DOT 28-03
Thursday, April 3, 2003
Contact: Lenny Alcivar
Tel.: (202)366-4531
Shane Confirmed as First Under Secretary of Transportation
for Policy
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today applauded the Senate’s unanimous confirmation of Jeffrey N. Shane as the first Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy. The new position is part of a reorganization and enhancement of Department of Transportation (DOT) policy functions.
“Jeff brings an unparalleled level of experience and institutional knowledge to DOT,” said Secretary Mineta. “With our reorganization, Jeff and his new team will be better able to develop a sound transportation policy on behalf of the Nation.”
As Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, Shane will manage all aspects of transportation policy development within DOT. Since 1993, various components of policy development have been split among three offices: Transportation Policy, Aviation and International Affairs, and the Office of Intermodalism, each of which has been headed by a separate, Senate-confirmed presidential appointee. Under the reorganization, all three areas now report to the Under Secretary, who is also charged with convening groups of transportation policy experts from throughout the Department to assist and advise the Secretary.
“The
creation of this new office is intended to serve as the foundation for a far
more effective approach to the formulation of transportation policy at DOT,”
said Shane. “I am grateful for
the opportunity to oversee
the transformation of the way transportation policy is made within the
department, in keeping with Secretary Mineta’s vision.”
During his
confirmation hearing, Shane said, “The reorganization represents the most
significant change in the structure of the Office of the Secretary of
Transportation in many years. By
elevating the policy function and reorganizing it, Secretary Mineta has pulled
the department's diverse responsibilities together as never before, giving real
life to Congress' vision of the department as reflected in the Department of
Transportation Act of 1966.
Shane has been serving as Associate Deputy Secretary since President Bush appointed him to the position in March 2002. Previously, Shane was a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Hogan & Hartson. Prior to entering private law practice, he held a number of other transportation-related positions in the federal government, including Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs at the Department of Transportation and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs at the Department of State. Shane is a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School.
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