[Senate Hearing 117-618]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 117-618
HEARING ON THE NOMINATION OF
SHAILEN P. BHATT TO BE ADMINISTRATOR
OF THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
SEPTEMBER 14, 2022
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
51-438 PDF WASHINGTON : 2023
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware, Chairman
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont Virginia,
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island Ranking Member
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan RICHARD SHELBY, Alabama
MARK KELLY, Arizona JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
ALEX PADILLA, California ROGER WICKER, Mississippi
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
JONI ERNST, Iowa
LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina
Mary Frances Repko, Democratic Staff Director
Adam Tomlinson, Republican Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
SEPTEMBER 14, 2022
OPENING STATEMENTS
Carper, Hon. Thomas R., U.S. Senator from the State of Delaware.. 1
Capito, Hon. Shelley Moore, U.S. Senator from the State of West
Virginia....................................................... 3
WITNESSES
Hickenlooper, Hon. John, U.S. Senator from the State of Colorado. 6
Prepared statement........................................... 8
Bhatt, Shailen P., nominee to be Administrator of the Federal
Highway Administration......................................... 10
Prepared statement........................................... 13
Responses to additional questions from:
Senator Duckworth........................................ 15
Senator Kelly............................................ 17
Senator Padilla.......................................... 19
Senator Capito........................................... 21
Senator Cramer........................................... 24
Senator Lummis........................................... 27
Senator Ernst............................................ 29
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
Letter to Senators Carper and Capito from the:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, September 14, 2022................. 52
American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials, September 9, 2022............................... 53
American Motorcyclist Association, September 20, 2022........ 54
American Society of Civil Engineers, September 14, 2022...... 56
American Traffic Safety Services Association, August 9, 2022. 58
American Road & Transportation Builders Association,
September 13, 2022......................................... 59
League of American Bicyclists, September 8, 2022............. 60
National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, September 12, 2022 61
International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association,
September 12, 2022......................................... 63
Environmental Defense Fund et al., September 13, 2022........ 64
Portland Cement Association, September 13, 2022.............. 66
HEARING ON THE NOMINATION OF SHAILEN P. BHATT TO BE ADMINISTRATOR OF
THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2022
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Environment and Public Works,
Washington, DC.
The Committee, met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m. in
room 406, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Thomas R. Carper
(Chairman of the Committee) presiding.
Present: Senators Carper, Capito, Cardin, Whitehouse,
Markey, Kelly, Inhofe, Cramer, Lummis, Boozman, Sullivan, and
Ernst.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. THOMAS R. CARPER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF DELAWARE
Senator Carper. Good morning, everyone. We are delighted to
welcome all of you today to consider the nomination of Shailen
Bhatt to serve as Administrator of the Federal Highway
Administration.
I see that you are joined by your wife, Neelam.
Neelam, it is very nice to see you, and your daughters,
Saanvi and Nandini.
How are you?
And Neelam, by your parents. It is not every day that the
in-laws show up to say a good word for the nominee. That is
especially noteworthy.
We thank you all for your willingness to share Shailen with
us today, if confirmed, as the Administrator of the Federal
Highway Administration.
We are also pleased to welcome here in a few minutes,
Senator John Hickenlooper, former Governor of Colorado, who is
going to be introducing our nominee shortly. We thank you all
for joining us on this beautiful, sunny day.
I also want to thank Deputy Administrator Stephanie Pollack
for her leadership at the Federal Highway Administration over
the past year and a half, and particularly for her work to
implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, much of which was
authored in this Committee, which Senator Capito and I are
privileged to lead.
Let me begin today by offering a few words about our
especially well qualified nominee. I have had the pleasure of
knowing Shailen since 2011, more than a decade, when he assumed
the role of Secretary of the Delaware Department of
Transportation.
As Secretary of DelDOT, Shailen helped the department
integrate performance management measures to improve
accountability. He also embraced innovative practices to
improve services and helped to reduce the agency's debt.
As a Delawarean, I am deeply grateful for Shailen's 4 years
of service, during which he and the DelDOT team that he led
delivered critical transportation projects from one end of the
First State to the other. As Chairman of this Committee, I am
delighted that he is again willing to serve our country, this
time in the role of Administrator of the Federal Highway
Administration.
Shailen is no stranger to this Committee. He has been
called to testify twice previously for hearings: Once when the
Committee was considering innovative transportation mobility
and a second time to testify on security threats to our
physical infrastructure. Throughout his interactions with our
Committee, he has demonstrated a commitment to being
responsive, something that is very important to all of us. He
has been responsive to the questions and the concerns that we
have raised with him throughout the years.
Shailen also brings a wealth of experience to this role. In
addition to serving as the State transportation leader in
Delaware and in Colorado, he has served in the Federal
Government as Associate Administrator for Policy and Government
Affairs at the Federal Highway Administration. Just as
important, he is experienced at the local level and with
transportation non-profit advocacy organizations, as well as in
the private sector in his role as Senior Vice President at
AECOM, a multinational infrastructure consulting firm that I
think most of us are familiar with.
There is little doubt that this is why his nomination has
been welcomed warmly by numerous transportation stakeholder
associations. They include the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials, which awarded Shailen
their President's Special Award of Merit in 2020 for his
outstanding and exemplary contributions to the transportation
field.
Outside of his qualifications and accolades, it is
important to note that Shailen's nomination comes at a pivotal
time for the Federal Highway Administration.
Last year, our Committee led the way in drafting the
surface transportation legislation that became the foundation
on which the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was built. We
literally wrote it in large part in this room. And as you will
recall, this historic law provides much more than $350 billion
of investment in our Nation's highway programs, including a
significant increase in funding for competitive grants to be
administered by the Federal Highway Administration.
As we know, last month, the Congress also passed the
Inflation Reduction Act, providing more than $5 billion in
funding for grants to improve equity and access to reduce
emissions from cement, from steel, and other roadway
construction materials. The Inflation Reduction Act also
includes additional fundings to facilitate timely environmental
review of transportation projects, ensuring that the American
people feel the benefits of these investments without delay.
From day one, the current Administration set a goal of
partnering with Congress to rebuild and enhance critical
infrastructure while improving climate and equity outcomes.
Less than 2 years later, I am proud to say we have made great
progress toward that goal.
Now, the work of implementing these historic investments
could not be more urgent. We know that far too many Americans
continue to lack access to safe walkways and reliable public
transportation. Traffic crashes and fatalities, which were
already far too high, have risen sharply since the start of the
pandemic more than 2 years ago.
And as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in
the United States, dramatic changes are still needed to
significantly reduce emissions from the transportation sector,
from the cars and trucks and vans that we drive. We must do so
while also protecting the American people and our critical
infrastructure from the effects of extreme heat, flooding, and
other climate disasters.
Addressing these goals of safety, of equity, and of climate
mitigation have been priorities at the U.S. Department of
Transportation during the implementation of the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law. I have confidence that Shailen will be able
to pick this ball up and run with it, as he has done time and
time again.
I pray that the Senate will move expeditiously to confirm
him for this important role. It has been left vacant for far
too long. From our years of working together, I know Shailen to
be hard working, intelligent, fair, and open minded. If
confirmed, I am confident that he will be committed to working
with all 50 States and territories and every Senator to address
the transportation priorities in their communities.
We will hear from Shailen shortly, but before we do, let me
first turn to Senator Capito for her opening statement.
Senator Capito.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA
Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for
calling the hearing today.
Good morning and welcome to Mr. Bhatt and his very
beautiful family. It is so nice to see you all, right there on
the front row, reading your books. I love that. That is great.
Congratulations on your nomination to serve as the
Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, FHWA, and
I appreciate the frank conversation that we had yesterday in my
office, and thanks for spending so much time with me.
As we discussed, for almost 2 years, we have been operating
without a Senate confirmed Administrator of FHWA, and it has
been 2 years for the agency, much too long. The President
signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, IIJA Act,
into law almost a year ago.
It was cold that day, remember that? It was cold out there.
Senator Carper. I remember you stood out in the crowd.
Senator Capito. Yes, I did. Thank you.
[Laughter.]
Senator Capito. The foundation of the IIJA was our
Bipartisan Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021.
The IIJA included unprecedented funding to address the needs of
our Nation's road and bridge infrastructure. It stood up a
number of new programs and included significant project
delivery provisions, such as an environmental review and
permitting reforms for highway and bridge projects. This
legislation proved that Congress can come together on pressing
issues facing our Nation, and we know that we can find
bipartisan solutions that deliver results for the American
people.
The staff at FHWA has been working hard to implement the
IIJA. But there is still a lot of work to be done in order to
ensure that funding gets out the door, shovel ready, and worthy
projects move forward, and the law is implemented as Congress
intended it.
As we mentioned yesterday, time is money, and in this
inflationary times it has become, I think, much more of a
challenge with supply chain issues, as well.
I am troubled and concerned by some of the implementation
actions that the FHWA has taken in the absence of a Senate
confirmed Administrator. While we all expected FHWA would
prioritize the actions of the IIJA that advance the priorities
of the Biden administration, I do have a great deal of concern
when it appears the agency is outright neglecting to implement
certain provisions of the bill, mainly the project delivery
actions.
I submitted questions for the record regarding
implementation of the project delivery sections as a follow up
to our March meeting with Secretary Buttigieg on IIJA
implementation, but we have still not received any responses
from DOT. Simple questions like, ``What modal administration is
overseeing implementation of each section of the law?''
shouldn't be a hard question to answer. Implementation
deadlines should be readily available for the department to
provide.
With these easy questions unanswered, it begs the question:
Is the department not actively planning implementation of
certain sections of the law? This question is even more
pressing as FHWA took it a step further by prioritizing the
implementation of policies that were purposely left out of the
law. This was the subject of our hearing, for me, anyway, with
Secretary Buttigieg.
We have seen this carried through in numerous guidance
memorandum beginning with the December 16th FHWA memorandum to
staff entitled ``Policy on Using the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law Resources to Build a Better America,'' and then in
programmatic guidance documents from the National Highway
Performance Program, the Surface Transportation Block Grant
Program, and the PROTECT Program, just to name a few.
Among those other items, these guidance documents encourage
recipients of highway formulas to flex funding into transit
investments. It discourages States from moving forward with
projects that add highway capacity. It imposes a one size fits
all approach by discouraging transferring program funds to
where they are needed most, which was a flexibility that was
intentionally built into the law to ensure that the States'
unique needs could be met.
You know, as a former State administrator in two different
States, State flexibility is crucial to ensure that our
transportation network can successfully meet the needs of all
of our constituents.
I invite you and anyone from the department, and we talked
about this, to travel to my home State so that you can fully
understand that some policies are not going to solve the
transportation problems that we have in the State and in the
mountains of West Virginia. While I have been told repeatedly
that these are just guidance documents, my frustration is
building when I consider the time that limited staff at the
department and FHWA are devoting to such documents instead of
implementing the law in its entirety.
In July, the West Virginia Department of Transportation
received a letter encouraging them not to transfer from one
program to another, 3 months after the agency had approved the
transfer. Let me reiterate the last part. The transfer had
already occurred under an approval 3 months before, and then
they were notified 3 months afterward that that behavior is to
be discouraged.
I am also hearing about a lack of responsiveness from FHWA
and inconsistency in responses from division offices across the
country, another issue that we talked about in my office.
Recipients of funding are looking for consistent direction
from FHWA that adheres to the law. If this does not happen, we
run the risk of this investment not being fully utilized and
the goals of the legislation not being fully realized as
inflation adds urgency to maximizing this historic investment.
It is time that the FHWA stops spending limited staff
resources on what the political appointee's wish list is and
instead focuses these resources on implementing what is
actually in the law, the entire law, that Congress negotiated
and passed with strong bipartisan support, and that the
President signed.
I am very interested to hear if and how you plan to turn
this situation around and to understand what your priorities
would be if confirmed. Will things look different than they do
now, or will it be more of the same?
This is a pivotal moment. FHWA has the opportunity to
provide the States and other funding recipients with the
guidance and support necessary to build a modern transportation
network that works for all Americans, or the agency can serve
as a roadblock.
I am hopeful, that, if confirmed, you will lead FHWA in
upholding the law, that your priorities as Administrator will
recognize that transportation needs throughout our Nation are
different in every State, and that you will not push a one size
fits all approach.
Chairman Carper, I yield back.
Senator Carper. Thanks very much for that statement.
We are going to hear from Senator Hickenlooper; he will
come by and say a good word for Shailen.
When I was coming near the end of my time as Governor of
Delaware, people would say to me, what do you want to do next?
I would say, I would like to move to another State and be their
Governor, too. People would say, what State would that be? I
would always say, West Virginia. You have a Chair and a Ranking
Member here who care a lot about West Virginia, so I know that
you will keep that in mind as you assume these
responsibilities, should you be fortunate enough to be
confirmed.
We appreciate very much, Senator Governor Hickenlooper, for
your being here and saying some words on behalf of Shailen.
Please share with us the good, the bad, and the ugly at this
time, please. Thanks.
STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN HICKENLOOPER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF COLORADO
Senator Hickenlooper. There is only good. There is no bad;
there is no ugly.
I am delighted to be here to talk to you, Chair Carper and
Ranking Member Capito and members of the Committee. Thank you
for allowing me a moment to introduce Shailen Bhatt, who has
been nominated to serve as Administrator of the Federal Highway
Administration.
When I was just entering my second term as Governor, I had
an opening. My director of transportation left, and my staff
went through a process, got the final three candidates, and one
of them was from Delaware: Shailen Bhatt. Jack Markell, the
Governor of Delaware, was one of my favorite Governors, one of
my close friends, and it is with a heavy heart----
Senator Carper. Would you say he is one of your two all
time favorite Governors?
Senator Hickenlooper. Exactly.
Senator Carper. Thank you.
[Laughter.]
Senator Hickenlooper. I heard he was the second best
Governor in the history of Delaware.
Senator Carper. I wouldn't go that far.
[Laughter.]
Senator Hickenlooper. I went to great lengths. I called,
with a heavy heart, Jack, and said, I won't even interview this
person if it is a problem, because I knew Jack was the kind of
person who would never accept that, and he would insist that
Shailen get his fair interview.
But the first thing that Jack said was, I have 22 other
senior staff members in cabinet and senior staff. You could
pick any one of them, just don't pick Shailen Bhatt. We
laughed.
And of course, Shailen was so remarkably prepared to run a
State like Colorado. He came in as Executive Director of the
Colorado Department of Transportation, and his ability to work
with disparate interests in different groups all over the State
was truly remarkable. I am delighted to see he is here with his
wife, Neelam, his daughters, Nandini and Saanvi, reading those
books. They work almost as a unit. And I think Shailen gets a
lot of his power, his superpowers, from his family.
He got off to a quick start at the Colorado Department of
Transportation. He opened the I-70 Mountain Corridor, which
connected with nearby express lanes. He launched something we
called ``Bustang,'' which was a bus service in the mountains.
Get it, Bustang, Mustang? One thing about working with Shailen
is, everybody has fun, the staff, everyone is working on ways
to do the work properly and quickly and efficiently, but to
make sure that they are having fun along the way.
He is probably most famous in Colorado for fixing what we
called the Gap, which was a 12 mile stretch of I-25 between
Denver and Colorado Springs. It had been just two lanes in each
direction since the interstate was built. The traffic
congestion was unspeakable. Shailen took it on, and not only
took it on, but got it done. It opened, and it was a massive
enterprise. It opened last year, almost 10 years before
schedule.
He would be equally happy to go to Boulder, Colorado, to
work on biking lanes as he was to go town to the San Luis
Valley in the far southern part of the State to work on getting
crops to market more quickly. He strove at all times to deliver
results for all Coloradans, and I think Shailen put his heart
and soul into that.
He also helped create a forward looking transportation
future. He led a feasibility study to build something called
the Hyperloop, which I was told the rumors of him using in back
office, referring to the Hyperloop as some twisted concoction
of my name. I was told with great confidence that that wasn't
true.
He oversaw the world's first commercial delivery by a self-
driving truck, an autonomous vehicle. He deployed new
autonomous protection vehicles to protect construction crews
from distracted drivers, in other words, having vehicles that
were protecting workers on the road at the same time, without
putting a driver at risk there.
All of this really demonstrated his bold initiative toward
innovation and looking at how do we meet our evolving
transportation needs as we implement this massive investment in
our infrastructure. I cannot think of anyone better suited to
lead the Federal Highway Administration.
He is apolitical; he is focused on results; he is able to
bring people from all different facets and backgrounds to the
same point of compromise, and he really will ensure safety and
reliability on our highways at the same time he is creating
efficiency in getting things built.
When Mr. Bhatt left Colorado, which was a sad day for us
all, the Denver Post described him as a fierce advocate for
transportation innovation. Given this experience, I not only
support his nomination, I really look forward to his
confirmation.
I am happy to answer questions from any of the members at
any point along the process. Thank you for inviting me to make
this introduction.
I yield back to the Chair.
[The prepared statement of Senator Hickenlooper follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Carper. Senator Hickenlooper, thank you very much.
That was a wonderful statement. I watched the faces of the
family behind you, and they, I know, deeply appreciated it as
well.
I know you have a lot of other things going on this
morning. You are welcome to stay for as long as you can. We
will have other questions off the record, if we can just reach
out to you and say, from time to time, during the confirmation
process. That would be much appreciated. It was great of you to
come this morning. Thank you.
Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you.
Senator Carper. With that, I am pleased to welcome Mr.
Bhatt to the table where he has sat before.
We want to thank you again for joining us today. You are
now recognized for your opening remarks. Please proceed.
STATEMENT OF SHAILEN P. BHATT, NOMINEE TO BE ADMINISTRATOR OF
THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you so much.
Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Capito, and members of the
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you
today as you consider my nomination to be Administrator of the
Federal Highway Administration.
I am honored and humbled by President Biden and Secretary
Buttigieg for the opportunity to serve in this position. Thanks
to their leadership and the tremendous work, passion, and
commitment of this Committee, this is an incredibly
consequential time for FHWA. If confirmed, I look forward to
working with you to deliver the promise of the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law to the American people.
With me today are my daughters, Saanvi and Nandini. They
are missing school, but we hope today is educational. I would
also like to thank my wife, Neelam, for her tireless
sacrifices. Without them, I would not have had the career that
I have had. I would also like to thank my in-laws who are here
today and my mom and family who are watching. Thank you also to
Senator Hickenlooper for the kind introduction and for being
such a great boss.
Before I speak about my qualifications, I want to convey
the enormous respect I have for the leadership and staff of the
FHWA. During my previous tenure there, as well as my time as a
State DOT leader, I have always been impressed by the
commitment, dedication, and passion of these public servants. I
know that staff is working tirelessly to implement and deliver
on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I give you my commitment
that, if confirmed, I will work hard to match the quality and
spirit of this team.
There are many challenges we face as a Nation with our
transportation system. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration projected that an estimated 42,915 people died
in traffic crashes in 2021, a 10.5 percent increase from the
previous year. We must deploy every tool to immediately reverse
this trend.
We must also restore economic strength. The interstate
system that helped America emerge triumphant in the last
century requires investment and innovation so we keep our
competitive advantage for the 21st century. We must ensure
equity in transportation because we are stronger as a Nation
when we remove barriers so that everyone can share in the
prosperity. And we must address the challenges of the climate
crisis so that we do not put at further risk the trillions of
dollars that have been invested in our transportation network.
In addition to being an appointee at FHWA, I have had the
great privilege to serve as a leader with three State DOTs
across the country. I first served as a Deputy Executive
Director with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. I learned
first hand how critical transportation investments were to
every one of the 120 counties in the Commonwealth. Whether it
was a $200,000 sidewalk to help students get to a new school in
a rural county, or $2.5 billion to build new bridges over the
Ohio River in Louisville, I will never forget the impact of
these projects.
I also served as the Secretary of the Delaware Department
of Transportation where I got to work closely with the senior
Senator from Delaware. I watched in awe as he would show up to
projects around the State in his well worn minivan.
Chairman Carper, thank you for your kindness, hard work,
and leadership for Delaware and the Nation.
In Delaware, we worked with our Federal partners to achieve
many goals. We added capacity to our interstate and installed
electric charging stations on I-95 and US 13. We went from 31st
to 4th in bicycle friendly States. We deployed technology and
transit to get people to the beaches. We then used those same
tools to evacuate and aid surrounding States when we were
struck by Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy.
Finally, I also served under Governor Hickenlooper as the
Colorado DOT Executive Director. Colorado had a different set
of transportation challenges. Like many western States, we had
a transportation system that was struggling with an influx of
people and freight. Again, we used an all of the above
approach. We added capacity but also linked those projects with
transit and cycling investments.
We created Bustang to provide intercity bus service. We
partnered with Utah and Nevada to plan a regional EV corridor
so that EVs could get across the region. We used technology to
deploy the first self-driving work zone vehicle to protect
vulnerable road workers, and we reconnected a neighborhood cut
apart by the construction of the interstate by putting a four
acre park over the new roadway.
I share these experiences with this Committee because my
career has taught me that we get the best results when we work
together and listen. It is important for local leaders to
listen to their constituents who are most impacted by these
projects. It is important for State officials who own and
operate the network to listen to the needs of their
communities.
Most importantly, it is critical that FHWA listen and
understand the needs of the people they serve to be a true
partner. Having served at the local, State, and Federal level,
as well as in the private sector, to deliver these projects, I
fully understand the importance of listening and partnering. If
I am confirmed in this role, I promise to be a trusted partner
and commit to strengthening our world class highway system
while enhancing the quality of life for all Americans.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward
to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Bhatt follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Carper. Shailen, thanks very much for your
testimony.
Now, we are ready to being with some questions for you.
Senator Capito and I have agreed to two 5 minute rounds of
questions with additional rounds at the discretion of the
Chair. To begin, though, this Committee has three standing yes
or no questions that we ask of all nominees who appear before
us. Let me ask you those questions.
No. 1, do you agree, if confirmed, to appear before this
Committee or designated members of this Committee and other
appropriate committees of the Congress and to provide
information subject to appropriate and necessary security
protections, with respect to your responsibilities? Do you?
Mr. Bhatt. I do.
Senator Carper. Second question: Do you also agree to
ensure that testimony, briefings, documents, and electronic and
other forms of communication or information are provided to
this Committee and its staff and other appropriate committees
in a timely manner? Do you?
Mr. Bhatt. I do.
Senator Carper. Finally, do you know of any matters which
you may or may not have disclosed that might place you in a
conflict of interest if you are confirmed?
Mr. Bhatt. I am not aware of any matters that would place
me in a conflict of interest that have not been disclosed.
Senator Carper. Fair enough.
With that, we have a request from Senator Inhofe to proceed
out of order. He needs to leave early.
Senator Inhofe, we are happy to do that. Go right ahead.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate that
very much. I have the same problem that I had once before, and
I am going to make sure that it doesn't happen again.
Mr. Bhatt, in my home State of Oklahoma, our State
Department of Transportation maintains an 8 year transportation
plan directing funds to projects that will have the greatest
benefit to the people of Oklahoma. And I mention this because,
as we discussed in my office, that is what really needs to be
done. You get on with it, get it done, and quit talking about
it. You have a great reputation for keeping that kind of
discipline, which I appreciate very much.
Due to the great work of our people in Oklahoma, Oklahoma
has climbed from, listen to this, from 49th to 5th in the
Nation in highway bridge infrastructure condition rankings,
with less than 1 percent of all highway bridges considered to
be structurally deficient. I bring this up because this folds
right into the amount of work that you can get done because of
your proven work ethics. I look forward to that.
In your experience, how do project delays affect
infrastructure investment made by States and the Federal
Government?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you for that question, Senator Inhofe. I
am still good friend with the former director, Mike Patterson,
and I am really pleased to hear that Oklahoma has made such
great progress in bridge condition, because that is a critical
component of a transportation network.
In terms of project delays, I think that whenever you have
a project that is delayed, as the Ranking Member mentioned, the
costs tend to go up, because that is just the way. The longer
things go, the more that they cost.
I always start with safety as our No. 1 priority. And I
believe that, hopefully every time we are doing a new project,
we are increasing safety. Any time we have a project that is
delayed, we are continuing in an unsafe condition up until we
can get that project delivered as quickly as possible.
In my time as a DOT leader, I have tried to always push as
quickly as possible to get projects completed. If confirmed, I
will bring that same mindset to the Federal Highway
Administration.
Senator Inhofe. Good. I have no doubt about that, because I
am concerned that the Department of Transportation may not
award or may unfairly limit future grant funding to eligible
projects simply because those projects do not meet the
Administration's overarching policy goals.
Mr. Bhatt, what would be your vision of how the Department
of Transportation would judge projects that add capacity to
future grant programs?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you for that question as well, Senator
Inhofe. I think you started by talking about the plan that
Oklahomans have come up with for their transportation system.
And that is a product of input of local officials, State
officials, and to me, that represents the will of the people of
Oklahoma for their transportation system.
Senator Inhofe. And they priorities that they have. That is
right.
Mr. Bhatt. The priorities that they would put forward. I
believe that, in terms of capacity projects, if there are
capacity projects that States are going to bring forward, in my
time as a DOT director, I have added capacity in every State
that I have worked in. We will, if confirmed, judge those
projects according to the law.
Senator Inhofe. I am sure you will.
I have to add that it is unfair that you have all that
beauty wrapped up into those little girls.
Mr. Bhatt. Just in the interest of time, I will be brief. I
was hoping they would look like me until later in life.
[Laughter.]
Senator Inhofe. All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Carper. You are quite welcome.
Mr. Bhatt, as Chairman of the Committee, I have sought to
find ways for our infrastructure investments to also promote
equity for communities that have not always been treated
fairly. Every State here that is represented on this Committee
has communities like that, every one of us, certainly in
Delaware, certainly in West Virginia, and frankly, every other
State as well.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation
Reduction Act both included programs with an emphasis on
improving equity, as you know. If confirmed, how will you help
States and local communities invest in projects that uplift
economically disadvantaged and marginalized communities? What
opportunities do you see to improve the technical capabilities
of disadvantaged communities to receive Federal funds and
successfully deliver projects?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you for that question, Mr. Chairman.
Before I was ever considered for this position, I think equity
is an incredibly important concept because we don't want
transportation to be something that people feel is being done
to them. We want it to be something that people feel like we
are doing with them.
Governor Hickenlooper mentioned some of the projects that
we did in Colorado. I would point to our I-70 viaduct
replacement. It was a 50 year old bridge that was in really bad
condition. The challenge in Denver was that on one side, there
were some important businesses for the city, and on the other
side, there was a school, there were neighborhoods that had
been cut asunder.
I just think about going to some pretty intense public
meetings there and the community wanting to be heard. And so as
I mentioned in my opening statement, we tried to reconnect that
community. We went to the school there and offered to build
them a new school, and they said no, this school is our school.
This is our school and our communities. We want improvements
made here.
Some people thought that we were maybe taking too long, or
it was not a good use of money. My daughters go to a school
called Gate Elementary in Michigan, and if there was a big
highway project going in right beside them, I would want a
voice in that process. My commitment is I have seen these
projects from all levels, and if confirmed, I will make sure
that equity is at the front of everything that we do.
Senator Carper. Good, thank you. Senator Inhofe is good
enough to host in his hideaway most Thursdays that we are in
session a Bible study. It includes Democrats and Republicans.
Probably most folks would never imagine that we would gather
and read the scripture together, pray together, share stuff
together, but we do.
One of the things that we always come back to in those
meetings is the Golden Rule: Treat other people the way we want
to be treated, whether they live on the other side of the
street, the other side of town, the other side of the world. It
is an important ingredient in the legislation that we have
written. We are anxious to see that we pay full attention to it
going forward.
I am going to ask a question, if I could, about resilience.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration updated their
projections for sea level rise in a report recently that found
that sea levels will rise by an additional foot by 2050. Let me
say that again: Sea levels will rise by an additional foot by
2050. This is NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmosphere
Administration's most recent projections.
They also found that disruptive and damaging floods will
occur 10 times as frequently, 10 times as frequently, given
what we have seen in places like Kentucky where my sister lives
and where you used to live and play an important role. The
future is, with respect to flooding, the present is
frightening.
It is clear that at this point, the world cannot avoid the
effects of global warming. Communities will need to find ways
to adapt to higher temperatures and more frequent natural
disasters.
My question: If you are confirmed as administrator, how
would you have States account for these risks in the planning
and design of future highways and other federally funded
assets?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator. Listening to your question,
I think about Prime Hook, which is a community on the coast of
Delaware that I first learned about during Hurricane Irene.
Then I found out that their community there, access to the
community floods even during a high tide now because the water
has been continuing to rise.
I look as all of the climate challenges that are affecting
weather; it is tornadoes in Kentucky, fires in Colorado,
drought. This is something that our infrastructure was not
designed to deal with. I think, if confirmed, I will want to
make sure that we take an approach that we did in Colorado,
which was looking at our assets from a climate resiliency
standpoint. We actually discovered a culvert on I-70 that was
really critical, that if it had washed out, would have caused a
massive road detour. Bringing a scenario approach to it, to say
you need to consider this, might be a good approach.
Senator Carper. All right, thank you.
With that, let me turn to Senator Capito. It is your turn.
Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
As you and I talked about, and I mentioned it in my opening
statement, I am concerned about the ongoing IIJA
implementation. It began with the December 16th memorandum that
was put out that really, I think, brought a lot of confusion,
but also some concern that the flexibilities that each State
has enjoyed to be able to make the determinations, whether it
is equity or climate or capacity, those States have been able
to make those decisions.
It is also important to note that included in the memo was
direct language from the bills that came out of the House,
which the Chairman and I, in our negotiations, was not included
in our bill. That is the will of Congress. What is your view of
this memorandum, and how do you see it being used by FHWA
moving forward?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Ranking Member Capito. Yes, I heard
you clearly yesterday, and I have also watched the hearing from
March.
Even outside of that, I have heard from a lot of
stakeholders in the industry about, initially, was there some
confusion from States, I would say, that I believe that a lot
of that confusion is beginning to abate because of segments
from the Secretary where he has said that he intends to uphold
the law.
I would say that, if confirmed, I would want to make sure
that, working with our State partners, that they understand
that we just want to be consistent in following the law and
that we will absolutely do that. I would just point to, as I
mentioned yesterday, the project in Maryland that did receive a
record of decision that evolves at a capacity as a signal that,
even before my confirmation is being considered that FHWA is
moving forward with some capacity projects.
Senator Capito. Thank you.
The other issue that we talked about was the inconsistency
between the divisions, where West Virginia might get an answer
in one area, and then North Carolina might get a different
answer from their division. And I think that is particularly
important when you look at this in light of the guidance that
is out there, but also the effects of the law and the
intentions of the law.
What can you do to resolve those broad inconsistencies? I
think you recognize they do exist.
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you for that question, as well. I would
say that, from my experience before with Federal Highways, one
of the backbones of Federal Highways is the fact that we have a
division office in all 50 States. And that is a great thing.
But what can be challenging is those divisions are filled
with people. People can hear or read one thing and maybe
interpret it a little bit differently. Then that creates some
of the inconsistency, potentially.
One of the things, if confirmed, is I will plan to issue,
obviously, clear communication, but then also follow it up with
a lot of communication and visits with those division offices
to make sure that we are able to spread this message of we are
one agency, and therefore there is one answer that gets
consistently delivered to all of our States.
Senator Capito. I think that would be much appreciated in
some sense, because it does eliminate time. If you think your
other States or other regions are doing things differently, you
are going to go back and keep trying, and that is more time;
that is more money. That is more inability to get things done.
I mentioned the thing that happened in West Virginia where
the transfer of the funds, of the 50 percent of the funds went
to another program, which is allowable in the law, and that
they had received 3 months after they were given permission to
do that, a letter discouraging them from doing that, which
makes you wonder who is writing the letters.
I would like to know that you would uphold the right of
States to transfer up to 50 percent of certain highway programs
to other eligible highway programs, and if you have any
thoughts on that particular issue.
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you.
Senator Capito. Did you ever do that in Colorado?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Ranking Member Capito. Absolutely, we
have flexed dollars. Delivering projects is a delicate balance
of Federal dollars, State dollars, so you flex, you have CMAC
money, and there are eligibilities for it. So I think when
States are coming and saying, we need to flex funds, we want to
make sure that we are making sure that we are allowing them to
deliver those projects as quickly and effectively as possible.
Senator Capito. When you were the transportation
administrator in Colorado, you flexed funds, as much as 50
percent? Don't recall?
Mr. Bhatt. I don't want to give absolutes, but we
absolutely worked with DRCOG in Denver for CMAC money to go to
them, and then we would match it with State dollars. I am sure
some of the Bustang funding, I just want to go back and double
check, but yes, flexing is something that came out of Federal
law a few years ago, and it is a great tool for States.
Senator Capito. I appreciate your emphasis on that. Thank
you.
Senator Carper. Thank you, Senator Capito.
Next, I think Senator Cardin is going to join us by Webex.
Senator Cardin, are you there?
No, he is not on Webex.
All right, Senator Cramer is next in line. He is not here
just yet; he has left.
Senator Whitehouse is here. I see we have been rejoined by
Senator Hickenlooper in the back.
Thank you for coming, returning, to show your support.
Senator Whitehouse, please.
Senator Whitehouse. Thank you, Chairman, and welcome, Mr.
Bhatt. I am sure you are a wonderful gentleman, and Senator
Hickenlooper insists that Colorado is a wonderful State. But
you do have a terrible disadvantage, which is that you have no
coast, or at least you haven't in several million years.
I am from Rhode Island, which is a coastal State. I don't
know how well you know Rhode Island, but we have areas like
Bristol, which are now part of our State, that will soon become
islands due to sea level rise based on the existing projections
by our Coastal Resources Management Council and by NOAA.
There is a part of Warwick called Warwick Neck that is
going to become Warwick Neck Island. The town of Warren, Rhode
Island, is working very hard on a plan to deal with the loss of
some of its major business areas along the coast and moving
uphill to a different road as its central business area. It is
a very deliberate and well thought through plan.
If you are trying to get away from Warren and Bristol in a
flood, you get onto Route 114, which takes you through
Barrington, but Route 114 is a huge flood risk itself. An
evacuation route from a flood that is itself flooded is not a
very good situation. We already have fire and rescue equipment
having to be positioned on Warwick Neck so that when it floods
temporarily in big storms, those people are not separated from
the emergency services that they may need.
These coastal problems that we face as we look at sea level
rise, which are slow and deliberate, and to some degree,
inevitable, but are accelerated by storms and storm surge and
huge prodigious rains that pour down, it creates a real risk
for us.
You will be implementing the Resilience Act that we call
PROTECT that I fought very hard for in the bill. The formula
grants are out, but the competitive grant program still needs
to be developed.
And I need your assurance that as you develop the
competitive grant program, the particular and urgent needs of
coastal communities that are at risk of losing vital
transportation access are put at the very forefront of the
department's concerns.
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator. I appreciate your concern.
From my time in Delaware, dealing with Hurricane Irene,
Superstorm Sandy, looking at some of the inundation maps where
basically east of Route 1, just because of the topography and
the lack of any kind of elevation, we had to develop massive
plans around evacuation, how do we get people out, how do we
provision them when they are there, what do we do with debris.
So I completely understand and appreciate that challenge
for coastal States. My commitment, if I am confirmed, will be
to work very diligently on this issue, because it is one that
we have been looking at for a while. It is a mix of adaptation,
some hardening. It is a big challenge.
Senator Whitehouse. And an important piece of this is the
planning that small, particularly coastal communities have to
do. If you are New York City, you can take care of yourself, or
you are Boston, you can take care of yourself. If you are
Charlestown, Rhode Island, it can be pretty difficult to figure
out what is going to happen. You have Moody's, your bond
insurer, banging on your door saying, what are you going to do
about this, because there is a foreseeable loss of property
value, and therefore municipal revenue when the valuable
coastal properties are flooded out or become uninsurable or
become un-mortgageable. And to have the resources, if you are a
small, coastal community to figure out what you need to do and
get the studies right is really vital. Not every coastal
community has that capacity.
So I hope that you will pay particular attention to small,
coastal communities seeking planning assistance in dealing with
this risk.
Mr. Bhatt. Absolutely, Senator. And I had mentioned Prime
Hook as a classic example. We have a causeway that connected
them. It was already flooding during high tides. So I remember
them talking about their school bus, how their school bus
couldn't get back in, not even during a hurricane, just a high
tide.
Senator Whitehouse. The other thing I want to work with you
on is low carbon transportation materials. We both have a law
in place and a bipartisan law that has been reintroduced by
myself and Senator Collins, and it is to give composites and
other types of materials a fair chance. I love iron and steel.
But if you can do just as well with composites, and it lasts
longer, support to pay the up front difference could be very
helpful. But it is also important that the highway standards
allow for those alternatives. Because if the only standards
that an engineer can go to the book and find are iron and steel
standards, you just put a huge obstacle in front of these
alternatives. So I hope we can work out way through that as
well.
I have gone beyond my time, so I will just leave it there.
Senator Carper. Thank you for going beyond your time and
wrapping it at that point. Those are good points.
We are joined by Senator Cramer.
It is great to see you. You are on; take it away.
Senator Cramer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for your willingness to take on the task, and for
our discussion the other day.
I want to follow up a little bit on the same line of
questioning that Senator Capito brought up. I want to speak
specifically to a different rulemaking process, and that is the
greenhouse gas emissions performance measure notice of proposed
new rulemaking, and how I believe that that directly
contradicts the bipartisan bill as well, the Infrastructure
Bill.
I come from a rural State, North Dakota. We have a lot more
miles of highway than we have people. But we are rather proud
of the fact that we grow a lot of, and take very seriously that
we grow a lot of, commodities, food commodities that feed a
hungry world. That big world that is hungry is far from North
Dakota. We grow a lot of energy for a growing national economy,
and a global economy. We used to do a lot more of it, but we
would like to do it again.
So this vast system of highways that we manage is very
important. And it is very, very rural. I am going to focus on
rural for a minute. I think the regulations that come out of
the Federal Highway Administration need to reflect that, that
not every place is New York; not every place has a coast, but
the coast has fierce advocates, and the mountains have fierce
advocates, and so do the prairies of the Midwest. I think
everybody is just a little bit different, and the rules have to
reflect that.
In the proposed rule that I am talking about, the
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Rule, one of the things it
indicates is DOTs can replace cars and trucks with a transit
system. Well, we don't have the type of population densities in
North Dakota that that is even plausible or possible, much less
should be part of any rule. Getting back to flexibility,
flexibility is really, really critical.
I want to highlight that we reached a consensus in this
country, and we agree that there is a need to streamline
regulatory review. And the one agency decision rule that we
have talked about already was part of the bill. We codified
that in the bill.
We discussed other things that didn't become part of the
bill. One of my frustrations is that we are having a debate in
the Senate right now over permitting reform, is that it seems
that the bureaucracy requires, and I think coming from States
like you have, and by the way, the fact that Senator
Hickenlooper vouches for you is good, but the fact that former
Governor Hickenlooper vouches for you is even better. He is
like all these former Governors that are in the Senate, we have
lots of them, they bring a level of common sense that is not as
common as it ought to be around here.
That said, I would like to hear your input on that
overriding issue. What I worry about with the bureaucracy is
that when we come up with permitting reforms, and we try to
legislate them, what I have noticed is that unless we tell the
bureaucracy exactly what they are required to do, and
furthermore tell them exactly what they are prohibited from
doing, they will do whatever they want to do.
So please help me be reassured that you are going to
advocate for States and for States' rights.
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator. As I mentioned, you don't
have a coast, but Devil's Lake is a place I visited a couple of
times.
You touched on a few things in our meeting and in that
question. All I can say is, I understand that in Colorado, as
an example, the transportation solutions that made sense in the
Denver metro area were not what we were discussing out in the
eastern plains or in other more rural parts of the State. My
commitment is that I think the best solutions are the ones that
are brought forth from the States and make sense in that it is
not a one size fits all, it is that local decision that makes
sense.
On the permitting side, as I had spoken to earlier, it is
just so critical from a safety perspective, for cost
effectiveness, that we get these projects delivered on time and
on budget. That would be my commitment if confirmed.
Senator Cramer. I appreciated Senator Hickenlooper's
quoting of the Denver Post that you are a fierce advocate for
innovation. That is hopeful. I do believe that there are
innovations that can allow us to do more quicker, efficiently,
without compromising the integrity of our care for the
environment and tax dollars.
With that, I look forward to the second round. Thank you.
Senator Carper. Thank you very much, Senator Cramer.
We are joined by Senator Markey, who will be succeeded by
Senator Lummis, and then by Senator Boozman, and then by
Senator Sullivan.
Senator Markey, welcome.
Senator Markey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, very much.
Mr. Bhatt, the Cape Cod bridges are a crucial artery
connecting 250,000 residents of Cape Cod to the rest of
Massachusetts. They are the only route to and from Cape Cod for
cars, so they are essential for emergency evacuation.
The two bridges are nearly 90 years old, structurally
deficient, in desperate need of replacement. Fortunately, the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included billions of dollars for
this exact type of project, including the $12.5 billion Bridge
Investment Program run by the Federal Highway Administration.
Mr. Bhatt, do you agree that the Bridge Investment Program
is designed to fund critical projects like the Cape Cod
Bridges, and will you commit to working with me on that
project?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator Markey. As we discussed at
length yesterday, I understand how critical these bridges are
for Massachusetts. I would agree that from my reading of the
language that that is exactly the kind of project that we want
to support with that bridge money. And if confirmed, I look
forward to working with you to solve that challenge.
Senator Markey. Thank you. I appreciate that. No project is
more worthy of Federal funding than that project. The Federal
Government built those bridges almost 90 years ago, and if they
are not replaced, we are going to have big problems up in
Massachusetts.
Over the past decade, fatalities for pedestrians and
bicyclists have risen by 50 percent, in 10 years, fatalities
for pedestrians and bicyclists have increased by 50 percent in
the United States. That is why I fought for the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law to include my Active Transportation
Infrastructure Investment program, which promotes walking and
biking infrastructure and supports active transportation
networks that allow people to safely travel without needing a
car. Active transportation networks help reduce transportation
emissions, increase mobility, and improve physical fitness. We
have to ensure that our streets are safe for all road users.
Mr. Bhatt, do you agree that active transportation networks
both improve auto safety and reduce emissions?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator. Absolutely. In Delaware, we
went from 31st to 4th in bicycle friendly States, and I did
that as the Secretary. I now am really concerned about this as
a father. My daughters and I and my family go biking a lot.
Absolutely, active transportation is a critical component, and
safety.
Senator Markey. So I urge the Federal Highway
Administration to begin issuing grants under this program, as
soon as Congress provides funding.
Climate change, I also want to talk about the Federal
Highway Administration's new Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Performance Standards. That rule is long overdue, and critical
to addressing the climate crisis. The transportation sector
accounts for an estimated 31 percent of total carbon emissions
in the United States in 2021. We are driving our climate off a
cliff. If we are going to live in a net zero emissions future,
we need to drastically cut our transportation related
emissions, starting now.
Mr. Bhatt, do you agree that we have to immediately act to
reduce our transportation emissions?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you for that question, Senator. It is
pretty clear that there is a link now between emissions and
greenhouse gases, and some of the climate events. I am really
glad the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law had the first title
recognizing that.
Yes, I would agree that we should take an all of the above
approach to try and make an effective change there.
Senator Markey. Thank you. I am looking forward to working
with you as the Federal Highway Administration finalizes its
Greenhouse Gas Emissions rule. I am looking forward to working
with you in the future.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Carper. Thank you, Senator Markey, for joining us.
Senator Lummis, you are next, and unless someone else comes
in between you and Senator Boozman, Senator Boozman will be
next after you.
Senator Lummis, welcome. Thanks for joining us.
Senator Lummis. Thanks, Mr. Chairman. The great diversity
of this Nation is just going to be displayed between Senator
Markey's questions and mine, because in my State, there are
only nine communities where the population is higher than the
elevation. Think about that, where the population of the town
is higher than the elevation of the town.
The point being, Wyoming has extremely high elevations and
extremely small populations. And EVs don't function as well at
altitude. You can't go as far on a charge. So it is very
challenging for States like Wyoming to reduce greenhouse gases
through its automotive sector on our highways. You have been on
Interstate 80; you know it is a commercial truck transportation
corridor of real significance, linking the Nation between east
and west.
So I really understand why coastal States, States with
small geography and massive populations, want this addressed.
But in my State, I am concerned that this rule might be an
electric vehicle mandate which Congress explicitly excluded
during debates on the Infrastructure Bill. Or that it will,
Federal Highway Administration will focus on this to the
exclusion of congressional intent to recognize this massive
diversity in our country.
Can you help me know how you are going to balance between
the understandable desires that Senator Markey just articulated
and the concerns I have in a much different State?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator Lummis, and thank you for
that conversation yesterday. I would say that having worked in
Delaware and in Kentucky and in Colorado, you become very aware
of what a beautifully diverse country this is, and how one size
fits all doesn't always work. I would say that when Governor
Hickenlooper, we were working as the cabinet, they were trying
to get us to buy alternate fuel vehicles for all the State
agencies. As the DOT, we had a lot.
We did that to an extent. But as I mentioned yesterday,
performance of those vehicles in the mountains at altitude, the
cold, if you are pushing snow, you want to make sure you have
the right vehicle for that context. So my commitment, and I
also want to be clear that this is a rulemaking, it is still
open in public comment period. So we will take all of those
comments in before anything were to come out.
I just want to make sure that we are making common sense
decision. That is what I commit to if I am confirmed.
Senator Lummis. Thank you. Electric vehicles and the
mileage they can travel between charges is tested on flat
ground, 70 degrees. There is no such place in Wyoming. So there
is no way to get the same kind of mileage out of a charge in a
State like Wyoming that you can in the areas where those
vehicles are tested. Thank you so much.
And thank you, Senator Markey, for your testimony as well.
I recognize the differences between our two States.
Senator Markey. And I thank you.
You have represented, Denver is called the Mile High City,
is it not?
Mr. Bhatt. Yes, it is, sir.
Senator Markey. So you probably have a lot of experience in
high elevations and electric vehicles. So we will look forward
to your expertise.
Thank you.
Senator Lummis. He does, indeed. I drive frequently between
Denver and Cheyenne. Cheyenne is substantially higher than
Denver.
[Laughter.]
Senator Carper. This could go on for a while.
[Laughter.]
Senator Lummis. I will switch to the highway cost
allocation study. I had a legislation with another member of
this Committee that would ensure future Congresses had better
data by requiring the Federal Highway Administration to conduct
a highway cost allocation study before the current
authorization expires. Can you provide an update on that study?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator, for that question. I would
be happy to more accurately do it through a for the record, if
that would be acceptable.
Senator Lummis. Absolutely, yes. Thank you.
We talked a little about truck parking. I want to bring
that up again. As I mentioned, the truck traffic in Interstate
80 through Wyoming is phenomenal. You will drive for miles and
see no passenger vehicles. It is just truck after truck after
truck; it is truly a ribbon of highway uniting east and west
for commercial trucking purposes.
And the lack of truck parking is a major concern. So I want
to get your thoughts on that issue. And I want your commitment
you will work with me to help solve that problem, if you are
confirmed.
Mr. Bhatt. Absolutely, Senator Lummis. Through all my time
in transportation, the critical importance of freight and
making sure that when we talk about safety, the issue that
those trucks have a place to spend their rest time is critical.
I absolutely commit if confirmed to working with you on this
important issue.
Senator Lummis. We have been informed that with a looming
railroad strike, it would take almost 500,000 trucks to replace
the freight that is transported by rail. So that sort of
illustrates how important some of our intermodal opportunities
are in this country.
I understand that there is an updated Jason's Law report
that remains unavailable to the public. This report outlines
the lack of available parking for truckers nationwide. Will you
commit to an expeditious release of that report if you are
confirmed?
Mr. Bhatt. Senator Lummis, I would commit to an expeditious
release to the extent that I would have purview, if confirmed,
within Federal Highways.
Senator Lummis. Thank you. I have a couple other questions.
We sort of touched on them yesterday, about wildlife crossing
pilot programs----
Senator Carper. You are almost out of time. Do you want to
ask them for the record? Or we are going to have a second
round.
Senator Lummis. Oh, great. I will probably just stay for
the second round then. Thank you.
Senator Carper. Senator Cardin has returned. To your point
on the importance of freight rail, by rail, you can move one
ton of freight from Washington, DC, to Boston on one gallon of
diesel fuel. One gallon. It underlines the importance of your
point.
All right, Senator Cardin has rejoined us.
Thanks for coming back.
Senator Cardin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and let me thank
our nominee for your previous public service and your
willingness to serve in this critically important position. I
also want to thank your family because it is a shared
sacrifice. We appreciate your being shared for public service.
Very impressive background.
I first want to compliment you on your testimony. The
balance between dealing with keeping our communities safe in
the transportation programs and making sure that we can move
people around our country, the concerns about local
communities, I appreciate your commitment in regard to what you
did in Delaware for cyclists. All these are important
priorities, and I thank you for that.
Senator Cramer mentioned the importance of State input in
these decisions. And I agree with that. But I want to talk
about local governments, our county governments, our municipal
governments.
One of the major changes in the Bipartisan Infrastructure
package was a significant increased capacity on the
Transportation Alternative Programs, 10 percent of the formula
funding. And those programs' success depends upon the ability
of local governments to have the ability to direct how those
priorities are set. It is meant for the local communities, to
enhance communities, particularly those that have traditionally
not had the same degree of attention.
I appreciate that you and I had a chance to talk about how
you can help us understand, if there is a need for change in
law, let us know, but how you can administer this program with
the intent of Congress to allow local communities to be able to
get access to these funds to improve the ability of safety,
livability, those issues.
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator. And I appreciate our
conversation the other day. Having run an NPO, having run a
State DOT, and having worked at the Federal level, I am so
aware of the immediacy of these transportation impacts on local
communities and how local communities have the most relevant
information. Even taking the Federal side out of it, in States
I have worked in, WILMAPCO in Wilmington, and in northern
Delaware, at DRCOG, these planning organizations in
coordination when there is a good relationship there, you get
some good outcomes.
But I understand as well that the intent of the law is for
there to be some more local control around these decision and
funding. We will work hard to make sure that we are able to
achieve those goals, if I am confirmed.
Senator Cardin. Quite frankly, it has worked in the past.
We have had States that have really stepped up and have carried
this out appropriately. On the other hand, there is great need
locally. Some of these municipalities or county governments are
relatively small in the political structure of a State. So if
there is a need for a modification of the authorizing statute,
we would appreciate if you would keep us informed as you try to
carry out our intent.
Mr. Bhatt. Absolutely, Senator, if confirmed.
Senator Cardin. The second part I want to talk about is
reconnecting communities. And I want to thank Senator Carper
for his leadership on that. In Baltimore, we have the famous
Franklin Mulberry Corridor, which was a highway to nowhere that
divided inner city communities. It was a real harm to the
community. Our intent is to now be able to use transportation
funds to help deal with communities that have been adversely
impacted by transportation programs. So the Infrastructure Bill
made a specific effort in that regard.
Can you share with us how your position can help us in
making sure that part of the Infrastructure Bill is carried
out?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator. If confirmed, I would bring
that understanding of having gone to some very intense public
meetings and hearing from folks how directly impacted they have
been by the infrastructure, and decisions that we made in the
past. I would bring that experience to have empathy, and to
listen, and to be a good partner.
Senator Cardin. I think the key here is balance. We
recognize how important transportation infrastructure is to our
economies. We have major needs in the State of Maryland, I went
over some of them with you, on highways, and on bridges that
are going to take major investment. So we are going to need the
Federal Government to help us in that regard.
We also have communities that have been left behind in the
past. What we want to see is how we can administer these
programs to deal with both. So I think balance here is going to
be critically important.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Carper. Thanks for those questions. Thanks very
much, Ben, for your leadership as our relevant Subcommittee
Chair on a lot of the issues we are talking about here today.
Senator Boozman, thank you for your patience. You are now
recognized.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, very much.
Thank you for being here, Mr. Bhatt. We had a good
conversation the other day that I think was really very, very
helpful.
Recently I have had the opportunity to work with Senators
Rosen and Blumenthal about a bill called the Drone
Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act. What we are trying to do
there is get drones more involved in the sense of all the
wonderful things that they can do.
One of the reasons that I am championing the legislation is
because the Arkansas Department of Transportation has really
embraced the use to augment human inspectors and spot flaws. We
had a situation with the shutdown of the bridge separating
Arkansas and Tennessee. Through that, we learned a great deal
about different ways to inspect and become much more efficient.
Really what I would like to know is your feelings about
using that kind of technology. Also, the idea of instead of
just arbitrarily putting 2 inches of asphalt on a road, having
the drones overfly using the software or maybe one section just
needs an inch, another one needs 2 and a half inches, and you
have a much more level surface that is going to hold up a lot
longer. All of those things that you know much more about than
I do.
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator Boozman. I really enjoyed our
conversation on that technology piece. I would say, having been
in a bucket truck and looked under those bridges with some of
our DOT forces out in the field, someone who doesn't deal well
with heights, I would appreciate the drone especially. But it
is a more efficient use; if you get the same safety outcome in
using ground penetrating radar. My private sector experience
with AECOM, our CEO Troy Wood talks a lot about technology and
this intersection of transportation and technology and
deploying new opportunities. So if confirmed, I would be really
excited to work with you on that.
Senator Boozman. Very good. I want to emphasize again,
Senator Lummis brought it up, about the truck parking.
Arkansas, as you know, is a big trucking State, one of the
biggest in the country. I am told that it is not uncommon at
all for truck drivers literally to drive around 2 to 3 hours
looking for a parking space, in the sense that they are getting
dinged if they don't find it. It is that big of an issue.
We talk about climate, how important that is; we talk about
the supply chain, the fact that these things are so fragile
anyway. We don't have the ability to have the truck drivers and
the fleets that we need right now to transport anyway. Then the
carbon that is emitted by maybe a third of the day, a quarter
of the day spent instead of doing something productive, like I
said, just driving around looking for a spot.
So I guess really what I am asking is for you to commit,
you are going to have some discretionary dollars that you can
work with, to work with us so that we really come up with a
solution. We have studied this thing, we have this and that,
but it is low hanging fruit. It is something that we really
could make a huge difference in for the supply chain.
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator. I know this is a very
important issue. It came up with Senator Lummis as well.
I would just say that those hours of service are so
precious that we want to make sure they are productive. There
are technology solutions that alert drivers as to where they
might be able to find a rest spot. So we want to try to push
that with all the eligibility that is available under the law.
Senator Boozman. The House has introduced the Truck Parking
Safety Improvement Act. It is being passed by T&I. The
committee right now is not able to move forward. I am being
told that part of the reason it is stalled because of the delay
in receiving technical assistance from Federal Highway.
So that is something else I would really like for you to
look into. You can probably do that for me now, and I know that
folks are listening; we greatly enjoy working with the
Commission. They do a very, very good job. But we need to move
forward on that.
Tell me, as we talk, in 25 seconds, tell me, do you have
any other ideas about the supply chain, things that you can do
to be helpful? And is there any other low hanging fruit out
there that we can help you with?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator, for that. I think the supply
chain has been a critical issue for DOT since Secretary
Buttigieg has got there. I would just say very briefly, you
have ports, and you have bottlenecks for the roads that come
out, there is traffic, there are equity issues. My commitment
if confirmed, I want to take an all of the above approach to
say like what is the low hanging fruit that we can go out
quickly and make some positive impact.
Senator Boozman. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Carper. Senator Boozman, thanks for coming early
and staying late. Thanks for your questions as well, and
participation.
Next is Senator Kelly, then we will move to Senator
Sullivan.
Senator Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Bhatt, for being here with your family. I
see your daughters reading Charlotte's Web over there.
Fantastic. It is a good book.
[Laughter.]
Senator Kelly. I want to begin by discussing some of the
important infrastructure projects that we have in Arizona.
Arizona is different, just different than most States. When the
interstate highway system was designed in the 1950s and 1960s,
Arizona's infrastructure needs, they just looked different.
Compared to other regions, our interstate highways are not
designed to meet the needs of our growing State and the growing
Southwest region.
Right now, portions of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and
Tucson, which are the two largest metropolitan areas in the
State, they still just have two lanes with no access road. And
a single accident can cause traffic jams for hours. This
happens almost every day. Despite being two of the fastest
growing cities in the country, Phoenix and Las Vegas still are
not connected via an interstate highway.
So that is why I worked to create the new National
Infrastructure Project Assistance Program, which we are calling
the Mega Projects Program, to fund major transportation
projects with national or regional economic mobility and safety
benefits. Or in other words, projects like this I-10 expansion
between Phoenix and Tucson or the construction of a highway
between Phoenix and Las Vegas, or even Tucson and all the way
to Las Vegas, which would be called I-11.
The Arizona Department of Transportation and our regional
partners are committed to getting these projects done. And I am
hopeful that the Federal Highway Administration can be a
partner in these efforts. Mr. Bhatt, do you agree that Arizona
and other fast growing States have different roadway
infrastructure needs than other States?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator Kelly. I actually heard you
bring that up in the March hearing as well. Senator
Hickenlooper talked about the gap, there was a 12 mile stretch
between Colorado Springs and Denver that we worked to
accelerate that delivery. To me it is not just a capacity
issue, it is a safety issue. If you have a crash on a two lane
road, you have one lane taken by the crash, one lane for
emergency vehicles, you shut down the entire roadway. If
confirmed, I would look forward to working with you to try to
resolve these issues.
Senator Kelly. Do you think this infrastructure law can
help States like Arizona or Colorado fund long overdue
interstate expansion projects?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator. I would say it would be my
great hope that if that is what the people of Arizona wish to
pursue, that we would be a good partner to help them deliver.
Senator Kelly. So, a little bit different topic here in my
remaining time. As you know, nearly all of the Federal Highway
Administration's funding programs require localities to provide
a local match in order to receive grant or formula funding.
This often puts small and rural jurisdictions at a big
disadvantage when it comes to competing for funding from the
Infrastructure Law. In some instances, rural communities, they
can sometimes find a way to meet the minimum local match
requirement. But then they are outcompeted by larger and more
well resourced jurisdictions, who can offer a higher local
match. Or worse, worst case, many rural communities may choose
not to apply for funding because they cannot meet a local match
requirement.
Congress has provided some flexibility to these
requirements. For example, the Rural Surface Transportation
Program allows applicants to use other sources of Federal
funding to satisfy a local share. And States are stepping up,
too. This year the Arizona legislature created a $50 million
smart fund. And this fund is used by the State to help small,
rural, disadvantaged communities meet Federal cost share
requirements, or cover planning and design costs.
Mr. Bhatt, the Federal Highway Administration, what can you
do there to help make competitive grant programs accessible to
communities with limited capacity in terms of developing
applications and having to meet a local match?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator. I understand it is important
that all communities are able to take advantage of that, and I
know there is some technical assistance that is available. If
confirmed, I look forward to working with you to make sure that
all communities of all sizes are able to participate.
Senator Kelly. All right. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Carper. You bet. Senator Kelly, thanks for your
faithful attendance to these hearings.
I like to say we are saving the best for last, but that
might be a little bit of a stretch, I am not sure.
Senator Sullivan, it is always great to be with you. And
you are recognized, my friend.
[Laughter.]
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Carper. Take as long as you wish. Well, maybe not
quite that long.
Senator Sullivan. Mr. Bhatt, congratulations to you and
your family. Thanks for your willingness to serve.
I want to build on what Senator Lummis had talked about in
terms of the diversity of our great Nation. I don't always like
to brag about Alaska; well, actually, I do like to brag about
Alaska.
[Laughter.]
Senator Sullivan. We are what I like to say a resource rich
but infrastructure poor State.
I know you have spent time in Delaware, Colorado, Kentucky.
To just give you a little sense of the size, Senator Markey is
not here right now, but we are 73 times bigger than
Massachusetts, yet we have way less roads. Fourteen times
bigger than Kentucky, 20 percent of the roads. Six times bigger
than Colorado, 15 percent of the roads that Colorado has. I
don't like doing this to the Chairman, but since he is here,
228 times bigger than Delaware and much, much less road miles
than Delaware in Alaska.
Over 82 percent of the communities I represent don't have
roads connecting them at all. So we are uniquely challenged.
And I will raise another area in which we are uniquely
challenged. When you try to build a road in Alaska, a simple
road, not very controversial in the lower 48, pretty much every
radical far left environmental group in America sues to stop
it. They want to keep Alaska ``pristine.'' Ambler Road, King
Cove Road, roads of the national forest, and the Biden
administration is in on it with them.
The big joke in Alaska is the Biden administration loves
talking about environmental equity, environmental justice. I am
all for that, Secretary Buttigieg. But there is a big
exception. They don't want to give environmental justice or
equity to indigenous people in Alaska, the Native people.
Twenty percent of the population, almost. This Administration
turns equity issues on its head because they discriminate
against Alaska Natives. You and I are going to learn about
this.
Have you ever been to Alaska?
Mr. Bhatt. I have been to Juneau, sir, for a WASHTO
conference.
Senator Sullivan. OK, so one of the things I would like to
get your commitment on if confirmed is to commit to me to get
up to my State with me, without me, it doesn't matter, and get
around and see. You can't build a road in Alaska. And the
people it is hurting most are indigenous people. And Pete
Buttigieg and everybody else talks about equity and all this
stuff. In my State, they don't give a darn about the people who
really need infrastructure. And it is the Native people mostly.
So can you commit to come to Alaska with me and see these
issues first hand?
Mr. Bhatt. Absolutely, sir, if confirmed, I will.
Senator Sullivan. As you can tell from my voice, I think
you are very well qualified. This is just a gigantic
frustration of mine. It is remarkable how people get away with
it. They partner with the radical enviros and shut down the
ability to build infrastructure in some of the poorest
communities in America. Nobody talks about it. The New York
Times, Washington Post, they will never write a story about
this happening.
Related to this, our Alaska DOT, when we meet next week I
would like to go into a little bit more detail on this. There
is an MOU, it is the MOU that FHWA is looking at revising on
the ability to take away NEPA authorities on a highway project
upon a civil rights or environmental justice accusation. Are
you familiar with that?
Mr. Bhatt. I am not familiar with the specific case you are
talking about. Are you talking about the assignment of NEPA
authority to States?
Senator Sullivan. Correct. There is a new MOU that says the
Feds can take that away if there is a civil rights or
environmental justice accusation, very broad language that they
are looking at. I would appreciate for next week when we meet
if you can get up to speed on that. Like I said, my State DOT
is very concerned about that. Again, just because we feel that
there is already racial discrimination going on in my State
with regard to this Administration as it relates to indigenous
people and their ability to get roads and access. I would like
to have the opportunity to discuss that with you.
Finally, I know you have already heard about the Acting
Administrator Pollack and a lot of our concerns about the
December 21st memo. We did a lot of the work on the
Infrastructure Bill in this Committee. I voted for the
Infrastructure Bill in part because it had good permitting
reform provisions. Then you have this administrator who puts
out a memo, and she is adding and kind of taking away all the
things that we did in the Congress, and a lot of it was
compromise, with regard to the Infrastructure Bill particularly
as it relates to highways.
Can I just get your commitment, if confirmed, that you will
implement the policies and funding priorities that we put into
law? The ability of an administrator to just say, hey, you know
what, I really like certain issues, so I am going to make these
a priority, and you know, whatever the Congress did, I am not
going to really pay much attention to that.
Can you commit to me if confirmed that A, you are not going
to do that, like Acting Administrator Pollack did, but B, that
you are going to be faithful to the statutory provisions that
your office will have on the implementation of this very
important Infrastructure Bill, which we all worked hard
together on, to get compromise language on? But that is what
you have to abide by, not your own interests and your own
personal desires. Do you understand the question I am asking?
It is a really important one.
Mr. Bhatt. I do, Senator Sullivan, and I hear the passion
in your voice and how important this issue is to you, both for
the infrastructure in Alaska and on the regulatory or
interpretation issues. I would commit that if confirmed, I will
follow the law. I have heard this issue from several folks, and
that would be my commitment, to follow the law if confirmed.
Senator Sullivan. Great.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I look forward to meeting with you next week, Mr. Bhatt. I
look forward to getting you up to Alaska and seeing where our
country really needs infrastructure, and my goodness, it is
hard to build in my State. We need your help on it. Thank you.
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, sir.
Senator Carper. While Senator Sullivan is still in the
hearing room, one of the best family trips my family ever took
was to Alaska, when our sons were just a little bit older than
the Bhatt girls. We went to, among other places, Denali, the
great one. We still talk about what a wonderful trip that was.
Maybe you can find a way to combine business and pleasure.
Senator Sullivan. I was going to mention, you bring the
family, too, right? Sometimes I ask nominees to come like in
February, when it is 45 below zero in Fairbanks. By the way,
that is another reason, the EV issue, if it is 50 below, I am
not sure how much the batteries are going to work on these EV
trucks in my State. But that is another topic. We welcome the
whole family.
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you.
Senator Carper. Senator Capito has offered to go ahead and
kick off the second round, then to go vote. We expect the votes
to start almost any minute.
Senator Capito, thanks for joining us.
Senator Capito. Thank you.
Thank you again for being here.
I just have a quick statement. I mentioned in my opening
statement that I had submitted questions for the record for the
Secretary from his opportunity in March. It has been 6 months.
We haven't received any answers. So I would ask that you take
that back, that my frustration at not having been responded to
is not taken lightly by me. And I would appreciate some
responses.
I know that is not your fault or in your realm of
responsibility right now. But I do know that you are going to
be having conversations. So if you would just relay that
message for me, if they don't hear it right now, I wanted to
reiterate it. But I really thank you and your beautiful family
for being here. Thank you.
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Ranking Member Capito. I am quite
certain that your message has been transmitted effectively.
Senator Carper. A couple more questions, and we will break
for lunch around 1:30.
[Laughter.]
Senator Carper. I want to say, I say this with tongue only
partly in cheek, we are blessed with some wonderful sons. How
old are your girls?
Mr. Bhatt. Saanvi will turn nine on November 1st, and
Nandini just turned seven.
Senator Carper. I would like to say that if the shoe were
on the other foot, and I were the witness testifying at my
confirmation hearing, I am not sure I would have brought a 7
and a 9 year old boy to sit behind me, and expect them to
behave as well as your daughters have. It is a great tribute to
both your wife and to you, and maybe their grandparents. Your
performance was pretty impressive here today, but frankly, so
is theirs. I can barely see your wife's lips move when you
speak.
[Laughter.]
Senator Carper. I have a couple of questions. A few of our
colleagues may come by, I think Senator Lummis may come by and
someone else may just drop in. You never know. But we will wrap
up before too long.
A question with respect to transportation materials. As you
know, vehicle emissions from the transportation sector
represent the largest single source of carbon emissions in our
country, accounting for something close to 30 percent for all
U.S. emissions in 2020. The other major source of carbon
emissions comes from the construction of the roads themselves
and from the materials to build those roads.
The Inflation Reduction Act, signed and enacted by the
President just a couple of weeks ago, provides the funding to
Federal Highways to incentivize the use of lower carbon and
carbon sequestered construction materials. My question, if you
are confirmed as Administrator, what steps will you take to
address the carbon emissions associated with roadway
construction?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Chairman Carper. Yes, I think
obviously if we are going to try to reduce carbon we want to
take a look at every place where it is being introduced. I
think there are a couple of things here. One of the benefits of
the career I have had, I have had an opportunity to travel
abroad, and I think there is a lot we can learn. We have warm
mix asphalt from Europe where we could reduce the temperature
of the asphalt as it was coming in. There is some really
exciting work that is going on around recycled plastics in
pavements, green cement.
So I would say that, we obviously want to make sure these
materials perform to the standards as are needed. But if I am
confirmed, I look forward to making sure we are deploying all
the appropriate materials in the infrastructure.
Senator Carper. Thank you.
I also want to ask a question with respect to assistance
for local recipients. Historically, the Federal Highway
Administration has worked primarily with States in
administering the Federal Aid Highway Program. The Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act create a
number of new opportunities for local governments to be direct
recipients of Federal Highway dollars.
However, these local agencies don't always have the
institutional knowledge; they don't always have the knowledge
of the highway procedures or regulations, and much of the
requirements that come with that. So as these laws are
implemented in the weeks and months ahead, it is going to be
critically important for Federal Highways to provide hands on
technical assistance and support for local agencies.
If confirmed as Administrator, will you work to ensure that
agencies are providing, that the agency you would be leading,
if confirmed, is providing all necessary assistance to
counties, to cities, to towns, to enable them to build local
capacity to deliver Federal projects?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Absolutely, we want
people to be successful in their application, we want them to
be successful with their groundbreaking, we want them to be
successful all the way through their ribbon cutting. And I
would commit to that if confirmed.
Senator Carper. All right. Let me mention one other thing.
I don't have any more questions. I don't know if I have said
this to you before, but one of the questions I like to ask
people when I travel around the country is what makes them
happy. I like to ask people, what makes you happy in your life,
in your work, whatever you do.
I am always struck by the responses; I like to help people.
I like helping people. One of the great things in the jobs that
you have done across the country and the jobs that we have here
and in other roles we have played in our lives, we get to help
people. One of the best ways we can help people and also help
them help themselves is to make sure that they have a job and
the ability to provide for themselves and their families.
My colleagues have heard me say this a time or two. In the
8 years I was privileged to be Governor of Delaware, more jobs
were created in those 8 years, I am told, than any other 8
years in the history of the State of Delaware. I did not create
one of them. But what I did is, we worked with a lot of
stakeholders in government, outside of government, in order to
try to create a nurturing environment for job creation and job
preservation, work force. Clean air, clean water, low crime,
access to elected officials and appointed officials, the
ability to invest some of our public moneys in research, trying
to figure out how could we monetize that research and turn it
into job creation activities, all kinds of exports to make it
possible.
But also critically important in creating a nurturing
environment is the ability to move people and products where
they need to go when they need to go and in a cost effective
environment and in a friendly way. Are there any reflections
you might want to add to that as they pertain to the job that
you have been nominated to do?
Mr. Bhatt. Thank you, Senator. The first part of the
question was, what makes you happy. I always say that when
people say that my daughters are well behaved, it is a general
happiness. I think any parent just always feels like that, and
actually is one of the biggest challenges of taking on this
role. I want to thank my family for their willingness to
sacrifice some of that time. Because I am not going to be able
to spend as much time with them.
I would say the same. I remember in Delaware somebody
telling me, we could fix your transportation budget if you just
cut the transit spending, because we can spend a lot of that
money on roads. And then going to meet with people who were
dependent on that transit service to get to a job, to get to
medical facilities, and realizing that a lot of us who make
decisions in transportation are blessed to have access to means
and cars and other things, and recognizing that for people in
this country, mobility is freedom. And for some people it means
it is a car, for other people it might mean a bike path, for
other people it might be transit. But just that understanding
that in this career that I have had, there are projects that
have been delivered and decisions that have been made that we
have tried our best to help people. And in Delaware and in
Kentucky and in Colorado, maybe things are a little bit better
because we made and delivered some projects.
Senator Carper. All right, thank you.
Before I make a short closing statement, is there anything
else you want to add? Maybe there is a question you wish you
had been asked but you weren't. If you want to take a shot at
that, you are welcome to. Just any closing thought you would
like to leave with us.
Mr. Bhatt. They always ask me that in an interview; is
there anything that you think we should have asked you. And I
always feel like, you shouldn't say anything at that point,
because if you have got this far, then why create another
problem for yourself?
[Laughter.]
Senator Carper. You would be amazed, whenever I do this at
the end of the hearing, offer the witnesses a chance to say a
question they wish they would have been asked, almost always
they do take advantage of that, and almost never get in
trouble.
Mr. Bhatt. I have testified a number of times, and I am not
one of those people that take advantage of that.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Bhatt. I would only say, as a closing statement, as I
said earlier, I am honored and humbled to be considered for
this role. I am aware of the magnitude of the role. And if I am
confirmed, I will strive to live up to the expectations I know
that this Committee and the American people have for Federal
Highways at this critical time.
Senator Carper. All right. Thank you for that.
I want to thank you for taking the time to appear before us
today. I want to thank your family for being here; your wife of
how many years?
Mr. Bhatt. There was no delay, the microphone was off.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Bhatt. Married in 2010, so it will be 12 years. That
was the highest--my blood pressure just spiked right there.
[Laughter.]
Senator Carper. The best answer I have ever heard to that
question is, not long enough. Not long enough.
Mr. Bhatt. That, too.
Senator Carper. I want to say to your bride and to your
girls, and to your mother-in-law and your father-in-law, thank
them so much for being here today and for the support that they
conveyed by their presence and demeanor. My own wife and our
sons can tell you that being the husband or the father or the
child of someone who does this kind of public work, we work
hard for the money. And it is a joy to do that. We are very,
very grateful to them for sharing you with us.
Before we adjourn, I have two final items. First, I would
like to ask unanimous consent to submit into the record a
variety of materials related to today's hearing.
Without objection, so ordered.
[The referenced information follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Carper. I love making unanimous consent requests
when there is nobody here who could object. It is one of my
favorite things.
[Laughter.]
Senator Carper. Finally, I would note that Senators are
going to be allowed to submit written questions for the record
through close of business on Wednesday, September 28th. We will
compile those questions as they are submitted, and will send
them to you, and we will ask for a reply by Wednesday, October
12th of this year.
Seeing no one else has joined us, either remotely or in
person, this hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:46 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
[all]