Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Cannon House Office Building 122
2:00 - 3:30 PM

Invitation Flyer

In Cooperation with the Congressional Hazards Caucus - Co-Chairs: Senators Mary Landrieu, Lisa Murkowski, and Ben Nelson and Representative Zoe Lofgren

The global market relies on transportation infrastructure that has become more vulnerable to disruption with the increasing frequency and intensity of heat waves, storms, and natural disasters. A single disruption can result in delays and costs to economies around the world. These apparent changes in climate norms may cause us to rethink how we design and maintain infrastructure. If “hundred-year storms” occur every few years, roads will need to withstand higher weather risks to avoid premature replacement costs. Many questions remain for how transit and highway agencies evaluate risks and costs, and how best to design for resilience.

This briefing will inform us on how transportation can accommodate new weather patterns, where the gaps and vulnerabilities remain, and how federal policy and guidance can encourage best practices in adapting to climate change.

Speakers:
Joe Manous, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Art Guzzetti, American Public Transportation Association

Gregory Slater, Maryland State Highway Administration

Therese McMillan, Federal Transit Administration

Speaker Biographies

Joe Manous is a Group Manager and serves as the Future Directions Team Leader for the Institute for Water Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers and is on a part-time detail to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. Dr Manous is a civil engineer specializing in the areas of water resources and environmental security issues associated with water. Before coming to work at the Corps of Engineers, Joe served as an Academy Professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he taught courses in environmental engineering, water resources, and environmental security.

Art Guzzetti is a thirty-two year veteran in public transportation, currently serving as Vice President – Policy at the American Public Transportation Association. Prior to that, he held senior policy and government affairs positions at two of the nation’s leading public transit systems – New Jersey Transit, and Port Authority of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh).

Gregory Slater is Director of Planning and Preliminary Engineering for the Maryland State Highway Administration, responsible for program development, asset management, long range planning, highway statistics, environmental planning, project planning development, and travel forecasting and analysis. As Planning Director, Mr. Slater focuses on data driven decision support to develop sustainable solutions for Maryland, which allows MDSHA to focus on sustainability, climate change, and linking of planning and safety.

Therese McMillan is the Deputy Administrator for the Federal Transit Administration since 2009, where she has served on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, and has worked to allocate $8.78 billion in Recovery Act grants to enhance public transportation for American communities. Prior to her appointment, Ms. McMillan was the Deputy Executive Director of Policy at the San Francisco Bay Area Region's Metropolitan Transportation Commission.