§301. Leadership, consultation, and cooperation
The Secretary of Transportation shall-
(1) under the direction of the President, exercise leadership in transportation matters, including those matters affecting national defense and those matters involving national or regional emergencies;
(2) provide leadership in the development of transportation policies and programs, and make recommendations to the President and Congress for their consideration and implementation;
(3) coordinate Federal policy on intermodal transportation and initiate policies to promote efficient intermodal transportation in the United States;
(4) promote and undertake the development, collection, and dissemination of technological, statistical, economic, and other information relevant to domestic and international transportation;
(5) consult and cooperate with the Secretary of Labor in compiling information regarding the status of labor-management contracts and other labor-management problems and in promoting industrial harmony and stable employment conditions in all modes of transportation;
(6) promote and undertake research and development related to transportation, including noise abatement, with particular attention to aircraft noise, and including basic highway vehicle science;
(7) consult with the heads of other departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States Government on the transportation requirements of the Government, including encouraging them to establish and observe policies consistent with maintaining a coordinated transportation system in procuring transportation or in operating their own transport services;
(8) consult and cooperate with State and local governments, carriers, labor, and other interested persons, including, when appropriate, holding informal public hearings; and
(9) develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds.
(
| Revised Section | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | 49:1653(a). | Oct. 15, 1966,
|
In the introductory clause before "shall", the words "in carrying out the purposes of this chapter . . . among his responsibilities" are omitted as surplus.
In clause (4), the word "compiling" is substituted for "gathering" for consistency.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1998-Par. (9).
1991-Pars. (3) to (5).
Par. (6).
Pars. (7), (8).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Geomatic Data
"(a)
"(b)
"(c)
"(1) notice of the proposed guidance; and
"(2) an opportunity to comment on the proposed guidance.
"(d)
"(1) requires the Secretary to accept or use information that the Secretary determines does not meet the guidance developed under this section; or
"(2) changes the current statutory or regulatory requirements of the Department [of Transportation]."
Risk and System Resilience
"(a)
"(1) resilience to threat probabilities by type of hazard and geographical location;
"(2) resilience to asset vulnerabilities with respect to each applicable threat; and
"(3) anticipated consequences from each applicable threat to each asset.
"(b)
"(1)
"(2)
"(c)
"(1)
"(A) identify and support fundamental research to develop a framework and quantitative models to support compilation of information for risk-based analysis of transportation assets by standardizing the basis for quantifying annual risk and increasing system resilience; and
"(B) build on existing resilience research, including studies conducted by-
"(i) the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and
"(ii) the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
"(2)
Safety Data Initiative
"(a)
"(1) a State;
"(2) a unit of local government;
"(3) a transit agency or authority;
"(4) a metropolitan planning organization;
"(5) any other subdivision of a State or local government;
"(6) an institution of higher education; and
"(7) a multi-State or multijurisdictional group.
"(b)
"(1)
"(2)
"(A)
"(i)
"(ii)
"(I) carry out demonstration programs;
"(II) award grants and provide incentives to eligible entities;
"(III) enter into partnerships with-
"(aa) eligible entities;
"(bb) private sector entities; and
"(cc) National Laboratories; and
"(IV) use any other tools, strategies, or methods that will result in the effective use of data and information for safety purposes.
"(B)
"(i) develop safety analysis tools for State and local governments, with a particular focus on State and local governments with limited capacity to perform safety analysis;
"(ii)(I) identify innovative State and local government practices;
"(II) incubate those practices for further development; and
"(III) replicate those practices nationwide; and
"(iii) transfer to State and local governments the results of the applied research carried out under that subparagraph.
"(C)
"(i)
"(I) encourage the sharing of data between and among Federal, State, and local transportation agencies; and
"(II) leverage data from private sector entities.
"(ii)
"(I) the creation of data ecosystems to reduce barriers to the efficient integration and analysis of relevant datasets for use by safety professionals; and
"(II) the establishment of procedures adequate to ensure sufficient security, privacy, and confidentiality as needed to promote the sharing of sensitive or proprietary data.
"(iii)
"(I) the Director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics;
"(II) 1 or more trusted third parties, as determined by the Secretary; or
"(III) 1 or more other entities or partnerships capable of securing, managing, and analyzing sensitive or proprietary data.
"(3)
"(A)
"(i) the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy;
"(ii) the Chief Information Officer of the Department [of Transportation];
"(iii) the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration;
"(iv) the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration;
"(v) the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration;
"(vi) the Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration; and
"(vii) the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.
"(B)
"(C)
"(4)
"(A) the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act; and
"(B) the date on which the Secretary makes the direction to officials described in paragraph (3)(C)."
GAO Cybersecurity Recommendations
"(a)
"(1) by developing a cybersecurity risk management strategy for the systems and information of the Department [of Transportation];
"(2) by updating policies to address an organization-wide risk assessment; and
"(3) by updating the processes for coordination between cybersecurity risk management functions and enterprise risk management functions.
"(b)
"(1) reviewing positions in the Department; and
"(2) assigning appropriate work roles in accordance with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education Cybersecurity Workforce Framework.
"(c)
"(1)
"(2)
"(A) the roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships of the senior officials of the Department with respect to cybersecurity at the components of the Department;
"(B) the extent to which officials of the Department-
"(i) establish requirements for, share information with, provide resources to, and monitor the performance of managers with respect to cybersecurity within the components of the Department; and
"(ii) hold managers accountable for cybersecurity within the components of the Department; and
"(C) other aspects of cybersecurity, as the Comptroller General of the United States determines to be appropriate."
Performance Measurement, Transparency, and Accountability
"(1) develop metrics to assess the effectiveness of the activities funded by the grant;
"(2) establish standards for the performance of the activities funded by the grant that are based on the metrics developed under paragraph (1); and
"(3) not later than the date that is 4 years after the date of the initial award of the grant and every 2 years thereafter until the date on which Federal financial assistance is discontinued for the applicable activity, conduct an assessment of the activity funded by the grant to confirm whether the performance is meeting the standards for performance established under paragraph (2)."
National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure
"(a)
"(1) 1 out of every 9 jobs in the United States depends on travel and tourism, and the industry supports 15,000,000 jobs in the United States;
"(2) the travel and tourism industry employs individuals in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and all of the territories of the United States;
"(3) international travel to the United States is the single largest export industry in the United States, generating a trade surplus balance of approximately $74,000,000,000;
"(4) travel and tourism provide significant economic benefits to the United States by generating nearly $2,100,000,000,000 in annual economic output; and
"(5) the United States intermodal transportation network facilitates the large-scale movement of business and leisure travelers, and is the most important asset of the travel industry.
"(b)
"(c)
"(1) be composed of members appointed by the Secretary for terms of not more than 3 years; and
"(2) include a representative cross-section of public and private sector stakeholders involved in the travel and tourism industry, including representatives of-
"(A) the travel and tourism industry, product and service providers, and travel and tourism-related associations;
"(B) travel, tourism, and destination marketing organizations;
"(C) the travel and tourism-related workforce;
"(D) State tourism offices;
"(E) State departments of transportation;
"(F) regional and metropolitan planning organizations; and
"(G) local governments.
"(d)
"(1) advise the Secretary on current and emerging priorities, issues, projects, and funding needs related to the use of the intermodal transportation network of the United States to facilitate travel and tourism;
"(2) serve as a forum for discussion for travel and tourism stakeholders on transportation issues affecting interstate and interregional mobility of passengers;
"(3) promote the sharing of information between the private and public sectors on transportation issues impacting travel and tourism;
"(4) gather information, develop technical advice, and make recommendations to the Secretary on policies that improve the condition and performance of an integrated national transportation system that-
"(A) is safe, economical, and efficient; and
"(B) maximizes the benefits to the United States generated through the travel and tourism industry;
"(5) identify critical transportation facilities and corridors that facilitate and support the interstate and interregional transportation of passengers for tourism, commercial, and recreational activities;
"(6) provide for development of measures of condition, safety, and performance for transportation related to travel and tourism;
"(7) provide for development of transportation investment, data, and planning tools to assist Federal, State, and local officials in making investment decisions relating to transportation projects that improve travel and tourism; and
"(8) address other issues of transportation policy and programs impacting the movement of travelers for tourism and recreational purposes, including by making legislative recommendations.
"(e)
"(1) to develop an immediate-term and long-term strategy, including policy recommendations across all modes of transportation, for the Department and other agencies to use infrastructure investments to revive the travel and tourism industry and the overall travel and tourism economy in the wake of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic; and
"(2) that includes-
"(A) an assessment of the condition and performance of the national transportation network, including consideration of the impacts of the COVID–19 pandemic;
"(B) an identification of the issues on the national transportation network that create significant congestion problems and barriers to long-haul passenger travel and tourism;
"(C) forecasts of long-haul passenger travel and tourism volumes for the 20-year period beginning in the year during which the plan is issued;
"(D) an identification of the major transportation facilities and corridors of regional significance for current and forecasted long-haul travel and tourism volumes, the identification of which shall be revised, as appropriate, in subsequent plans;
"(E) an assessment of statutory, regulatory, technological, institutional, financial, and other barriers to improved long-haul passenger travel performance (including opportunities for overcoming the barriers);
"(F) best practices for improving the performance of the national transportation network;
"(G) strategies to improve intermodal connectivity for long-haul passenger travel and tourism; and
"(H) an identification of possible infrastructure investments that create recovery opportunities for small, underserved, minority, and rural businesses in the travel and tourism industry, including efforts to preserve and protect the scenic, but often less-traveled, roads that promote tourism and economic development throughout the United States."
Collaboration and Support
Public-Private Partnerships
"(a)
"(b)
"(c)
"(d)
"(1)
"(2)
Vessel Transfer Authority
Budget Justification
Coordinated Transportation Services
Establishment of Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System
"(a) As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 27, 1997], the Secretary of Transportation, acting for the Department of Transportation, may take receipt of such equipment and sites of the Ground Wave Emergency Network (referred to in this section as 'GWEN') as the Secretary of Transportation determines to be necessary for the establishment of a nationwide system to be known as the 'Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System' (referred to in this section as 'NDGPS').
"(b) As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 27, 1997], the Secretary of Transportation may establish the NDGPS. In establishing the NDGPS, the Secretary of Transportation may-
"(1) if feasible, reuse GWEN equipment and sites transferred to the Department of Transportation under subsection (a);
"(2) to the maximum extent practicable, use contractor services to install the NDGPS;
"(3) modify the positioning system operated by the Coast Guard at the time of the establishment of the NDGPS to integrate the reference stations made available pursuant to subsection (a);
"(4) in cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, ensure that the reference stations referred to in paragraph (3) are compatible with, and integrated into, the Continuously Operating Reference Station (commonly referred to as 'CORS') system of the National Geodetic Survey of the Department of Commerce; and
"(5) in cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, investigate the use of the NDGPS reference stations for the Global Positioning System Integrated Precipitable Water Vapor System of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"(c) The Secretary of Transportation may-
"(1) manage and operate the NDGPS;
"(2) ensure that the service of the NDGPS is provided without the assessment of any user fee; and
"(3) in cooperation with the Secretary of Defense, ensure that the use of the NDGPS is denied to any enemy of the United States.
"(d) In any case in which the Secretary of Transportation determines that contracting for the maintenance of 1 or more NDGPS reference stations is cost-effective, the Secretary of Transportation may enter into a contract to provide for that maintenance.
"(e) The Secretary of Transportation may-
"(1) in cooperation with appropriate representatives of private industries and universities and officials of State governments-
"(A) investigate improvements (including potential improvements) to the NDGPS;
"(B) develop standards for the NDGPS; and
"(C) sponsor the development of new applications for the NDGPS; and
"(2) provide for the continual upgrading of the NDGPS to improve performance and address the needs of-
"(A) the Federal Government;
"(B) State and local governments; and
"(C) the general public."
Intermodal Transportation Advisory Board and Office of Intermodalism
Model Intermodal Transportation Plans
National Commission on Intermodal Transportation
Border Crossings
Underground Pipelines
Long-Range National Transportation Strategic Planning Study
Executive Documents
Commercial Expendable Launch Vehicle Activities
Designation of Department of Transportation as lead agency and duties of the Secretary for encouraging, facilitating, and developing commercial expendable launch vehicle operations by private enterprise, see Ex. Ord. No. 12465, Feb. 24, 1984, 49 F.R. 7211, set out under section 50903 of Title 51, National and Commercial Space Programs.
Ex. Ord. No. 13274. Environmental Stewardship and Transportation Infrastructure Project Reviews
Ex. Ord. No. 13274, Sept. 18, 2002, 67 F.R. 59449, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 13286, §2, Feb. 28, 2003, 68 F.R. 10619, provided:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to enhance environmental stewardship and streamline the environmental review and development of transportation infrastructure projects, it is hereby ordered as follows:
(b) In furtherance of the policy set forth in section 1 of this order, the Secretary of Transportation, in coordination with agencies as appropriate, shall advance environmental stewardship through cooperative actions with project sponsors to promote protection and enhancement of the natural and human environment in the planning, development, operation, and maintenance of transportation facilities and services.
(c) The Secretary of Transportation shall designate for the purposes of this order a list of high-priority transportation infrastructure projects that should receive expedited agency reviews and shall amend such list from time to time as the Secretary deems appropriate. For projects on the Secretary's list, agencies shall to the maximum extent practicable expedite their reviews for relevant permits or other approvals, and take related actions as necessary, consistent with available resources and applicable laws, including those relating to safety, public health, and environmental protection.
(b) Membership and Operation. The Task Force shall promote interagency cooperation and the establishment of appropriate mechanisms to coordinate Federal, State, tribal, and local agency consultation, review, approval, and permitting of transportation infrastructure projects. The Task Force shall consist exclusively of the following officers of the United States: the Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Transportation (who shall chair the Task Force), Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Homeland Security, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality. A member of the Task Force may designate, to perform the Task Force functions of the member, any person who is part of the member's department, agency, or office and who is either an officer of the United States appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate or a member of the Senior Executive Service. The Task Force shall report to the President through the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality.
(b) Identifies substantive and procedural requirements of Federal, State, tribal, and local laws, regulations, and Executive Orders that are inconsistent with, duplicative of, or are structured so as to restrict their efficient implementation with other applicable requirements.
(c) Makes recommendations regarding those additional actions that could be taken to: (i) address the coordination and expediting of reviews of transportation infrastructure projects by simplifying and harmonizing applicable substantive and procedural requirements; and (ii) elevate and resolve controversies among Federal, State, tribal, and local agencies related to the review or impacts of transportation infrastructure projects in a timely manner.
(d) Provides any other recommendations that would, in the judgement of the Task Force, advance the policy set forth in section 1 of this order.
George W. Bush.