Today, the Environment and Public Works Committee is considering two nominations – Greg Nadeau to be Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Kristen Kulinowski to be a Member of the Chemical Safety Board (CSB). The confirmation of highly qualified individuals to lead federal agencies is an extremely important responsibility of the Senate. It is critical that we move forward with these nominations so that federal agencies can fulfill their mission to serve the American people.
Mr. Nadeau has been the Deputy Administrator for FHWA since 2009 and has carried out the duties of Acting Administrator for the agency since December 2013. Before joining FHWA, Mr. Nadeau gained valuable experience at the state level, serving as the Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning and Communications for the Maine Department of Transportation for six years. Prior to that, Mr. Nadeau was the Senior Policy Advisor to then-Governor Angus King from 1995 to 2002 for a number of policy areas, including transportation, economic development, energy and utilities, environmental protection, and labor.
If confirmed, Mr. Nadeau will be responsible for FHWA’s administration of our nation’s federal-aid highway program that provides funding to states and other non-Federal project sponsors to construct and maintain our nation’s roads and bridges. The nation’s economic security depends on a reliable and efficient transportation system. It is the FHWA which works with state and local governments to ensure that America’s highways and bridges remain safe, technologically up-to-date, and environmentally-friendly.
We will also hear from Kristen Kulinowski. Since 2011, she has been a Research Staff Member for the Congressionally-chartered Science and Technology Policy Institute, which is part of the Institute for Defense Analyses. In this capacity, Dr. Kulinowski works on issues related to program evaluation, innovation policy, and disaster response. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at Rice University’s Department of Chemistry. Dr. Kulinowski has worked at Rice University for fifteen years, where she has focused on engaging government, industry, and other stakeholders in exploring the environmental and health risks of engineered nanomaterial. From 2001 to 2002, she was a Congressional Science Policy Fellow in the office of then-Representative Markey. She is a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Industrial Hygiene Association-Nanotechnology Working Group. Dr. Kulinowski holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry.
The CSB plays a critical role in protecting our communities from chemical hazards. CSB investigates industrial chemical accidents involving fatalities, serious injuries, or substantial property damages and makes recommendations to industry and federal and state agencies to help prevent similar events.
Safety is the CSB’s number one priority, and I look forward to hearing from Dr. Kulinowski about how she intends to meet the challenges ahead.
Welcome to both of our nominees.
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