Former Transportation Secretary LaHood to chair NiSource review board
Former Secretary of Transportation and U.S. Congressman Ray LaHood was named chair of NiSource’s Quality Review Board.
The Quality Review Board is a new independent body formed to provide oversight and governance over the company’s implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) throughout the states it serves. NiSource serves about 3.5 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across seven states through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands.
“I am honored that Secretary LaHood has agreed to chair our Quality Review Board and guide our SMS implementation. His experience and oversight will be invaluable. This is a critical step for our organization as we proactively identify and mitigate risk and take tangible safety actions to protect our customers and communities from harm,” Joe Hamrock, president and CEO of NiSource, said. “Safety must be the top priority of any natural gas company and implementing SMS is the right thing to do. I look forward to providing rigorous oversight throughout this process, with a clear objective: promote the safety of the public.”
SMS is the company’s approach to improving performance and identifying and mitigating potential risks. Specifically, SMS, will put in place barriers through processes, redundancies, and enhanced training and operational practices to reduce risk to its customers, communities, and the general public.
“At NiSource, safety is not just a commitment we talk about it is our top priority. It is the foundation of our business and guides all our actions,” Hamrock said. “At its core, SMS is about identifying and mitigating potential risks before they happen. It’s also about strengthening our culture. We are working to continuously improve our safety practices, and SMS is a key part of that. SMS is the most important priority for me and for NiSource and it will transform our company for the better.”
LaHood served as the Department of Transportation Secretary from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. Prior to that he served in the US House of Representatives from 1995 to 2009 in the 18th District of Illinois. He currently works as a senior policy advisor at DLA Piper.
Along with LaHood, the board will include John Durham, retired director, Enercon Services, Inc.; Gary Harland, president, Work Management Inc.; John Cox, president & CEO, Safety Operating Systems; and Jeff Wiese, vice president for pipeline integrity, TRC Companies.
