President Bush plans to name Mary Peters as his next transportation secretary to succeed Norman Mineta, who stepped down this summer. Peters was federal highway administrator under Bush for four years, until she stepped down in 2005 to join HDR Inc., an engineering firm based in Omaha, Neb. Before her first Bush appointment, Peters was transportation director for the state of Arizona.
Peters also is a member of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission, tasked by Congress with examining the condition and future needs of the nation’s surface transportation system and coming up with alternatives to fuel taxes for highway funding.
Another member of that commission, American Trucking Associations Chairman Pat Quinn, praised Bush’s choice, saying he was “impressed with her insights into the challenges we face with maintaining and improving our nation’s infrastructure. I hope for an early Senate confirmation process so we can all benefit from her strong leadership of our nation’s transportation programs.”
The U.S. transportation secretary, a member of the president’s Cabinet, is in charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which includes such high-profile agencies as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration.
