After seven months with no permanent Administrator, and amid calls from Senate Democrats to fill the position, on May 29, 2015, President Obama finally announced his nomination of Marie Therese Dominguez to lead the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”).
Dominguez comes from the Department of Defense where she has been the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Army (Civil Works) since 2013. Dominguez’s resume also includes Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy for the U.S. Postal Service, Deputy Chief of Staff and Counsel for the Federal Aviation Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and Special Assistant to one of the members of the National Transportation Safety Board.
The nomination of Dominguez is currently under review by the U.S. Senate along with Obama’s nomination of Sarah Feinberg as the permanent Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (“FRA”). Feinberg has been the Acting Administrator for the FRA since January 2015.
The Acting Administrator of PHMSA, Timothy Butters, will leave his post June 8, 2015 to join the Federal Aviation Administration as a senior advisor. Stacy Cummings, the PHMSA interim executive director, will step in as Acting Administrator until the permanent replacement is confirmed by the Senate.
Barclay Damon will continue to follow the Senate confirmations and will provide updates as they occur.