Barrett picked to head federal hazmat safety transport agency

Barrett picked to head federal hazmat safety transport agency    President Bush has nominated retired Coast Guard Adm. Thomas J. Barrett to administrator of the Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
   Barrett served more than 35 years in the Coast Guard, retiring as vice commandant. He currently serves as chief operating officer and vice president of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.
   PHMSA was formed under the 2004 Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act. The agency oversees the safety of more than 1.2 million daily hazardous materials shipments in the United States and 64 percent of the country’s energy transported by pipeline.