NETT Council Overview

USDOT consists of the Office of the Secretary of Transportation and nine operating administrations (OAs), each with its own traditional jurisdiction over certain environmental and regulatory approvals. New technologies may not always fit precisely into the Department’s existing regulatory structure, potentially resulting in a slower pace of transportation innovation. To resolve these challenges, the NETT Council was established by DOT Order 1120.34 in December 2018 as an internal DOT vetting body for new and emerging transportation technologies that are not yet established enough to fit into obvious modal categories or require new policy approaches. The NETT Council was later authorized in Section 25008 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts (Pub. L. 117-58), with its charter updated accordingly in DOT Order 1120.34A, to:

• Identify and resolve jurisdictional and regulatory gaps or inconsistencies associated with nontraditional and emerging transportation technologies, modes, or projects pending or brought before the Department of Transportation to reduce, to the maximum extent practicable, impediments to the prompt and safe deployment of new and innovative transportation technology, including with respect to safety oversight, environmental review, and funding and financing issues
• Coordinate the response of the Department of Transportation to nontraditional and emerging transportation technology projects
• Engage with stakeholders in nontraditional and emerging transportation technology projects.
• The Council consists of Secretary (ex officio), Deputy Secretary (chair), Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, and other senior Departmental leaders.