Welcome to the Fast Lane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Dep. Sec. Porcari: ARRA energy investments are economically critical

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of visiting East Penn Manufacturing Company, a third-generation family business with over 63 years in battery manufacturing.

My visit reminded me what makes this country great: It’s the ability to manufacture top-quality, innovative products that give American companies a competitive edge to help them grow and thrive.

That’s why I was honored to deliver the news to its employees that the Department of Energy is awarding $32.5 million to East Penn through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Obama Administration is going to help this company, and many others, play a key role in meeting our transportation and energy goals for the 21st century.

The announcement is part of a ground-breaking 2.4 billion-dollar effort to help U.S.-based manufacturers make and test thousands of hybrid and electric vehicles along with the batteries, chargers, and other components needed to operate them.

This is the single largest investment ever made in advanced battery technology projects for hybrid and electric-drive vehicles. It will help achieve the goal of putting one million plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road by 2015.

It’s time for America to lead the world in clean technology manufacturing – the growth industry for the 21st Century. 

To achieve this reality, we’re investing in both small, innovative companies in rural towns like Lyon Station, and large factories in Michigan and Indiana. 

With the help of companies like East Penn, we will be able to build vehicles that achieve – and even exceed -- the new fuel-efficiency standard of 35.5 miles per gallon that we’ve set for cars and light trucks by 2016. This is an investment in the future of manufacturing, and the future of clean, green transportation in the United States.

The Department of Transportation is going to do its part too.  We will develop new safety standards for the new generation of vehicles, paving the way for safe, effective plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.

Without question, this is a transformational moment for the transportation industry – and for the auto industry in particular. If we’re serious about tapping into clean, alternative sources of energy to power our cars, trucks, and other vehicles, then we’ve got to invest in the technology, the training, and the manufacturing base to make that happen.

Working together, we’re going to set the pace for America’s economic recovery and our environmental future.   And we’re going to build the safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation systems that we all need and deserve.

CARS success continues

Since I unveiled the CARS program last week, over $700 million has already gone out the door. As a result, today almost 200,000 new fuel-efficient automobiles averaging 25 miles per gallon are on the road instead of gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs. At the same time, our CARS trade-in program has been a lifeline to the American auto industry by boosting the manufacturers, keeping dealerships in business, saving the workers’ jobs, and helping Americans buy cars.

There’s no doubt in my mind that this program has been a wild success, but you don’t have to take it from me. Here’s what the news is saying about CARS across the country:

Columbus Dispatch, 'Clunkers' give auto sales needed jolt: "Cash for Clunkers" is beginning to seem like the defibrillator that jolted the auto industry back to life.”

Los Angeles Times, More Cash For Clunkers: “The program is boosting economic activity at a time when consumer confidence has been slipping again, threatening to slow the economy's nascent recovery.”

Houston Chronicle, ‘Cash for clunkers' giving a jump-start to economy:
“Cash for clunkers could be the least glamorous stimulus program ever devised — and among the best designed. It is temporary (lasts until Nov. 1 or when the money is gone), targeted (helps Detroit and, with it, the industrial heartland) and timely (the stampede to the showrooms was immediate). Extra bonus: By helping people trade gas guzzlers in for more fuel-efficient vehicles, the program helps the environment.”

Detroit News, Dealers, drivers, makers cashing in on clunkers: “The Obama administration said the "cash for clunkers" program has been an enormous success, boosting domestic automakers as momentum gains to persuade the Senate to approve $2 billion in additional funding.”

Philadelphia Inquirer, Keep It Rolling: “Cash for Clunkers has worked so well that the government burned through $1 billion from the federal stimulus act designated for the program in just the first week. The money had been expected to last as long as Nov. 1.”

Baltimore Sun, More Cash For Clunkers:
“By contrast, 100 percent of the cash for clunkers money is going directly into the economy, and that's not its only benefit. It supports an industry that we've already invested billions in; it improves the environment by getting inefficient cars off the road (the clunkers must be sold for scrap, with their engines and transmissions rendered inoperable); it helps consumers' long-term finances by getting them into cars that will cost them less for gas; and it does all of that almost immediately with little bureaucracy.”

Newsday: Let's extend cash-for-clunkers: “The holy grail of economic stimulus is to quickly get money into the hands of people who will immediately spend it. Judged by that standard, cash-for-clunkers is a runaway success.”

Judy Gayle Lam: An inspiration to the DOT

Yesterday afternoon, I had the honor of meeting one of the DOT’s most valuable, pioneering, and longest-serving employees: Judy Gayle Lam. While Judy has decided to retire after 30 years of service, she will continue to be a source of inspiration for myself and the entire Department.

In 1979, Judy became the first deaf person ever hired by the DOT. She faced enormous challenges in the days before ADA became law, and through her perseverance, hard work and patience, she not only succeeded, but paved the way for others. Over her 30-year career, Judy rose from an entry-level position in the FAA forms office to become the FAA Forms Officer for the IT Business Enterprise Service, where she has overseen the design and procedures for all agency forms. That’s an important job for an agency that requires as many applications, certifications, and registrations as the DOT.

While Judy faced her share of unique obstacles working her way to the top, she always knew she was blazing an important trail for others. So, when the Department asked for her help establishing a Disability Resource Center where employees could go to request help and services, Judy took on the responsibility wholeheartedly. Through her work for the DRC, Judy has helped and improved services for countless colleagues and is responsible for making the DOT’s website accessible to those with handicaps.

Outside the DRC, Judy made an effort to educate others by teaching sign language to colleagues in her office. Her coworkers fondly describe her has one of the most patient, generous, and diligent people they’ve worked with. It is therefore no surprise that Judy has been recognized over her career with 7 Superior Contribution Awards.

But these aren’t the only things I admire about Judy. In addition to her incredible service to the Department, to her colleagues, and to the public, Judy is a fellow Illinoisian! She shares my fondness for President Abraham Lincoln, and will proudly tell you that she can trace her family’s roots all the way back to his hometown. In fact, it was President Lincoln who signed the original charter for Gallaudet University, where Judy met her husband, Beng, in college and where I  served on the Board of Trustees while in Congress.

On behalf of myself and the entire Department of Transportation, I would like to commend Judy for her years of dedication, service, and achievement, and offer our best wishes for retirement.

Distracted driving is dangerous driving

When I was home in Peoria a few weeks ago, Alyssa Burns, a 17-year-old high school student was killed when she drove off the road.

It turns out she was texting while driving.

We’ve all seen the footage of the bus driver who was talking and texting on two cell phones while driving.

He smashed into the back of a car, injured the driver, and ended up driving into a swimming pool.

The horrific commuter train crash last year in California involved an operator who was too busy texting to pay attention to what he should have been doing. As a result, 25 people were killed and 135 were injured.

If it were up to me, I would ban drivers from texting.

But we’ve learned from our efforts to get people to wear seat belts and to persuade them not to drive drunk that laws aren’t always enough. Often, you need to combine education with enforcement to get results.

That’s why I announced this morning that I have decided to convene a summit of senior transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives, members of Congress and academics who study these matters.

We will meet next month to discuss how to put an end to the rash of accidents and fatalities that have cropped up because of distracted driving.

When we are done, I expect to have a list of concrete steps to announce.

The bottom line is, we need to put an end to unsafe cell phone use, typing on blackberries and other activities that require drivers to take their eyes off the road and their focus away from driving.

I’ve said from the day I was confirmed as Secretary of Transportation that safety is our number 1 priority.

We all know texting while driving is dangerous – and I promise you we’re going to do something about it so that responsible drivers don’t have worry every time they, or a loved one, gets on the road.

DOT marks 6,000th Recovery Act highway project

This morning, I’m pleased to announce the DOT has passed yet another exciting Recovery Act milestone: the Department has now approved more than 6,000 highway projects across America – worth over $17.1 billion – for federal funding under ARRA .  

This week, a $44.5 million project to widen congested US 60, or Grand Avenue, in Phoenix, AZ became the 6,000th highway project funded by the Recovery Act. Grand Avenue is one of Phoenix’s busiest and most congested corridors, serving an estimated 45,000 vehicles every day. Thanks to stimulus dollars, this route will receive two new lanes and other significant improvements that will relieve traffic and help to reduce greenhouse gases in the area. Most importantly, the project will generate good-paying transportation jobs that will put people to work in Arizona. 

The Recovery Act has made an unprecedented $48.1 billion investment in our national transportation system in order to quickly create jobs and provide an economic shot in the arm to communities across the country. In the less than six months since ARRA was signed into law, the DOT has worked around the clock to get stimulus money out the door in record time. 

We have already obligated $22.7 billion – nearly one-half of the DOT’s total ARRA appropriation – to fund more than 6,800 approved projects in 53 U.S. States and Territories. Work is currently underway on more than 3,300 of those transportation projects, and with so many coming in under budget, states are discovering they can do more for less. It’s a win-win: more projects, more jobs, with fewer taxpayer dollars.

The DOT team is working hard to get ARRA dollars out the door quickly, and we continue to look for new ways to accelerate stimulus spending even further.  Last week I announced the establishment of a DOT review team to expedite the application process for our $1.5 billion TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grants program . This review team will enable the Department to award the entire $1.5 billion in January 2010 – one full month ahead of the statutory deadline.  By awarding these TIGER grants ahead of schedule, we’ll be able to jump start major-impact projects and boost local economies across America even more quickly.

We’ve still got a ways to go to and a lot of hard work ahead to turn this economy around, but I know Americans are up to the challenge. From Phoenix to Portland to Kalamazoo, I’ve met people who want nothing more than to keep strapping on their work boots every day to support their families and communities. They have my commitment that the DOT will do everything possible to generate good jobs and speed the country’s economic recovery.