Senate Commerce Committee presses transportation nominees on safety, enforcement and vehicle technology

Senate Commerce Committee members questioned three presidential nominees at a nomination hearing focused on highway, vehicle and pipeline safety, pressing them on declines in enforcement activity, pipeline and cybersecurity risks, freight fraud and how the agencies should approach autonomous vehicles and other safety rules.

The hearing considered President Trump's nominees for administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Derek Barrs; administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Mr. Morrison; and administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Paul Roberti. Committee members including Chairman Cruz and Ranking Member Cantwell asked the nominees about enforcement declines, technology rulemaking and the agencies' readiness to address safety risks.

Why it matters: The three agencies oversee safety for goods movement, passenger vehicles and pipelines that carry hazardous materials. Senators cited statistics and recent incidents they said show enforcement activity and rulemaking have slowed, and they pressed nominees to commit to restoring robust inspections, cyber coordination and timely rulemaking to protect public safety and supply chains.

Committee members opened with performance concerns at each agency. A senator said FMCSA had “closed 78 percent fewer cases this year, compared to last year,” and that PHMSA has opened ‘‘the fewest pipeline enforcement cases during the first 6 months of this administration than any other administration over the past 2 decades.” Senators also cited press reports that NHTSA has opened “25% fewer investigations into vehicle safety this year.” Those figures were raised as the committee pressed nominees on their plans to…