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Federal transport regulator posts being filled

Senate Commerce Committee will meet to discuss top positions at Federal Aviation Administration and Surface Transportation Board; Benzel nominated to fill fifth spot at Federal Maritime Commission.

A couple of nominations for high-profile transportation regulators will be discussed in executive session by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Wednesday.

The nominations of Stephen M. Dickson of Georgia to be administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and Michelle A. Schultz of Pennsylvania to be one of the three members of the Surface Transportation Board will be discussed along with Coast Guard promotions this week.

The committee is expected to discuss at a later date the nomination last month by President Donald Trump of Carl Whitney Bentzel of Maryland to be a the fifth commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission for a five-year term expiring June 30, 2024.

Bentzel currently provides consulting services on energy and transportation policy and projects at Bentzel Strategies LLC. Previously, he worked as a vice president at the DCI Group LLC.

Before joining the DCI Group, Bentzel served as a senior counsel on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, as well as the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, for which he worked on issues related to surface and maritime transportation.

Chris Dupin

Chris Dupin has written about trade and transportation and other business subjects for a variety of publications before joining American Shipper and Freightwaves.