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Feinberg Appears Before Senate Commerce Committee on Confirmation
In testimony at her Sept. 17 nomination hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, FRA Acting Administrator Sarah Feinberg described the importance of the agency in making sure U.S. railroads "transport [passengers] safely to their jobs each morning, to their homes and families each night and to deliver goods and products safely every day."
In answer to questioning by committee members, Feinberg stated that only Congress, not FRA, has the authority to extend the deadline.
Feinberg acknowledged recent legislation that provides nearly $200 million in grants and funds to leverage Rail Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing loans for costs associated with PTC.
Members of the committee will deliberate before submitting Feinberg's nomination to the full Senate for approval. Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) said after the hearing, "I thought she handled herself well today. We need somebody in there, and so we'll try and, as we get written responses and that sort of thing, expedite it."
In related PTC news, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report Sept. 16 stating that most U.S. passenger and freight railroads will not be able to meet the current Dec. 31 deadline for implementing PTC and calling for legislation to extend the deadline.
In a statement on the report, APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy cited the “strong evidence that Congress needs to act now to extend the deadline. The report supports what the industry, [FRA] and the GAO have said in the past: significant challenges of technology, spectrum and funding make the end of year deadline unattainable. … We support efforts in Congress to craft an extension that would provide for the full effective interoperable implementation of this life-saving technology. We are also dedicated to working with Congress in appropriating the funding to assist the industry complying with this essential safety mandate.”
The full text of Melaniphy’s statement is here. The full text of the GAO report is available here.
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