STATEMENT OF CHARLES D. NOTTINGHAM, MEMBER-DESIGNATE, SURFACE
TRANSPORTATION BOARD, BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE
AND TRANSPORTATION

JULY 27, 2006

Thank you Chairman Stevens and Ranking Member Inouye. I am pleased to
appear before this Committee today as President Bush's nominee to the
Surface Transportation Board (STB). I appreciate the Committee's
willingness to schedule this hearing during a very busy time in the
legislative season.

I would like to thank Senators Warner and Allen and Congressman Davis
for their kind introductions. I have had the honor of working with them
for many years and am grateful to have earned their support and trust. I
would also like to thank former Secretary of Transportation Mineta and
Acting Secretary Cino. I have worked closely with them and appreciate
their support for my nomination. My wife, Catherine, and sons Garner and
Charles, are with me today and seated in the audience.

I appear before this Committee today as President Bush's nominee to the
STB. The President has indicated that, if I am confirmed, he would
designate me as Chairman of the STB. The STB is an independent agency
with significant adjudicative, regulatory and policy-making
responsibilities. If confirmed, I will carry out these responsibilities
in an impartial, fair, and effective manner.

I have dedicated my career to public service. My first job in
Washington, DC was serving as an intern in Senator Lautenberg's office
in the summer of 1985. I recently had an opportunity to personally thank
Senator Lautenberg for providing me with my first professional exposure
to public service and for instilling in me an enduring and deep respect
for Congress. My first job out of college was in the Justice
Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division where I served
in the civil service as a paralegal in 1988 and 1989.

After graduating from law school and being admitted to the Virginia Bar
Association, I worked for Congressman Tom Davis as his counsel and,
eventually, as his chief of staff. I subsequently served as chief of
staff to Congressman Bob Goodlatte. From 1998 to 2002 I served the
Commonwealth of Virginia as the Assistant Secretary of Transportation
and then as Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner \-- the chief
executive officer in charge of the Virginia Department of Transportation
(VDOT). VDOT is the third largest state department of transportation in
the nation and employed approximately 10,500 people with an annual
budget of \$3.2 billion. As the Commissioner of VDOT from 1999-2002, I
learned invaluable lessons on how to manage a large, complex
organization. I also gained first-hand experience in tackling the
transportation challenges that confront ports, shippers, railroads,
farmers and commuters alike.

Since 2002, I have served in the federal Senior Executive Service as the
Associate Administrator for Policy and Governmental Affairs at the
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). I worked closely with Congress in
crafting the surface transportation reauthorization bill, SAFETEA-LU,
which was enacted in August, 2005. I have also worked closely with
state, local and private stakeholders on advancing policies to address
our nation's growing transportation congestion problem and
infrastructure capacity needs.

As former Secretary Mineta stated often, one of our nation's priorities
must be to work relentlessly to prevent the transportation system in our
country from turning into the choke point that restricts economic
growth. Freight traffic of all kinds in the U.S.-- whether on the rails,
roads, seaways, or by air -- is forecast to double in volume over the
next 20 years. Our existing transportation infrastructure will require
significant and continuous improvement in order to handle the
anticipated growth of all types of traffic and to keep our economy
moving. I believe that the decisions and policies of the STB can play a
vital role in ensuring that our country rises to this congestion and
infrastructure challenge. This is one of the reasons that I am excited
about the prospect, if confirmed, of serving on the STB.

The STB is an independent, adjudicatory body and, as such, its Members
must be impartial, fair and open-minded. If confirmed, I will give all
of the issues that come before the STB full, fair and impartial
consideration. I would not take office with any preconceived ideas about
the outcome of any issue. I would consider each matter on the merits and
endeavor to make the right decision based on the facts and the law. If
confirmed, I will give all matters fair, impartial, careful and
thoughtful consideration.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that, if confirmed, I would
continue to work closely with the Congress and all stakeholders. I have
worked for the Congress and have complete respect for the letter and
spirit of the laws crafted by this institution. All Members of Congress
can be certain that I will be accessible and responsive to them and
their staffs. Similarly, the STB's stakeholders can count on me to be
accessible and open-minded.

I am honored to be under consideration for this important job and by the
prospect of continuing to serve our great nation and all of its citizens
who depend on our transportation network. Thank you for your
consideration and I look forward to answering any questions you might
have.