Pena Energy Secretary-nominee

[Jim Hardeman <Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us>]

For those who haven't had the chance to see it yet, below is
Energy Secretary-nominee Pena's "official biography" from
the US Department of Transportation web site (www.dot.gov).

Jim Hardeman, Manager
Environmental Radiation Program
Environmental Protection Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
4244 International Parkway, Suite 114
Atlanta, GA 30354
(404) 362-2675  fax: (404) 362-2653
Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us

=============================

Federico F. Pe#a, the 12th U.S. Secretary of Transportation,
has in three- and-a-half years compiled an outstanding record
of increasing the global competitiveness of the transportation
industry; improving the safety of travel; and streamlining the
Department of Transportation, while investing more in
America's infrastructure than any Secretary in history. 

In the area of global competitiveness, the transportation
sector is the healthiest it has been in decades. Five hundred
thousand of the 10 million jobs created since President
Clinton took office are in transportation services.

Secretary Pe#a helped revitalize the U.S. airline industry and
signed aviation agreements with 40 nations opening lucrative
markets for American airlines and cargo carriers and
promoting easier travel for Americans and tourists to the U.S.
At the President's request, he has conducted commercial
diplomacy efforts around the world, and he is credited with
helping American businesses sell billions of dollars in exports
to Asia and the Middle East. He also orchestrated for
President Clinton the revitalization of shipbuilding, leading to
the sale of the first American-made large vessels to foreign
countries in 38 years. 

He is responsible for bringing airline consumers the same
level of safety for all flights -- from jumbo jets to a 10-seater,
and he has spurred the truck, bus and rail industries to
promote safety.

As for streamlining his department, Secretary Pe#a
downsized the work force by 11,000 positions, while upsizing
investments in America's infrastructure by 10 percent. He
rewrote the rule book on financing highway projects, which
has encouraged private financing, and speeded up
construction of more than 75 projects by two or three years at
no cost to the federal taxpayer. 

He also is leading the way for cities to use new technologies
to manage traffic congestion and has set a national goal to
cut American's commute time by 15 percent in a decade; and
he has emphasized consumer protection, by improving an
auto safety hotline and ensuring proper airline ticketing and
advertising practices.

As the Service Secretary for the U.S. Coast Guard, he has
provided leadership for the nation's fifth armed service to save
lives and protect our environment. On his watch, the Coast
Guard rescued 56,000 Haitian and Cuban boat people, fought
devastating floods and hurricanes, and -- last winter --
ensured the uninterrupted flow of commerce despite
unprecedented ice conditions.