Declarations

No Hesitation

“If there is real evidence or a directive from (the Federal Highway Administration) that says the ET-Plus needs to be replaced, make no mistake — we will not shy away from that directive and we will not hesitate to take the necessary action.”

—Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock says he believes hundreds of Trinity Highway Products’ ET-Plus guardrail components that are thought to be defective are in use in his state. The state has banned the product but Hancock told lawmakers he is waiting for the results of federal testing before removing any.

Lacking Controls

“OMV lacked adequate controls, including proper cash handling procedures and management oversight in field offices, to prevent or timely detect the misappropriation of public funds.”

—Excerpt from a report by the state legislative auditor criticizing management at the Louisiana Department of Public Safety. The DPS says it has taken corrective measures. More than $69,000 was misappropriated by three Office of Motor Vehicle employees, who were fired and arrested.

Testing Auto Parts

“It’s clear the current system of testing car safety is not working.”

—U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on the federal compliance inspection and testing process used for auto parts. He is calling for a top-to-bottom review of federal safety screening for defective car parts. He cited the recall of millions of vehicles equipped with Takata Corp. passenger air bags that can explode with too much force and send shards of metal into the passenger compartment.

Midwest Flooding

“Flooding from a single tropical cyclone often impacts 10 to 15 states located hundreds of miles from the coast and covering a wide area.”

—Gabriele Villarini, University of Iowa assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, and researcher at IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering. Villarni and his colleagues report that North Atlantic tropical cyclones have a significant effect on the Midwest and can cause flooding in areas as far inland as Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.