Nominee to head PHMSA says safety should be ‘constant’

Washington – Marie Therese Dominguez promised to make safety the No. 1 priority as head of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, during her nomination hearing in front of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

The committee met July 22 to learn more about Dominguez, who was nominated to lead PHMSA on May 29 by President Barack Obama. A full Senate confirmation vote on Dominguez’s nomination had not been scheduled as of press time.

Since June, Dominguez has served as deputy administrator at PHMSA. Her background also includes stints with the U.S. Postal Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

“I fully support her nomination as PHMSA administrator,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said. During the hearing, Dominguez said PHMSA was at a pivotal point in its history.

“The U.S. energy sector is undergoing a rapid transformation,” Dominguez said. “Technology and innovation have brought energy independence and new products which improve our lives, but may contain hazardous materials that need to be safely transported. It is our responsibility to use our regulatory and enforcement authority effectively to assure all Americans that, even as the landscape changes, safety is a constant.”