Senate Confirms OSHA, Federal Railroad, EPA Superfund Heads En Bloc

The U.S. Senate confirmed new leaders on the Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Security and Well being Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration and the U.S. Environmental Safety Company’s Superfund program, amongst 108 nominees who had been approved en bloc Oct. 7. 

The vote confirmed David Keeling as assistant secretary of Labor for Occupational Security and Well being. Keeling has labored in security at UPS and Amazon. 

Throughout a nomination listening to in June, Keeling laid out his priorities for OSHA. They embrace accelerating the adoption of expertise and new requirements to stop accidents by way of knowledgeable design, increasing collaborations with firms, unions and business teams, and updating enforcement processes utilizing predictive analytics. 

“We all know David is a robust proponent of defending staff, and his in depth data and abilities as a security skilled will definitely assist the company,” mentioned Linda Tapp, president of the American Society of Security Professionals, in an announcement. “We sit up for working with him and his employees on many substantial points.”

John Busterud is the brand new assistant administrator of EPA’s Workplace of Strong Waste, a task that places him in control of the Superfund program. Busterud is an environmental legal professional with earlier expertise at EPA, the place he was administrator of Area 9, which covers California, Hawaii, Nevada, 148 tribes and Pacific Ocean U.S. territories, through the first Trump administration. He spent greater than 30 years working for Pacific Gasoline and Electrical Co. (PG&E) in San Francisco, together with as senior director and managing counsel for setting and actual property. Throughout his time at PG&E, Busterud additionally served as an business consultant on EPA’s Clear Air Act Advisory Committee. 

“Mr. Busterud will oversee applications that immediately influence Individuals’ well being and the setting, comparable to remediating PFAS contamination, cleansing up Superfund websites, and revitalizing brownfields,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chair of the Senate setting and public works committee, throughout a Could listening to. 

David Fink is administrator of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration. He bought his begin within the railroad sector as an adolescent working for Conrail, and labored his approach as much as change into president of Pan Am Railways, a regional railroad in New England that was later bought by CSX. 

Throughout a Senate committee listening to in Could, Fink mentioned FRA must first concentrate on security. He additionally needs to “refresh authorities rules, innovating the place doable and eradicating burdensome and outdated roadblocks.” 

Paul Skoutelas, CEO of the American Public Transportation Affiliation, mentioned in an announcement that Fink has a “confirmed file [of] advancing innovation and operational excellence.”

The 51-47 vote was the Senate’s second spherical of en bloc confirmations, taken after some Senate Republicans expressed frustration on the period of time it was taking to substantiate many nominees. The method permits lawmakers to substantiate any variety of nominees without delay. The first en bloc round, authorised final month, confirmed heads of the Federal Freeway Administration and different businesses.