Charging by the mile, partnering with private investment groups, a broken Highway Trust Fund. Federal Highway Administrator nominee Nicole Nason knows all about the challenges that face the road and bridge industry. On Tuesday, she told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that “all options are on the table right now for the administration.”
If the top issues were not clear to Nason, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) made sure to drive it home during the hearing.
“Congress must work now on reauthorizing our federal surface transportation programs so that we can provide continued certainty for states, tribal communities, and cities, while also addressing the opportunities and challenges facing our transportation sector today and years to come,” Carper said.
Carper added $13 billion more was taken from the Highway Trust Fund in 2018 than was generated, and the deficit will be even greater in 2019.
Nason pledged to work with Congress to resolve some of the issues. She was in charge of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under George W. Bush, and helped develop seat belt rules for school buses and rulemaking for electronic stability control systems while at the State Department.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has not scheduled a vote on Nason’s nomination.
