Latest Updates from DOT

Hello, I hope you have enjoyed a productive week. One of the highlights for me was Secretary Buttigieg’s attendance at the White House Convening on Protecting the Safety, Rights and Dignity of Air Travelers with Disabilities. DOT issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that will ensure that passengers who use wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity on airplanes nationwide. A gentleman from the disability community at the convening commented that he did not believe a rule of this nature would be proposed in his lifetime. I hope you enjoy reading about this inspiring convening and other highlights from this week.  

Sharing below a roundup of the latest activities and opportunities to engage with DOT and the Biden Administration. Thanks as always for your interest. If you know others who would like to receive these updates, please direct them to sign up here. 

DOT Announces Proposed Rule to Ensure Passengers Who Use Wheelchairs Can Fly with Dignity 

Yesterday, in conjunction with a White House Convening on Protecting the Safety, Rights, and Dignity of Air Travelers with Disabilities, DOT issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) -- Safe and Accessible Air Travel -- to strengthen its rule implementing the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) to ensure passengers who use wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity. Secretary Buttigieg was joined at the event by Assistant to the President and White House Office of Public Engagement Director Stephen Benjamin, Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, advocates for people with disabilities, aviation workers, and other stakeholders for a fireside chat and town hall about the proposed rule, which would represent the largest expansion of rights for airline passengers who use wheelchairs since 2008. You can view a photo from the event below: 

Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth (seated) and disability advocates at yesterday’s White House Convening on Protecting the Safety, Rights, and Dignity of Air Travelers with Disabilities  

The proposed rule would require that airlines meet rigorous standards for accommodating passengers with disabilities safely and with dignity.  The proposal will set new standards for prompt, safe, and dignified assistance, mandate enhanced training for airline employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with disabilities and handle passengers’ wheelchairs and specify actions that airlines must take to protect passengers when a wheelchair is damaged during air transport. Notably, the proposed rule also would make it easier for DOT to hold airlines accountable when they damage or delay the return of a wheelchair by making it an automatic violation of the ACAA to mishandle wheelchairs. Public comments on the NPRM must be received within 60 days of the date it is published in the Federal Register. Comments can be filed on www.regulations.gov, docket number DOT-OST-2022-0144. 

Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (seated), disability advocates and USDOT colleagues at yesterday’s White House Convening 

Readout of Deputy Secretary Trottenberg’s Mission to Panama 

Last Friday, Deputy Secretary of Transportation Polly Trottenberg and Maritime Administrator Admiral Ann Phillips traveled to Panama to reaffirm the importance of the U.S.-Panama relationship, promote continued cooperation, and underscore the importance of building resilient global supply chains. Deputy Secretary Trottenberg met with officials from the Government of Panama, led by Acting Foreign Minister Yill Otero, and including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Public Works, Industry and Commerce, the Maritime Authority, and Aeronautica - Panama’s Civil Aviation Authority (Autoridad de Aeronautica Civil de Panamá). During these meetings, the Deputy Secretary discussed the U.S. government’s supply chain priorities, the impact of the drought in the Panama Canal on international commerce and reiterated the United States’ interest in cooperating on high-quality transportation infrastructure. The Deputy Secretary also highlighted DOT’s efforts to strengthen supply chains and lower costs, like establishing the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) Initiative and making historic investments in U.S. container ports. 

 Deputy Secretary Trottenberg (left), MARAD Administrator Admiral Ann Phillips (r) and USDOT International Transportation Specialist Jason Hill, in conversations with Panamanian officials. 

The visit included tours of the Miraflores and Cocoli locks to view low water levels firsthand and the Panama Canal Authority’s efforts to address the effects of climate change and continue efficient, safe, and reliable operations. Over the course of her visit, the Deputy Secretary met with officials from Aeronautica to discuss collaboration on international aviation issues and joined a roundtable of Panamanian women leaders discussing gender equality and empowering women in the maritime and logistics industries.  

FTA Sends Another $9.9 Billion from the BIL to Transit Agencies Across the Country

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced yesterday that $9.9 billion in federal formula funding, part of the largest investment in public transit in U.S. history, is available to support public transportation in communities throughout the country. This is the latest round of funding made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to invest in our nation’s transit systems in communities of all sizes, improving transportation for all Americans. The funding will help communities maintain and operate trains, buses, and ferries; upgrade stations and tracks; plan and design new transit corridors; and provide access for seniors and riders with disabilities. The funding reflects formula funding available for five months (October 1, 2023 to March 1, 2024) at Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 levels while the federal government operates under a Continuing Resolution. The partial-year Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 funding is detailed in apportionment tables that specify funding to states, urbanized areas, and tribal governments based on statutory formulas. State-by-state funding amounts are available here. 

FTA distributes formula funds to state departments of transportation, tribal nations, and urbanized areas. Formula-based grant programs include funding for transit systems in both urbanized and rural areas, grants for buses and bus facilities – including low- and no-emission buses – transit designed for seniors and people with disabilities, planning funds, and support to improve the condition of transit assets. The tables allow transit agencies and grant recipients to view the amounts for programs set by statutorily defined formulas so they can better plan and manage over the long term for new projects and address their repair backlogs. 

FHWA Opens Application Process for $250 Million to Reduce Traffic in Urban Areas

Last week, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced a new program that makes $250 million available, over five years, in competitive grants to advance innovative, multimodal solutions to reduce vehicular traffic in the most congested metropolitan areas of the United States. The Congestion Relief Program, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), is accepting applications for the first round through a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which provides $150 million in grants for fiscal years (FYs) 2022, 2023 and 2024. The grants are available to states, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), cities, or municipalities for the purpose of carrying out a project in an urbanized area with a population of more than 1 million people. 

The Congestion Relief Program provides funding to reduce highway congestion and the economic and environmental costs associated with congestion, including pollution from transportation emissions. The program also optimizes existing highway capacity and transit systems, improves coordination with transit, and encourages other modes of travel. Eligible projects include the deployment and operation of integrated congestion management systems; certain transit and mobility services; and incentive programs encouraging travelers to carpool, use transit, or travel during nonpeak periods. The agency will give priority to projects that advance innovative, multimodal solutions to traffic congestion in urban areas that are experiencing a high degree of recurrent congestion. FHWA will hold an informational webinar via Zoom on March 7, 2024, from 11:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. EST. Interested parties can register here. Applications are due by April 22, 2024.  

MARAD Announces COE Designations for Maritime Workforce Training and Education

On February 22, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the designation of 32 Centers of Excellence (CoE) for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education. The designated COEs consist of 50 maritime training locations across 17 states and Guam. The designation recognizes and promotes support to post-secondary maritime training programs that prepare students for careers in the maritime industry. The United States Code authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to designate a domestic maritime workforce training and education entity as a “center of excellence” if such entity, among other things, is demonstrably successful in maritime workforce training and education. 

The above map depicts the 32 designated Centers of Excellence. 

MARAD published a solicitation for applications in the Federal Register on July 20, 2023, for eligible and qualified training entities, under the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The approved entities include thirty-eight postsecondary educational institutions; one postsecondary vocational institution; four non-profit structured experiential training programs; four registered apprenticeship sponsors; three maritime training centers; and four organizations containing a combination of the above-mentioned entities. For additional information, a full list of designees, and a searchable interactive 2024 CoE map, (shown above) identifying designee locations, please visit the Center of Excellence homepage for additional information.

FAA Provides Update on Grounding of Boeing 737-9 MAX Aircraft 

During an all-day safety discussion at FAA Headquarters on Tuesday, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker informed top Boeing officials that the aircraft manufacturer must develop a comprehensive action plan to address its systemic quality-control issues to meet FAA’s non-negotiable safety standards. “Boeing must commit to real and profound improvements,” Administrator Whitaker said following the meeting with Boeing Chief Executive Officer and President Dave Calhoun and his senior safety team. “Making foundational change will require a sustained effort from Boeing’s leadership, and we are going to hold them accountable every step of the way, with mutually understood milestones and expectations.”    

Administrator Whitaker told Boeing that he expects the company to provide the FAA a comprehensive action plan within 90 days that will incorporate the forthcoming results of the FAA production-line audit and the latest findings from the expert review panel report, which was required by the Aircraft Certification Reform and Accountability Act of 2020. The plan must also include steps Boeing will take to mature its Safety Management System (SMS) program, which it committed to in 2019. Boeing also must integrate its SMS program with a Quality Management System, which will ensure the same level of rigor and oversight is applied to the company’s suppliers and create a measurable, systemic shift in manufacturing quality control.    

FHWA Posts Links to BIL-Mandated State VRU Safety Assessments and SHSPs 

Vulnerable road users (VRUs) accounted for a growing share of all United States roadway fatalities in recent years, and an even larger number of vulnerable road users are injured each year in collisions involving motor vehicles. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), each state DOT was required to develop and publish a Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Safety Assessment by November 15, 2023 as part of their Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). The outcomes from the Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment quantitative analysis and program of projects or strategies are being incorporated into relevant State Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) emphasis areas, strategies, and actions, as appropriate, and implemented through State and local planning procedures. DOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) commits DOT to respond to the current crisis in traffic fatalities by “taking substantial, comprehensive action to significantly reduce serious and fatal injuries on the Nation’s roadways,” in pursuit of the goal of achieving zero highway deaths. FHWA has created a single page with links to each State's report, which identify high-risk areas for biking and walking and develop a program of projects or strategies to reduce safety risks in these areas. You can find the links at the State Highway Safety Program webpage here. 

Know Before You Go – Make a Safe Landing with Arrival Alert Notices 

Continuing its efforts to improve safety on the nation’s runways, the FAA announced that it is informing pilots of an easily accessible safety tool called Arrival Alert Notice (AAN). AAN is a planning and awareness tool to help pilots avoid lining up to land on a wrong taxiway, runway or airport. General Aviation pilots account for 83 percent of wrong-surface events, with commercial pilots making up the remainder. As part of pre-flight planning, a pilot can access the tool, pull up a map of a select airport, and get an aerial view of the airport’s surface and other important safety information. In 2022, the FAA began testing the tool and found AANs to be effective in mitigating risks associated with wrong-surface landings. Learn more about AAN and view a map of available locations here. See the Arrival Alert Notice From the Flight Deck video and fact sheet. 

Posts of the Week 

Millions of Americans with disabilities don't travel by plane because of inadequate airline practices & inadequate government regulation. We're changing that with a new rule to hold airlines accountable to ensure that travelers using wheelchairs can travel safely & with dignity. 

(@SecretaryPete, February 29, 2024) 

I am proud to announce that we're proposing a new rule at @USDOT to ensure airline passengers who use wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity. This rule will require airlines to meet rigorous standards to accommodate passengers who use wheelchairs. 

(@SecretaryPete, February 29, 2024)  

The next time you look up directions on your phone, thank Dr. Gladys West! Her pioneering work in mathematics and satellite data analysis led to the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS). #BlackHistoryMonth 

(@USDOT, February 27, 2024) 

Our National Roadway Safety Strategy lays out a roadmap to end roadway fatalities in America—but we can't do it alone. We need government at all levels, law enforcement, industry, organizations, and beyond to help us in this fight. Join us! https://transportation.gov/nrss/allies-in-action  

(@USDOT, February 25, 2024) 

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As always, please reach out to us with questions, feedback, and suggestions at engage@dot.gov.    

Thank you!  

Kala Wright  

Director of Public Engagement  

Office of the Secretary   

www.transportation.gov