US Senate Confirms Mary Peters as Transportation Secretary

Published Oct 5, 2006 12:01 AM by The Maritime Executive

The US Senate unanimously approved Mary Peters as the new Secretary of Transportation on Saturday. The confirmation came just before Congress recessed for the upcoming election. Maria Cino, who has been acting secretary since Norman Y. Mineta left in July, will return to her position as deputy secretary. When President Bush announced his selection to succeed Norman Mineta as Transportation Secretary on September 5, he called Mary Peters “the right person for this job.” She is 15th Secretary of Transportation.

Peters will bring a wealth of transportation experience to the job, both in the private and the public sectors. She previously served as head of the Federal Highway Administration from 2001 to 2005 and since November of last year, she was national director for transportation policy and consulting in the Phoenix office of an Omaha-based architectural, engineering and consulting firm. Prior to that, Peters directed the Arizona Department of Transportation, culminating a 16-year career there.

Peters’ positions on maritime issues are not yet widely known. She has, in the past, expressed firm opinions on how to fund highway projects, but how the often-neglected maritime component of the US transportation system will fare under her supervision remains unclear. She joins the newly appointed US Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton, in the Department of Transportation. Depending on how Peters pushes for funding for any number of federal transportation projects, Connaughton could have his work cut out for him as he tries to convince his new boss that MARAD should get an increased share of the funding pie. On the other hand, the combination of Peters' highway savvy and Connaughton's commitment to short-sea shipping could very well yield substantial progress for both modes of transportation.

Peters will be responsible for fostering a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system, and will oversee an agency with almost 60,000 employees and a $61.6 billion budget that oversees air, maritime and surface transportation missions. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix and attended Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for State and Local Government Executives.