Progress Illinois

At a press conference in Chicago this afternoon, President-elect Barack Obama formally announced retiring Rep. Ray LaHood as the next Secretary of Transportation. During his introduction, Obama said few Americans understand the nation’s infrastructure challenges better than the seven-term Peoria Republican. Watch Obama’s remarks, as well as LaHood’s acceptance, below:

Two days after Obama’s pick was leaked to the press, Grist’s Kate Sheppard reports today that environmentalists and urban planners remain puzzled with the appointment. Illinois officials who have worked with LaHood, on the other hand, told the State Journal-Register that he’s well-suited for the job:

“(Transportation) hasn’t been (LaHood’s) topmost specialty, but he’s a quick learner and he’s been around long enough to know what the big issues are, whether it’s land, sea or air, in the field of transportation,” LaHood’s Congressional predecessor, former Rep. Bob Michel, said Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) "praised LaHood’s 'temperament' and 'managerial talent,' saying he is an 'excellent' choice to lead a sprawling department that employs more than 53,000 workers ranging from air traffic controllers to railroad inspectors." The Peoria Journal-Star also provides a quick primer on the DOT chief’s primary responsibilities.