Senator King will give you an even more detailed background
about this outstanding nominee.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Senator Collins.
Senator King, you are recognized.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. ANGUS S. KING, JR.,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF MAINE
Senator King. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Ranking
Member Boxer, and members of the committee.
When I was elected as Governor of Maine in 1994, about a
week after my election, literally one of the first phone calls
I made was to Greg Nadeau. I asked him to join my office as one
of my senior policy advisors, one of three at the time, because
of his experience, his judgment, his integrity and his
intelligence.
He is a former legislator, a member of the Maine
Legislature for 12 years, a member of our Maine Appropriations
Committee, so he understands the legislative process and
understands the policy process.
For 8 years, he was my senior policy advisor in areas of
transportation, corrections, labor and other related issues and
proved himself to be exactly what I hoped and expected he would
be.
He also went on to the Maine Department of Transportation
after I left office and thought I had left politics and worked
as a senior policy advisor in the Maine Department of
Transportation. He worked with his colleagues across the
Country on transportation issues.
Since 2009, he has been here in Washington at the
Department of Transportation in the Federal Highway
Administration and has really demonstrated a dedication to
infrastructure and highway issues and a deep knowledge of how
this works, I think importantly, not only at the Federal level,
but at the State level, how the policies made here in
Washington affect the States.
He saw that in my office when I was Governor, he saw that
as a senior official at the Maine Department of Transportation,
so he has seen both sides of the Federal Highway
Administration. I think that is a crucially important quality
for someone in this very important position.
He is a man of impeccable integrity, intelligence, judgment
and also has what we in Maine refer to as a superb work ethic,
the highest compliment you can pay to someone in Maine. I do
not know if this is a familiar term here, but the highest
compliment you can pay to someone in Maine is to say he is
finest kind. He is the finest kind. Greg certainly fills that
criteria.
It is an honor for me to join Senator Collins today to
enthusiastically commend his capabilities and his experience to
this committee.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Senator King and Senator
Collins, both of you.
I have to say the comments you have made are consistent
with the comments I had just last night with a person I
consider, and Senator Boxer knows this, our No. 1 advisor, Gary
Ridley. He has to be a great guy with the three of you; that is
all I can say.
You may be excused if you have other things to do.
Senator King. Thank you.
Senator Collins. Thank you.
Senator Inhofe. Senator Markey, I understand Ms. Kulinowski
actually worked in your House office for a period of time.
Would you like to participate in her introduction?
Senator Markey. If I could, thank you.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Senator Markey. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
It does give me great pleasure to introduce Dr. Kristen
Kulinowski, a nominee for the Chemical Safety Board.
Kristen is a highly technically qualified candidate with a
Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degree in Chemistry. She is a
native of Buffalo, New York. She also has lived and worked in
California, Texas and Washington, DC, in many academic,
managerial and policy roles.
I first met Kristen when she began as one of my
congressional science and engineering Fellows. Her fellowship
class literally started its orientation just 2 days before the
terrorist attacks on September 11. They were in the Library of
Congress on that terrible and chaotic morning.
I learned later that not only did Kristen respond to the 9/
11 attacks at the Pentagon by staffing the food and water
distribution to the exhausted emergency workers on the scene
the next day, but she also had been a volunteer with the
American Red Cross for many years, responding in the middle of
the night to help people displaced from their homes by house
fires and serving our national level disaster responses such as
Hurricane Andrew. It is literally the case that when Dr.
Kulinowski hears someone yell fire, she runs toward the source
and not away from it.
When Kristen was a Fellow in my office, one of her key
accomplishments was in writing and successfully negotiating
bipartisan support for a provision that was enacted into the
Bioterrorism Act of 2002. The provisions expands from 10 to 20
miles the radius around a nuclear power plant that people can
get free potassium iodide to protect their thyroids from
exposure to radioactive iodine that may be released after an
accident or act of terrorism.
Her ability to marshal the support for the provision and
negotiate an acceptable outcome for stakeholders with very
different views on nuclear safety is a testament to her ability
to communicate the scientific facts, while making reasonable
compromises with stakeholders on all sides of the issue.
After leaving my office, she developed an international
reputation as an expert in nanotechnology. To address issues of
potential risk, she built a coalition of diverse constituents
that included major chemical companies, environmental and
consumer advocacy groups recognizing that a better outcome
always results when all views are considered and incorporated.
I, and many others, can attest to Kristen's scientific
credentials, impartiality and collegiality. These qualities
will serve her exceptionally well at the Chemical Safety Board.
I give her my unqualified support and urge my colleagues to do
the same.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Senator Markey. That is an
excellent statement.
We are here today to do our constitutional duty to advise
and consent to nominations. If the two of you would like to
take your places at the table, I will do an opening statement,
Senator Boxer will do an opening statement and then we will
hear from you and get into the nomination process.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES M. INHOFE,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA
Senator Inhofe. Mr. Greg Nadeau has been nominated to be
Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. Ms.
Kulinowski has been nominated to be a member of the Chemical
Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. I want to thank both of
you for being here today.
Beginning with the first nominee, Mr. Nadeau became the
Acting Administrator of Federal Highway Administration in
December 2013 and has been with the agency since 2009,
previously serving as Deputy Administrator. In addition to his
current position as Acting Administrator, he serves on the
DOT's Freight Policy Council, providing advice on the
development and implementation of Federal freight policy. It is
very appropriate that ability is there since we are considering
a bill right now that has a major freight component to it.
Before becoming Acting Administrator, Mr. Nadeau served as
a Senior Policy Advisor to then Governor Angus King, as you
heard in his introduction, and then as Deputy Commissioner for
Maine's DOT. Earlier in his career, Mr. Nadeau served in the
Maine House of Representatives. He served as a supporter of the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials as well as both of his home State Senators, as you
noted in their introduction.
The Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration is
an extremely important position for this committee. I look
forward to discussing with you how we can continue to
accelerate delivery of highway projects. It is very timely.
The next nominee is Ms. Kristen Kulinowski. She may not be
known quite as well to some of us but she has spent some time
on the Hill as pointed out by Senator Markey.
This is the second CSB nomination hearing we have had. We
heard from Ms. Sutherland in April. We discussed with Ms.
Sutherland that the Chemical Safety Board is a deeply troubled
agency.
Since our April hearing, Board Member Griffon has stepped
down. His term ended on June 24. Board Member Engler is now the
chief executive for the Board. Mr. Engler has taken action to
address the mismanagement, harassment and turmoil at the CSB by
putting Managing Director Daniel Horowitz and General Counsel
Richard Loeb on administrative leave.
It is important to point out these two employees were the
subject of an investigation by the EPA Inspector General as
well as the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for
harassing other employees, for using private email accounts to
hide their plans for operating the CSB from other Board members
and the CSB staff, for delaying CSB investigations, and
subsequently delaying information requests from the EPA IG
until the IG finally contacted the White House for assistance.
It is also important to note that the mismanagement
resulted in President Obama calling for former CSB Chairman
Rafael Moure-Eraso's resignation in response to these
investigations and a request from Senator Rounds and me in
March of this year.
It is important to the basic functioning of the CSB that as
the investigation of Mr. Engler and the CSB begins, that it has
the resources it needs to complete further reform of the CSB.
I look forward to discussing these and other issues.
Senator Boxer.
[The prepared statement of Senator Inhofe follows:]
Statement of Hon. James M. Inhofe,
U.S. Senator from the State of Oklahoma
We are here today to perform our Constitutional duty to
advise the President on his nominees.
Mr. Greg Nadeau has been nominated to be the Administrator
of the Federal Highway Administration. Ms. Kulinowski has been
nominated to be a member of the Chemical Safety and Hazard
Investigation Board. I want to thank both of you for being here
today.
Beginning with the first nominee--Mr. Nadeau became the
Acting Administrator of Federal Highways in December 2013 and
has been with the agency since 2009, previously serving as
Deputy Administrator. In addition to his current position as
the Acting Administrator, he serves on the DOT's Freight Policy
Council, providing advice on the development and implementation
of Federal freight policy.
Before becoming the Acting Administrator, Mr. Nadeau served
as a senior policy advisor to then-Governor Angus King and then
as the Deputy Commissioner for Maine's DOT. Earlier in his
career, Mr. Nadeau served in the Maine House of
Representatives. He has the support of the American Association
of State Highway and Transportation Officials as well as both
of his home State Senators, Senator Collins and Senator King.
The Administrator of Federal Highways is an extremely
important position for this Committee and I look forward to
discussing with you how we can continue to accelerate delivery
of highway projects.
Now for the next nominee before us--Ms. Kulinowski may not
be known to most of us; although I do note that she spent a
year as a Congressional Science Policy Advisor in Senator
Markey's office, back when he was in the House of
Representatives.
This is the second CSB nomination hearing we have had. We
heard from Vanessa Sutherland in April. As we discussed with
Ms. Sutherland, the Chemical Safety Board is a deeply troubled
agency.
Since our April hearing, Board Member Griffon has stepped
down--his term ended June 24th. Board Member Engler is now the
chief executive for the board. Mr. Engler has taken action to
address the mismanagement, harassment, and turmoil at the CSB
by putting Managing Director Daniel Horowitz and General
Counsel Richard Loeb on administrative leave.
It is important to point out, these two employees were the
subject of an investigation by the EPA Inspector General as
well as the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for
harassing other employees, for using private email accounts to
hide their plans for operating the CSB from other board members
and CSB staff and then subsequently delaying information
requests from the EPA IG until the IG finally contacted the
White House for assistance, and for delaying CSB
investigations. It is also important that this mismanagement
resulted in President Obama calling for former CSB chairman
Rafael Moure-Eraso's resignation in response to these
investigations and a request from Senator Rounds and me in
March this year. It is important to the basic functioning of
the CSB that the investigation Mr. Engler and the CSB began has
the resources it needs to be completed to further reform the
CSB.
I look forward to discussing this development with Ms.
Kulinowski and hearing her views on how to improve management
of and work environment at the CSB.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BARBARA BOXER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Senator Boxer. Thank you, and welcome to our two nominees.
Mr. Chairman, as we know, the confirmation of highly
qualified individuals to lead Federal agencies is an extremely
important responsibility of ours and of the Senate. I think
what we see before us is just that, two highly qualified
individuals.
I want to congratulate both of you on these nominations and
also on the strong statements made on your behalf by Senators,
including our own Senator Markey and of course, the two
Senators from Maine.
We know that Mr. Nadeau has been the Deputy Administrator
for FHWA since 2009 and has carried out the duties of Acting
Administrator for the agency since December 2013. Before
joining FHWA, Mr. Nadeau gained valuable experience at the
State level. We heard a lot about that in beautiful words from
the two Senators, so I will not go through that.
We know, if confirmed, you, sir, will be responsible for
administration of our Nation's Federal-aid highway program.
That is so critical. All of us on this committee, regardless of
party, are so strongly behind a robust transportation policy.
If confirmed, I think you will enjoy working with every
single one of us. Honestly, if you were here to have a job at
the EPA, I could not say that. I think it would be tougher for
you, but when it comes to the highways, we are, in fact, very
much together, which is important.
I think we have here a gentleman who has been praised to
the skies by people we respect. I hope we can move quickly.
Of course we will also hear from Kristen Kulinowski. We
heard a lot from Senator Markey about her character. I took
away from you, sir, that you have a person here who you
testified is someone who brings people together. This is
essential in that particular agency at this particular time.
I think in addition to all of her other work, she is an
adjunct assistant professor at Rice University's Department of
Chemistry. We are talking about someone who is not a
politician, but someone who is a scientist. This is what we
really need. That is what she did for Senator Markey. She was
the Congressional Science Policy Fellow when he was in the
House.
We know the CSB investigates industrial chemical accidents
involving fatalities, serious injuries, or substantial property
damages and makes recommendations to industry and Federal and
State agencies as to how we can avert similar events from
occurring.
Safety is the CSB's No. 1 priority. I look forward to
hearing from Dr. Kulinowski about how she intends to meet the
challenges ahead.
Mr. Chairman, I feel so good about these nominees and I
hope you do also. I hope we can move on them quickly.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Senator Boxer follows:]
Statement of Hon. Barbara Boxer,
U.S. Senator from the State of California
Today, the Environment and Public Works Committee is
considering two nominations--Greg Nadeau to be Administrator of
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Kristen
Kulinowski to be a Member of the Chemical Safety Board (CSB).
The confirmation of highly qualified individuals to lead
Federal agencies is an extremely important responsibility of
the Senate. It is critical that we move forward with these
nominations so that Federal agencies can fulfill their mission
to serve the American people.
Mr. Nadeau has been the Deputy Administrator for FHWA since
2009 and has carried out the duties of Acting Administrator for
the agency since December 2013. Before joining FHWA, Mr. Nadeau
gained valuable experience at the State level, serving as the
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning and Communications for
the Maine Department of Transportation for 6 years. Prior to
that, Mr. Nadeau was the Senior Policy Advisor to then-Governor
Angus King from 1995 to 2002 for a number of policy areas,
including transportation, economic development, energy and
utilities, environmental protection, and labor.
If confirmed, Mr. Nadeau will be responsible for FHWA's
administration of our Nation's Federal-aid highway program that
provides funding to States and other non-Federal project
sponsors to construct and maintain our nation's roads and
bridges. The nation's economic security depends on a reliable
and efficient transportation system. It is the FHWA which works
with State and local governments to ensure that America's
highways and bridges remain safe, technologically up-to-date,
and environmentally friendly.
We will also hear from Kristen Kulinowski. Since 2011, she
has been a Research Staff Member for the congressionally
chartered Science and Technology Policy Institute, which is
part of the Institute for Defense Analyses. In this capacity,
Dr. Kulinowski works on issues related to program evaluation,
innovation policy, and disaster response. She is also an
adjunct assistant professor at Rice University's Department of
Chemistry. Dr. Kulinowski has worked at Rice University for 15
years, where she has focused on engaging government, industry,
and other stakeholders in exploring the environmental and
health risks of engineered nanomaterial. From 2001 to 2002, she
was a Congressional Science Policy Fellow in the office of
then-Representative Markey. She is a member of the American
Chemical Society and the American Industrial Hygiene
Association-Nanotechnology Working Group. Dr. Kulinowski holds
a Ph.D. in Chemistry.
The CSB plays a critical role in protecting our communities
from chemical hazards. CSB investigates industrial chemical
accidents involving fatalities, serious injuries, or
substantial property damages and makes recommendations to
industry and Federal and State agencies to help prevent similar
events.
Safety is the CSB's No. 1 priority, and I look forward to
hearing from Dr. Kulinowski about how she intends to meet the
challenges ahead.
Welcome to both of our nominees.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you very much, Senator Boxer.
We will proceed and start with you, Mr. Nadeau. If you will
try to confine your remarks to 5 minutes, your entire statement
will be made a part of the record. You are recognized.
We are going to try to keep moving along here because we do
have votes coming up shortly and I do not want to have to come
back.
STATEMENT OF GREG NADEAU, NOMINATED TO BE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
Mr. Nadeau. Thank you, Chairman Inhofe, Ranking Member
Boxer, and members of the committee, I appreciate the
opportunity to appear before you today as you consider my
nomination for Administrator of the Federal Highway
Administration. I am honored to have been nominated for this
position by President Obama with the support of Secretary Foxx.
Serving as the FHWA Deputy Administrator since 2009 and
carrying out all the duties of the Administrator for the last
20 months, I am mindful of the many challenges and
responsibilities facing the next Federal Highway Administrator.
I appreciate the important role this committee plays in
establishing transportation policy. Should you confirm me, I
look forward to working with you and your staff to improve
safety and mobility of our Nation's highways and the delivery
of the Federal Aid Highway Program.
I would like to extend my thanks to Senator Collins and
Senator King for their warm introduction. Having both Senators
from my home State appear on my behalf is truly humbling. I
cannot sufficiently express my gratitude.
Maine is so fortunate to have such a strong advocate for
transportation in Senator Collins and in her role as Chair of
our Appropriations Subcommittee and as a national leader.
It is fair to say that serving in Senator King's
administration while he was Governor of Maine was the
inspiration that led to my continuing public service at the
State and Federal levels. It has been extremely satisfying and
rewarding for me personally and has afforded me the opportunity
to make a contribution to my State and my Country.
With your permission, Mr. Chairman, I would like to
introduce my son, Nicholas, sitting behind me, currently a
resident of Arlington, Virginia. I am happy to say he is
gainfully employed in the construction management sector here
in this area.
My family has been extremely supportive of me throughout my
27 years of State service in Maine and my 6 years of Federal
service here in Washington. Due to the occasion of my
daughter's wedding on Saturday, she and her mother
understandably are unable to attend today. Nicholas and I will
be heading home after this hearing to help prepare and
celebrate this grand event in our family.
Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Boxer, holding this hearing
in the midst of your extraordinary workload is much appreciated
and a wonderful wedding present to my entire family. Thank you.
I believe my extensive public service has prepared me well
to lead the Federal Highway Administration. I would like to
highlight today some of the key priorities if I am confirmed.
First is safety. Fatalities and serious injuries on our
roads are declining, but the numbers are still far too high. If
confirmed, I will work to drive these numbers further downward,
consistent with Secretary Foxx's embracement of the Toward Zero
Deaths national goal.
We will build on the data-driven, strategic approach of the
Highway Safety Improvement Program and maintain Federal
Highway's emphasis on safety countermeasures like Safety Edge
and the high-friction surface treatments that could be deployed
system-wide at a low cost and yield significant safety gains.
If confirmed, I will prioritize and lead FHWA into the next
authorization period. As members of this committee, there is no
doubt you are all quite familiar with the cost of inadequate
and delayed infrastructure investment. Among them is the
decline in the condition of our Nation's roads and bridges and
their ability to handle current and future traffic demands,
safety impacts, increased shipping delays and higher prices on
every day products, and uncertainty for State and local project
sponsors. With the DRIVE Act, you are leading the charge in
Congress to long-term authorization to help address these
issues in a bipartisan way.
As you know, President Obama has also put forward a
proposal called the Grow America Act. If confirmed, I will work
with you to help provide highway infrastructure the bold
investment it needs.
Next, considering the budget constraints at all levels of
government, we must deliver the best value for every taxpayer
dollar. This committee provided many tools toward this end in
MAP 21. The Grow America Act seeks to build on that foundation.
Additionally, Federal Highway's EDC innovation partnership
with the States is helping shorten project delivery through
deployment of process innovations and the increased use of
technology with the result of States and local agencies saving
time and money that could be directed to additional projects. I
believe we enhance the environmental income through efficiency.
I have been fortunate to have led Federal Highway's efforts
to carry out EDC and if confirmed, I look forward to taking EDC
to the next level in partnership with States and locals to
deliver the highway program of the future. The resources and
tools provided under MAP 21 and targeted toward accelerating
project delivery have already had an impact across the Country.
This unique Federal, State and local partnership personifies
the smart government approach.
The proposed codification of EDC in the DRIVE Act will
serve as a catalyst in encouraging our stakeholders to maximize
our collective efforts to improve safety and project delivery
efficiency through innovation.
Mr. Chairman, recognizing the many demands on our time, I
very much appreciate the opportunity you and the entire
committee have provided to testify here today in consideration
of my nomination as Federal Highway Administrator.
I would be happy to answer any questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Nadeau follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Mr. Nadeau, for an excellent
statement.
Dr. Kulinowski.
STATEMENT OF KRISTEN KULINOWSKI, NOMINATED TO BE A MEMBER OF
THE CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
Ms. Kulinowski. Thank you, Chairman Inhofe, Ranking Member
Boxer, and distinguished members of the committee. I am honored
to have been nominated by President Obama to be a member of the
Chemical Safety Board.
I am joined here today physically and virtually by my
family, friends and colleagues who have supported and inspired
me throughout my career, including my husband and daughters.
Senator Inhofe. Have your daughters stand.
Ms. Kulinowski. They are Kiara and Cleo.
This nomination is the culmination of two decades of
professional experience in academia and public policy. I am
currently employed at the Institute for Defense Analyses
Science and Technology Policy Institute, a federally funded
research center that performs objective analysis of national
science and technology policy in support of the White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy and other Federal
executive agencies.
In the last 4 years, I have worked on a diverse set of
topics including program evaluation, innovation policy, and
disaster response.
While my portfolio in my current job has been broad, first
and foremost, I am a chemist. I hold a BS in chemistry with
Honors from Canisius College and MS and Ph.D. degrees in
chemistry from the University of Rochester. After earning my
doctorate, I held faculty appointments at Cal Poly and Rice
University before coming to Washington, DC, in September 2001
as a Congressional Science and Technology Policy Fellow.
As Senator Markey mentioned, on 9/11 my fellowship cohort
was in orientation when word came about the attacks on our
Country. Later that day, I went to the Pentagon as a volunteer
with the American Red Cross to serve emergency workers
responding to the attack.
This experience shaped my decision to accept a fellowship
placement in then-Congressman Markey's office where I staffed
the Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation. My time on Mr.
Markey's staff gave me insight into the impact that a
bipartisan policy process can have when people work together to
achieve a common goal.
After my fellowship, I returned to Rice University to join
the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology,
where I served as Executive Director. My research focused on
the environmental, health, and safety implications of
engineered nanomaterials. This part of my background is
particularly relevant to the activities of the Chemical Safety
Board because it is where I earned my experience with worker
health and safety.
When I began my appointment in the center, nanotechnology
was a fledging field full of promise. But there were concerns
that the novel chemical and physical properties of
nanomaterials could lead to unwanted interactions with people
and the environment.
Absent any specific guidance governing nanomaterials, many
companies were concerned about investing resources into
developing products without regulatory or market certainty. My
policy experience afforded me the ability to help focus our
center's efforts on evaluating the potential risks associated
with the manufacturing and use of nanomaterials while few
others were actively engaging in research on this topic.
At the urging of our industrial affiliates, our center
created the International Council on Nanotechnology, ICON, a
multi-stakeholder coalition dedicated to investigating and
communicating nanomaterials' potential risks. Under my
leadership as director, ICON created a neutral space where
people from companies, environmental and consumer advocacy
groups, government agencies, labor unions, and universities
could explore the limited but growing body of scientific
evidence about nanomaterial risk.
Governance was shared amongst the stakeholder groups,
ensuring that no one sector would dominate the agenda, and
high-quality fact-based evidence was prized above all else.
ICON's work products continue to have impact in the community
and our innovative model for stakeholder engagement remains an
example of what multi-stakeholder collaboration can achieve.
Although I am proud of what ICON achieved, creating an
environment where stakeholders could have frank and honest
discussions around sensitive issues was not a trivial task. It
took time and effort to gain the trust of these disparate
groups and to foster trust among them.
As Director of ICON, I learned much about working across
diverse groups, which I believe will serve me well as a member
of the CSB. It also sensitized me to the challenges of
promoting safe and healthy workplaces for all Americans.
Workers are on the front lines of industrial processes and
have high potential exposure to the risks of these processes.
Fortunately, risks to U.S. workers from nanomaterial production
have yet to manifest and, hopefully, they never will.
My experience exploring these issues brought me into
contact with a larger community of people interested in making
workplaces safer. As a result, I have partnered with NIOSH,
OSHA, and NIEHS on projects directly related to worker
protection.
The knowledge that many major industrial accidents could
have been prevented drives me to continue my work in the area
of industrial health and safety. The CSB is a small agency with
a large and important mission: to investigate the root causes
of major industrial accidents that have adversely impacted
workers or the surrounding community.
I appreciate that the CSB is dedicated to using facts and
evidence to determine the causes of industrial accidents and
avoids approaching investigations with preconceived notions
about the outcome. That is the approach that I adopted when
working on nanoparticle health and safety and it governs how I
perform my analyses in my current job.
The CSB's rigorous, technical analyses provide a solid
foundation for making recommendations to industry, labor, and
local, State and Federal agencies for changes that can help
prevent accidents from happening in the future.
I am honored and excited to be considered for a position on
the Chemical Safety Board. If confirmed, I will draw on my
technical skills, experience with stakeholder engagement, and
scientific dispassion to work toward the shared goal of
ensuring that every American industrial worker goes home at the
end of his or her shift.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my qualifications
with you and for your consideration of my nomination.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Kulinowski follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Dr. Kulinowski.
We have our three questions that I must ask you. I would
ask each one of you to respond vocally to the questions.
Do you agree, if confirmed, to appear before this
committee, or designated members of this committee and other
appropriate committees, to provide information subject to
appropriate and necessary security protection with respect to
your responsibilities?
Mr. Nadeau. Yes.
Ms. Kulinowski. I do.
Senator Inhofe. Do you agree to ensure that testimony,
briefings and documents in electronic and other forms of
communication of information are provided to this committee,
its staff and other appropriate committees in a timely manner?
Ms. Kulinowski. I do.
Mr. Nadeau. Yes.
Senator Inhofe. Last, do you know of any matters which you
may or may not have disclosed that might place you in a
conflict of interest if you are confirmed?
Ms. Kulinowski. No, sir.
Mr. Nadeau. No, sir.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you.
I have one question for you, Mr. Nadeau. Right now, as I
stated in my opening remarks, this is a very appropriate time
to have you come forth in your particular position. As you
know, the last bill we had was in 2005 when we had a 5-year
bill which worked very, very well. We are reaping the rewards
of that right now.
However, after that, we went through a 9-year period of
short term extensions. Our mutual friend, Gary Ridley,
calculated it cost about 30 percent more to do it that way, so
I tell my Republican friends that the real conservative
position is a long term highway authorization bill.
I would like to ask you what would happen if we are unable
to get the long term bill as opposed to a short term bill and
looking also at the $185 billion backlog we have and some of
the large projects that are out there. What would be the
result?
Mr. Nadeau. Mr. Chairman, it is really a cascading effect.
There are multiple impacts at the very early stages. The
uncertainty that is created in the absence of a long term
funding solution and a long term bill introduces tremendous
inefficiencies to the manner in which you put a long term
capital program together.
Reflecting on my own experience as a Deputy Commissioner
for Policy and Planning in the Maine DOT, we had a biannual
budget and basically a 6-year transportation plan. You put a
capital program together by looking out multiple years.
It could be projects that will take multiple years to
deliver, which obviously is very difficult to obligate and
commit to if you do not know what your long term funding
sources are going to be or what level that funding source will
yield for your program. It affects, at the beginning, the
ability to commit to projects. Secretary Ridley is obviously
referring to is that uncertainty creates tremendous
inefficiencies in project delivery in a number of ways.
The inability to know the extent of the project or at what
levels obviously impacts us. We are obviously facing another
deadline at the end of the month that has more immediate
concerns as this committee very well knows.
A 6-year bill at elevated funding levels, which introduces
certainty to project sponsors, introduces the possibility of
their having a much more efficient approach to project
delivery. Before you build one bridge, you are going to need to
know the extent to which the approaches to that bridge are
going to be a part of a project that may be done in different
segments.
It does introduce inefficiencies, Mr. Chairman. That is a
consequence of the uncertainty.
Senator Inhofe. Yes, well said.
Dr. Kulinowski, in my opening statement, I talked about the
mismanagement, the harassment and things that are taking place
there now. The investigation is ongoing. I would ask, if you
are confirmed, will you commit to ensuring that this
investigation continues unimpeded and has the resources that
are required to conclude it?
Ms. Kulinowski. I respect there is a process currently
underway to investigate potential misconduct amongst CSB
employees. As I am on the outside, I have not been made privy
to the details and facts underlying this investigation. As a
result, I see no reason why today I would take a position to
stop an ongoing investigation from going forward.
Senator Inhofe. That is very reasonable. The CSB has been
criticized for advocating for things like inherently safer
chemicals in the European safety case standard instead of
investigating the causes of accidents and making
recommendations based on the evidence.
How do you see your role in addressing these issues?
Ms. Kulinowski. First, I note that the CSB is not a
regulatory agency. However, it is within its purview to make
recommendations to regulatory agencies and others when its
investigations conclude that changes are necessary to prevent
future accidents.
However, if confirmed, I will come into the CSB with the
mindset of taking each accident investigation on a case-by-case
basis. I understand the safety case is used abroad in some
other countries.
Before I was comfortable recommending abroad change to
existing U.S. regulatory frameworks, I would think the CSB
should engage a stakeholder engagement and consultation effort
that brought in those experiences so we can learn from them and
also engage extensively with the U.S. stakeholder community
before moving forward with that.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Dr. Kulinowski.
We are going to have a 5-minute round and try to get
through in time for our votes that are coming up in a few
minutes.
Senator Boxer.
Senator Boxer. Thank you so much.
I do not have any questions. I am a very strong supporter
of these nominees. I feel I know enough to believe strongly
that they are qualified and will be excellent additions.
I would like to ask unanimous consent to place in the
record letters of support for Kristen Kulinowski from the
American Industrial Hygiene Association; the American Stamp of
Business Council; 21 non-profit organizations; John Baker,
former Deputy Director for the Center of Biological Environment
and Nanotechnology at Rice University; and W. Mark Lafranconi,
former colleague in establishing the International Council on
Nanotechnology.
Senator Inhofe. Without objection.
[The referenced material was not received at time of
print.]
Senator Boxer. For Mr. Nadeau, AASHTO, a great
organization, has written a letter; the American Society of
Civil Engineers; and the American Highway Users Alliance, three
incredibly important organizations with which we have worked in
terms of getting a bill.
Senator Inhofe. Without objection.
[The referenced material was not received at time of
print.]
Senator Boxer. With that, I hope it goes well.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Senator Boxer.
Senator Fischer.
Senator Fischer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Nadeau, I want to extend my sincere thanks for the time
and attention you have given to my home State of Nebraska,
including your visit there last year and for your work on
strengthening that partnership we have between the Federal
Highway Administration and the Nebraska Department of Roads.
I appreciate your commitment to ensuring we are working
together to streamline those environmental reviews and
accelerate project delivery. You and I both understand the
challenges we face in finding funding to devote to important
infrastructure projects.
When we fight so hard to find that money, it is very, very
frustrating to see any of it wasted on excessive paperwork.
Those requirements do not really do anything to improve the
environmental process or the outcomes we have.
We have struggled with this for some time in Nebraska, as
you know. I am very pleased that Federal Highway and DOR have
made progress in reducing the duration of the NEPA process and
reducing project delivery times while we still ensure the
Federal aid projects in Nebraska are delivered in compliance
with all Federal laws.
Should you be confirmed, will you commit to working with
State highway agencies to reduce and eliminate the cumbersome,
bureaucratic red tape that we see sometimes and expedite the
surface transportation projects?
Mr. Nadeau. Thank you, for the question, Senator Fischer,
and your role in helping to facilitate the work that Federal
Highway and our team has done with NDOR. It has yielded some
very productive results in our project delivery efficiency
initiative. I absolutely certainly would commit to the
continuing effort with our partners at NDOR and Nebraska and
the new leadership there. The Every Day Counts Initiative that
I referenced earlier really is a national partnership.
Each State, D.C. and Puerto Rico have implemented
innovation initiatives as a result of this partnership. When we
first announced this back when now Deputy Secretary Mendez was
Administrator, AASHTO was our principal partner and had to be.
We do not deliver the projects. State DOTs and local
transportation agencies do. Their willingness in partnership
and implementing innovation is essential. The partnership we
have formed, the commitment our partners have made to a culture
of innovation aimed at streamlining project delivery obviously
is important to taxpayers; efficient and effective
environmental protection; and certainly important in terms of
the precious resources you are all working so hard to find.
I absolutely will commit to that and would describe it as a
passion of mine.
Senator Fischer. It is a passion of mine as well. I
certainly appreciate your commitment to continuing to move
forward with those steps that are helpful for all of us.
As you know from our meeting last week, getting Nebraska
the authority to process those categorical exclusions which go
a long way to helping us get projects moving in the State. I
know we have that agreement in place for State authority over
the lower level CEs but that does not help our larger cities
like Omaha and Lincoln.
Will you continue to work with Nebraska so we can be
enabled to have that authority over all the CEs that are out
there?
Mr. Nadeau. It is an ongoing effort and I absolutely will
commit to that.
Senator Fischer. Thank you. When we met last week, you
stated efficiency and project delivery is your No. 1 focus.
What are some of the specific actions you think Federal Highway
and State partners can take to become more efficient in
delivering those services?
Mr. Nadeau. We are continuing our efforts with the States,
MPOs and local transportation agencies to implement the
provisions of MAP-21. We acted fairly quickly on a number of
the accelerated project delivery provisions specifically.
Certainly a long term bill with significant increases in
funding toward our Nation's infrastructure, establishing that
predictability and reliability, is one way and probably the
most important way, to some degree, of introducing the ability
to be efficient in how we deliver the capital program as I
discussed with Chairman Inhofe earlier.
Our job as the Federal Highway Administration with our
partners in the States and the transportation professionals, my
favorite Lincoln quote is if you had 8 hours to chop down a
tree, he would spend the first 6 hours sharpening his ax, and
we are sharpening our ax.
We are working hard to ensure that our systems, our
policies, and the types of policies inherent in MAP-21 are
efficiently administered and that we are getting every bang for
our buck.
That certainly is something I am committed to. I think we
can talk more about specific provisions and ideas we have
deployed over the last several years.
Senator Fischer. Thank you, sir. I look forward to
continuing to work with you on these very important issues.
Mr. Nadeau. Thank you for your support, Senator.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Senator Fischer.1Senator Markey.
Senator Markey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I do not have any questions. These are two outstanding
candidates and I think they are going to serve our Country
extremely well.
I thank you for conducting this hearing.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Senator Markey. Thank you also
for that excellent introduction.
Senator Boozman.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you all for being with us.
Mr. Nadeau, Scott Bennett sends his regards, our highway
commissioner, who very much enjoys working with you. I think
your son should be very pleased to recognize the fact that you
have a very good reputation in your chosen field.
I would like to mention a couple things that pertain to
Arkansas. First, our Arkansas division administrator has
departed and we would like to work to expeditiously see if we
can fill that as soon as possible. I know you will give us
someone who is very well qualified and will do a great job, as
always.
Second, you will receive a letter concerning the I-55
closure of the old bridge. That might not be something on your
screen right now but it pertains to a 9-month closure the
people of Arkansas are feeling might be very difficult. Just
look for that.
The only other thing I would ask about is the TIGER grants,
one of the things I would like for you to perhaps look into. In
many Federal situations where you do not get a grant, there is
feedback as to why you did not get it. That helps the person
applying to look at the criteria and see how they can meet that
and do a better job.
Again, I would ask that you look at that to see if perhaps
you could help in that regard.
Mr. Nadeau. I would be happy to follow up on all of those
suggestions. You are right, Sandy was one of the best division
administrators we had. She was promoted and we committed to
Scott personally that we will find someone of equal capability.
Senator Boozman. Good. We are looking forward to that.
Dr. Kulinowski, thank you for your willingness to serve. At
some point, I would love to visit with you about nanotechnology
and how the periodic table does not work, those very small
extremes, the potential there and the challenges.
Again, thank you very much for being here.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Senator Boozman.
Senator Gillibrand.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, witnesses, for being here today.
Mr. Nadeau, I agree with you that Congress needs to pass a
long-term reauthorization bill that is adequately funded and
allows for State and local governments to plan for the future
and obviously put people back to work.
This is essential for our economy, for highway safety and
efficiency. I hope we will be able to come to an agreement soon
or provide long term funding certainty for our constituents.
I have three questions. I appreciate the focus you placed
in your testimony today on improving safety for all road users.
New York, as you know, has some of the busiest and most
dangerous streets in the Country. Pedestrian safety is an issue
that weighs heavily on my mind. The most recent statistics from
the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles finds there
were 16,000 crashes involving pedestrians and motor vehicles in
2013, 343 of which were fatal.
If confirmed, how do you plan to address pedestrian safety
as well as safety for bicycles and all other road users? Will
you work to assure that we are taking pedestrians into account
during the transportation planning process?
Mr. Nadeau. Bike safety is one of Secretary Foxx's top
safety priorities. Federal Highway has been recruited by the
Secretary to contribute in a number of ways to an overall
department effort to support and assist State and local
agencies in effectuating a number of strategies.
We have produced bike-ped assessment guides, we provide
direct training to agencies on how to implement those. We have
conducted research and are conducting ongoing research to
improve design features and are working with agencies on how to
implement those. Bike-ped accommodation has become widespread.
Bicycling has grown in popularity. Many communities are
interested in developing infrastructure that can safely
accommodate it as part of their community.
We are also working with States to ensure that design
professionals are incorporating the flexibilities they have
under current guidelines to utilize many of the design
strategies that have been developed after years of research and
practice. It is something that Federal Highway is very
committed to, is extremely involved in and is working with the
Secretary and the Mayors challenge to work with cities to
institute new and exciting opportunities to accommodate it
safely.
As we deal with highway infrastructure development and
rehabilitation to deal with increasing demands on the system,
we need to be cognizant of the impact on communities and design
our solutions to accommodate quality of life as well. We are
very involved and engaged and committed.
Senator Gillibrand. My second issue is, as you aware, on
February 3, there was a tragic crash between Metro-North
commuter rail and a vehicle at the highway rail grade crossing
which resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. Additionally,
there has been heightened concern about the safety of highway
rail grade crossings given the increased shipments of crude oil
by rail through New York communities.
What is FHWA doing to address the safety concerns at
highway rail crossings? Will you work with States and
localities to improve them?
Mr. Nadeau. Through our Section 130 Program, about $220
million a year is devoted to investment in rail grade crossings
and working with States on an ongoing basis to incorporate it
into their highway and safety improvement planning process.
Acting Administrator Sarah Feinberg of FRA and I have
spoken often. We have jointly written to the States to offer
our support and assistance in expanding possible remedies
beyond Section 130.
A big part of our emphasis is helping travelers understand
the dangers. Obviously our hearts go out to the families and
friends of those affected certainly in New York and across the
Country. We have to be vigilant in supporting our States and
local partners.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
My last issue is, I sit on the Agriculture Committee. We
have had a real challenge with pollinators, particularly bees
with Colony Collapse Disorder. There is a simple solution that
relates to you for which I would like your support.
I offered an amendment that passed called the DRIVE Act
which uses highway rights-of-way to address the pollinator
crisis by encouraging the DOT to plant native vegetation along
the highways, not grass every week but to actually let plants
and flowers thrive. It is a win-win because it costs less to
maintain and helps our pollinators. Will you work with me on
that issue?
Mr. Nadeau. I would absolutely commit to doing that. It is
a White House priority, a very serious issue and I think we can
be very effective in helping to support your efforts.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Senator Gillibrand.
Senator Capito.
Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank both of you for being here. I am sorry I missed your
testimony but I have a good idea of what you said and the great
talents that you bring to these positions.
I want to start with Dr. Kulinowski. We have a vibrant
chemical industry in West Virginia, particularly where I live
in the Canaan Valley. We have major companies and a great
history with the companies in conjunction with our communities
as well.
We have accidents which, unfortunately, are part of what
happens. Recently, we had one several years ago at a bare site
that resulted in fatalities. The Chemical Safety Board came in
and worked with the community to try to reassure them and to
help with the reassure along with the companies and other local
responders, that there were some problems with the response and
to make sure they were living in a safe community.
I would like to know where you feel your responsibility is
in working with local responders and companies in the various
communities around the Country. They are all different. Some
are more congested than others and others have better exits and
all those kinds of things.
How do you formulate that with the local responders, the
county commissions and so forth?
Ms. Kulinowski. When I was director of the International
Council on Nanotechnology, I specialized in bringing together
groups of people and communicating complex technical issues to
them in a way that was easily understood.
I have a lot of experience with stakeholder engagement.
That is an aspect of being a member of the Chemical Safety
Board about which I am particularly excited in the array of
responsibilities that I will have if confirmed.
It would be my perspective that members of the Board should
be present in the community, should make themselves available
to members of the community, and should be helping the
community members understand what the CSB is doing along
various points in the investigation, but also to listen to them
to understand their concerns and to learn from them.
We are not familiar with the community and we are not
familiar with the particulars of these various sites as you
mentioned which are diverse in different communities. It is a
two-way communication between the Board and the members of the
community.
I am fully committed to actively participating in that
stakeholder engagement if confirmed.
Senator Capito. I think that would be very wise. I notice
that Vanessa Sutherland, who was under consideration as well,
mentioned in her testimony that she would like to see expanded
participation by the Chemical Safety Board in the local
communities.
I am going to shift over to Mr. Nadeau. Thank you for
coming to see me.
I wanted to ask you a question, and I am sure it is the
same in other States. In West Virginia, we have 960 bridges
that structurally deficient or graded as such. Can you
elaborate on the accelerated bridge construction process and
how you think that might help States such as ours?
Mr. Nadeau. Thank you very much for your time, Senator, and
for the question.
The accelerated bridge construction is really becoming a
discipline and by every day accounts of round one, it was
really very much a staple in our area of focus. There are a
number of bridge technologies that have been utilized by the
States and their use has been expanded as States utilize
certain practices.
An example is slide-in bridge technology where you
literally are building a bridge to the side over a period of
months and then moving it in over a weekend. That type of
practice is growing in popularity because in certain
circumstances where you have heavy volumes of traffic, it
minimizes the impact on commerce and the obvious impact on
communities.
Senator Capito. Let me ask you quickly because I am going
to run out of time. The number of bridges is 960, a large
number for a small State. We have a lot of hills and valleys as
we know.
Would you say this is the status of most of a lot of the
bridges around the Country in all the various other States? Is
everyone having the same problem?
Mr. Nadeau. The percentage of bridges that are structurally
deficient is unacceptable. At the current rate of investment,
it will take 26 years to address the inventory of bridges rated
as structurally defsicient today. Obviously, over that 26
years, bridges that are currently not at that level will
degrade.
It goes back to the conversation we had earlier with the
Chairman. A higher level of investment is needed in order to
reverse that trend. It is not unique to West Virginia. All
States, I think, are facing similar challenges.
Senator Capito. Thank you both.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Senator Capito.
When you talk about how many years it would be, how many
years would it be if we are unable to get a long term
reauthorization bill now? It would extend it, right?
Mr. Nadeau. To put it simply, sir, it would not help.
Again, we fail to meet the level of investments that are
required today in infrastructure that is at a certain state,
remaining infrastructure will degrade. It is sort of a vicious
cycle. The average age of bridges in this Country is 42 years
old and aging rapidly.
Senator Inhofe. In our State, that is the case.
I thank both of you not just for your attendance this
morning but also for your willingness to extend your public
service. We are adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 10:26 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]
[all]