Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, one of Obama’s token cabinet Republicans, isn’t going to rock the policy boat. According to National Journal, he’ll take his cues from the White House on emissions:
Addressing the role that the department will play as Congress and the administration move forward on climate change legislation this year, LaHood said he would take his cues from Obama and White House energy and climate adviser Carol Browner. “We’re going to be in the room,” LaHood said, adding, “I’m going to take my leads from Carol Browner. I’ll be a good, faithful soldier on this.”
Lisa Caruso also reports that Clinton-era FAA chief Jane Garvey is about to be nominated for deputy secretary of transportation. She also reports that Randy Babbitt, a former Eastern Airlines pilot and Air Line Pilots Association president and current consultant, is the most likely choice for a five-year term as FAA administrator.
What should we expect from Babbitt? Well, he’ll have to thread the needle of being a union guy moved into management. According to a pilot source, Babbitt was very political as head of ALPA from 1991 to 1998. ALPA is in the tricky position of being a union — a solid Democratic bloc — made up more of Republicans than Democrats, especially in the past when the commercial pilot workforce was composed of greater shares of ex-military guys. “Babbitt had the union endorse Bill Clinton, and there were a lot of individual union members who quit the union [over that],” my source said. “Prior to Clinton, the union had never endorsed a political candidate for president.”
Looks like Babbitt is about to reap his political rewards.
LaHood Predicts More High-Speed Rail Funds [National Journal]
Evan Sparks's Aviation Policy Blog 
Evan, I like the points you made in this post and I understand that Jane Garvey has stepped out of consideration. In my opinion, it’s a good thing. Not because she was a bad candidate but because she passed on Reid Aid – Robert Herbert as Administrator. I don’t know Herbert, but here is why I like him. First and foremost (even if he appears to be an experienced military pilot) he’s not aligned with any group within the FAA, Unions, or Airlines. I know the FAA well, and I am confident a big part of the labor problem is that by the time an Administrator is crowned, he or she is normally already courted by one side. Again, I don’t know Herbert, but he at least I don’t believe he’s close to anyone and will be open to all sides (the first rule of negotiation). Additionally and perhaps more importantly, is the potential loss of attention and funding of the FAA. Herbert appears to be well known on the Hill. With some of my own experience in the Legislative process, I can contest that this experience is huge. Sure, there will be those that think a person with Hill experience is a little shady, but in the adult world of budgets and appropriations, well, that experience is crucial. So critical in fact, without immense attention to the congressional affairs of the FAA, while other agencies work hard to maintain budgets and appropriations, the FAA stands to lose a large amount of funding. If the FAA loses a portion of its budget, it won’t matter where the Administrator is from, a lot of people (good people) will lose their jobs.
I hope with Mrs Garvey stepping out, perhaps the opportunity to reevaluate the FAA administrator position is open. If so, I hope the people doing the vetting look hard at Herbert.