WASHINGTON — The effective enforcement of safety regulations, repairing critical infrastructure and streamlining the permitting process are priorities that Elaine Chao said she will address if confirmed as transportation secretary in the Trump administration.
“Given the nation’s need to improve critical infrastructure, it is important to find ways to expedite the process of making repairs and building new constructions and decreasing the regulatory burdens when appropriate,” Chao wrote in a Senate Commerce Committee questionnaire, a requirement of administration nominees.
“With or without a new infusion of funds, it is necessary to look at the existing processes for infrastructure development and find more efficient ways to address bottlenecks in planning and permitting,” she said.
Chao also indicated that her past experience in federal government has prepared her to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation in “developing legislation and regulatory programs that will enhance transportation safety and infrastructure for our country.”
References to ways of achieving a sustainable infrastructure-funding proposal are not outlined in the questionnaire. Chao instead focused on areas of concern, such as ensuring “equity between urban and rural areas.”
Chao, who was labor secretary under President George W. Bush, had served as deputy transportation secretary and deputy maritime administrator. The Commerce Committee was expected to hold a hearing on her nomination shortly after the start of the new Congress last month.
