U.S. Department of Transportation’s 42nd Annual Awards Ceremony

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today recognized and awarded departmental employees who have risen above and beyond the call of duty during one of the Department of Transportation’s most historic years.

It was a year that saw two visits by President Obama and Vice President Biden and a separate visit by First Lady Michelle Obama to encourage and thank employees for their role in implementing the most ambitious infrastructure investment program in more than half a century, the Economic Recovery Act, and saw the creation of the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Growth) team to coordinate the department’s role in the recovery.

It was also a year in which Secretary LaHood crisscrossed the nation, visiting 60 cities and 30 states to promote the Department’s new initiatives.

President Obama began the policy phase of his Administration with a landmark transportation and environmental announcement, setting the bar for improved automobile fuel economy.

And just earlier this month the department tackled a major safety issue when Secretary LaHood convened a two-day summit on distracted driving. At the end of the summit, he announced concrete actions the Obama Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation are taking to help put an end to the practice and make roads safer.

It was a year of political and economic transition, and Secretary LaHood commended DOT employees for putting transportation in the forefront of the American agenda.

"Never before have we accomplished so much for the American people in so short a time," said Secretary LaHood. "Working together, we’ll make sure that the United States of America reaps the benefits of a modern, efficient, sustainable, and accessible transportation network."

He added that without employee expertise and work ethic, the Department could not have achieved so much for the American people in so short a time.

The Secretary highlighted the following accomplishments.

In less than nine months, the Department obligated more than 60 percent of its recovery funds, which went to every state and territory, resulting in more than 9,400 transportation-related projects employing tens of thousands of men and women. In doing so, the Department met every Congressional deadline and oversight requirement.
With an initial $8 billion investment from the Obama Administration, the Department laid the groundwork for development of a transformational high-speed passenger rail program that will connect some of our most vital metropolitan regions in new ways and open the door to new economic opportunities sustained by world-class public transportation services once spending starts in the near future.
The Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) was the most successful short-term economic stimulus initiative in the Department’s history. Within a four-month period, the DOT processed more than $2.8 billion in voucher payments for more than 21,000 automobile dealers who sold nearly 700,000 new, more fuel-efficient vehicles, and took an equal number of gas-guzzling clunkers off the road.
The nation’s first Livable Communities Initiative, developed by the Department of Transportation, will measurably enhance the quality of life for families, workers, and communities across America. This translates into federal support for more transportation choices, more public transportation, and more commercial and residential development around transportation hubs.
In concert with EPA, the Department proposed aggressive new fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty cars and trucks that will substantially reduce the nation’s dependence on oil and will improve air quality.
The Department of Transportation took critical concrete steps enhance safety, its number one priority. Working with its Federal Aviation Administration, DOT worked to make air travel safer by modernizing airports and upgrading air traffic control technologies. The Department examined the best ways to make passenger rail even safer. In October, DOT launched the government’s first major initiative to reduce distracted driving, which has become a serious and dangerous epidemic in our society.

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Briefing Room