**Department of Transportation**

For the Week of April 7, 2003

**Key Agency News**

DOT Expects All U.S. Airlines Will Meet Deadline for Strengthening
Cockpit Doors. All U.S. airlines are expected to meet the upcoming April
9 deadline to strengthen the cockpit doors on their passenger airplanes
to prevent entry by terrorists and other intruders. The requirement for
strengthened cockpit doors is the result of a directive the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) issued on January 10, 2002, ordering the
airlines to install new, hardened cockpit doors on U.S. passenger
airplanes by April 9, 2003. The FAA, the aircraft manufacturers, and the
airlines worked together closely to develop a suitable design.

**U.S.-China to Hold Discussions on New Bilateral Maritime Agreement.
T**he Department of Transportation\'s Maritime Administration will host
a delegation from China\'s Ministry of Communications on April 7 through
April 9, 2003. Discussions will focus on international ocean shipping
between the two countries and the prospects for entering into a new
bilateral maritime agreement. The previous agreement expired in 1998,
but both nations are respecting the expired agreement on the basis of
comity and reciprocity. Formal renewal of the agreement has been delayed
because of continuing Chinese intransigence toward opening their
international maritime services market. The two sides have met for
technical discussions, in December 2000 in Seattle, and March 2002 in
Beijing. U.S. shipping interests continue to press for guarantees from
China that their access to the Chinese market will be equal to that
granted to Chinese shipping companies by the United States.

**Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Transportation Working Group to
Meet.** The Department of Transportation will lead a delegation of
government officials and U.S. industry leaders to the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) 22^nd^ Transportation Working Group meeting
in Singapore from April 7 to 11. The Working Group will discuss the
liberalization of air and maritime services and the APEC transportation
agenda for the remainder of the year.

**DOT to Observe 4^th^ Annual National Work Zone Awareness Week.** April
6 to April 12, 2003 marks the fourth observance of National Work Zone
Safety Awareness Week. The annual event is aimed at educating drivers
and transportation construction workers about the safety challenges of
highway and roadway construction zones, and reducing injuries and
fatalities. Each year, over 40,000 people are injured in motor vehicle
crashes in work zones. Fatalities reached a high of 1,079 in 2001. DOT's
Federal Highway Administration will be coordinating educational
activities with partners in state and local government, and from private
industry, throughout the week.

**Press Activity**

On April 7, FHWA Administrator Peters and FTA Administrator Dorn will
brief reporters from the National Press Foundation concerning surface
transportation reauthorization.

*The Washington Post* contacted MARAD public affairs concerning an
upcoming story on the military sealift and the commercial maritime
industry.

*Long Island Newsday* is preparing a 12-part series on road deaths to be
published in April. Federal Highway Administration officials were
interviewed concerning driver distractions in urban settings.

*The Newport News Daily Press* is preparing a story on artificial
reefing as it relates to the ultimate disposal of obsolete vessels in
the James River Reserve Fleet.

The Secretary's Schedule

**April 7.** Meeting with the President.

**April 8.** Testify at House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Transportation & Treasury on DOT FY2004 Budget

**Congressional Activity**

**April 8.** The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and
Treasury will hold a hearing on DOT's fiscal year 2004 Budget. Secretary
Norman Mineta will testify.

**April 9.** The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and
Treasury will hold a hearing on the Federal Aviation Administration's
(FAA's) Costs and Operations. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey and
Inspector General Ken Mead will testify.

**April 9.** The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on
Aviation will hold a hearing on general aviation issues surrounding the
Federal Aviation Administration's pending reauthorization. No DOT
witness will testify.

**April 10.** The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation
and Treasury will hold a hearing on implementation of new oversight
requirements on Amtrak enacted in fiscal year 2003, and the fiscal year
2004 budget request for Amtrak. Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson will
testify.

**April 10.** The House Science Subcommittee on Environment, Technology
and Standards will hold a hearing on surface transportation research.
This will serve as the basis for the Science Committee\'s own
legislative proposal for transportation research. A DOT witness has not
been selected at this time.

### FOIA Inquiries

NHTSA has received the following FOIA request: The Boston Globe has
requested copies of \"any and all correspondence, or records of
communications, with or concerning Senator John F. Kerry of
Massachusetts and/or any member of his staff.\" The agency\'s response
is due by April 16, 2003.

\*\*\*

Point of Contact: For the weekend of April 12 -- 13, 2003, John Flaherty
will be the contact. He can be reached through the FAA Operations Center
at (202) 267-3333.

**GRANTS**

The following grants from DOT\'s Federal Transit Administration are
pending release:

Massachusetts

\$1,064,223.00 for projects in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10

North Dakota

\$1,119,228.00 for projects in District AL

Oregon

\$2,480,000.00 for projects in District 3

Tennessee

\$1,131,500.00 for projects in Districts 7, 8, 9

Washington

\$9,900,131.00 for projects in District 9

\$1,237,894.00 for projects in Districts 3, 9

Wisconsin

\$4,085,498.00 for projects in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

A Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) grant of \$916,300
for research by the University of Wisconsin was released on March 26.
Senators Herb Kohl and Russell Feingold and Representative Tammy Baldwin
were notified.

There are no FAA AIP grants pending.

**Release of transportation discretionary grants over \$1 million** **is
subject to a three-day advance notification request to congressional
appropriation committees. All announcements of grants** **must be
coordinated with the DOT Governmental Affairs office.**