| | | | | |  | | By Irie Sentner, Alex Daugherty, Tanya Snyder and Oriana Pawlyk | | | Due to a production error, today's Morning Transportation arrived in your inbox later than usual. We apologize for the delay. — Travel security company CLEAR is embroiled in a fierce competition with Idemia that has drawn in high-profile lobbyists. — President Joe Biden’s climate law turns one year old this week, and it’s as controversial as ever. — California opens the floodgates to autonomous vehicles, a major milestone for not just the state but also for the industry as a whole. 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, opawlyk@politico.com, tsnyder@politico.com and isentner@politico.com. Find us on X @alextdaugherty, @TSnyderDC, @oriana0214 and @iriesentner. "Ah-ah, Barbie, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind / Jump into the driver's seat and put it into speed drive / Hot, ridin' through the streets, on a different frequency / Know you know just what I mean, we're runnin' through the red lights."
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| | SECURITY WARS: CLEAR, which whisks customers through airport security checkpoints, is facing scrutiny from TSA to require its members to submit to physical ID checks. And the company that currently conducts TSA PreCheck screenings and builds the ID machines, France-based Idemia, is in the midst of a power struggle with CLEAR over who has the biggest slice of the airport security pie. Alex and Oriana have a deep dive into the fierce competition that has drawn in high-profile lobbyists like former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson and the attempts to pitch lawmakers on legislative language. CLEAR has drawn headlines from recent security breaches — including an incident where a passenger got through security with a boarding pass dug out of the trash. The episodes led some to argue that all CLEAR users need to begin showing their ID, including former House Homeland Security Committee ranking member John Katko, who signed on as a lobbyist for Idemia months after leaving Congress. Idemia's vice president of corporate relations, Lisa Shoemaker, said, “We wholeheartedly believe that every passenger should have their identification verified at the checkpoint with a [TSA agent].” CLEAR spokesperson Annabel Walsh said the company is working with TSA to eventually integrate the company’s technology with TSA’s ID checks — allowing users to continue to breeze through security without waiting for a TSA officer. The back-and-forth is just the latest in a long-running competition between the two companies, as Idemia fought for years to keep CLEAR out of the PreCheck verification business. And as the companies compete, passengers could feel the impact, especially as air travel exceeds pre-pandemic levels.
| | WHAT CALIFORNIA’S AV DECISION MEANS FOR THE REST OF US: California’s decision to open the floodgates to autonomous vehicles last week signals a major milestone not just for the state, but also for the industry as a whole. It comes at a time when the entire business proposition behind driverless cars was in question — Ford gave up on self-driving and took Argo AI down with it less than a year ago. The players still in the game, like Cruise and Waymo — the companies that the California Public Utilities Commission ruled can operate a 24/7 paid robotaxi service in San Francisco — see the light at the end of the tunnel, with a viable path toward commercialization finally opening up in California. — It’s unclear what it means for the rest of the country. Many other states follow California’s lead on environmental issues surrounding automobiles, but less so on autonomous vehicles, on which most states have already set at least some rules of their own regarding testing and deployment. Plus, the decision to open the door to robotaxi deployment is deeply unpopular in some quarters due to reports — including evidence presented by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency — of erratic and unsafe driving by autonomous vehicles. And California is still considering its own autonomous future: A bill prohibiting driverless trucking without a human being in the cab, AB 316, passed the assembly in May but hasn’t yet gotten a floor vote in the state Senate. Forty-two states allow autonomous-truck testing without drivers. — At the federal level: Meanwhile, the House is working to join Democratic and Republican proposals on AVs into one bipartisan proposal. A hearing last month made clear that the desire is there — but far less clear is how lawmakers will untangle the Gordian knot that has stymied legislation to date. GIVE ME A BREAK: FMCSA on Friday said it would consider petitions for waivers from its 2018 and 2020 break-rule decisions in California and Washington, respectively, requesting petitions for the waivers by Nov. 13. American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear blasted the decision, saying in a statement that “ATA is fully prepared to oppose this effort that would result in a confusing patchwork of regulations” and that it “will leverage all of our Federation’s resources to stop this in its tracks.”
| | | | IRA ANNIVERSARY: President Joe Biden’s climate law turns one year old this week, and while some communities are welcoming their slice of the $370 billion pot of federal tax incentives, others see the Inflation Reduction Act as inviting the long arm of the Chinese government to their doorstep. — While Republicans on the campaign trail and in Congress regularly bash the law as big-government overreach by Democrats bent on killing off fossil fuels, its benefits are disproportionately landing in their communities. The measure rekindles economies where people have felt forgotten, potentially softening how some voters view Biden as he seeks reelection. — To coincide with the IRA’s one-year anniversary, POLITICO staff traveled to Republican-controlled congressional districts in Oklahoma, Michigan and New York where projects that could transform communities are splitting local and national Republican priorities. Kelsey Tambrorrino, Josh Siegel and Jessie Blaeser have more.
| | COAST GUARD CRASH REPORT: A collision last August between a U.S. Coast Guard cutter and a small fishing boat about four miles off the coast of Puerto Rico “resulted from the failure of either vessel to maintain a proper lookout,” the NTSB announced Friday. The agency found that the commanding officer and officer of the deck of the Coast Guard ship “did not take sufficient measures to increase situational awareness when the cutter was transiting at high speed.” The ship’s commanding officer, its officer of the deck and its quartermaster of the watch “declined” interview requests “on advice of their counsel,” the report said.
| | | CHINA REOPENS GROUP TOURS: China lifted its pandemic-era restrictions on group tours to 78 locations in Europe, North America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Thursday, a major boon for the global travel industry. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, China had the largest outbound tourism market in the world, with Chinese tourists spending a combined $255 billion abroad in 2019 — 60 percent of that from group tours. But the decision isn’t likely to have a significant immediate impact on visitors to the U.S., given bilateral restrictions to flights from both Washington and Beijing. China’s economy has also experienced a significant slowdown, leaving open the question of whether many of its citizens are in a position to travel internationally. Ari Hawkins has the details.
| | WHAT MUSK CAN LEARN FROM ZUCK: Lawmakers warn that Tesla CEO Elon Musk could face scrutiny if he pushes ahead with plans to turn X, the social media giant formerly known as Twitter, into a financial services provider. They say Musk, the world’s richest man, will need to avoid the political and regulatory pitfalls that killed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to launch a cryptocurrency payments system alongside Facebook. Zuckerberg and his partners scrapped the project following resistance from Capitol Hill, banking regulators and European officials. Jasper Goodman has more.
| | — “Investigators say miscommunication between pilots caused United plane to drop near ocean’s surface.” The Associated Press. — “Before joining federal safety program, freight railroads push to change it.” The New York Times. — “In East Palestine, fear remains six months after train crash.” The Hill. — “Metro requires supervisors to check on train operator sobriety after incident.” The Washington Post. — “Help! JetBlue stranded our Boy Scout troop in New York City.” The New York Times. — “San Franciscans are having sex in robotaxis, and nobody is talking about it.” The San Francisco Standard. — “A totaled Tesla was sold for parts in the U.S. but came back online in Ukraine — here’s what happened.” CNBC. — “‘Wire’ creator (and NYC camera foe) David Simon has received 16 school zone speeding tickets in his beloved Baltimore.” StreetsBlog NYC. — “US, China agree to double weekly flights between countries.” Reuters. — “A pain in the neck: Elon Musk and Tesla’s revolving C-suite.” The Wall Street Journal. | | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S TECH & AI SUMMIT: America’s ability to lead and champion emerging innovations in technology like generative AI will shape our industries, manufacturing base and future economy. Do we have the right policies in place to secure that future? How will the U.S. retain its status as the global tech leader? Join POLITICO on Sept. 27 for our Tech & AI Summit to hear what the public and private sectors need to do to sharpen our competitive edge amidst rising global competitors and rapidly evolving disruptive technologies. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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