Mission Statement Of The Department Of Transportation
The Secretary of Transportation is the head of the Department of Transportation (DOT), an agency of the federal government that is responsible for overseeing the national interests, development, and infrastructure needs regarding transportation throughout the entire country. The department was created in 1966 under the leadership of President Lyndon Johnson after conflict arose between the Defense Department and the Federal Aviation Agency over regulations on supersonic aircraft. With this new power, many transportation issues were able to be pursued under one national agency which solved many problems at the time including the bailout of the Pennsylvania Central Railroad, the implementation of Amtrak, reaction plans for airline hijackings, air-traffic controller strikes, and production of supersonic transportation [1].
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The overall mission statement of the Department of Transportation describes the ideals of the agency as follows: “Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future.” [2]
To support this commitment to the transportation needs of the United States, the cabinet was primarily put in charge of maintenance and development of the transportation system and infrastructure throughout the U.S., including any highways, airlines, sea port/harbors, and railways.
Since its creation, it has continued to absorb many important organizations under its umbrella [1]:
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) – maintains interstate highway systems, builds and provides funding to state/local governments for building and maintaining roads and highways, establishes laws and rules for roads, overpasses, and bridges.
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) – creates regulations and initiatives to improve the safety of commercial vehicles, primarily large
trucks.
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – regulates safety standards for automobile industries, and provides research, education, and initiatives to reduce fatalities, injuries and costs through safety defects, accident statistics, and crash testing.
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – acts as the primary airline regulator, producing standards that all commercial airlines must follow. It sets rules for pilots, airport operators, air-traffic control systems, and plane inspections, and promotes the airline industry and safety of all passengers.
• Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) – develops and enforces railroad safety regulations, administers assistance programs, and performs research on rail passenger service and safety.
• Surface Transportation Board (STB) – regulates railroad industry, including railroad service disputes, environmental laws, railroad mergers, damaged rail tracks, and congestion.
• Maritime Administration (MARAD) – facilitates use of water-based transportation and protection of ships, ports, safety and national security. It also aids with the disposal of government ships as they become obsolete.
• Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) – works in conjunction with Canadian counterpart to manage and enforce regulations and navigation in the Saint Lawrence Seaway system (stretching from all 5 great lakes to the Atlantic Ocean).
• Federal Transit Administration (FTA) – distributes grant money to local/state governments to develop mass transit systems and verifies that they follow mandates and regulations.
• Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) – regulates safety standards in the protection of environment and people from movement of hazardous materials and instructs local communities on how to prepare for HAZMAT emergencies.
• Office of the Inspector General (OIG) – ensures that all programs and operations comply with federal law and carry out their instructions efficiently. It also performs audits and investigations and addresses criminal/unethical behavior or poorly managed operations.
• Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) – manages DOT’s research programs to improve and enhance technology and transportation networks.
While the federal branch of the Department of Transportation is very important, most of its notable effectiveness and power comes from the local and state branches which do a majority of the maintenance, infrastructure planning, and development of the roadway networks throughout the country. The federal branch holds most of its power in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and its ability to place regulations and safety standards on airliners, air-traffic control, and airplane inspections. Consequentially, this is where the agency gets most of its criticism, particularly in the way it handled the response to the airplane hi-jacking in the World Trade Center attack of 2001.
The Department of Transportation is headed by the Secretary of Transportation, a member of the Cabinet of the President and the thirteenth ranked member in the presidential succession. Anthony Foxx, the current and 17th Secretary of Transportation, was appointed into office by President Obama approved by both houses unanimously. Foxx was the former mayor of Charlotte, NC from 2009 to 2013 [3]. Under his leadership, he created the most efficient and innovative transportation investments in the development of the LYNX light rail system, expansion of the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, start of the Charlotte Streetcar project, and the accelerated construction of the I-485 outer belt loop.
As Secretary of Transportation, he leads an agency of over 55,000 employees and advises the president in all transportation-related matters. The Secretary is also a member of the Homeland Security Council (HSC) where, along with other cabinet officials, homeland security policies are discussed and made. The Secretary of Transportation is not a member of the National Security Council, but will often be invited, particularly with issues related to transportation security and evacuation plans [4].
In addition to the normal day-to-day operations of transporting nuclear waste, when faced with a crisis, particularly that of a nuclear accident or event, there are a number of steps that must be followed by the DOT to ensure efficient and timely evacuation of the affected areas (Figure 1). While most of the crucial work and hard labor is done at the local and state levels, it is important that the federal level guides and oversees the process so that it can help make improvements in the future [5].
1. Advanced Planning – This phase includes all planning and organization that takes place prior to an event and assumes that all agencies have collaborated to produce a system that covers resource management, infrastructure operations, key points of contact and responsibilities, and education of the public.
2. Incident Notification – This phase takes place immediately after an event has occurred and includes the notification of the agency to initialize an incident command system (ICS).
3. Activation and Mobilization – This phase occurs when the ICS is operational and involves the dissemination of information to the public and relevant organizations/agencies.
4. Evacuation Operations – This phase includes the bulk of the process and involves the actual movement of people and goods from the affected area and is supported by state, county, and local agencies directed through the ICS.
5. Re-Entry – This phase occurs after the incident has passed and involves the allowing of evacuees back into the affected area, which requires a collaborative effort between the local, county, and state agencies through the ICS, to ensure an orderly and safe re-entry.
6. Debrief and Assessment – This final phase occurs only after a majority of the evacuees have returned, the ICS is disassembled, and everything is more or less “back to normal.” It addresses the need for all agencies involved in the evacuation process to sit down together and evaluate the overall evacuation operation from beginning to end.
In each phase there are a number of other departments that the DOT needs to work closely with in order to successfully implement an evacuation procedure. On the local level, the DOT has to collaborate with the City Emergency Management Department, the City Street Transportation Department, City Police/Fire Departments, and the City Public Transit Department. At the county level, the DOT usually works with some form of Emergency Management Office/Division, Office/Division of Homeland Security, and the Sheriff’s Office [5]. Finally, most of the federal collaborations occur after the incident has already taken place. The federal branch of the DOT works with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (depending on the situation), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Other general, key agencies or organizations that all levels of the DOT must work with include the media and private sector agencies like the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, as they serve and assist the evacuees and are most in tune with their direct needs.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the local level agencies to determine the severity of the impending incident and actually issue the need for an evacuation. Meanwhile, the state agencies would play more of a supportive role, giving out additional resources and personnel as needed, and update the federal branch for more help. Finally, the federal branch would come into play 24-48 hours after the incident to offer further help and support and release federal funding accordingly. Furthermore, each phase, previously listed above, has additional roles and responsibilities that must be addressed by the DOT on the local, county, state, and federal levels along each step of the way [6].
Advanced Planning
• Coordinate with other critical agencies to develop emergency evacuation strategy plan (EESP).
• Execute an agreement with all agencies identified in the EESP and participate in regularly scheduled drills and tests.
• Evaluate evacuation routes and feasibility of scenarios, including capacity needs/restrictions, and clearance times.
• Establish evacuation transportation control guidelines (suspension of tolls, work zone impacts, transit resources, etc.)
• Establish redundancy of Traffic Management Centers, systems, equipment, and personnel.
• Establish guidelines for transit agency response, rerouting of vehicles, call back of drivers and dispatchers in the event of an evacuation.
• Establish uniform communication between agencies and promote intergovernmental relationships/communications protocols with the media.
Incident Notification
• Coordinate transportation infrastructure restoration and recovery activities
• If an incident occurs within the transit system or in view of personnel, local energy responders must be notified.
• Utilize the following equipment and resources: “511” system, dynamic message signs (DMS), Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) system, DOT website, Traffic Management Center (TMC), Dispatch/Operations Center, and Incident Command System (ICS).
Activation and Mobilization
• Activate Traffic Management Center if incident occurs outside normal operating hours
• Prepare to activate back-up facilities (alternate TMC/mobile command center).
• Provide road condition information gathered from traffic signals, vehicle detection systems, and CCTV surveillance systems.
• Evaluate evacuation routes and possible alternatives, while determining the feasibility for each plan, and implement appropriate traffic control measures (including provisions for the movement of emergency vehicles and personnel in affected area).
• Make all vehicles available to support mobilization of evacuees necessary and provide/coordinate transit resources. Divert incoming aircraft (commercial airlines, etc.) to other landing areas, if possible.
• Utilize the following additional equipment and resources: emergency evacuation plans, back-up communications (cell phones, satellite phones, etc.), road condition information, traffic network models, cones, barricades, signs, vehicle fleets (buses, trains, trolleys, ferries, etc.), and personnel.
Evacuation Operations
• Support traveler information dissemination using information from vehicle detection systems and CCTV surveillance. Provide timely updates on this information to emergency management personnel and the media.
• Support law enforcement/public safety traffic management and control efforts and implement modifications to signal system or ITS devices as requested.
• Mobilize transit vehicles and drivers to transport evacuees and be used as mobile shelters for emergency personnel.
• Utilize the following additional equipment and resources: service patrol vehicles with towing and refueling capabilities used to provide evacuees assistance with minor automobile issues, barricades, cones, sandbags, gravel, light towers, arrow boards, and aircraft (helicopters).
Re-Entry
• Maintain records of agency’s evacuation return activities.
• Continue to provide timely updates on road conditions and support traveler information dissemination.
Debrief/Assessment
• Discuss/evaluate overall performance and execution of tasks, in relation to evacuation plan.
• Prepare a post-evacuation document detailing experiences, lessons learned, and modifications.
Even, with the development of well thought-out plans, there are always going to be inevitable unforeseen circumstances that cannot all be accounted for. For example, a nuclear explosion would create extreme challenges to a well-established evacuation plan. Often times, almost no advance notice is given and incomplete, accurate, and contradictory information about an incident is likely to be hard to decipher when key decisions need to be made. Decision makers in all levels of government have little time to wait for extra information to make a crucial decision, as waiting could cause a significant negative effect on the safety of citizens [7].
All employees of the Department of Transportation have an additional assessment to perform, as a nuclear explosion could affect priority evacuation areas, access to affected zones, destruction of transportation/evacuation resources and infrastructure damage, and the rerouting or impediments to evacuation routes which could significantly impact evacuation time estimates. Furthermore, if public transportation or mass transit are effected when being used to evacuate individuals from contaminated areas, the vehicles themselves need to constantly be monitored to minimize the potential of contaminating other people from radiation. This issue can be countered by rinsing/washing the equipment before or after use, but care must be taken that it doesn’t significantly restrict or inhibit the necessary evacuations that must be made. These risk-benefit type decisions must be made while trying to keep an expedient evacuation process but not spreading contamination throughout the vehicles to healthy people. Once a vehicle has been contaminated, it cannot be returned to service until it has been proven that the appropriate decontamination process has been followed. The DOT also has a responsibility to maintain their major transportation hubs, as areas like airports, seaports, and railroad stations are ideal evacuation points and people must be rerouted quickly if any get destroyed [7].
Overall, while the Secretary of Transportation doesn’t play a huge role in the policy making behind nuclear warfare or nuclear accidents, he/she is in charge of one of the largest governmental departments and is still an important character. The Secretary must work closely alongside the Department of Homeland Security and other evacuation agencies to ensure the protection and safe transport of nuclear materials, as well as be ready to help delegate in case of a nuclear emergency and evacuation.
In acting as the Secretary of Transportation in our class simulation, I will continue to reiterate the close relationships with these other departments and look out for the best interests of the evacuees in the most efficient, safe, and constructive way possible. My main concern will be to reroute air traffic away from the disaster (if a terrorist attack, I would ground all air traffic), free up resources and vehicles to implement our evacuation plans while working with other agencies, and ensure that the vehicles and public transit are used to the best of their abilities, without further contamination to the rescuers or people being rescued.
The overall mission statement of the Department of Transportation describes the ideals of the agency as follows: “Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future.” [2]
To support this commitment to the transportation needs of the United States, the cabinet was primarily put in charge of maintenance and development of the transportation system and infrastructure throughout the U.S., including any highways, airlines, sea port/harbors, and railways.
Since its creation, it has continued to absorb many important organizations under its umbrella [1]:
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) – maintains interstate highway systems, builds and provides funding to state/local governments for building and maintaining roads and highways, establishes laws and rules for roads, overpasses, and bridges.
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) – creates regulations and initiatives to improve the safety of commercial vehicles, primarily large
trucks.
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – regulates safety standards for automobile industries, and provides research, education, and initiatives to reduce fatalities, injuries and costs through safety defects, accident statistics, and crash testing.
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – acts as the primary airline regulator, producing standards that all commercial airlines must follow. It sets rules for pilots, airport operators, air-traffic control systems, and plane inspections, and promotes the airline industry and safety of all passengers.
• Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) – develops and enforces railroad safety regulations, administers assistance programs, and performs research on rail passenger service and safety.
• Surface Transportation Board (STB) – regulates railroad industry, including railroad service disputes, environmental laws, railroad mergers, damaged rail tracks, and congestion.
• Maritime Administration (MARAD) – facilitates use of water-based transportation and protection of ships, ports, safety and national security. It also aids with the disposal of government ships as they become obsolete.
• Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) – works in conjunction with Canadian counterpart to manage and enforce regulations and navigation in the Saint Lawrence Seaway system (stretching from all 5 great lakes to the Atlantic Ocean).
• Federal Transit Administration (FTA) – distributes grant money to local/state governments to develop mass transit systems and verifies that they follow mandates and regulations.
• Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) – regulates safety standards in the protection of environment and people from movement of hazardous materials and instructs local communities on how to prepare for HAZMAT emergencies.
• Office of the Inspector General (OIG) – ensures that all programs and operations comply with federal law and carry out their instructions efficiently. It also performs audits and investigations and addresses criminal/unethical behavior or poorly managed operations.
• Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) – manages DOT’s research programs to improve and enhance technology and transportation networks.
While the federal branch of the Department of Transportation is very important, most of its notable effectiveness and power comes from the local and state branches which do a majority of the maintenance, infrastructure planning, and development of the roadway networks throughout the country. The federal branch holds most of its power in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and its ability to place regulations and safety standards on airliners, air-traffic control, and airplane inspections. Consequentially, this is where the agency gets most of its criticism, particularly in the way it handled the response to the airplane hi-jacking in the World Trade Center attack of 2001.
The Department of Transportation is headed by the Secretary of Transportation, a member of the Cabinet of the President and the thirteenth ranked member in the presidential succession. Anthony Foxx, the current and 17th Secretary of Transportation, was appointed into office by President Obama approved by both houses unanimously. Foxx was the former mayor of Charlotte, NC from 2009 to 2013 [3]. Under his leadership, he created the most efficient and innovative transportation investments in the development of the LYNX light rail system, expansion of the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, start of the Charlotte Streetcar project, and the accelerated construction of the I-485 outer belt loop.
As Secretary of Transportation, he leads an agency of over 55,000 employees and advises the president in all transportation-related matters. The Secretary is also a member of the Homeland Security Council (HSC) where, along with other cabinet officials, homeland security policies are discussed and made. The Secretary of Transportation is not a member of the National Security Council, but will often be invited, particularly with issues related to transportation security and evacuation plans [4].
In addition to the normal day-to-day operations of transporting nuclear waste, when faced with a crisis, particularly that of a nuclear accident or event, there are a number of steps that must be followed by the DOT to ensure efficient and timely evacuation of the affected areas (Figure 1). While most of the crucial work and hard labor is done at the local and state levels, it is important that the federal level guides and oversees the process so that it can help make improvements in the future [5].
1. Advanced Planning – This phase includes all planning and organization that takes place prior to an event and assumes that all agencies have collaborated to produce a system that covers resource management, infrastructure operations, key points of contact and responsibilities, and education of the public.
2. Incident Notification – This phase takes place immediately after an event has occurred and includes the notification of the agency to initialize an incident command system (ICS).
3. Activation and Mobilization – This phase occurs when the ICS is operational and involves the dissemination of information to the public and relevant organizations/agencies.
4. Evacuation Operations – This phase includes the bulk of the process and involves the actual movement of people and goods from the affected area and is supported by state, county, and local agencies directed through the ICS.
5. Re-Entry – This phase occurs after the incident has passed and involves the allowing of evacuees back into the affected area, which requires a collaborative effort between the local, county, and state agencies through the ICS, to ensure an orderly and safe re-entry.
6. Debrief and Assessment – This final phase occurs only after a majority of the evacuees have returned, the ICS is disassembled, and everything is more or less “back to normal.” It addresses the need for all agencies involved in the evacuation process to sit down together and evaluate the overall evacuation operation from beginning to end.
In each phase there are a number of other departments that the DOT needs to work closely with in order to successfully implement an evacuation procedure. On the local level, the DOT has to collaborate with the City Emergency Management Department, the City Street Transportation Department, City Police/Fire Departments, and the City Public Transit Department. At the county level, the DOT usually works with some form of Emergency Management Office/Division, Office/Division of Homeland Security, and the Sheriff’s Office [5]. Finally, most of the federal collaborations occur after the incident has already taken place. The federal branch of the DOT works with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (depending on the situation), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Other general, key agencies or organizations that all levels of the DOT must work with include the media and private sector agencies like the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, as they serve and assist the evacuees and are most in tune with their direct needs.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the local level agencies to determine the severity of the impending incident and actually issue the need for an evacuation. Meanwhile, the state agencies would play more of a supportive role, giving out additional resources and personnel as needed, and update the federal branch for more help. Finally, the federal branch would come into play 24-48 hours after the incident to offer further help and support and release federal funding accordingly. Furthermore, each phase, previously listed above, has additional roles and responsibilities that must be addressed by the DOT on the local, county, state, and federal levels along each step of the way [6].
Advanced Planning
• Coordinate with other critical agencies to develop emergency evacuation strategy plan (EESP).
• Execute an agreement with all agencies identified in the EESP and participate in regularly scheduled drills and tests.
• Evaluate evacuation routes and feasibility of scenarios, including capacity needs/restrictions, and clearance times.
• Establish evacuation transportation control guidelines (suspension of tolls, work zone impacts, transit resources, etc.)
• Establish redundancy of Traffic Management Centers, systems, equipment, and personnel.
• Establish guidelines for transit agency response, rerouting of vehicles, call back of drivers and dispatchers in the event of an evacuation.
• Establish uniform communication between agencies and promote intergovernmental relationships/communications protocols with the media.
Incident Notification
• Coordinate transportation infrastructure restoration and recovery activities
• If an incident occurs within the transit system or in view of personnel, local energy responders must be notified.
• Utilize the following equipment and resources: “511” system, dynamic message signs (DMS), Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) system, DOT website, Traffic Management Center (TMC), Dispatch/Operations Center, and Incident Command System (ICS).
Activation and Mobilization
• Activate Traffic Management Center if incident occurs outside normal operating hours
• Prepare to activate back-up facilities (alternate TMC/mobile command center).
• Provide road condition information gathered from traffic signals, vehicle detection systems, and CCTV surveillance systems.
• Evaluate evacuation routes and possible alternatives, while determining the feasibility for each plan, and implement appropriate traffic control measures (including provisions for the movement of emergency vehicles and personnel in affected area).
• Make all vehicles available to support mobilization of evacuees necessary and provide/coordinate transit resources. Divert incoming aircraft (commercial airlines, etc.) to other landing areas, if possible.
• Utilize the following additional equipment and resources: emergency evacuation plans, back-up communications (cell phones, satellite phones, etc.), road condition information, traffic network models, cones, barricades, signs, vehicle fleets (buses, trains, trolleys, ferries, etc.), and personnel.
Evacuation Operations
• Support traveler information dissemination using information from vehicle detection systems and CCTV surveillance. Provide timely updates on this information to emergency management personnel and the media.
• Support law enforcement/public safety traffic management and control efforts and implement modifications to signal system or ITS devices as requested.
• Mobilize transit vehicles and drivers to transport evacuees and be used as mobile shelters for emergency personnel.
• Utilize the following additional equipment and resources: service patrol vehicles with towing and refueling capabilities used to provide evacuees assistance with minor automobile issues, barricades, cones, sandbags, gravel, light towers, arrow boards, and aircraft (helicopters).
Re-Entry
• Maintain records of agency’s evacuation return activities.
• Continue to provide timely updates on road conditions and support traveler information dissemination.
Debrief/Assessment
• Discuss/evaluate overall performance and execution of tasks, in relation to evacuation plan.
• Prepare a post-evacuation document detailing experiences, lessons learned, and modifications.
Even, with the development of well thought-out plans, there are always going to be inevitable unforeseen circumstances that cannot all be accounted for. For example, a nuclear explosion would create extreme challenges to a well-established evacuation plan. Often times, almost no advance notice is given and incomplete, accurate, and contradictory information about an incident is likely to be hard to decipher when key decisions need to be made. Decision makers in all levels of government have little time to wait for extra information to make a crucial decision, as waiting could cause a significant negative effect on the safety of citizens [7].
All employees of the Department of Transportation have an additional assessment to perform, as a nuclear explosion could affect priority evacuation areas, access to affected zones, destruction of transportation/evacuation resources and infrastructure damage, and the rerouting or impediments to evacuation routes which could significantly impact evacuation time estimates. Furthermore, if public transportation or mass transit are effected when being used to evacuate individuals from contaminated areas, the vehicles themselves need to constantly be monitored to minimize the potential of contaminating other people from radiation. This issue can be countered by rinsing/washing the equipment before or after use, but care must be taken that it doesn’t significantly restrict or inhibit the necessary evacuations that must be made. These risk-benefit type decisions must be made while trying to keep an expedient evacuation process but not spreading contamination throughout the vehicles to healthy people. Once a vehicle has been contaminated, it cannot be returned to service until it has been proven that the appropriate decontamination process has been followed. The DOT also has a responsibility to maintain their major transportation hubs, as areas like airports, seaports, and railroad stations are ideal evacuation points and people must be rerouted quickly if any get destroyed [7].
Overall, while the Secretary of Transportation doesn’t play a huge role in the policy making behind nuclear warfare or nuclear accidents, he/she is in charge of one of the largest governmental departments and is still an important character. The Secretary must work closely alongside the Department of Homeland Security and other evacuation agencies to ensure the protection and safe transport of nuclear materials, as well as be ready to help delegate in case of a nuclear emergency and evacuation.
In acting as the Secretary of Transportation in our class simulation, I will continue to reiterate the close relationships with these other departments and look out for the best interests of the evacuees in the most efficient, safe, and constructive way possible. My main concern will be to reroute air traffic away from the disaster (if a terrorist attack, I would ground all air traffic), free up resources and vehicles to implement our evacuation plans while working with other agencies, and ensure that the vehicles and public transit are used to the best of their abilities, without further contamination to the rescuers or people being rescued.