(The Department of Transportation issued the following on September 30.)
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today released the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2003 through 2008. Secretary Mineta is seeking to redefine the Department’s core mission in light of emerging transportation requirements.
“We continue to work toward a safer, simpler and smarter transportation system for the benefit of all Americans. Safer because we will place greater emphasis on saving lives and reducing accidents than ever before. Simpler because we will improve the management of our resources by consolidating and streamlining programs. And smarter because we will improve efficiency, achieve results and increase our accountability,” Secretary Mineta said.
The strategic plan specifies how the Department will pursue its five core strategic objectives of safety, mobility, global connectivity, environmental stewardship and security between now and 2008, and includes performance measures to assess progress in each of these areas. It will also guide the Department in allocating budgetary resources among the five core objectives and carrying out the President’s management agenda. While retaining four of the strategic objectives contained in the Department’s last strategic plan, the new global connectivity objective highlights the importance of using transportation systems to move goods and people around the world, providing Americans improved access to the global economy.
All federal agencies are required by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 to develop strategic and performance plans. The plans are to describe the goals that agencies intend to achieve, how they plan to achieve those goals, and what funding resources are needed. At the end of each year, agencies are required to report to Congress on how well they did against the goals set. Their purpose is to help build and maintain public confidence in government.
When agencies’ strategic plans were last rated in September 1997, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s plan received the highest Congressional ranking.
The DOT strategic plan is on the World Wide Web at www.dot.gov.