John B. Breaux: “today we are honored by the nomination of Debbie Hersman to serve as a member of the National Transportation Safety…”

“today we are honored by the nomination of Debbie Hersman to serve as a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. Along with Senator Hollings, I have spent a great deal of time over the last 5 years working with Debbie. She has always provided me with excellent counsel and I can count on her to know the facts and understand the points of view of all sides. Debbie's experience in all modes of transportation qualifies her well for this position. In 1999 she spent countless hours drafting legislation that ultimately resulted in the creation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at the Department of Transportation, with the primary purposes of reducing large truck fatalities on our nation's highways. In 2001 Debbie and I worked through many legislative issues on the floor along with Senator McCain and his staff to pass a pipeline safety bill. The pipeline safety legislation was prompted by several fatal accidents that were also investigated by the NTSB. We rely on the Board to provide us with independent and honest answers about accidents and what needs to be done to prevent them in the future. I know that we can count on Debbie to understand the import of the Board's work and the interplay between the Board's recommendations and the legislative and regulatory processes.”