| | | | | |  | | By Irie Sentner and Alex Daugherty | | | With help from James Bikales
| | — With just a week until the Senate’s expected August recess, chances of an FAA bill markup are looking slim. — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg weighs in on some big topics in an interview. — New Jersey sues the FHWA to block congestion pricing in New York City. IT’S MONDAY: You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. Send tips, thoughts, song lyrics and recipes you like to adaugherty@politico.com, tsnyder@politico.com and isentner@politico.com. Find us on Twitter @alextdaugherty, @TSnyderDC and @iriesentner. "And he still gives his love, he just gives it away / The love he receives is the love that is saved / And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky / A human being that was given to fly."
| | | | A message from Capital Access Alliance: As the U.S. Senate considers authorizing additional flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) as part of this year's FAA reauthorization bill, we're setting the record straight on DCA's capacity: The FAA's own data shows that there are multiple blocks of time each day where runway and airspace capacity exceeds demand. Learn more. | | | | | RECESS IS COMING: The Senate is likely heading into its August recess at the end of this week. Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) told MT on Thursday that the Senate would mark up its FAA reauthorization bill, S. 1939 (118), “soon,” but an agenda for a markup scheduled on Thursday contains no mention of the FAA bill. FAA action before the break is looking increasingly slim. The delay is over disagreements about how to handle any potential changes to the 1,500-hour pilot training rule. And after the House’s strong bipartisan vote to reject any changes to the status quo, lawmakers like Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) who don’t want to alter the rule are likely feeling emboldened. Indeed, last week Duckworth said she’s “not in a hurry” to act on the bill and is willing to wait. But other FAA issues are weighing on the Senate. Democrats in both chambers have been pressing for additional benefits and protections for airport service workers — including Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who has a bill, S. 753 (118), to do just that. (An effort to include similar language in the House’s FAA bill from Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.) failed.) Now the Service Employees International Union has begun running TV ads in the D.C. area, first shared with MT, urging the Senate to include the measure. The White House also called for the FAA bill that reaches President Joe Biden’s desk to include additional protections for airport service workers. And Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is adamant that the Senate bill will include additional long-haul flights out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, though the House rejected a push to add seven round-trip flights last week. But the House bill that passed on a landslide 392-41 vote did not include additional flights or pilot training changes (it does include raising the commercial pilot retirement age from 65 to 67). Duckworth said the House bill is “a good way to move forward.” The FAA reauthorization deadline is Sept. 30 and the Senate isn’t expected to return from recess until Sept. 5. That leaves just 17 legislative days for the Senate to hold its markup and floor consideration and for the two chambers to reach a final conference deal. An extension of some length is likelier with each passing day.
| | | | JOIN 7/26 FOR A TALK ON THE NEW ENERGY ECONOMY: Join POLITICO's lively discussion, "Powering a Clean Energy Economy," on July 26 at 5:15 PM ET. We'll explore the effectiveness of consumer-targeted policies to boost sustainability and create clean energy jobs. How are the Inflation Reduction Act's provisions faring? Which strategies truly sway consumer behavior? How are advances in technology shaking things up? And, what's the future for energy consumption reduction? Hear from featured speaker, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), among other experts. Don't miss this insightful event — register today and be part of the conversation driving America's clean energy future! REGISTER NOW. | | | | | Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
| | BUTTIGIEG ON EVS, SLOTS AND MORE: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday sat down with James Bikales. You can read all the highlights here, but here are the most consequential portions: DCA slots: After the House on Wednesday rejected adding slots DCA, Buttigieg said the FAA’s role is “ultimately is to work within the law as provided by Congress” but echoed an FAA analysis that found the additional flights could strain the already-crowded airport. “This is one of the most heavily used runways in the world, and there’s a lot of pressure on the resources of this one airport,” Buttigieg said. “Any increase would have to be carefully considered in the context of that kind of pressure.” Approps: Buttigieg said he’s concerned about GOP attempts to roll back transportation funding. Even though many programs in the bipartisan infrastructure law received advanced appropriations, certain ones — like the Capital Investment Grants for transit — could be under threat. EV charging connectors: As the EV industry rapidly moves to adopt Tesla’s charging connectors over a rival technology that DOT is currently requiring on its federally funded stations, Buttigieg said the administration is “not wedded” to any particular charging technology.
| | N.J. SUES FHWA: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday announced that the state is suing the FHWA to block New York’s new plan to toll drivers going into parts of Manhattan, Ry Rivard reports. The Democratic governor of a deep blue state suing the Biden administration is a dramatic move freighted with political implications, but one Murphy has telegraphed for years: During his 2021 reelection campaign, he threatened to go “nuclear” on New York by using his powers to hold up operations at the bi-state Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as revenge, unless his state’s drivers were spared. When reached for comment, an FHWA spokesperson said the agency “does not comment on pending litigation.” — The lawsuit is considered a bit of a long shot, since the federal government is often given deference and the point of the tolling plan is to improve air quality. But insofar as New York City is a bellwether for congestion pricing in other big cities, this is worth watching. THE EV INFLECTION POINT: Although EV interest is surging, not all those customers are willing to pull the trigger, Christopher Wenk, Kia’s vice president of government affairs, told James Bikales at the Electrify Expo in Washington over the weekend. The biggest concerns are affordability, the availability of charging and the types of electric models available, Wenk said. Companies are trying to appeal to new EV customers looking for different types of vehicles: At the expo, Ford’s F-150 Lightning pickup truck and VW’s upcoming ID. Buzz — based on its iconic VW Bus — took prominent places in front of each company’s display.
| | | | A message from Capital Access Alliance:   | | | | | STRIKE DEADLINE LOOMS: The Teamsters are expected to restart negotiations with UPS this week just days ahead of a July 31 strike deadline. Last week, 28 Senate Democrats and 172 House members signed letters to the Teamsters and UPS vowing not to intervene if a strike is called. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce last week sent a letter to Biden, signed by over 250 organizations and state and local chambers from 47 states, expressing concern for a strike’s “debilitating impact” on the economy and urging his administration to “provide the support necessary to help the parties reach a new agreement.” — Teamsters President Sean O'Brien said last week he's asked the Biden administration not to intervene if the union strikes. But in interviews with POLITICO, senior Biden administration officials did not rule out the possibility of the president getting involved, but they also pointed to his pro-labor bona fides to suggest that he likely wouldn’t unless both sides asked him to, Holly Otterbein and Zack Colman report.
| | | | JOIN 7/27 FOR A TALK ON WOMEN LEADERS IN THE NEW WORKPLACE: In the wake of the pandemic, U.S. lawmakers saw a unique opportunity to address the current childcare system, which has become increasingly unaffordable for millions of Americans, but the initial proposals went nowhere. With the launch of the Congressional Bipartisan Affordable Childcare Caucus in May, there may be a path to make childcare more affordable in the U.S. Join Women Rule on July 27 to hear from featured speakers Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), and Reshma Saujani, Founder & CEO of Moms First and Founder of Girls Who Code, on ways to reach a bipartisan solution on this timely issue for women in the workplace. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | — “U.S. investigating why Delta passengers were kept on plane in extreme heat.” The New York Times. — “Volvo Cars will use Tesla’s Superchargers but not its autonomous driving tech. Its CEO explains why.” CNBC. — “A transportation engineer's solution to America's worst bottleneck.” The Wall Street Journal. — “Chinese autonomous vehicle tech raises concerns, US transportation chief says.” Reuters. — “Boeing completes 737NG nacelle redesign work.” Aviation Week. — “U.S. FAA, DOT tell government teleworkers to boost in-person work.” Reuters. — “Hawaiian Airlines delay leaves passengers stuck for over 30 hours.” USA Today. — "Delta boss to CEOs griping about employees not returning to the office: ‘They’re on my planes’." Fortune. — "Norfolk Southern CEO on freight rail safety in the aftermath of East Palestine." NPR.
| | | | A message from Capital Access Alliance: Take it from 30-year veteran air traffic controller Todd Jacobson: “As someone who spent his entire career ensuring airplanes could land and take-off safely, I can say with certainty that DCA can handle more capacity.”
DCA has the capacity to offer more choices, more competition and lower prices to consumers. Now is the time to modernize the outdated federal perimeter rule and add flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment