Amtrak, California High-Speed Rail Authority announce board appointments

Tom Carper, who served on Amtrak's board from March 2008 to March 2013, has been nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to another five-year term on the board.

Carper was elected Amtrak's chairman in January 2009 and served in that role until his term expired.

Carper said he is looking forward to returning to the board.

"Amtrak remains a critical component of national transportation infrastructure and it plays a vital role connecting communities and providing passengers with convenient access to job centers thus enhancing regional economies," Carper said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Richard Frank has been appointed to the California High-Speed Rail Authority's board, authority officials announced in a press release.

Frank is a professor of environmental practice and director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center at the University of California Davis School of Law. Prior to that, he was executive director of the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment at the University of California Berkeley School of Law.