Majority Statement

• Chair Maria Cantwell
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  Majority Statement

  Chair Maria Cantwell

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  Cantwell Opening Statement at Hearing for MARAD, NHTSA, DOT Noms

   

  WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, delivered the following opening statement during today’s full committee hearing to consider the presidential nominations of Rear Admiral (USN, Ret.) Ann Claire Phillips to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration; Dr. Steven Scott Cliff to be Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and John Edward Putnam to be General Counsel of the Department of Transportation:

   “Today, the Commerce Committee will consider three very important nominations to the Department of Transportation.  Welcome to our nominees and their families, thank you for your willingness to serve.

   “First, we will consider the nomination of Rear Admiral Ann Phillips to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration. Welcome to you and your family.

   “We are currently facing unprecedented challenges in the U.S. maritime industry, from concerning reports of sexual assault at the Merchant Marine Academy to needed investments in our ports to ease congestion, we need a strong leader at the helm of the Maritime Administration.  

   “Rear Admiral Philips has had significant experience in the U.S. Navy in many challenging situations including Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, as well as in her capacity as the Director of Surface Warfare for the Chief of Naval Operations. After 31 years of naval service, she continues to serve as the Special Assistant to Virginia Governor, Ralph Northam with a focus on Coastal Adaptation and Protection.

   “She has been a trailblazer across her career – the first female destroyer squadron commodore, the first female Director of Surface Warfare, and now the first female MARAD Administrator.  I look forward to seeing her confirmed as the next MARAD Administrator.

   “Next, we will consider the nomination of Dr. Steven Cliff to be Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Welcome to you and thank you for your willingness to serve.  

   “NHTSA’s mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce the economic costs associate with traffic crashes. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included several new safety mandates that NHTSA will be required to implement, including automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, and impaired driving detection technology. The law also included historic funding levels for NHTSA’s highway safety grants, which help states and cities combat distracted and impaired driving, and improve occupant protection and pedestrian safety.

   “At a time when roadway fatalities are at the highest level since 2007, and as electric and automated vehicles are becoming a larger part of our economy, it has never been more important to have solid leadership in place at NHTSA. Dr. Cliff currently serves as Deputy Administrator at NHTSA. He brings to this role an extensive scientific and regulatory background.

   “In addition to working as a research professor at University of California, Davis, he has held various roles at the California Air Resources Board, including most recently as its deputy executive officer. His work there included program oversight of regulations and working on program development with industry and other stakeholders. I look forward to hearing how Dr. Cliff will address the many important and emerging issues before NHTSA.

   “Finally, we will consider the nomination of John Putnam to be General Counsel for the Department of Transportation. The General Counsel for the Department of Transportation is the Chief Legal Officer of the Department and serves as the legal advisor to the Secretary. ?The General Counsel also oversees the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection and as we were talking before the hearing, about yesterday’s hearing and the need to continue to focus on consumers’ refund issues, and the rules DOT has – and working with congress on that.  It’s a very important issue, to get consumers the refunds they deserve.  Also, the responsibilities involve coordinating the Department's legislative and regulatory efforts.

   “Mr. Putnam’s nomination comes at a critical moment, in light of the recent bipartisan infrastructure law which provides a historic $567 billion to the Department and incorporating important safety rulemakings.  The Counsel’s office will be responsible for helping to set up these grant programs designed to strengthen our freight and port infrastructure, something that many members of this committee have interest in.  As we have seen, problems in the supply chain, can quickly cascade into other parts of our economy.  

   “The Department also has jurisdiction over civil aviation. This Committee has been heavily focused on aviation systems and making sure it is not only safe, but that the entire ecosystem is poised to grow coming out of the pandemic. Congress has given the Department a lot of work in this respect—implementation of the Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Program, that myself and Senator Wicker worked on, mandated aviation safety rulemakings, and direction to make sure consumers are protected. 

   “Mr. Putnam, I plan to ask you about the Department’s work to expedite FAA rulemaking as part of the aviation safety law we passed last year – that Senator Wicker and I worked so diligently on, and our teams – part of that rulemaking includes a safety management system requirement for manufacturers.  And this is critically important and one of the key recommendations, not only for our committee but for many organizations around the world.  These safety management systems are critical for aviation. Also, I am going to ask you about what we're doing about the backlog of consumer complaints filed against airlines for failures to refund during the pandemic.

   “I am also going to ask about what the Department is going to do on pipeline safety. Just yesterday, a grand jury indicted Amplify Energy and two subsidiaries for negligent behavior in the aftermath of the October oil spill off of Southern California.

   “The indictment referenced multiple warnings that were allegedly ignored by Amplify Energy, including 8 different alarms from pipeline’s leak detection systems over a nearly 13 hour period. Amplify failed to turn off the pipeline and immediately report the spill to the Coast Guard. This delayed response and clean-up of the oil spill may have resulted in increased, and potentially avoidable, harm to the fragile coastal ecosystem.

   “The spill was caused by a ship’s anchor dragging a pipeline. The Department of Transportation and the Coast Guard must improve oversight of pipeline and anchorage locations. And we must assess the risk posed by existing pipelines near shipping channels and anchorages. That is why it is especially important to have leadership at the Department of Transportation. 

   “Thank you to all of the nominees for your willingness to serve.  I now turn to Ranking Member Wicker for his opening statement.”

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Testimony

• Rear Admiral (USN, Ret.) Ann Claire Phillips

  To be Administrator of the Maritime Administration
  Download Testimony (169.27 KB)

• Dr. Steven Scott Cliff

  To be Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  Download Testimony (122.06 KB)

• Mr. John Edward Putnam

  To be General Counsel of the Department of Transportation
  Download Testimony (93.67 KB)