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Committee on TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE U.S. House of Representatives
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Democratic News |
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Room 2163 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Telephone 202-225-4472 |
Rep. James L. Oberstar, Ranking Democratic Member |
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For Immediate Release Contacts: Jim Berard (Oberstar) 202-225-4472
Thursday, April 10, 2003 Robert Geist (LoBiondo) 202-225-6572
Kristie Greco (DeFazio) 202-225-6416
Michael Tetuan (Quinn) 202-225-3306
Bill Aims to Keep Airways Public
Bipartisan initiative would prevent privatization
of the nation’s air traffic control system
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WASHINGTON—The federal government would be prohibited from turning the nation’s air traffic control (ATC) system over to private operators under a bill introduced today in the House of Representatives.
The Air Traffic Control System Integrity Act of 2003 is the work of four senior Members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Subcommittee on Aviation: Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), Ranking Democratic Member on the full Committee; Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation; Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Aviation; and Rep. Jack Quinn (R-N.Y.), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads.
On June 4, 2002, President Bush signed Executive Order 13264 to delete a phrase in Executive Order 13180 stating that air traffic control is an “inherently-governmental function.” More recently, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) placed air traffic controllers on its 2002 Commercial Activities list, an inventory of activities performed by government personnel that should be subject to the forces of competition.
Oberstar said he found these actions disturbing.
“The National Air Space system is not one well-defined piece of equipment. It is a complex, integrated arrangement of thousands of distinct systems, as well as regulations, procedures, and people, all interfacing with one another to accomplish one of the most intricate missions in the world – ensuring our country’s ability to safely and efficiently move over 600 million passengers a year,” Oberstar said. “Should we risk the uncertainties of creating a new system to promote ATC safety and security when we already have in place a system with an outstanding safety record? The answer is simple: No.”
"Air Traffic Control is a critical component of our nation's aviation system," said LoBiondo. "Its reliability and security should remain in the hands of the outstanding professionals who have made our skies the safest in the world."
“We have the safest and best system of air traffic control in the world. The comparatively tiny ATC systems of Great Britain, Canada and Australia are basket cases due to their experimentation with privatization,” said DeFazio. “Why trade uncertainty for a successful system with an impeccable safety record? We can't afford to contract-out the safety of the flying public to the lowest bidder.”
“It is imperative that our air traffic controllers continue to serve as a federal government entity,” said Quinn. “The safety of airline passengers exceeds the desire to streamline the role of the air traffic controller. The controllers should not have to worry about tracking the stability of the airlines’ bottom line for job security. They need to focus on tracking the 600 million passengers that fly safely though the sky each year.”
The bill would prohibit the Department of Transportation from authorizing the conversion of any Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facilities, or the outsourcing of any work currently performed by FAA employees (including air traffic controllers, systems specialists, and flight service station employees), in the ATC system to private or public entities other than the U.S. government. However, this bill would not impact the existing contract tower program.
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