Mary E. Peters

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Mary E. Peters (born December 4 1948) is the United States Secretary of Transportation. She is the second woman and first Arizonan to hold the position.Peters was born in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, North America. She earned her bachelor's degree in management from the University of Phoenix. [http://www.dot.gov/bios/peters.htm] She has also attended an executive education program at Harvard University.Peters joined the Arizona Department of Transportation in 1985, and was appointed by Gov. Jane Dee Hull to serve as its director in 1998. [http://www.dot.gov/bios/peters.htm]After George W. Bush took office as president in 2001, Peters left for Washington to work as the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. She worked in that capacity until 2005. [http://www.dot.gov/bios/peters.htm]In 2006, President Bush appointed Peters as the Co-Vice Chairwoman of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/05/AR2006090500514.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/05/AR2006090500514.html]In 2005, there was speculation that Peters would run for governor in 2006. At the time, however, she said, while she believed she would have been a strong candidate, and was eligible to run despite having lived and registered to vote in Virginia, that the issue would have been a distraction from the race.[http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2005/09/26/daily59.html http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2005/09/26/daily59.html][http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,645198978,00.html http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,645198978,00.html] Joshua Bolten on October 17 2006]]On September 5 2006, Bush nominated Peters to replace Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation.[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060905-5.html http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060905-5.html] She was confirmed on September 29 2006 by the United States Senate.[http://www.dot.gov/bios/peters.htm Official biography] from the Department of Transportation[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?r109:269:./temp/~r1092XY65w:e0: Confirmation of the U.S. Senate on September 29 2006]Peters is an advocate of leasing U.S. roads and interstates to private companies and having user fees (i.e., tolls) for building new highways. In an interview, Peters said that the National Highway System will run out of money by decade's end without substantial changes and, rather than raise taxes, some states should turn to toll roads leased to private corporations to fill gaps.[http://blog.pennlive.com/pennsyltucky/2008/06/transportation_secretary_backs.html Transportation secretary backs toll, lease options - Pennsyltucky Politics] On February 7 2008, the Teamsters Union launched www.firemarypeters.com in protest of Peters' decision to open the U.S.-Mexico border to allegedly unsafe Mexican trucks.www.teamster.orgwww.firemarypeters.comMary Peters held a press conference on September 5, 2008 to report that Highway Trust Fund payments to states, including her native Arizona, will be cut back because federal fuel tax collections are dropping. This will delay the completion of Arizona Department of Transportation projects according to its spokesperson, Doug Nintzel. (Arizona Republic, September 6, 2008) *[http://www.dot.gov/bios/peters.htm DOT – official bio] *[http://www.surfacecommission.gov/petersbio.htm Biography at the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission]

March 12, 2008

January 24, 2008

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