The Senate of the United States confirmed new leaders in the Department of Safety and the Health of Labor, the Federal Railway Administration and the Superfund Program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, among 108 candidates who were approved on October 7.
The vote confirmed David Keeling as Deputy Secretary for Work for Safety and Occupational Health. Keeling has worked in security at UPS and Amazon.
During an audience of nomination in June, Keeling presented his priorities for Osha. They include the acceleration of the adoption of technology and the new standards to prevent injuries through informed design, expand collaborations with companies, unions and groups in the industry, and update the execution processes through predictive analytics.
“We know that David is a strong defender of protecting workers, and his extensive knowledge and skills as a security professional will help the agency,” said Linda Tapp, president of the American Society of Safety professionals, in a statement. “We look forward to working with him and his staff in many important problems.”
John Busterud is the new Deputy Administrator of the EPA’s Waste Solid Office, a role that is in charge of the Superfund program. Busterud is an environmental lawyer with previous EPA experience, where he was the administrator of Region 9, who covers California, Hawaii, Nevada, 148 tribes and territories of the Pacific Ocean, during the first Trump administration. He spent more than 30 years working for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG & E) in San Francisco, included as CEO and CEO of Environment and Real Estate. During his time at PG & E, Busterud also served as an industry representative on the EPA Air Law Advisory Committee.
“ Mr. Busterud will oversee the programs that directly affect the health and environment of the North -Americans, such as the Remei of PFAAS pollution, the cleaning of superfund places and the revitalization of Brownfields, ” Senator Shelley Moore Capito (RW.VA.), chair of the Senate Environment Committee and the Public Committee, during a May audience.
David Fink is the administrator of the United States Department of the Federal Administration of the Transport Railway. He started in the railway industry as a teenager and worked to become president of Pan Am Railways, a regional railway in New England, which was later bought by CSX.
During an audience of the Senate Committee in May, Fink said FRA must focus on security. It also wants to “refresh government regulations, to innovate when possible and eliminate the blockages of heavy and obsolete roads”.
Paul Skoutelas, CEO of American Public Transport Association, said in a statement that Fink has a “proven record [of] Advance innovation and operational excellence. “
The 51-47 vote was the second round of the Senate of Block Confirmations, taken after some Senate Republicans expressed frustration for the amount of time it took to confirm many candidates. The process allows legislators to confirm any number of candidates at once. The first blog round, approved last month, confirmed the heads of the Federal Road Administration and other agencies.
