The Bush Administration has nominated lobbyist Nicole Nason to be the next chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Nason is a lawyer and lobbyist for the Department of Transportation where she is the assistant secretary for governmental affairs.
Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook has pointed out that, as head of NHTSA Nason would be in the position of implementing measures that she had opposed as a lobbyist for DOT.
Nason will succeed Dr. Jeffrey Runge as NHTSA administrator if confirmed by the Senate. Runge, a physician, is now the chief medical officer of the Department of Homeland Security.
Several important decisions face NHTSA in the immediate future. The agency is about to finish work on new side-impact crash standards and roof strength regulations as well as a major overhaul of the government's fuel economy program.
Ralph Nader has criticized the automobile safety agency as nothing more than a lap dog for the auto industry. The consumer advocate said NHTSA "is now a consulting agency to Detroit and federal regulation is essentially dead.
