TSA establishes surface transportation advisory panel

The committee is made up of 35 voting members representing surface transportation users and providers and 14 nonvoting members from federal departments and agencies.

   The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Monday the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee (STSAC) had been established in accordance with the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.
   The STSAC will report to TSA Administrator David Pekoske and will provide recommendations on surface transportation security, including the development, refinement and implementation of policies, programs, initiatives, rulemakings and security directives.
   Pekoske has appointed 35 voting members, who represent each mode of surface transportation providers and users in modes including mass transit and passenger rail, freight rail, pipelines, highways, over-the-road bus, school bus industry and trucking. Fourteen nonvoting members designated to the committee from the departments of Defense, Energy, Homeland Security and Transportation and the FBI and National Transportation Safety Board will serve in an advisory capacity.
   “I look forward to collaborating closely with the newly appointed members of the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee,” Pekoske said in a statement. “The knowledge and expertise these leaders bring to the table will play a vital role in TSA’s continued efforts to safeguard the nation’s surface transportation systems.”
   The committee, scheduled to meet twice a year with one meeting open to the public, will submit periodic reports on matters the administrator or the majority of members deem important and annual reports providing information on the activities, finding and recommendations of the committee during the preceding year.
   Voting members serve two-year terms and may continue to serve until the administrator appoints a successor.