The US Senate confirmed Marie Therese Dominguez’s appointment as administrator of the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration by unanimous consent on Aug. 5. She had been the US Department of Transportation agency’s deputy administrator since US Pres. Barack Obama nominated her in June.
“PHMSA executes a critical mission—to protect people and the environment from the risks of hazardous materials transportation,” US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx noted on Aug. 6.
“Ms. Dominguez joins our team at an important time as the US energy sector is undergoing a rapid transformation,” he continued. “She brings to PHMSA her extensive experience as a senior leader managing complex organizations and her dedication to safety.”
Dominguez assumes the agency’s helm as it grapples with ways to improve the safety of transporting crude oil and other volatile substances by rail.
PHMSA announced on Aug. 4 that decisions in five administrative appeals to its final rule, “Hazardous Materials: Enhanced Tank Car Standards and Operational Controls for High-Hazard Flammable Trains,” would be delayed because of the appeals’ complexity.
Before coming to PHMSA, Dominguez was principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, where she oversaw US Army Corps of Engineers programs. She previously worked at DOT as deputy chief of staff and counsel at the Federal Aviation Administration from 1998 to 2000.
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].