Attachment: chao-letter-to-u-s-senate-commerce-committee
January 9, 2017
The Honorable John Thune
Chairman
Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
United States Senate
Washington DC, 20510
The Honorable Bill Nelson
Ranking Member
Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
United States Senate
Washington DC, 20510
Dear Chairman Thune, Ranking Member Nelson, and Honorable Members of the Committee:
I am writing to you on behalf of the members of the Alliance for Transportation Innovation (ATI21) to urge your swift confirmation of the Hon. Elaine L. Chao as the nation’s next U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
We believe her record of strong leadership and her familiarity with transportation issues will serve the American people well. Furthermore, we are encouraged by her experience gathered from working in several federal agencies over her career, which we think will especially help the incoming Administration tackle the very important issue of self-driving vehicles and coordinate the best approach among numerous jurisdictions for enabling these life-changing technologies as soon as possible.
Secretary-designate Chao enters the position at a time when technology is a viable yet under-utilized solution for advancing our important transportation safety and mobility objectives. The lack of a workable federal standard and an increase in the number of misguided individual state regulatory schemes has resulted in the current policy quagmire that to date has slowed the deployment of self-driving solutions.
The nominee, however, is reason for hope in this era of stifling regulation and government overreach, as we believe she will choose progress over heavy-handed regulation, and work with our industry to find a way to let innovators create a safer driving experience – without delay – for the benefit of all citizens, especially those who are unable to drive themselves.
Our members consider Ms. Chao an ally in the drive to change the lives of the enabled and disabled, restore freedom of mobility to senior citizens, and save countless lives of people from coast to coast – forever. It is for these reasons that the members of the Alliance for Transportation Innovation ask you to move ahead confidently with the approval of Ms. Chao as our next Secretary of Transportation so that we can get to work with her on the issues that will revolutionize and improve every facet of American life.
Sincerely,
Paul R. Brubaker
President & CEO
The Alliance for Transportation Innovation
1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20036
