Tag Archives: Transportation Department

John Porcari, former deputy secretary and chief operating officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation, has been appointed as port envoy to a task force formed by the White House to help the government address domestic supply chain challenges to economic recovery. He will be part of the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now has a prototype tool designed to help the agency track space launches and reentries at speeds close to real-time. FAA said Thursday that its Space Data Integrator (SDI) delivers telemetry data to the agency's Air Traffic Control System Command Center in an automated fashion.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has extended by two years the charter for a committee that advises DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on U.S. commercial space transportation matters. The 22-member Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) will continue to function through June 2023 under its renewed charter, FAA said Thursday.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is scheduled Wednesday to mark up a bill that would direct $547 billion in federal investments to modernize roads, bridges, transit and rails over a five-year period. The committee intends to release the legislative text of the bill before lawmakers take up the bill. 

The FBI issued a statement on Monday attributing the cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline’s networks to the ransomware group called Darkside. The bureau said it was notified of a network disruption at Colonial Pipeline on Friday and that it continues to work with government partners and the company on the investigation with regard to the breach.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has appointed Robert Hampshire, DOT's acting assistant secretary for research and technology, to serve as chief science officer. Hampshire will serve as DOT's first chief science officer in four decades and advise Secretary Pete Buttigieg on matters related to science and technology, the department said Wednesday.

President Biden has nominated former Department of Justice (DOJ) officials Maryanne Donaghy and Seema Nanda to assume leadership roles at the departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Labor (DOL), respectively. Donaghy received a nomination for assistant secretary for accountability and whistleblower protection at the VA while Nanda was nominated to serve as DOL solicitor. 

Pete Buttigieg, secretary of the Department of Transportation (DoT), told lawmakers on Thursday about the need to address the country’s $1 trillion backlog of infrastructure projects. Buttigieg told lawmakers that he would consider borrowing or using general fund revenues and user fees to help pay for the potential infrastructure package.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has earmarked $5.8 million to fund the unmanned aircraft system research and training efforts of universities under the agency’s Air Transportation Center of Excellence for UAS program. FAA said Wednesday that the grants will support its Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) initiative. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved 41 commercial space launches and reentries in 2020, breaking a new record in the area. “This record-setting year in launches, and the new streamlined launch and reentry licensing regulations, bode well for continued rapid growth of America’s commercial space sector,” said Elaine Chao, secretary of Transportation.