GAMA Chairman Questions TSA's Use Of Security Directives For
Rulemaking
Testifying Wednesday before the House Subcommittee on
Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, Chairman of
the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the
President and CEO of Jeppesen, Mark Van Tine, said that if TSA,
industry, and Congress work together on general aviation security
issues, an effective security system can be put in place that does
not inhibit the freedom people enjoy today to use general aviation
aircraft.
In his remarks, Van Tine emphasized that since September 11, 2001,
the general aviation community has worked diligently to increase
security and awareness of threats to the aviation system. This
effort has led to the development and implementation of over a
dozen mandatory and voluntary security programs.
He also specifically addressed two major recent security issues
affecting general aviation. The first was the Large Aircraft
Security Program (LASP) proposed in October 2008. "The
general aviation community does not oppose enhancing security,"
said Van Tine. "However, we believe that the notice of
proposed rule making (NPRM) was unnecessarily burdensome and did
not reflect an adequate understanding of general aviation
operations."
He commended the TSA for its commitment to reworking the
initial NPRM and considering concerns and suggestions from
stakeholders which will lead to a more practical and effective
approach to general aviation security.
Van Tine also spoke about the TSA's use of security directives to
circumvent the normal rulemaking process. "We have seen the
TSA repeatedly use security directives to vastly expand existing
security requirements without consideration of the implementation
challenges, operational impacts and economic burdens these mandates
impose on the aviation industry. GAMA strongly supported an
amendment offered by Congressman Mica (R-FL) to the TSA
Authorization Act, which would require the agency to initiate a
rulemaking process for security directives six months after
implementation unless there is an emergency situation. We
supported this amendment because it struck the right balance
between national security and due process," said Van Tine.
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