The Research and Development Portfolio to Support the Priorities of the Department of Transportation
Date: Friday, January 15, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: 2325 Rayburn House Office Building
Opening Statement By Chairman David Wu
Good morning. I would like to welcome everyone to today's hearing on how the Department of Transportation’s research portfolio can best support its established priorities.
Earlier this year, Secretary LaHood laid out four key priorities that would guide DOT policies: safety, economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability, and community livability. I think we can all agree that these are laudable goals. However, as chair of the subcommittee that oversees the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the federal agency charged by the Constitution with maintaining the nation's systems of weights and measures, I've learned two things: one, if you cannot define something, you don’t you know you're doing it, and two, if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.
This is the focus of today's hearing. I want to better understand the definition of Secretary LaHood's four key priorities, the main elements of an R&D agenda that will support these priorities, the metrics required to ensure we are making a difference, and finally, what is necessary to ensure that R&D results are utilized in the field. This examination is important because the public must reap actual benefits, not just hear more Washington jargon.
The DOT supports research on a wide array of surface transportation topics, from improved paving materials to runoff reduction methods. I am interested in hearing from today's witnesses about how well the over $600 million per year that DOT spends on research is supporting the agency’s proposed priorities. For example, with new priorities like livability, perhaps there is a need for research in social science and investment in different types of data collection.
This is the third transportation hearing this subcommittee has held in the 111th Congress. The first hearing looked at the need to bring better planning and coordination to the DOT surface transportation research agenda. The second examined the research needed to mitigate the impact of the surface transportation system on the climate.
Both of these hearings emphasized the need for better technology transfer and improved efforts to ensure that federally funded R&D meets the needs of state and local transportation officials. These two issues go hand-in-hand: if the research does not address the problems of the people managing our transportation system, it will not be transferred into practice. I am pleased today that we have state and local representation with us to discuss their challenges and the types of research that will actually meet their needs.
The pending surface transportation reauthorization gives us an opportunity to examine the research programs of the DOT. I am hopeful that this hearing will shed light on the DOT priorities and bring specific recommendations on the types of R&D investment needed to support those priorities.
Witnesses
Panel
0 - The Honorable Polly Trottenberg
Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation
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0 - The Honorable Peter Appel
Administrator Research and Innovative Technology Administration Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration Department of Tra
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0 - Mr. Neil J. Pedersen
Administrator Maryland State Highway Administration Vice Chair Maryland State Highway Administration Vice Chair
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0 - Mr. Robert E. Skinner
Executive Director of the Transportation Research Board The National Academies The National Academies
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0 - Mr. Alan E. Pisarski
Independent Consultant
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0 - Ms. Ann Flemer
Deputy Executive Director Policy, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, California Vice Chair Policy, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland
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