Senate GA supporters spoke out for industry in FAA bill
By AOPA ePublishing staff
AOPA Website
3/23/2010

As the Senate considered a bill that would set the course for the FAA over
the next two years, general aviation supporters in the Senate worked to
ensure that the final bill would include benefits for GA.

The $34.5 billion, two-year Senate FAA reauthorization bill, which passed
93 to 0, focuses on modernizing the air traffic control system. It would
fund modernization in part by an increase in general aviation jet fuel
taxes—21.9 cents to 36 cents per gallon—but would not impose any new user
fees.

Leading up to the passage of the bill March 22, members of the GA Caucus
and other GA supporters worked to include provisions in the bill that would
minimize the burden of regulations on the industry. While not every
amendment made it to the final bill, senators’ efforts to include GA in
considerations reflected growing understanding of GA on Capitol Hill.

Sen. John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate
Commerce Committee, said “airports are economic engines for many small
communities, and everyone, everywhere, needs to be connected to our
national air transportation system.”

Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.), chair of the aviation subcommittee, spoke on
the Senate floor about the value of small aircraft—“to travel around the
state and the country to do commerce, to haul parts, to haul people.”
Dorgan explained the importance of business aircraft and that GA
encompasses medical flights, transportation for troops reuniting with their
families, relief flights to Haiti, and more.

“The legislation we have created has things that are so important to all of
aviation—yes, commercial aviation, but to general aviation and to private
pilots as well,” he said.

GA Caucus co-chair Mark Begich (D-Alaska) said he was pleased with the
legislation. “You can’t go wrong with a bill that creates jobs, improves
the safety and efficiency of air travel, and invests in our airports,” he
said. “Many of our communities have no road or ferry access. Aviation is
our lifeline as many Alaskans rely completely on small aircraft to keep our
communities connected.”

Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), the other GA Caucus co-chair, proposed amendments to
ensure that equipment upgrade requirements would show a clear benefit
without imposing an undue financial burden for small-aircraft owners.

“It is important to remember that the FAA’s responsibility goes beyond
large airports and commercial airlines; rural airports and general aviation
are sometimes hit much harder by federal regulations, which can cause a
ripple effect in states like Nebraska,” Johanns said. “I am pleased the FAA
Reauthorization bill now includes specific acknowledgement of these smaller
yet significant contributors to our state economy and our aviation system
as a whole.”

The bill establishes deadlines for equipage with NextGen technologies such
as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B); one of Johanns’
amendments would require the FAA to first publish rules setting the
standards for equipage so that operators would not absorb the cost of new
equipment without clear directions from the FAA. Other Johanns amendments
would require the FAA administrator to identify the benefits of the
transition to satellite-based navigation for small- and medium-sized
airports and GA users and require the Government Accountability Office to
study the impact of increases in aviation fuel prices.