{"id":632,"date":"2009-09-08T08:41:49","date_gmt":"2009-09-08T13:41:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/planesafe.org\/?p=632"},"modified":"2016-01-02T16:13:21","modified_gmt":"2016-01-02T21:13:21","slug":"the-fall-session","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planesafe.org\/?p=632","title":{"rendered":"The Fall Session"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thank you to everyone who has given us positive feedback so far on this blogging effort!<\/p>\n

As Congress is back in session today, now seems a good time to discuss some\u00a0aviation-related\u00a0issues\u00a0that could come\u00a0up\u00a0this fall.\u00a0 I use the word “could,” because as Robert Reich reiterated for me\u00a0last Friday morning on the radio<\/a>, their top priorities are health care, financial regulation and cap-and-trade.\u00a0 As a result,\u00a0aviation-related issues may well be on the back burner.<\/p>\n

The most significant is the FAA reauthorization bill, which lapsed two years ago. The new long-term authorization is still working its way through the legislative process.\u00a0 In the meantime, the FAA has been operating on legislation that\u00a0provides short-term funding.\u00a0 The latest of which, expires on September 30.\u00a0 Kathryn A. Wolf of Congressional Quarterly reported last week that “the Senate is unlikely to complete its consideration” in September, “which probably will mean yet another short-term extension for the agency.”\u00a0 ATWOnline has a good description of the current challenges in getting\u00a0this bill ready for the president.<\/a><\/p>\n

Barbara Hollingsworth of the Washington Examiner has a column\u00a0out today describing\u00a0 the Business Travel Coalition’s request for Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate Amerijet International.<\/a>\u00a0 She seems skeptical of increased oversight or action\u00a0in the areas of maintenance and\u00a0pilot\u00a0fatigue, but not because of\u00a0competing legislative issues,\u00a0but because of recent history.<\/p>\n

It is difficult to know what may come of Senator Charles Schumer’s outspoken criticism of new regulations regarding the Hudson River corridor, as not going “far enough” (via the New York Times).<\/a>\u00a0 Miles O’Brien<\/a> wrote, very soon after the midair collision, that this was likely to happen.\u00a0 That politicians would be eager to offer premature and perhaps reactionary suggestions that had little basis in expertise. I’m not sure that any legislative action would enhance what the NTSB and the FAA have already acted upon.<\/p>\n

And, Jetwhine has a nice commentary from last week on\u00a0the effectiveness (or not)\u00a0of\u00a0 a legislative fix to\u00a0combat being stuck on a plane on the tarmac.<\/a><\/p>\n

Briefly:<\/p>\n