Delivering Results

For America
USDOT Progress Report: 2021–2023

1 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

I DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA
 CONTENTS
Letter from the Secretary...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Safety.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................13

Making Roads and Vehicles Safer for All........................................................................................................................................................13

Making Roads Safer..................................................................................................................................................................................................14
Making Cars, Trucks, and Buses Safer.......................................................................................................................................................16
Improving Rail Safety...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Improving Aviation Safety...........................................................................................................................................................................................18
Improving Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety........................................................................................19

Economic Strength and Global Competitiveness..........................................................................................................................................20

Investing in Infrastructure and Workers to Strengthen Supply Chains..................................................................................20

Strengthening Consumer Protections for Air Travelers...................................................................................................................... 23
Making Generational Investments to Rebuild America .................................................................................................................... 24
COVID-19 Response: Rescuing the Transportation Industry and Saving American Jobs...................................... 25

Equity................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 27

Proactive Intervention, Planning, and Capacity Building.................................................................................................................. 27

Wealth Creation.................................................................................................................................................................................................................30
Expanding Access............................................................................................................................................................................................................31

Climate and Sustainability................................................................................................................................................................................................ 32

Achieving Net-Zero Carbon Emissions........................................................................................................................................................... 32

Leading the Charge to Electrify the Transportation System.....................................................................................................34
Reducing Greenhouse Gases in Aviation................................................................................................................................................35

Making America’s Communities and Infrastructure More Resilient..........................................................................................36

DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA II

Transformation........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 37

Driving Innovation for All Americans................................................................................................................................................................. 37

Organizational Excellence................................................................................................................................................................................................39

Delivering Responsive and Efficient Government Services............................................................................................................39

III DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY
We are pleased to provide an update on the work of
your United States Department of Transportation.

As all Americans felt, the COVID-19 pandemic

created some of the most dramatic and widespread
disruptions to our transportation systems in modern
history. Then, even in the midst of that disruption and
recovery, President Biden passed a historic package
of infrastructure investments and is now leading
the most rapid improvements in transportation in
generations. Given the extraordinary nature and
disorienting speed of these changes, we hope it will
be useful for Americans to see an accounting of the
progress happening in the transportation systems
that all of us rely on every day.

Our first priority is safety. During the pandemic, we

saw a surge in fatal traffic crashes. To address this
challenge, we have redoubled our efforts to improve
safety for all road users. We raised safety standards for vehicles and allocated billions of dollars of new
funding to make our roadways safer.1 Now, traffic fatalities have gone down for five straight quarters.

We aggressively moved to improve rail safety as well, refusing to accept the status quo of over 1,000
derailments per year that have plagued America for decades. We funded nearly $18 billion in rail projects
and raised safety and labor standards to protect travelers, workers, and communities.

In our skies, we reached our aggressive goals to hire and train 1,500 new air traffic controllers, and
funded hundreds of millions of dollars in physical infrastructure safety improvements at airports. Airline
cancellation rates are now lower than they were before the pandemic, and we’ve secured agreements from
airlines to compensate travelers when their flight is canceled or significantly delayed.

1 Funding amounts appearing in this report are as of November 1, 2023.

DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA 1

When the pandemic wreaked havoc on supply chains, this administration brought together ports, unions,
and companies to address the biggest disruptions. As a result, critical supply chains are significantly more
resilient and reliable than they were when President Biden took office. Our nation’s ports are moving
record levels of cargo, shipping costs are down, and goods are being delivered on time. Partly because of
improved supply chains and the resulting lowered transportation costs, inflation has been reduced by two-
thirds from last year, and American consumers and businesses are beginning to feel some relief.

We launched the first federal program to reconnect communities that were divided by past infrastructure
decisions, the first federal program to protect transportation infrastructure against extreme weather from
climate change, and the first national network of electric vehicle chargers that will serve drivers in every
state.

Overall, since the passage of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in November 2021, we have
announced more than 40,000 transportation projects nationwide and counting. We’ve funded repairs to
7,800 bridges and more than 135,000 miles of roads. And we’re making the biggest investments to improve
public transit and passenger rail in generations, serving communities of every size across the country.

Across our roads, rails, skies, and waterways, there is still a long way to go. But these last few years
demonstrate swift and widespread progress—even as our work continues to accelerate.

After decades of underinvestment in our transportation system, our Department has been entrusted with a
major increase in resources to be used to enhance the safety and usefulness of our nation’s transportation
systems. I’m proud of the dedicated public servants in our Department who have worked tirelessly over the
past two years to stand up new programs and policies and get funding out to communities as swiftly and
efficiently as they responsibly can.

The accomplishments highlighted in this report are a result of the hard work of our world-class workforce
that we are continuing to build; the work of these men and women is making a meaningful difference in
the lives of Americans across the country. The public placed great trust in our Department, and we are
honoring that trust by delivering improvements to transportation that get people and goods to where they
need to be more safely, affordably, and sustainably.

2 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

Making Roads and Vehicles

Safer for All

Published the comprehensive
NATIONAL ROADWAY SAFETY STRATEGY

Improved Funded safety

ROADWAY improvements
SAFETY for 4,515
PLANNING INTERSECTIONS
FOR OVER 70% OF THE
U.S. POPULATION
Advanced
rules on
Secured commitments from over
AUTOMATIC
120 PARTNERS EMERGENCY
in the public, private, and
nonprofit sectors who
responded to our
BRAKING
in cars and trucks that
NRSS CALL would save over
TO ACTION 500 LIVES A YEAR
3 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA
Improving

Rail Safety
Conducted more than
7,500 RAIL SAFETY
INSPECTIONS
on hazardous material routes

Funded projects to Over 87% of Class I rail

eliminate or improve workers now have

PAID SICK
LEAVE
MORE USDOT is working with
Congress to pass the
THAN
400 RAILWAY
AT-GRADE SAFETY
CROSSINGS ACT
4 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA
Making Generational Investments to

Rebuild America
Awarded over Upgrading rail service on

$200 BILLION the Northeast Corridor,

reducing Amtrak and

TO OVER 40,000
commuter rail delays for over

PROJECTS 200 MILLION

nationwide,
TRIPS
ANNUALLY
supporting
tens of
thousands
of jobs

Funded repairs to

7,800 BRIDGES
and improving

135,000 MILES
OF ROADS
5 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA
Strengthening Consumer
Protections for Air Travelers
INVESTIGATED
more than 20
airlines for failing
$
to provide timely VOUCHER
refunds. Airlines
returned over Secured commitments from

$2.5 BILLION major airlines guaranteeing

consumers’ rights such as
to hundreds of thousands of FREE REBOOKING,
airline consumers.
HOTELS, AND
Published the first-ever MEAL VOUCHERS
when airlines cause a delay
Airline Passengers with
or cancellation
DISABILITIES
BILL OF RIGHTS Proposed new
rules requiring
airlines to $
AIRLINE DISCLOSE
CANCELLATIONS HIDDEN FEES
down to 1.2%, the for extra bags, changes,
lowest in a decade and cancellations

6 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

Advancing
Equity In FY23, awarded over

$2 BILLION
in direct procurement
Funding to small, disadvantaged

$3.3 businesses

BILLION
to improve mobility
and access through the
RECONNECTING
COMMUNITIES AND
NEIGHBORHOODS Established
PROGRAM project labor
agreements
for 319 FHWA
Awarded
projects totaling
$686 $9.9 BILLION,
MILLION including $3.2 billion with
to improve LOCAL HIRE
accessibility
at transit stations PREFERENCES
7 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA
Achieving Net-Zero
Carbon Emissions
Released the U.S. National Blueprint for
Transportation Decarbonization to achieve
NET-ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS BY 2050

Providing nearly Funding

$9 BILLION SUSTAINABLE
AVIATION
in funding for climate FUEL and
resilience projects technology
to protect to reach carbon
infrastructure from neutral-aviation by 2050
extreme weather

RAISED
Funded
FUEL
over
ECONOMY
2,900 STANDARDS
ZERO-EMISSION to save consumers money
at the pump and reduce
AND LOW- carbon emissions by 2.5
EMISSION BUSES billion tons

8 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

Building a Nationwide Electric Vehicle

Charging Network
SET NEW Expanded
Alternative
NATIONAL Fuel
Corridors to
STANDARDS
FOR EV CHARGING. 79,000 MILES
of highways in all 50 States
The new standards will ensure
everyone can use the network
—no matter what EV you drive
or which state you charge in. PROVIDED
MORE THAN
Set the nation on the path to
$2.2 BILLION
meet President Biden’s vision of in funding to States and
communities to build a
BUILDING 500,000 nationwide EV charging
CHARGERS BY 2030 network. This initial
funding will electrify over

75,000
MILES
OF ROADS.
9 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA
Driving
Innovation
Accelerated the deployment of
UNCREWED AVIATION SYSTEMS
AND ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT

Funded Launched the

59 SMART ADVANCED RESEARCH
COMMUNITY PROJECTS AGENCY-
technology demonstration INFRASTRUCTURE
projects for the use of (ARPA-I) to spur the
technologies such as connected development of
and automated vehicles, game-changing
advanced traffic signals, and transportation
uncrewed aircraft systems technologies

Awarded Launched the

$450 MILLION INTERSECTION

to 34 university consortia SAFETY CHALLENGE
to develop the next generation seeking ideas
of transportation technology to transform
and professionals intersection safety

10 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law
For decades, elected leaders in Washington, D.C.,
promised infrastructure investments that never came.
“Infrastructure Week” became a joke. But under the
Biden-Harris Administration, that finally changed.

The We have started

Bipartisan repairing 7,800
Infrastructure bridges and more
Law (BIL) than 135,000 miles
marks of roads. We have
the largest investment funded more than
in transportation 2,900 electric buses
and infrastructure in and funded safety improvements at
generations. Since 4,500 intersections. We are modernizing
President Biden signed ports and airports, expanding trains
it into law, USDOT has and transit, reducing delays and
announced more than cutting costs, curbing carbon pollution,
$200 billion for over 40,000 advancing equity, and creating a new
projects nationwide. generation of good-paying jobs.

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Transportation
Funding Opportunities
Authorized Under BIL
$82 BILLION to improve
and expand public transit service

$326 BILLION $63 BILLION

to upgrade roads, to improve safety and
bridges, and tunnels service on U.S. railroads

$17 BILLION $25 BILLION to

to strengthen ports modernize airports
and supply chains and airfields

$11 BILLION
for improving
$15 BILLION
for a nationwide network
safety and of EV chargers and to
saving lives support the EV revolution

For more information about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, visit:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/build/
https://www.transportation.gov/bipartisan-infrastructure-law

12 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 SAFETY
SAFETY ACCOMPLISHMENTS SUMMARY

■ Reduced traffic fatalities five quarters in a row after they hit an all-time high in the first quarter of 2022,
with policies in place to keep reducing further.
■ Advanced an automatic emergency braking (AEB) rulemaking for passenger cars and a separate AEB
rulemaking for heavy trucks and buses. Combined, these two rulemakings would save more than 500
lives a year and prevent more than 42,000 injuries annually.
■ Conducted more than 7,500 focused inspections on hazmat rail routes.
■ Hired 1,500 air traffic controllers.
■ Funded the modernization of nearly 270 miles of community gas pipelines.

Making Roads and Vehicles Safer for All

“We face a national crisis of fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways, and these
tragedies are preventable—so as a nation, we must work urgently and collaboratively
to save lives.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

At the Department of Transportation, safety is our North Star. Yet, in recent years, we have seen alarming
increases in roadway deaths. After spiking during the pandemic, these numbers are starting to slowly
come back down, but we must continue working to address this urgent national crisis.

In 2022, the Department released the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS), a comprehensive plan
to save lives on America’s roadways. To that end, we have launched historic new safety programs to make
it safer for people to walk and bike, and to travel by car, truck, and bus.

13 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

MAKING ROADS SAFER
USDOT’s work to improve road safety includes:
■ Establishing the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Program: To date, this program has
awarded $880 million to more than 700 communities, representing over half of all Americans. (USDOT,
February 2023; USDOT, October 2023)
■ Providing State Highway Safety Grants: An unprecedented level of resources ($4 billion over
5 years) was provided to state and territorial offices of highway safety to reach communities over-
represented in fatal and serious-injury crashes through public engagement actions—resulting in more
effective behavioral highway safety programs. (NHTSA, September 2023)
■ Launching a Complete Streets Initiative: Since the enactment of BIL, Complete Streets efforts like
the Highway Safety Improvement Program have supported more than 5,300 projects, improving safety
at 4,515 intersections and across 69,075 miles of roadway. (FHWA, June 2023)
■ Investing in Tribal Transportation Safety: Mindful of the reality that Native Americans are more
likely to lose their lives in traffic crashes than any other population, BIL doubled funding for the Tribal
Transportation Program Safety Fund, delivering $21 million to 70 Tribes in 2022 alone. (FHWA, April
2023)
■ Expanding Truck Parking: When truckers cannot find safe places to park and rest, it makes all of us
less safe, which is why we have awarded $80 million to expand truck parking nationwide. (FMCSA,
September 2023)

MAKING STREETS SAFER

Our Department hosted a listening session with

families of victims of road crashes. Latanya Byrd
shared the heartbreaking story of how she lost her
niece and her niece’s three young children in a crash
on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia. That one
road is responsible for almost 15 percent of crash-
related fatalities in the city. In January 2023, we
awarded $78 million to rebuild Roosevelt Boulevard
and make it safer.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Latanya Byrd

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PRIORITIZING COMPLETE STREETS

Complete Streets are streets built with every person in mind—whether they are walking,
biking, or driving, old or young, or living with a disability. Today, Complete Streets is the
philosophy and strategy that guides our work to plan, design, build, operate, and maintain
the infrastructure of the future. To that end, we published new guidance to help states
assess and address the risks to vulnerable road users, such as people who walk, bike, and
use wheelchairs.

BIL provides historic resources to help state and local agencies do just that, such as
redesigning University Avenue in Gainesville, Florida—a hotspot for pedestrian and bicyclist
crashes. We awarded the city $8 million to build a fully redesigned Complete Street with
a protected two-way bike lane, high-visibility crossings, pedestrian islands, and raised
crosswalks. (USDOT, February 2023)

Photo credit: Ann McGrane/pedbikeimages.org

15 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

MAKING CARS, TRUCKS, AND BUSES SAFER
USDOT’s work to improve car, truck, and bus safety includes:
■ Improving Safety Ratings for New Vehicles: We proposed upgrades for the New Car Assessment
Program (NCAP)—which gives consumers valuable information about the safety features of new cars—
including adding considerations for pedestrian safety. (NHTSA, May 2023)
■ Taking Action on Vehicle Safety: NHTSA takes action for vehicle safety, making sure vehicle owners
receive safe, free, and effective remedies from manufacturers according to the Safety Act and federal
regulations. We processed 823 recalls in 2023 and opened 33 new investigations. (NHTSA, as of
November 8, 2023)
■ Proposing Advanced Crash Test Dummies: Crash test dummies are instrumental in ensuring
vehicles and vehicle equipment comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. We finalized
design of an advanced crash dummy that responds more like a human occupant in a crash, enabling it
to better measure occupant safety in crash tests. (NHTSA, September 2023)
■ Accelerating the Deployment of New Safety Technology: We proposed a new rule to require
automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems on all new passenger cars and light trucks, which would
save at least 360 lives and prevent 24,000 injuries a year. (NHTSA, June 2023)
■ Updating Occupant Protection for Automated Vehicles: We issued a first-of-its-kind final rule
to ensure the safety of occupants in automated vehicles. This rule updates the occupant protection
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to account for vehicles that do not have the traditional manual
controls associated with a human driver because they are equipped with automated driving systems.
(NHTSA, March 2022)
■ Seat Belt Reminder Systems: We proposed a rulemaking to require automobile manufacturers to
equip vehicles with seat belt use warning systems for the front passenger and rear seats to increase
seat belt use, which could prevent approximately 300 non-fatal injuries and over 100 fatalities annually.
(NHTSA, August 2023)
■ New Safety Technology for Heavy Trucks and Buses: We proposed a new rule to require AEB
systems on all new heavy trucks and buses, which would save 155 lives and reduce approximately
8,800 non-fatal injuries per year. (NHTSA, June 2023)

16 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

IMPROVING RAIL SAFETY

“Profit and expediency must never outweigh the safety of the American people. We at
USDOT are doing everything in our power to improve rail safety, and we insist that the
rail industry do the same—while inviting Congress to work with us to raise the bar.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Before the February 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, most Americans might
not have known that train derailments happen on average every day. USDOT has stepped up safety
inspections and training, delivered historic funding to make rail crossings safer, and pushed Congress to
raise safety standards for railroads and rail workers.

USDOT’s work to improve rail safety includes:

■ Eliminating Dangerous Railroad Crossings and Improving Rail Infrastructure: Through the first-
ever Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, we awarded $570 million to 32 states to eliminate or
improve more than 400 at-grade crossings—making our roads and railways safer, while also helping
countless Americans save time on their commutes. And through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure
and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program, we have also made passenger and freight rail safer, more
efficient, and more reliable, awarding $1.4 billion to 70 projects. (FRA, June 2022; FRA, September 2023)
■ Raising Rail Safety Standards: In 2022, we proposed a new rule that would require a minimum of two
train crewmembers for certain operations. Following the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine,
we stepped up inspections of trains carrying hazmat shipments (conducting more than 7,500 focused
inspections of high-risk routes), issued new safety advisories to railroad companies about tank car
covers, provided over $25 million to train first responders and strengthen safety programs, and more.
(FRA, February 2023)
■ Supporting New Railway Safety Legislation: Secretary Buttigieg called on Congress to pass the
Railway Safety Act of 2023, which would phase in newer, safer tank cars, increase hazmat fees for
railroads, require better detectors, expand the list of hazardous materials that qualify for strict safety
precautions, and more. (USDOT, June 2023)
■ Supporting Railroad Workers: Secretary Buttigieg pushed major freight rail companies to guarantee
paid sick leave for all rail workers and to participate in the Confidential Close Call Reporting System
(C3RS) program to allow workers to report close calls without fear of reprisal. More than 87 percent of
unionized railroad workers at major railroads are now covered by new sick leave agreements.
(FRA, June 2023)

17 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 Improving Aviation Safety
“Aviation has to be about safety first and moving people and goods within that safety-
first framework. We’re staying vigilant because we know that as long as technology
and people and society continue to change—which is to say, in perpetuity—we need
our safety systems and our safety culture to evolve and adapt to those changes.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

U.S. air travel is the safest mode of transportation in the world. But with aging infrastructure and an uptick
in near-misses, we must act to make sure it stays that way by advancing new technologies, improving air
traffic controls, and modernizing airports and airfields.

USDOT’s work to improve air travel safety includes:

■ Addressing Near Misses During Takeoff and Landing: We awarded more than $201 million to 82
airports across the country to reduce the risk of accidents on the runway. (FAA, September 2023)
■ Hiring 1,500 Air Traffic Controllers: After the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the training pipeline
for air traffic controllers who keep our airspace safe, we recently hired 1,500 new air traffic controllers to
keep Americans moving safely. (FAA, August 2023)
■ Raising Aviation Safety Standards: To protect cockpits from intrusion when the flight deck door is
open, FAA issued a final rule requiring commercial aircraft to have a secondary barrier on the flight
deck. FAA also issued a final rule requiring an increase from 8 to 10 consecutive hours of rest for all
flight attendants after 14-hour shifts. (FAA, June 2023; FAA, October 2022)

IMPROVING RUNWAY SAFETY

As part of our efforts to improve

runway lighting systems at 82 airports
nationwide, we awarded Denver
International Airport $30 million to
reconstruct a runway and add thousands
of LED lights to ensure planes could take
off and land safely, even on foggy or low-
visibility days.
Photo Credit: USDOT

18 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 Improving Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Transportation Safety
“Modernizing our gas pipelines will help protect residents from dangerous leaks,
create good-paying jobs, and reduce methane emissions in communities across the
nation, particularly in rural and underserved areas.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

From methane leaks to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, aging pipelines threaten public health and safety in
real ways. That’s why USDOT has expanded oversight, improved safety, and promoted innovation when it
comes to America’s pipelines.

USDOT’s work to improve pipeline and hazardous materials transportation safety includes:
■ Modernizing Gas Pipelines: In the agency’s first-ever infrastructure grants to fix old, leaky gas pipes,
we awarded $196 million in funds that are projected to create hundreds of jobs, rehabilitate nearly 270
miles of pipe, save consumers money, and reduce methane emissions by approximately 212 metric tons
each year. (PHMSA, April 2023)
■ Support for Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Inspections and Training: Since 2021,
we awarded more than $200 million in grants for pipeline and hazardous materials safety projects,
inspections, trainings to support first responders, and research and development activities that
enhanced the safety of America’s energy network and hazardous materials transportation. (PHMSA,
March 2023)
■ Expanded Pipeline Oversight: We advanced new rules that would reduce emissions from covered
pipelines by up to 55 percent, established the first federal pipeline safety standards for 400,000 miles
of previously unregulated lines, expanded pipeline safety protections in the Great Lakes and Coastal
waterway areas, and strengthened safety and environmental protections for hundreds of thousands
of oil, natural gas, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide pipelines. (PHMSA, November 2021; PHMSA,
December 2021; PHMSA, March 2022; PHMSA, August 2022)
■ Helping Americans Safely Ship Everyday Goods: We partnered with agencies across the federal
government such as the U.S. Postal Service as well as industry trade associations through the
Department’s “Check the Box” campaign to help consumers, small business, and e-commerce shippers
mitigate risks from undeclared hazardous materials shipments. (USDOT, September 2023)

19 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 ECONOMIC STRENGTH AND
GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS
ECONOMIC STRENGTH AND GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS
ACCOMPLISHMENTS SUMMARY

■ Reduced the backlog of container ships waiting at U.S. ports by more than 80 percent.
■ Reduced supply chain pressures to pre-pandemic levels, helping reduce inflation.
■ Returned the percentage of airline cancellations to pre-pandemic levels.
■ Awarded more than $200 billion to more than 40,000 construction-related projects through BIL
programs.2
■ Rescued nearly 31,000 American aviation manufacturing jobs threatened by the pandemic.

Investing in Infrastructure and

Workers to Strengthen Supply Chains
“The pandemic had pushed our global supply chain to the breaking point. About
100 container ships were bearing down on the ports of L.A. and Long Beach any
given day. We as a country stepped up, our administration brought together players
from across the supply chains, and, together, we found ways to address many of the
biggest disruptions.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

2 As of October 10, 2023.

20 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

Our supply chains have been struggling for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic was the straw that broke
the camel’s back.

In response, USDOT has worked to speed the movement of goods and lower the cost of goods for families.
We’ve modernized ports and rail lines, supported careers in trucking, and more, decreasing the number of
container ships idling at U.S. ports by 90 percent and spurring all-time highs in goods moving through our
ports. (BTS, September 2023)

USDOT’s work to strengthen our supply chains includes:

■ Reducing Shipping Costs and Wait Times: USDOT worked with ports and supply chain companies
to create policies, tools, and funding opportunities that have reduced supply chain pressures to pre-
pandemic levels, and the number of ships waiting at ports has gone down by more than 80 percent,
contributing to the decline of overall inflation by two thirds. (Bureau of Transportation Statistics,
October 2023; Council of Economic Advisors, June 2023)
■ Strengthening America’s Trucking Workforce: We have doubled the number of trucking apprentice
programs, reduced barriers to getting a commercial driver’s license (CDL), established a Women in
Trucking Advisory Board, and provided more than $44 million in grants to help states expedite the
process of issuing CDLs. (USDOT, January 2022; FMCSA, September 2023)
■ Improving Supply Chain Data Sharing: We partnered with more than 50 companies to share supply
chain data—something that has never been done before and has enormous potential to make supply
chains more efficient and bring down costs for American families. (BTS, May 2023)
■ Modernizing Ports and Marine Highways: We invested more than $1.6 billion through programs like
the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) and the U.S. Marine Highway Program, increasing
capacity, upgrading equipment, and making it easier and faster to move goods where they need to go.
(MARAD, 2023)
■ Investing in Tanker Security: We have implemented the $60 million annual Tanker Security Program
to support 10 new American-flagged tanker ships in the international trading fleet, including 500 new
merchant mariner jobs. These tankers serve the nation’s needs for movement of refined transportation
fuels and are available to support the Department of Defense’s assured access to tankers for the
movement of critical fuels supporting global military operations. (MARAD, July 2023)
■ Streamlining Shipping and Untangling Supply Chains: We led a global effort to streamline
regulations—including those for medical supplies, batteries, and components used in manufacturing—
encouraging and allowing for shippers to package goods more efficiently, saving consumers an
estimated $250 million in costs and helping improve supply chains. (PHMSA, July 2022)

21 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

CREATING JOBS BY INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE

Photo credit: USDOT

Holland Ross is now working to help build the new terminal at the Pittsburgh airport
(shown above), a project that President Biden funded through his Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law. Ross has three kids, he’s a 10-year Veteran of the U.S. Army, and, like so many leaving
the service, he did not immediately find the camaraderie or the meaningful work that he
was used to...until he joined the Pittsburgh Carpenters Union last year as a millwright. He
found not just a great career, but a community that welcomed him.

22 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 Strengthening Consumer Protections
for Air Travelers
“Whether you’re a parent expecting to sit together with your young children on a flight, a
traveler with a disability navigating air travel, or a consumer traveling by air for the first time
in a while, you deserve safe, accessible, affordable, and reliable airline service.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Every day, nearly 3 million people step onto an airplane in the United States. But after the COVID-19
pandemic began, many wondered if the airline industry would even survive. Thanks to this administration’s
decisive action, it did. Demand for air travel rebounded faster than most thought possible, and as airlines
struggled to keep pace, this Department advanced the most significant consumer protections for air
travelers in generations.

Earlier this year, USDOT announced that it would propose a rule that would require airlines to cover
expenses and compensate passengers for things like meals, hotels, and rebooking when airlines are
responsible for stranding passengers. We persuaded all of the 10 largest airlines to guarantee meals and
free rebooking, and 9 of those 10 to guarantee hotel accommodations when they cause a cancellation
or delay; previously, zero airlines made such promises. And we published the first-ever Bill of Rights for
airline passengers with disabilities.

USDOT’s work to protect air travelers includes:

■ Improved Reliability: USDOT stepped up oversight of airlines, pressing them to improve their
scheduling and performance. After spiking during the pandemic, cancellations are down to 1.2 percent
this year, the lowest in a decade. (USDOT, January 2024)
■ Improved Handling of Consumer Complaints Against Airlines: In response to a surge of consumer
complaints, we have investigated more than 20 airlines and gotten them to issue over $2.5 billion in
refunds. (Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, July 2022)
■ Enforced Consumer Protections: Secretary Buttigieg announced a $140 million penalty against
Southwest Airlines for failing passengers during the 2022 holiday meltdown. The penalty – 30 times
larger than any previous penalty against an airline for consumer protection violations – sent a signal
to airlines to step up for their passengers ahead of one of the busiest holiday travel periods on record.
(USDOT, January 2024)

23 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 ■ Fighting Junk Fees: We advanced rules that would protect consumers when an airline cancels
their flight and would require them to disclose hidden fees for extra bags or flights changes and
cancellations. (Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, March 2023)

Making Generational Investments to

Rebuild America
“Bridges aren’t just concrete, asphalt, and steel; they are engines of economic
growth, and they are vital connections for communities. That is why the Biden-Harris
administration is working to deliver the largest investment in America’s bridges since
President Eisenhower created the interstate highway system.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

After decades of disinvestment, U.S. infrastructure ranked just 13th in the world. We’re acting to change
that, with historic funding to rebuild, repair, and replace infrastructure across the nation—all while creating
good-paying jobs, growing the economy, strengthening supply chains, improving mobility, enhancing
resilience, and making our transportation systems safer.

USDOT’s work to rebuild American infrastructure includes:

■ Funding Transformative Infrastructure Investments: We have awarded billions of dollars through
our discretionary grant programs—much of which has gone to rural areas, Historically Disadvantaged
Communities, and Areas of Persistent Poverty. (USDOT, September 2022)
■ Advancing Transit Construction Projects Nationwide: We have recommended $4.4 billion in transit
projects nationwide to receive funding under the Capital Investment Grant Program to help reduce
emissions, replace aging railcars, create good-paying construction jobs, and improve transit access to
the millions of Americans who depend on it every day. (FTA, March 2023)
■ Modernizing America’s Busiest Rail Corridor: We have provided nearly $9 billion to expand service
and reduce delays on the Northeast Corridor, which supports 200 million trips each year and serves as
the transportation backbone of the region. (FRA, December 2022)
■ Repairing and Rebuilding Bridges: Our infrastructure package authorizes $40 billion over 5 years to
rebuild, repair and replace bridges—from national landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, to off-system
bridges that serve as the only way for a rural community to access jobs, education, health care, and
medical care or get goods from farms and factories to market. (FHWA, January 2023)

24 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

■ Making Unprecedented Investments in Tribal Infrastructure: Our infrastructure package
dramatically increases funding for key Tribal transportation efforts, including the Tribal Transportation
Program (TTP), the Tribal Transportation Facility Bridge Program, the Tribal Transit Program, and the
Tribal Transportation Program Safety Program, and ensures Tribes are eligible to compete for our
most significant discretionary programs. Since the passage of BIL, the Department has funded more
than $1 billion in projects to improve transportation on Tribal lands. BIL also created an Office of Tribal
Government Affairs with a new Assistant Secretary, giving Tribes a direct line into the Office of the
Secretary. (FHWA, May 2022; FTA, September 2023)
■ Modernizing Airports: We have awarded nearly $6 billion in grants to help airports modernize
terminals, upgrade control towers, improve runways, and more, allowing them to meet growing
demand, improve the passenger experience, and ensure the continued safety of air travel.
(FAA, May 2023)
■ Making Unprecedented Investments in Merchant Mariner Training by Replacing 50-Year-Old
Ships: MARAD delivered the first of five new, state-of-the-art training ships to the State Maritime
Academies. The National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) will better equip the U.S. to increase
our ranks of a well-trained, highly efficient maritime workforce. The NSMV creates and supports good-
paying American jobs, with over 1,450 shipyard jobs during construction and additional jobs at sea and
ashore once completed, while strengthening the U.S. shipbuilding, repair, and manufacturing industries.
(MARAD, October 2023)

COVID-19 Response: Rescuing the

Transportation Industry and Saving
American Jobs
“The aviation industry was hit hard by the pandemic, and we have taken action
to support and protect the jobs of aviation manufacturing workers. The critical
American Rescue Plan funding announced today is protecting tens of thousands
of manufacturing jobs, supporting hundreds of small businesses, and helping keep
America’s aviation industry strong as it continues its robust recovery.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

25 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on transportation cannot be overstated: companies risked bankruptcy;
industries seemed on the verge of collapse; workers lost their jobs and, sometimes, their lives. USDOT
supported the Biden administration’s efforts to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus and ensure
continuation of critical infrastructure support and relief for the American people. Through President Biden’s
American Rescue Plan, USDOT helped Americans stay safe while ensuring that hundreds of companies
and agencies stayed solvent.

The American Rescue Plan helped the transportation industry and the entire U.S. economy recover
quickly. And today, after sharply declining at the beginning of the pandemic, employment in transportation
industries has grown by over 20 percent since May 2020. (BTS, September 2023)

USDOT’s work to help transportation recover from the pandemic includes:

■ Rescued America’s Public Transit Systems: USDOT provided transit agencies with $30.5 billion
through President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, allowing them to keep tens of thousands of
employees on the payroll and help get essential workers where they were needed. Nearly 80 percent of
public transit agencies reported that COVID-19 funding helped them avoid layoffs.
(APTA, July 2021; FTA, March 2023)
■ Protected Aviation Jobs: After the pandemic decimated demand for air travel, the Department of
Treasury provided $15 billion in payroll support for air carriers, and DOT provided $8 billion to U.S.
airports and approximately $673 million to protect nearly 31,000 aviation manufacturing jobs.
(FAA, November 2021; FAA, February 2022)
■ Supported Amtrak’s Return to Service: USDOT relief ensured Amtrak could return quickly to service,
allowing them to recall furloughed employees, restore daily long-distance service, and help states cover
lost revenue. (FRA, April 2021)
■ Helped Americans Get Vaccinated: With funding from the American Rescue Plan, FTA helped more
than 350 transit systems provide free transportation to vaccination sites or use their transit stations and
facilities as vaccination sites—some even converted buses and other transit vehicles into mobile clinics.
(FTA, June 2021)
■ Assisted Transportation Service Providers: Through the Coronavirus Economic Relief for
Transportation Services (CERTS) program, the Department of Treasury provided nearly $2 billion
in grant assistance to support payroll and other operational expenses to motorcoach, school bus,
passenger vessel, and pilotage companies. Over 90 percent of grants were awarded to small
businesses, nearly a quarter of the grantees were women-owned businesses, one-third were minority-
owned businesses, and 7 percent were veteran-owned businesses.
(U.S. Department of Treasury, October 2021)

26 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 EQUITY
EQUITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS SUMMARY

■ Launched the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program, including the
Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program, which will provide up to $3.155 billion to connect
communities.
■ Awarded over $2 billion in direct procurement to small, disadvantaged businesses in FY23.
■ Set goals to ensure that at least 40 percent of the benefits of 39 different USDOT programs flow to
disadvantaged communities.
■ Awarded nearly $700 million to retrofit rail and subway stations to be accessible to people with
disabilities, adding elevators, ramps, and other improvements through the first-ever All Stations
Accessibility Program.
■ Published the first-ever Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights and made air travel more
equitable by publishing a final rule to require new single-aisle planes to have accessible bathrooms.

Proactive Intervention, Planning,

and Capacity Building
“From the construction of the transcontinental railroad to the Montgomery Bus Boycott,
transportation has always been inseparable from America’s struggle for racial and economic
justice. At its best, transportation can be a powerful engine of opportunity, connecting
people to jobs, education, and resources—whether they live in a big city, a rural community,
or anywhere in between. Ensuring equity and accessibility for every member of the traveling
public is one of the Department of Transportation’s highest priorities.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

27 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

Transportation is at its best when it connects people to jobs, resources, and opportunity—and even the
most transformative transportation investments will fail to meet their full potential if they do not reach
the people and communities that stand to gain from them the most. USDOT is committed to helping
underserved populations—including communities of color, rural areas, and areas of persistent poverty—
connect to jobs and resources and build generational wealth.

USDOT’s achievements toward advancing equity include:

■ Launched the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program: In its first year, this first-of-its-kind program
awarded $185 million to 45 communities to reconnect communities that had been divided by transportation
mistakes in the past, funding transformative, community-led solutions like capping interstates with parks,
filling in sunken highways to reclaim land for housing, converting inhospitable facilities to tree-lined streets,
and more, so residents can access jobs and opportunities. (USDOT, July 2023)
■ Provided Technical Assistance for Underserved and Rural Communities: We awarded $21 million to
support underserved communities with technical assistance through our Thriving Communities program
and published a toolkit to provide technical assistance to rural communities and Tribal Nations on e-mobility
infrastructure. (USDOT, April 2023)
■ Setting Justice40 Goals for DOT Funding Programs: Under the Biden-Harris administration Justice40
Initiative, USDOT is committed to delivering at least 40 percent of the benefits from key investments to
disadvantaged communities—representing more than $200 billion in appropriations. (USDOT, August 2022)

RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES

In Buffalo, New York, community leaders shared

moving stories of how Hamlin Park prospered
before it was divided by the Kensington
Expressway, and how people and local businesses
struggled after that road came through. The
community in Buffalo worked for decades on
the vision to fix it but thought that no one in the
federal government would ever care enough to
help. They were overjoyed when they learned that
the Biden administration was awarding $55 million
to help build their vision: to cap the expressway,
which will effectively move it underground, and
build new crossings and park space on top of it.
Photo credit: USDOT

28 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

PROVIDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES

“In order to make the most of our historic infrastructure investments, we must ensure they
reach every community, including the rural and Tribal communities that are too often left
behind by federal investments.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

No one knows what a community needs better than the people who actually live there. But
underserved communities—from neighborhoods of color to rural and Tribal communities—
often don’t have the technical expertise they need to navigate the red tape and bureaucracy
that come with applying for federal funds. That’s why USDOT has launched a number of
programs to equip communities with the tools they need to access federal funding for
transformative infrastructure projects. (USDOT, June 2023)

The Thriving Communities Program provides that support to communities like Bois Forte,
Minnesota, where the Chippewa Tribal Government has identified promising opportunities
to improve safety along its roads and walking paths but doesn’t have an engineer or the
capacity to apply to funding. Thanks to the planning, technical assistance, and capacity
building support we provided through the Thriving Communities program, the Band is
finally able to advance these projects.

Photo Credit: Chippewa Cree Tribe

29 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 Wealth Creation
“Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are making historic
investments in our transportation infrastructure—and that represents major
opportunity for historically excluded Americans and our nation’s small businesses.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Small and minority-owned businesses generate hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue and support
millions of jobs, but they often don’t have the resources to compete with larger, more established
companies for infrastructure contracts. USDOT is working to level that playing field, giving small
businesses a fair chance to compete so they can secure these opportunities, build generational wealth in
their communities, and help build better infrastructure across America.

USDOT’s achievements to support small businesses and create wealth include:

■ Supported Small and Disadvantaged Businesses Through Direct Contracts: Under President
Biden, USDOT set an ambitious goal: for 21 percent of our federal contracts to go to small and
disadvantaged businesses. We not only met, but exceeded that goal in FYs 2022 and 2023, and we are
setting our sights even higher in the years ahead. (USDOT, September 2022; USDOT, June 2023)
■ Leveling the Playing Field for Small Businesses to Compete for Federal Contracts: USDOT
proposed a new rule to modernize the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport
Concession DBE (ACDBE) programs to make it easier for small, disadvantaged businesses to compete
for aviation, highway, and transit contracts, as well as airport concession opportunities. (USDOT, July
2022)
■ Improving Small Businesses’ Access to Capital: In coordination with the Small Business
Administration, USDOT created Connections Marketplace, which provides a platform for registered
small businesses and private investors to interact through a variety of virtual offerings. (USDOT, August
2023)
■ Funded Workforce Development Initiatives: FHWA released new guidance to support state
investments in workforce development, training, and education. The agency also awarded $10 million
to support small businesses owned by minorities, women, and other socially and economically
disadvantaged individuals. (FHWA, June 2023; FHWA, January 2023)

30 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 Expanding Access
“For the great number of different Americans experiencing disabilities, if we fail to
provide the right kind of transportation connectivity, that means not only that they
miss out on opportunity, but that our country and our communities miss out on what
they have to contribute.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Everyone ought to be able to move freely, fairly, and safely through our transportation systems, and USDOT
is committed to ensuring all modes of transportation are affordable, accessible, and available to everyone
who might count on them.

USDOT’s achievements to expand access to transportation include:

■ Funded Accessibility Improvements in Transit Stations: Even three decades after passage of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, many transit stations are still inaccessible to people with disabilities,
which is why we awarded nearly $700 million to retrofit rail and subway stations, adding elevators,
ramps, and other improvements through the All Stations Accessibility Program. (FTA, December 2022)
■ Published Commercial Air Travel Accessibility Guidelines: USDOT published the first-ever Airline
Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights so people with disabilities know their rights when they fly,
and so we can help ensure that airlines uphold those rights. We also announced a new rule requiring
airlines to make lavatories on new aircraft large enough for passengers with wheelchairs so people with
disabilities can travel safely and with dignity. (USDOT, July 2022)
■ Funded Transit for Improved Access to Health Care: Many Americans rely on public transit to
access vital medical care, which is why we awarded $8.4 million to improve public transportation and
access to healthcare for underserved communities. (FTA, June 2022)
■ Funded Transit Improvements in Disadvantaged Communities: Because people in low-income
communities are more likely to rely on public transit to get around, we awarded approximately
$20 million to 47 projects in 32 states through the Areas of Persistent Poverty program, to expand
affordable, accessible public transit to the very communities that need it the most. (FTA, July 2023)

31 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 CLIMATE AND
SUSTAINABILITY
CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABILITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS SUMMARY

■ Raised fuel economy standards for new vehicles to save consumers money at the pump and reduce
carbon emissions by 2.5 billion tons.
■ Funded more than 2,900 zero-emission and low-emission buses, more than doubling the number on
America’s roadways.
■ Funded the development of new aviation technologies that will reduce aviation industry fuel use by 36
billion gallons of fuel.
■ Provided more than $8 billion in funding for climate resilience projects to protect our roads, bridges,
and highways from extreme weather.
■ Set the nation on a path to deliver 500,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2030.

Achieving Net-Zero Carbon Emissions

“Transportation policy is inseparable from housing and energy policy, and
transportation accounts for a major share of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, so we
must work together in an integrated way to confront the climate crisis.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Transportation is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector of our economy,
which means that transportation should also be the largest part of the solution to the climate crisis. To
meet President Biden’s goal of reducing emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions

32 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

by 2050, USDOT is building a transportation system that mitigates greenhouse gas emissions and is
resilient to the impacts of climate change. We have funded climate-smart projects across every mode of
transportation, from installing EV fast-charging stations in Ohio and Hawaii, to electrifying ferry systems in
Puget Sound, to converting the University of Maryland’s entire bus fleet from diesel to electric vehicles.

USDOT’s work to help achieve net-zero carbon emissions includes:

■ Increasing Fuel Economy Standards for Cars and Light Trucks: For the first time in years, we
raised Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to require an average of 49 miles per gallon
by 2026, which will reduce fuel use by more than 200 billion gallons and carbon emissions by 2.5 billion
metric tons through 2050, while saving American families thousands of dollars at the pump.
(NHTSA, April 2022)
■ Launching DOT’s Buy Clean Initiative: USDOT created the first-ever department-wide policy to
lower carbon emissions of the materials in our infrastructure projects across America, prioritizing
American-made low-carbon construction materials. (USDOT, September 2022)
■ Establishing the Carbon Reduction Program: This BIL program will provide $6.4 billion in formula
funding to states and local governments to develop and implement carbon-reduction strategies and
has already funded projects ranging from bus rapid transit corridors to walking and biking paths.
(FHWA, April 2022)
■ Expanding Financing for Transit and Transit-Oriented Development Projects: Secretary Buttigieg
approved changes to the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program to
allow the program to finance up to 49 percent of eligible project costs for transit and transit-oriented
projects. (USDOT, October 2022)
■ Promoting Affordable Housing Near Transit Stations: USDOT announced the availability of
approximately $13.4 million in competitive grant funds for projects that link public transportation, land
use, and housing to create communities that are walkable and connected to transit.
(USDOT, August 2023)
■ Establishing a National Framework for Tracking Transportation-Related Greenhouse Gas
Emissions: USDOT established a new greenhouse gas performance management measure to the
existing FHWA national performance measures while creating a flexible system under which state DOTs
and MPOs will set their own targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from roadway travel.
(FHWA, November 2023)
■ Restored Scientific Integrity: To advance climate change science and ensure scientific integrity
US DOT reestablished Climate Change Center and restored public access to climate-related reports,
program information, and other scientific and technical information. (USDOT, April 2021)

33 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

LEADING THE CHARGE TO ELECTRIFY THE
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
USDOT’s work to electrify the transportation system includes:
■ Building a Nationwide Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Network: To lay the groundwork for a
national network of 500,000 EV chargers, we have approved plans from all 50 states, Puerto Rico,
and Washington, D.C. In the first 2 years of funding from this program, we estimate we will be able to
electrify over 75,000 miles of the national highway system. (FHWA, 2023; USDOT, September 2022)
■ Reducing Emissions from Trucks at Ports: When trucks spend hours idling at ports, it costs truck
drivers time and money and releases pollution that impacts the surrounding neighborhoods. That’s why
USDOT launched a $400 million program to help ports reduce congestion and emissions. (FHWA, April
2023)
■ Doubling the Number of Zero-Emission Transit Buses on America’s Roadways: We helped fund
more than 2,900 zero-emission and low-emission buses, more than doubling the number of those
buses on America’s roadways, while creating good-paying American jobs in manufacturing and
maintenance. (FTA, June 2023; FTA staff analysis, November 2023)

CREATING A FUTURE WHERE EVERYONE WHO WANTS CAN RIDE AND

DRIVE ELECTRIC
Together with the Department of Energy,
USDOT launched the Joint Office of Energy and
Transportation, which is helping deliver $5 billion
over 5 years to help states deploy charging
stations. Ohio and New York recently opened
the first charging stations funded through the
NEVI Program. Additional stations are already
under construction in Maine, Pennsylvania, and
Vermont. To date, a total of twenty-eight states
have issued solicitations, and more than a dozen
of these states have awarded contracts or have
agreements in place.

Photo credit: USDOT

34 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES IN AVIATION
USDOT’s work to reduce greenhouse gases in aviation includes:
■ Launched the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge and Airport Grand Challenge: We laid
out strategies to make sustainable aviation fuels cheaper, better, and more ubiquitous with the goal of
meeting 100 percent of aviation fuel demand by 2050. We also challenged airports to commit to net-
zero targets by 2050 and have provided funding opportunities to help them do so (FAA, September
2022)
■ Supported Sustainable Aviation Technologies: To reduce fuel use, emissions, and noise, we
awarded over $100 million to companies to develop technologies like enhanced jet engine combustion
systems, advanced aircraft wings, and alternative jet fuels, which are estimated to reduce carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions by an amount equivalent to taking 3 million cars off the road by 2050, all while
saving the aviation industry 36 billion gallons of fuel. In 2023, we announced nearly $300 million in
funding for projects using Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) technology (FAST-Tech)
funds to accelerate aviation technology projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve
aircraft fuel efficiency, and increase the usage of sustainable aviation fuel. (FAA, September 2021; FAA,
September 2023)
■ Developing New Ways to Reduce Aviation Fuel Use: We implemented new descent procedures
that will save an estimated 2 million gallons of fuel and 40 million pounds of emissions annually, and
developed software to decrease idle time for aircrafts, which will reduce fuel use by 7 million gallons
and eliminate 75,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year. (FAA, January 2022; FAA, September 2021)

35 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 Making America’s Communities and
Infrastructure More Resilient
“In every part of the country, climate change is impacting roads, bridges, and rail lines that
Americans rely on—endangering homes, lives, and livelihoods in the process. Using funds
from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re launching this unprecedented
effort to help communities protect their transportation infrastructure from extreme weather
and improve routes that first responders and firefighters need during disasters.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Across the country, Americans are seeing the consequences of climate change with our own eyes. Rising
temperatures, fires, droughts, flooding, storms, mudslides, and other severe weather are costing American lives
and livelihoods and devastating our nation’s transportation infrastructure. To that end, USDOT has provided
funding, tools, and other resources to help communities plan and build resilient transportation systems.

We are investing in projects like Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which serves as a critical
evacuation route for local residents but is vulnerable to flooding during storm surges. USDOT is funding work
to elevate the roadway and upgrade drainage systems to improve flood resilience and reliability.

USDOT’s work to make infrastructure more resilient includes:

■ Launched Program to Invest in Transportation System Resilience: Our Promoting Resilient
Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) program invests in
projects to make the country’s surface transportation system more resilient to the worsening impacts of
climate change—while also saving communities money they would have to spend to rebuild damaged
infrastructure—with $7.3 billion in formula funding and $1.4 billion in discretionary grant funding over 5
years (FY22–FY26). (FHWA, July 2022; FHWA, April 2023)
■ Supported Emergency Relief Efforts and Helping Communities Recover from Disasters: It
is impossible for any community to respond to or recover from a disaster without having working
transportation networks so that first responders can reach emergency sites and workers can eventually
return to their jobs. In 2023, we provided $750 million in FHWA Emergency Relief Program funding to 39
states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and FTA provided $102.3 million in funding to 17 transit
agencies, cities, and planning councils to help them repair equipment and facilities damaged during
floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes. (FTA, July 2023; FHWA, May 2023)

36 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 TRANSFORMATION
TRANSFORMATION ACCOMPLISHMENTS SUMMARY

■ Launched the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Infrastructure (ARPA-I).

■ Awarded 59 Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant projects across
the country.
■ Launched the Intersection Safety Challenge.
■ Invested more than $435 million to support University Transportation Centers train the next generation
of transportation professionals.

Driving Innovation for All Americans

“We are entering a transformative era in transportation. Driven by American ingenuity,
advances in transportation technology from electric and automated vehicles to
drones and commercial space travel are creating new possibilities for how people
and goods move.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

From the invention of the automobile to the advent of the jet age, America has led the world when it comes
to transportation innovation for a century. With each breakthrough, we gain new tools to make it faster,
easier, and safer to move people and goods where they need to be. At USDOT, we believe in funding,
supporting, and steering innovation toward the public good by ushering in new technologies that will
create good-paying jobs and make our transportation safer, cleaner, and more accessible.

37 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

USDOT’s work to advance innovation includes:
■ Launching the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Infrastructure (ARPA-I): This agency,
modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA, the R&D agency that helped
invent the internet and GPS) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), will fund
high-risk, high-reward next-generation transportation technologies that will maintain America’s position
as a global leader in innovation. (USDOT, June 2023)
■ Advanced Smart Community Technology Projects: USDOT funded purpose-driven innovation with
$94 million through the SMART Program to support projects with the potential to radically improve
efficiency and safety. (USDOT, March 2023)
■ Launched the Intersection Safety Challenge: We invited America’s research and technology leaders
to find creative solutions to improving intersection safety, including using machine vision, sensor fusion,
and real-time decision-making to identify and mitigate dangerous conditions on the road.
(USDOT, April 2023)
■ Supported Universities That Train the Next Generation of Transportation Professionals: USDOT
invested $435 million in grant awards through our University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program.
UTCs conduct cutting-edge research and development across the transportation field and train the
next generation of transportation professionals. (USDOT, February 2023)
■ Established a $250 Million Open Research Initiative: The Open Research Initiative will, subject to
Congressional appropriation, address unmet USDOT research needs by funding unsolicited research
proposals that yield disruptive technologies with high-impact potential. (USDOT, January 2023)
■ Advanced Automation Technologies in Transit: FTA announced $11.6 million to six projects to
research automation technologies to improve safety and efficiency in bus service and yard operations.
(FTA, June 2023)
■ Establishing NHTSA’s Office of Automation: We established a new office to consolidate and focus
NHTSA’s expertise and resources to enhance the collaboration, effectiveness, and efficiency of the
agency’s regulatory work related to automated technologies and vehicles. (NHTSA, 2023)
■ Funded Technology Solutions: We provided more than $52 million in grants for technology-based
solutions, such as real-time traffic information and advanced signal timing systems, through the
Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) program. (FHWA, May 2023)
■ Supported the Responsible Use of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems: We finalized rules to support the
safe integration of uncrewed aircraft systems into the airspace of the United States. These rules allow
for the remote identification of drones and allow operators of small drones to fly over people and at
night under certain conditions. (FAA, April 2021)

38 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

 ORGANIZATIONAL
EXCELLENCE
ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
SUMMARY

■ Ranked in the Top 10 of large agencies in the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government.
■ Increased recruitment at 15 Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
■ Added 388 zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) to our fleet.
■ Lowered the greenhouse gas footprint of our facilities and operations by 3 percent.

Delivering Responsive and Efficient

Government Services
“Only if our government truly represents the people of this country and encourages
the capabilities of its employees can we meet the promises of our nation.”
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

At USDOT, we are guided by an emphasis on customer service and responsible stewardship of public
resources. We seek to build a world class organization that leads by example when it comes to promoting
diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and environmental sustainability. The American people are
counting on us to deliver, and we are committed to continuously improving our organization to make good
on that promise.

39 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA

USDOT’s work to advance organizational excellence includes:
■ Making USDOT a Model Employer: USDOT was once again ranked in the Top 10 of large agencies in
the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Rankings. It has been ranked in the top 10 for the
last 11 consecutive years. (Partnership for Public Service, 2022)
■ Building a Workforce That Represents All Americans: As we have grown our workforce to
support the implementation of BIL, we have increased outreach to 15 Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCUs) and targeted career fairs seeking to recruit women in engineering and IT
occupations. (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration (OST-M), November 2023)
■ Greening the USDOT Fleet: We have added 388 zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) to our fleet since
2021. Our Department was ranked 1st out of 68 agencies for ZEV acquisition by the General Services
Administration (GSA) in FY22. (OST-M, November 2023)
■ Improving the Sustainability of USDOT Facilities and Operations: We have lowered the
greenhouse gas footprint of our facilities and operations by 3 percent since 2021 and reduced the waste
generated from our buildings. In 2022, 52 percent of USDOT facility waste was diverted from landfills.
(OST-M, November 2023)
■ Ensuring Payment Accuracy: To advance responsible and transparent stewardship of public
resources at both the federal and grant recipient levels, the Department established a performance
goal to achieve an annual payment accuracy rate of 99 percent. For FY 2023, we exceeded our goal,
reporting a payment accuracy rate of 99.3 percent. (USDOT, August 2023)
■ Improving Departmental Cybersecurity: The Chief Information Officer (CIO) has made cybersecurity
and the remediation of vulnerabilities a USDOT top priority for information technology. The Department
has maintained its 99 percent achievement in network access multi-factor authentication (MFA),
achieving 69 percent compliance for systems—up from 13 percent in FY 2022. In addition, the
Department has maintained its 99.9 percent achievement in Endpoint, Detection, and Response (EDR)
deployment across its enterprise and has successfully integrated its Continuous Diagnostic Mitigation
(CDM) analytics and automation system with the Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency (DHS CISA). This integration has significantly reinforced DOT’s ability to
detect, protect against, respond to, and mitigate persistent cyber threats. (Performance.gov)
■ Readying Departmental Networks for the Future: USDOT has made progress on the transition to
mandatory Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), establishing a test lab to facilitate validation of hardware
and software configurations, and deploying services to translate between IPv4 and IPv6 when needed.
DOT’s core networks have been validated, and the current focus is on internal services such as email
and authentication and early testing of mission and business applications. (NIST)

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 ■ Guiding IT Investment Priorities: The USDOT CIO performed reviews on 100 percent of the $3,668
million portion of the IT portfolio subject to USDOT CIO oversight through its internal Information
Technology Deep Dive reviews. These reviews supported improvement in agency category
management goals, especially through the use of enterprise mandatory use and best-in-class
procurement vehicles, improved program management, and reduction of IT risks. (GSA)
■ Readying for Artificial Intelligence: USDOT developed its first-ever policy on artificial intelligence for
use in support of the agency’s mission and has registered 20 use cases in its use case inventory, with
more use cases being evaluated. (USDOT, June 2023)

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42 DELIVERING RESULTS FOR AMERICA