The U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG) https://www.oig.dot.gov/ was established by the Public Law 95-452 The 1978 Inspector General Act https://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/The%20Inspector%20General%20Act%20of%201978%20-%20Updated%202020-04-15%20%28508%20Compliant%29.pdf.  It’s legal authority is derived from 49 USC 1326 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section1326&num=0&edition=prelim and its administrative law authority in the CFR is 49 CFR 1.70 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-A/part-1/subpart-C?toc=1 This office works within DOT to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of DOT … Continue reading U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG)

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) https://www.stb.gov/ is a federal agency charged with regulating U.S. surface transportation modes with particular emphasis on rail.  It was established in 1996 by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) termination act with the ICC regulating transportation since 1887.  In 2015, STB became an independent agency https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/STB-Reauth-Act-of-2015.pdf separate from the  Department of … Continue reading Surface Transportation Board (STB)

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) https://www.maritime.dot.gov/ is responsible for America's waterborne transportation system by promoting this transportation sector and integrating it with other transportation nodes.  It has been part of the Transportation Department since 1981, though its historical origins date back to the 1916 Shipping Act (P.L. 64-260) https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-39/pdf/STATUTE-39-Pg728-2.pdf establishing the United States Shipping Board to promote the U.S. Merchant … Continue reading Maritime Administration (MARAD)

Midwest FDLP library coordinators, Congratulations are in order!   February 2025 marked the one-year anniversary of GPO’s new “Limited Print Distribution (LPD) Framework.”  We hope that everything is going smoothly at your libraries under this new, more digital model.  Of course, with change comes the need to adjust policies, and that’s what we’ve been working on in … Continue reading Update from the Midwest NCSA (National Collections Steering Committee)

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Bureau of Transportation Statistics is the Department of Transportation's statistical branch.  BTS was formally established during the  George H.W. Bush Administration in February 1990 https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/531 in its Statement of National Transportation Policy which expressed concern about data gaps in multiple transportation sectors along with insufficient financial information on financial and operating characteristics of smaller transportation … Continue reading Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Home  was initially established in the Transportation Department in 1967 before congressional re-establishment as an independent agency in 1974.  Its purpose is investigating, reporting on, and making recommendations to avoid the occurrence of further transportation accidents for the following transportation sectors:  aviation, hazardous materials, highway, marine, pipeline, and railroad.   Since … Continue reading National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) https://railroads.dot.gov/ is part of the Department of Transportation established in 1966.  FRA is responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of goods and people by rail.  The most recent law covering this entity was the 2008 Federal Rail Safety Improvements Act https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/fra_net/2189/RSIA_Pub.%20L.%20No.%20110-432%20in%20pdf.pdf and FRA’s overall legal authority comes from 49 USC 103 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section103&num=0&edition=prelim  Regulations … Continue reading Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)