FAA: 'Aviation Safety, Security and Efficiency Win Out'
The United States
Senate FINALLY voted in favor of the FAA’s four-year
reauthorization bill, Vision 100 - The Century of Aviation Act,
clearing the final hurdle for its enactment. The Senate’s
action affirms the House of Representatives’ passage of the
bill, which is now on the way to the President’s
desk.
SecTrans Norman Y. Mineta and FAA Administrator
Blakey applauded the passage of the bill, Friday.
“With today’s Senate action, we can now unlock the
safety benefits and economic power of the FAA’s $60 billion
dollar reauthorization bill. This legislation supports improved air
safety for air travelers and creates over 665,000 new jobs through
airport improvement projects throughout the country,” said
Secretary Mineta.
The bill provides $14 billion dollars for airport construction
projects and incorporates many provisions from the
Administration’s aviation proposal, including $140 million
dollars to assist small communities in attracting and retaining air
service, $308 million dollars to ensure air service to isolated
communities, and $2 billion dollars to create more efficient
security screening at airports.
Vision 100 also provides a new source of funding for important
environmental and clean air initiatives at airports. In addition,
the bill includes an important pilot project that will allow the
FAA to work collaboratively with the airlines to reduce delays at
the nation’s most congested airports.
Passage of the bill had
been delayed over allegations that the legislation would pave the
way to privatize air traffic control. “Nothing could
be further from the truth,” said FAA Administrator
Marion Blakey. “The enacted FAA reauthorization bill is
consistent with the Administration’s longstanding position
that we have no plans to privatize air traffic
control. The bill preserves management flexibility under
the status quo to allow outsourcing where appropriate and under
well-defined circumstances,” said Blakey.
Just this week, Administrator Blakey, in a
letter to the Senate, reinforced that the agency has
no plans to convert additional FAA-staffed visual flight rules
towers. The agency will, however, continue to support the existing
contract tower program. This safe and successful 21-year old
program provides cost-effective air traffic services to 219
airports - - many of them in smaller communities - - which would
not enjoy the safety benefits of a tower without this program.
“The Senate has agreed on a conference report that does
not tie our hands at a time when all of aviation must operate more
smartly and efficiently,” said Blakey. “The enacted
legislation is consistent with all prior FAA reauthorizations that
did not impose inappropriate restrictions.”
“With the passage of the FAA’s reauthorization bill,
we can now move forward and concentrate on rendering the support
that aviation and our economy needs,” said Mineta.