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NTSB CHAIRMAN ROBERT SUMWALT STEPS DOWN
A spokesman for the National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) said Robert
Sumwalt stepped down from his position as
NTSB chairman effective June 30.
The spokesman, who called Sumwalt a
“great chairman” said Sumwalt notified
NTSB employees of his intention in an email
delivered in mid-May.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that
the Biden administration was expected to
nominate a fellow board member to replace
Sumwalt, who had served as chairman
of the board since 2017.
The former commercial pilot and commercial
aviation executive had served in
various positions on the board, beginning in
2006 during the George W. Bush administration.
The federal agency is charged by Congress
to conduct independent probes of
transportation accidents and can make
urgent or longer-term safety recommendations
to address issues discovered during
an investigation.
The AP reported that Sumwalt was
expected to be replaced by Jennifer
Homendy, a board member who served
as the agency’s public face following
In this October 29, 2019, photo, National Transportation
Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt testifies before
the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation hearing on “Aviation Safety and the
Future of Boeing’s 737 MAX” in Washington. Sumwalt
stepped down as NTSB chairman June 30.
the helicopter crash that killed basketball
legend Kobe Bryant. However, the
source for this information was not authorized
to discuss the matter publicly and
spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Homendy, whose nomination would be
subject to congressional approval, has
served as a board member since 2018. She
had previously worked as a staff director for
a House subcommittee.
Sumwalt was sworn in as the 14th chairman
of the NTSB on August 10, 2017, after
being nominated by President Donald
J. Trump and confirmed by the Senate. He
was reappointed as chairman by Trump in
August 2019, after being unanimously confirmed
by the Senate. Sumwalt began his
tenure at the NTSB in August 2006 when
Bush appointed him to the board and designated
him as vice chairman. In November
2011, President Barack Obama reappointed
Sumwalt to an additional five-year term as
board member.
Before joining the NTSB, Sumwalt was a
pilot for 32 years, including 24 years with
Piedmont Airlines and US Airways. He accumulated
over 14,000 flight hours. During
his tenure at US Airways, he worked
on special assignment to the flight safety
department and served on the airline’s
Flight Operational Quality Assurance monitoring
team.
ROAD TAXES, FROM PAGE 19
our way, why would we go after the taxpayer when we have ways
we can handle it right now?”
While Scott wants to base any transportation plan on an influx
of federal money, Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and the
state’s Democratic legislative leaders want to raise fees on gasoline
sales, electric and hybrid vehicles, ride-sharing companies and
retail delivery services.
“Colorado’s transportation system is so far behind that we need
federal investment and we need state-level investment,” said state
Sen. Faith Winter (D-24).
Colorado’s gas tax has remained unchanged since 1991, while
per capita spending on transportation has fallen by almost half. The
new funding plan has yet to receive a legislative hearing, though
Democratic lawmakers could still speed it through if they desire.
Bills to raise gas taxes already have failed this year in Arizona,
Kentucky, Mississippi, and Wyoming.
After the North Dakota House passed a 3-cent gas tax increase,
the Senate solidly defeated it. The legislature instead passed a
$680 million infrastructure bonding plan aimed primarily at floodcontrol
projects that also includes $70 million for roads and
bridges. The bonds will be repaid with earnings from the state’s
oil tax savings account.
ELECTRIC TRUCK, FROM PAGE 18
distribution ranges, including food and beverage
and pick-up and delivery routes. According
to the manufacturer, the truck’s batteries
can charge up to 80% within 70 minutes and
have an operating range of up to 150 miles,
based on the truck’s configuration.
DeFazio is expected to be a principal
author and negotiator of President Biden’s
American Jobs Plan, a wide-sweeping proposal
aimed at fixing and modernizing the
nation’s outdated infrastructure system,
according to a prepared statement from
DeFazio’s office. DeFazio said he plans
Big corporations are
showing that there is a
business case for climate
solutions.”
“— Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4), Chair
of the House Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
to introduce legislative text that lays out
transformative investments in roads,
bridges, transit, and rail, consisting of
funding to help build charging capacity
to accommodate the shift to electric vehicles,
including passenger vehicles, freight
trucks, and buses.
The statement cites the Business Roundtable,
noting that inadequate infrastructure
costs U.S. businesses $27 billion per year
in extra transportation costs. According to
the American Society of Civil Engineers,
between 2016 and 2025, the economy will
lose almost $4 trillion in economic activity if
there are not upgrades to the nation’s infrastructure,
which could cost 2.5 million jobs.
20 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | WWW.TRUCKLOAD.ORG TCA JULY/AUGUST 2021