Polly Trottenberg Tapped For Senior U.S. DOT Spot
It’s a happy Friday for transportation wonks: the White House has nominated Polly Trottenberg, executive director of Building America’s Future, as assistant secretary for policy at the federal DOT.

Trottenberg’s
ascension signals that the Obama administration will make transit a
serious priority and encourage a more equitable consideration of urban
priorities during debate on the upcoming federal transportation bill.
Her dozen years of Senate experience, including stints in the offices
of Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), also will prove a
valuable asset to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, himself a
veteran of the House.
But it’s Trottenberg’s independent
analysis of the recent economic stimulus bill that stands out. She
joined New York City DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and former New
York State DOT Commissioner Astrid Glynn for a series of progressive recommendations for the stimulus plan — some of which, such as the "fix-it-first" requirement for roads and bridges, were left out of the final legislation.
And in a panel discussion
at NewTalk, Trottenberg acknowledged that the stimulus bill’s speedy
delivery of cash to state DOTs was at odds with the Obama
administration’s goal of promoting "green energy":
It appears that we have made some progress in advancing a more
transparent and accountable infrastructure policy in the economic
stimulus bill, but it’s likely that we will not do much to achieve what
should be our ultimate goal – resolving the more fundamental question
of what we are trying to accomplish with our federal investments and
targeting the funds accordingly.For example, President-elect Obama has called for a “green energy”
approach to economic recovery, which will focus on projects that reduce
energy consumption. However, if you survey the potential list of
transportation projects proposed by a number of State Departments of
Transportation, it appears likely this legislation will fund billions
of dollars in new highway capacity in suburban and exurban areas. These
projects will exacerbate auto-dependent development and increase fossil
fuel consumption.
It’s
too soon to say whether Trottenberg can combat the desire for political
expediency that led to some bad transportation decision-making in the
name of economic stimulus. Yet her arrival in the Obama administration
is certainly good news.