Chairman Capito Opening Statement at Hearing to Consider McMaster, Busterud, Telle Nominations

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led a hearing on the nominations of Sean McMaster to be Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), John Busterud to be Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Adam Telle to be Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.

Below is the opening statement of Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) as delivered.

“This morning, we will hear from three of President Trump’s important nominees. I want to first welcome Mr. Sean McMaster, President Trump’s nominee to serve as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration or better known as FHWA.

“FHWA is an operating administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation, responsible for providing technical support, we lean on them a lot, and funding to states and local entities. The funding provided by FHWA is critical to facilitating the design and construction of improvements to our surface transportation network.

“These improvements enable the safe and reliable movement of people and goods, which enhances our quality of life and supports economic growth. Mr. McMaster’s relevant professional experience makes him well-qualified to serve as Administrator. He brings more than 10 years of government service, working in the U.S. House of Representatives and at federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“Since mid-2020, Mr. McMaster has worked for two private sector transportation companies. First, he served as a National Practice Consultant and Vice President at HNTB and most recently, he served as the Vice President for Commercial Aviation and Transportation at The Boeing Company.

“One challenge that the FHWA Administrator must quickly tackle is the significant backlog of announced grants that do not have signed grant agreements in place. This inherited workload will require diligence and collaboration to resolve. I am hopeful that Mr. McMaster is confirmed, his experience and leadership at FHWA will accelerate this process. This Committee also looks forward to working with FHWA and others on the long-term, bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization bill.

“Next, I want to welcome Mr. John Busterud, President Trump’s nominee to lead the EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management, better known as OLEM. Mr. Busterud’s exceptional experience has prepared him to lead OLEM and tackle some of our nation’s most pressing environmental challenges.

“Following a 31-year environmental legal career, he served as Regional Administrator of the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Mr. Busterud also served our country with distinction as an officer in the U.S. Army, deploying many times, and retiring as a decorated Colonel after 23 years of service.

“OLEM’s statutory responsibilities place it at the center of EPA’s core mission: protecting our air, land, and water. If confirmed, Mr. Busterud will oversee programs that directly impact Americans’ health and the environment, such as remediating PFAS contamination, cleaning up Superfund sites, and revitalizing brownfields.

“Addressing PFAS contamination, which affects communities in my state of West Virginia and across this country, is a priority of mine. The EPA recently announced an agency-wide PFAS strategy and OLEM will play a major role in ensuring its success. OLEM is also responsible for cleaning up Superfund sites, which are some of our nation’s most contaminated sites.

“This Committee recently heard about the challenges with cleaning up Superfund sites and there is bipartisan support to improve the program’s efficiency. I look forward to working with Mr. Busterud to implement key reforms to ensure faster, and more cost-effective Superfund cleanups.

“Finally, I want to welcome Mr. Adam Telle, President Trump’s nominee to be the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. Mr. Telle is well-suited to lead the Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works program based on his two decades of public service in the United States Senate, including as my clerk for the Homeland Security Subcommittee and as a Special Assistant to the President in the first Trump Administration.

“Mr. Telle has seen firsthand how the Army Corps’ response to natural disasters can help communities withstand significant weather events and then recover from them. The Army Corps does critical work across the nation through its navigation, flood risk management, and ecosystem restoration missions.

“This work protects the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans and facilitates commerce throughout our country and internationally. If confirmed, Mr. Telle will also play an integral role in implementing biennial water resources development legislation, better known to all of us on committee as WRDA.

“WRDA authorizes numerous feasibility studies and projects, and directs the Army Corps to carry out various activities to address our nation’s water resources needs. I look forward to working with Mr. Telle to ensure the timely implementation of these laws consistent with congressional intent.

“And I look forward to hearing from our nominees about their experiences and the issues they will prioritize if confirmed to lead these agencies.”

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