LaHood praises Navistar during visit to Lisle campus
By David Sharos For The Sun June 11, 2012 6:08PM
Navistar President, Chairman and CEO Daniel C. Ustian, left, points out other trucks to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, right, as he tours the Navistar headquarters in Lisle on Monday, June 11, 2012. | Brian Powers~Sun-Times Media
LaHood praises Navistar
during visit to Lisle campus
Secretary of Transportation Raymond LaHood’s visit to Navistar’s Lisle headquarters included sitting in the cab of several trucks, including an all-electric carrier vehicle.
Voicing the Obama administration’s efforts to increase vehicle fuel efficiency, LaHood called Navistar “a company that is meeting higher standards with both design and fuel efficiency.”
Navistar spokeswoman Karen Denning said the company is focusing on using natural gas as a fuel source.
“We are one of two companies that design both our engines as well as trucks, and we’re also big advocates of natural gas for being a cost-effective and viable fuel option,” Denning said.
“With the natural gas fuel option, we know this is a state-of-the-art initiative that we can turn to, given how the price of oil goes up and down,” LaHood said.
LaHood said he visited 46 states in the last 3½ years and plans to visit the rest this summer.
“My biggest disappointment is the failure by Congress to pass the Transportation Bill,” LaHood said. “The U.S. is one big pothole, and America needs quality roads, bridges, and highways — things that can put people back to work.”
Democrats charge that Republican leadership is delaying the two-year, $106 billion transportation bill in an election year to damage President Obama’s chances for re-election. Conservatives are concerned about the size of the spending and want Obama to sign off on the 1,700-mile Canada-to-Texas Keystone pipeline.
— David Sharos
Article Extras
Updated: July 14, 2012 6:17AM
Secretary of Transportation Raymond LaHood stopped by Navistar’s Lisle headquarters Monday afternoon to take a look at what the company is up to.
“We’re very proud of this company, and it is an internationally recognized name,” LaHood said. “We in the administration appreciate what they’ve done, and they are a company that is meeting higher standards with both design and fuel efficiency.”
LaHood’s visit was part of a general campus tour as well as to promote a new national gas partnership. He also talked about President Barack Obama’s desire to double exports.
LaHood was in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2009 from the 18th District. Monday’s visit was LaHood’s first to Navistar since becoming a member of Obama’s Cabinet.
Karen Denning, director of external communications for Navistar, said the Peoria native’s visit would include learning about the company’s integrated product initiative as well as its advocacy for using natural gas as a fuel source.
“We are one of two companies that design both our engines as well as trucks, and we’re also big advocates of natural gas for being a cost-effective and viable fuel option,” Denning said.
“It’s exciting for us to show the secretary of transportation our new world-class integrated engineering center.”
Lisle Mayor Joe Broda likewise expressed excitement about the secretary’s visit, noting that Navistar “makes engines for the Defense Department as well as for school buses.”
“It’s great for the village of Lisle and Navistar to be entertained by the secretary of transportation, and we believe the village has been well represented by the company,” Broda said. “We know Navistar is a world-renowned company that makes high-quality products.”
LaHood sat in the cab of several trucks, including an all-electric carrier vehicle.
LaHood praised Navistar’s focus on safety, which he said has been another priority of the Department of Transportation.
“Safety is a No. 1 priority for us, and we congratulate the smart people here, and its work force for making sure we have the opportunity to operate safe vehicles here in the 21st century,” LaHood said. “With the natural gas fuel option, we know this is a state-of-the-art initiative that we can turn to, given how the price of oil goes up and down.”
LaHood is also spreading the message about texting and driving, and said that since the beginning of the Obama administration, the number of states adopting no-texting-while-driving laws has jumped from 18 to 39.
“Being distracted while driving is dangerous, and the whole practice has become an epidemic behavior,” he said. “We need good laws to encourage personal responsibility like the ‘Click it or Ticket’ initiative. History has shown that law made a difference.”
LaHood also was asked about the high and low points of serving as the secretary of transportation now that his current term is almost up. He called the appointment from President Obama “an honor” and that he is proud of the department’s accomplishments.
“I’ve visited 46 of the 50 states in 3½ years, and I plan to visit the rest this summer,” he said. “We’ve made a difference and have shut down companies we investigated because they weren’t safe.
“My biggest disappointment is the failure by Congress to pass the Transportation Bill. The U.S. is one big pothole, and American needs quality roads, bridges, and highways — things that can put people back to work.”
Coming Wednesday: Learn more about what LaHood and Naperville teens had to say about texting and driving in Wednesday’s Naperville Sun.
