Peters Statement on Meeting with Secretary of Transportation Nominee Elaine Chao

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and co-founder of the Smart Transportation Caucus, released the following statement after meeting with Elaine Chao, the nominee for U.S. Secretary of Transportation:

“I appreciated the opportunity to meet with Elaine Chao and discuss a number of transportation issues critical to Michigan and the nation. During our meeting, I was able to raise the importance of connected and automated vehicle technologies as an issue the federal government should continue to focus on in the coming years. Under the Obama Administration, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has made significant progress to help support the development and deployment of these life-savings technologies, and I will be urging the Trump Administration to continue building on the progress that has already been made through efforts like the recent Federal Automated Vehicle Policy and proposed rule for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications.

“I also shared information about Michigan’s role as a leader in the future of mobility and discussed the good work already underway in Michigan at test facilities like the University of Michigan’s Mcity and the American Center for Mobility. I urged Ms. Chao to follow through on DOT’s current competition to designate national proving grounds to help connected and automated vehicle technologies reach their full potential. I look forward to continuing this discussion and hearing more about her plans for DOT during her confirmation hearing.”