(Washington, DC) –- (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed H.R. 2997, the 21st Century Aviation Innovation Reform and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act. The bill will transfer operation of air traffic services currently provided by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to a separate, not-for-profit entity, which will ensure America’s aviation system moves into the modern era.
LaMalfa said: “The United States has one of the busiest and most complicated aviation systems in the world. The problem is, despite spending billions of dollars, our air traffic control infrastructure still lags far behind the times and best available technology. We need look no further than our neighbors to the north, as Canada’s privately-run air traffic control navigation service, Nav Canada, has been highly successful since being implemented. Currently, privately-operated control towers save the U.S. $1.5 million per year, per tower, while offering the same standards of safety as towers controlled by the FAA. This legislation will help to improve air transportation access for rural communities, further improve safety across the country, and modernize our outdated air traffic technology and infrastructure.”
In addition, H.R. 2997 has many items of significant importance to California’s first congressional district, including:
- Updates FAA regulations to allow fire suppression planes to become eligible to log flight time.
- If an airline passenger paid money, checked in on time, and boarded the flight on time, they cannot be removed by the airline.
- Directs the FAA Administrator to further allow for the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for inspecting power lines and water infrastructure.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
