Document 8LvkwmoybvZjYG2a94DbvpDm

To: Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov] From: Morning Transportation Sent: Thur 6/8/2017 2:06:07 PM Subject: POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, presented by Delta Air Lines: A Capitol Hill encore for Chao on FAA -- Trump's infrastructure plan light on details -- An electronics ban expansion? By Lauren Gardner and Tanya Snyder | 06/08/2017 10:00 AM EDT With help from Brianna Gurciullo and Stephanie Beasley CAN I GET AN ENCORE?: If you're an FAA fan, indeed you can - Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is back on the Hill today to defend the administration's principles for overhauling the air traffic control system. The House Transportation Committee could be a friendlier venue for Chao compared to Wednesday's Senate hearing, where she took a grilling from both parties about how exactly the White House plan would protect rural interests. On the other hand, T&I Democrats are likely to be even feistier - and certainly more numerous. More specifics, please: Chao's toughest questions Wednesday came from rural senators, including Commerce Chairman John Thune, who tried to get Chao to talk specifics on how the administration plans to allay the concerns of general aviation pilots, rural airports and others worried that they will be disadvantaged in favor of commercial airlines. Chao mostly answered broadly by pointing to her own Kentucky bona fides, and suggesting removing the FAA from the picture would be better for rural interests such as contract towers, because they often are first on the budgetary chopping block. She also defended the makeup of the proposed board by saying it would "not [be] controlled by the airlines." But for skeptical Republicans, that didn't seem to be enough, and afterwards Thune said he'd been "looking for a little bit more specificity." Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) summed it up: "The sale needs to be made, and it needs to be made convincingly." Make some noise: While T&I Republicans on the whole may be friendlier to Chao's pitch today, keep an eye on GOP Reps. Sam Graves of Missouri and Todd Rokita of Indiana. Both are pilots who voted against Shuster's FAA bill in committee last year and have yet to be won over. Rokita told MT that the White House outline "will create a monopoly" and eliminate congressional oversight. Graves told MT that he doesn't like Trump's changes but "it doesn't matter" because "what we're going to do in the House will be different than that." He said he expects "there will be" changes to Shuster's bill to assuage general aviation concerns. Doom and gloom: Also expect to hear more members' fears that such an intense focus on splitting up the FAA is holding up a long-term authorization for FAA. "With the administration's support of this concept, the chances of getting a long-term FAA reauthorization in my view have now been diminished," Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said Wednesday, "so at some point in time the decision needs to be made by you and others in the administration - is our priority a long-term FAA reauthorization, or is it privatization of air traffic control? Because those two things may be mutually exclusive." Thune said he wants to do a multi-year bill, but just how long is obviously dependent upon the ATC debate, as well as the touchy subject of lifting the cap on the passenger facility charge. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00004416-00001 Well, we tried: MT approached Shuster Wednesday to ask about general aviation concerns aired on the Senate side, but all he'd say is to check in with his press office. Spokesmen didn't call back, but the message from the Senate's first FAA hearing is clear (and well-known): Senators are far from a consensus on this topic, and that won't change without a meeting of the minds among industry groups. IT'S THURSDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Send us tips, feedback and lyrics to tsiiyder@politico.com or @TSiiyderDC and 1 gardner@politico.com or @GardnerJLM. "I got me a car, it's as big as a whale / And we're headin' on down to the Love Shack /1 got me a Chrysler, it seats about 20 / So hurry up and bring your jukebox money." Want to keep up with MT's song picks? Follow our Spotify playlist. THE INNOVATION ISSUE: How should Washington think about innovation? What's its role in the economy - and what does it take for government to foster new technologies that help the whole nation, not just a favored few? In a month long Special Report, The Agenda takes a deep look at the surprising new politics of innovation, and ideas for how to drive it in a new era. In this package, you'll read about how AOL founder Steve Case became the first call for Congresspeople who want to bring innovation to the heartland; a critical look at Challenge.gov , the federal government's prize competition designed to spur innovation; and the surprisingly innovative history of the U.S. Post Office, which was long on the forefront of technology before turning into a lesson in what *not* to do. Read the entire package here. NOT TO BE OUTDONE: House Transportation Committee Democrats unveiled their own bill Wednesday to make "targeted" changes to the FAA, rather than shift wholesale to a new system, our Kathryn A. Wolfe reports for Pros. Instead of an ATC spinoff, the bill would move the agency's Airport and Airway Trust Fund off-budget into mandatory spending, a move that would surely irk appropriators while keeping tax-writers happy. "We just need to do away with the inefficiencies and the meddling by Congress," Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said. "That is sequestration, shut downs and all the other stupid things that go on around here." Shuster shot back that DeFazio's plan "rehashes years and years of ineffective congressional reforms." FUNNY, THAT'S WHAT THE DEMOCRATS CALL IT TOO: At a Competitive Enterprise Institute event Wednesday night, Chao tried to sell the conservative audience on an overhaul of the air traffic control system as potentially one of the largest transfers of "government assets and services to a non-governmental, independent entity in our country's history." Chao also said the administration may enforce a page limit on environmental reviews of infrastructure projects as an attempt to "cut red tape and reduce time delays and cost burdens." Brianna Gurciullo has more for Pros. NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN: Trump's big infrastructure speech in Cincinnati yielded no new details about his infrastructure plan, in case you didn't watch, though the White House did release a fact sheet released during the speech with a few more details. He also jabbed repeatedly the 2009 stimulus package for its focus on "shovel ready" projects. Trump promised Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00004416-00002 not to "repeat that mistake," though he has put forward his own similar concept in the form of a 90-day deadline for states to start infrastructure projects under the new program. No trust in the trust fund: Annie Snider of Pro Energy notes that while Trump decried the state of America's "dilapidated system of locks and dams," his own budget blueprint calls for deep funding cuts to the same programs, including a more than 50 percent slash to the Army Corps of Engineers' construction account, allocating enough funding for only a single new project on the system. Progressive Dems respond: In a press conference after Trump's speech, Rep. Jamie Raskin (DMd.) slammed Trump's plan as "a massive tax giveaway to private builders," a common Democratic refrain. Raskin joined 43 others to cosponsor a resolution "supporting efforts to enact a bold jobs and infrastructure package that benefits all Americans, not just billionaires." ** A message from Delta Air Lines: Our daily briefing: At Delta we're constantly innovating to make your travel smoother. We tapped RFID technology to keep your bags in check at all times. Giving you more peace of mind from check-in to baggage claim. Learn more: delta.com/dca ** GBTA JOINS THE FAA FRAY: In its first public position on separating air traffic control from the FAA, the Global Business Travel Association joined Airlines for America Wednesday to ask the House Ways and Means Committee "to craft... a tax/revenue framework necessary to modernize our antiquated air traffic control system," saying it "has the potential to save billions in terms of technology modernization and efficiency costs." Ways and Means ranking member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) told MT Wednesday that he hasn't reviewed the issue yet. DHS COULD ADD DOZENS OF AIRPORTS TO ELECTRONICS BAN: The Department of Homeland Security has identified at least 71 airports, including some in Europe, where an electronics ban could be necessary for U.S.-bound flights, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told House members Wednesday. But it's not a done deal yet. The department is trying to mitigate risks from explosives planted on portable devices through other means. Kelly said countries that want to avoid the ban are "leaning forward" and cooperating. We could be cooperating right now, but Trump's playing: Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), the top Democrat on the committee's transportation security panel, told POLITICO after the hearing that she worries that President Donald Trump damages any chance for cooperation each time he attacks foreign leaders on Twitter. Coleman pushed Kelly for another confidential update on the status of a possible ban expansion. READY OR NOT, REAL ID IS COMING: Kelly also dropped a warning to states who have yet to comply with the Real ID mandate: he's not budging on the deadline and states "dragging their feet" shouldn't expect extensions. There are more than 20 states that have yet to comply with the ID standards law, although DHS has announced that it will stop accepting noncompliant identification at airports and other ports of entry beginning in January. INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK, CONTINUED: Today Trump hosts mayors and governors at the White House to discuss infrastructure. And Friday morning Trump is scheduled to speak at Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00004416-00003 DOT about reducing permitting burdens. KAN, SUMWALT HEAD TO THE HILL: Amid all the infrastructure chatter this week, the Senate will move ahead on vetting two more transportation nominees - Derek Kan to be undersecretary of transportation for policy and Robert Sumwait to remain an NTSB board member. Something to watch: Democrats may seize on Kan's experience on the Amtrak board of directors to ask whether he'll advocate for funding for the railroad if he's confirmed, given the administration's budget proposal to eliminate money for its long-distance routes. In the run-up, Kan got some plaudits from Amtrak board Chairman Tony Coscia. "Significant advances have been made in an effort to make Amtrak more accountable to its stakeholders and Derek has been at the forefront of this effort.," he said in a statement. INFRASTRUCTURE GETS A MCCONNELL MENTION: With Trump's Wednesday speech just a stone's throw from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's home state of Kentucky, McConnell gave infrastructure a nod, saying he looked forward to working with the administration "to protect and improve the many roads, bridges, airports, and waterways that serve people and jobs across the country." Schumer still waiting for Trump's call: Minority Leader Chuck Schumer predicted before Trump's speech that what few details Trump would divulge would "be about how large financiers should decide where and how to build American infrastructure." He said hes "never heard a peep" from Trump after sending his own infrastructure plan, designed around Trump's $1 trillion figure. "I hope the President drops his go-at-it-alone infrastructure push, and decides instead to sit down and talk to Democrats about this issue," Schumer said. But did Schumer say 'Trump tolls?' Of course: A focus on public-private partnerships "will do one thing - lead to Trump tolls from coast to coast," he said. HOUSE WAIVES SOME CBP POLYGRAPH TESTS: The House passed a bill Wednesday 282-137 to exempt military veterans and law enforcement officers from a Customs and Border Protection rule requiring job applicants to take a polygraph test. The Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a similar bill last month. KELLY'S ETHICS WAIVER RELEASED: The White House released Kelly's ethics waiver Wednesday among a slew of others. The document revealed that Kelly has been permitted to continue working on policy matters related to Australia, where he previously mentored members of a government-sponsored defense task force. The whole set of waivers can be found here. THE AUTOBAHN: - "Self-driving cars could soon be tested on Washington roads." The Seattle Times. - "Bavaria to Trump: Tariffs on cars will hurt US as much as Germany." POLITICO Europe. - "Metro to retire oldest and worst railcars ahead of schedule." WAMU. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00004416-00004 - "Under Trump, regulation slows to a crawl." POLITICO. - DOT asks for public comment on its regulatory review. Federal Register. - "The state of global shipping in three charts." The Wall Street Journal. - "Exclusive: Loophole allows Uber to avoid UK tax, undercut rivals." Reuters. THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 115 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 115 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 1,211 days. * * A message from Delta Air Lines: Our daily briefing: At Delta we're constantly innovating to make your travel smoother. We tapped into RFID technology to keep your bags in check at all times. Giving you more peace of mind from check-in to baggage claim. Our pursuit of constantly solving problems doesn't stop there. Turbulence is notoriously difficult to predict. That's why we developed our industry-leading Flight Weather Viewer app. It helps our pilots better spot and avoid unexpected turbulence with real-time graphics of observations and forecasts on the flight deck. Making your journey smoother while also reducing our carbon footprint. Learn more: delta.com/dca ** To view online'. http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/mormng-transportation/20.17/06/08/a-capitol-hill-encore-forchao-on-faa-220737 To change your alert settings, please go to https://secure.politico.com/settings/settings This email was sent tojackson.ryan@epa.gov by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00004416-00005 To: Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov] From: Morning Transportation Sent: Mon 9/18/2017 2:04:21 PM Subject: POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, presented by Auto Alliance: What now for FAA? -- Populist pugilism -- Blue Monday -- Backlash against reg recommendation By Brianna Gurciullo | 09/18/2017 10:00 AM EDT With help from Lauren Gardner and Stephanie Beasley WHAT NOW FOR FAA? The House is gone for a week, which means lawmakers will only have a handful of days to clear an extension of the FAA's authority before it expires Sept. 30. Pros know that the Trump administration, which supports Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster's (R-Pa.) plan to sever air traffic control operations from the FAA, thinks his bill ( H.R. 2997 (.115)1 will get floor time in the early part of October. But an extension will of course come first, and there are still a few things we don't yet know: How long? Shuster has been noncommittal (in public) when it comes to extension length. But Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) is thinking six months, at least - which is also the preference of airports, GA groups and the House Transportation Committee's top Democrat, Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon. It's unclear whether Thune would try to take advantage of those added months to keep working on striking a deal with Democrats on his controversial proposal related to pilot training standards. Thune said he made no progress on that front over the August recess. Will it be clean? Your Pro Transportation team will also be watching for any efforts to pin unrelated items onto an extension. You know where to find us. POPULIST PUGILISM: If you follow aviation-related causes on Twitter and Facebook, you might have noticed a change in tenor around the air traffic control debate once lawmakers left town for the August recess. Citizens for On Time Flights, a "grassroots" group backed by Airlines for America, upped the ante on its social media presence over the course of the month by bashing the business aviation lobby for standing in the way of change in the name of the "corporate jet set." Another group that's gotten some support from the airlines, Flyers for Fairness, entered the fray right before Labor Day but has been far less active. Gloves off: The debate around the proposal has been heated for some time, and it's not like the general aviation community hasn't passed up opportunities to knock the airlines over recent customer service headaches. But, as Lauren Gardner writes, this messaging pivot is notable because the airlines used the "corporate fat cat" argument 10 years ago when making the same pitch. This time, A4A is largely sticking to arguments that focus on the efficiency the private sector would bring to the air traffic modernization effort (and that would occur by leaving a deadline-blowing Congress out of the funding equation) - all while letting surrogates take the big swings at business aviation. Outtakes: Alan Clendenin, a former air traffic controller who's serving as a spokesman for Flyers for Fairness, was whistling a different tune about splitting air traffic operations from the Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00004417-00001 FAA earlier this summer (which Shaun Courtney of Bloomberg BNA highlighted earlier in the month). "Does the American public really want the same group of people that run the airlines, where they beat you and drag you off airplanes, to be the ones that are in charge of air traffic control safety?" he said during a discussion on an ABC affiliate in Sarasota, Fla. Here's the YouTube clip of the broadcast. (The ATC segment begins around the 30-minute mark.) HAPPY MONDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Be sure to send tips, feedback and lyrics my way: bgurciullo@politico.com or @brigurciullo. "There's no flights home today / And no services out on the motorway / And I can't leave the ground / And I can't find a place now to put her down." (h/t Matt Daily) GET LISTENING: Follow MT's playlist on Spotify. What better way to start your day than with songs (picked by us and readers) that are all about flying, driving, commuting and sailing? #CONCORDIA17: POLITICO is the official media partner of the 2017 Concordia Annual Summit taking place in conjunction with the U.N. General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 18 and 19. Join us in the Big Apple as we host conversations with world leaders, industry experts, current and former heads of states, C-suite executives and senior congressional and Trump administration officials. Don't miss POLITICO reporters: Bryan Bender, Defense Editor; Jack Blanchard, Editor, Playbook London; Helena Bottemiller Evich, Senior Food and Agriculture Reporter; Michael Crowley, National Security Editor; Susan Glasser , Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent & Global POLITICO Host; Nick Juliano, Deputy Energy Editor; Matt Kaminski, Executive Editor, POLITICO Europe; Anna Palmer, Senior Washington Correspondent and co-author of Playbook; and Ben White, Chief Economic Correspondent. Register here. BLUE MONDAY: After a bombing in London last week, DHS reiterated to Steph that currently there are no "specific credible threats" to the United States. TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein added separately that the agency was working with transit and passenger rail stations to train and educate staff on how to deal with potential terrorist threats. The London bombing is a "sad reminder that we must remain vigilant and continue to have close coordination and collaboration between the federal government, local law enforcement officials, and mass-transit industry," she said. Trump blasts terrorist groups: British authorities have arrested two suspects in connection with the bombing for which ISIS claimed responsibility. President Donald Trump, who called U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday to offer condolences, tweeted that the bombing had been perpetuated by "loser terrorists" and was further evidence of the need for an expanded travel ban. ** A message from Auto Alliance: Federal action is needed for self-driving cars. Learn More BACKLASH AGAINST REG REC: Family members of the victims of a 2009 regional jet Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00004417-00002 crash are lashing out at an industry panel's recommendation to give airline co-pilots more ways to earn credit toward the 1,500-hour requirement for certification, as regional airlines have proposed. "Administrator Huerta and his team at FAA have been instrumental in making Congress's intent a reality with the implementation of this law," John Kausner, whose daughter died in the crash near Buffalo, N.Y., said in a statement. "And in the interest of government efficiency, we call on them to waste no time in giving these recommendations the treatment they rightfully deserve - a quick toss right into the circular file." NTSB NOM: Trump is nominating Bruce Landsberg, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and Air Safety Institute's senior safety adviser, to the NTSB. If confirmed, Landsberg would be NTSB's vice chairman. Lauren has more for Pros here. AND EX-IM NOMS: Trump has nominated Claudia Slacik, Judith Pryor and Kimberly Reed to be members of the Export-Import Bank's board. Slacik previously served as chief banking officer of the Ex-Im Bank, Pryor was an Overseas Private Investment Corporation's vice president and Reed was the International Food Information Council Foundation's president. If confirmed, Reed would be the vice president of the bank, Pro Trade's Doug Palmer reports. Industry reax: The National Association of Manufacturers wants "the Senate to quickly take up these three nominations as well as the previously announced nomination of Spencer Bachus," Jay Timmons, the president and CEO of the group, said in a statement. "At the same time, we continue to call on the Senate to oppose the confirmation of Scott Garrett, who seeks to lead the Ex-Im Bank despite a long history of actions and statements designed to destroy the agency itself." MT MAILBAG: The libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute wrote to the Senate Commerce Committee with a trio of asks for the panel's draft self-driving vehicle bill. CEI argues that the legislation should include heavy-duty trucks, lift the limit on federal motor vehicle safety standards exemptions to 100,000 a year right away (instead of over three years) and leave out a proposed section on cybersecurity. IT'S (STILL) ON: Opponents of Shuster's FAA bill are boasting more allies. The International Council of Air Shows posted a video to YouTube last week of retired Navy and Air Force pilots making the claim, among others, that the legislation would "negatively impact our national security and needlessly complicate border protection." BUILD UP: The majority of states saw an increase in construction jobs over the course of the last year. A total of 34 states, plus D.C., added such jobs from last August to the same month of this year, the Associated General Contractors of America found by taking a look at Department of Labor data. New jobs grew in 30 states from July to August of this year. SLICE OF PI: Monument Policy Group is going to lobby for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Technology Engagement Center on "self-driving cars, the internet of things, artificial intelligence and related legislation," per POLITICO Influence. SHIFTING GEARS: Haley Morris, formerly of Microsoft, is now doing communications for Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00004417-00003 Waymo, our friends at POLITICO Playbook report. Previously, Morris served as national press secretary for Martin O'Malley's presidential campaign and communications director for now-Sen. Gary Peters ' (D-Mich.) 2014 campaign. Meanwhile, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International picked Tracy Lamb to be chief pilot as well as vice president of regulatory and safety affairs. Lamb, the Bristow Group's former manager of safety data analysis, "will represent AUVSI at the FAA and at international regulatory organizations" and educate the drone group's membership about safety, President and CEO Brian Wynne said in a statement. THE AUTOBAHN: - "Commission, industry advance cross-border testing of automated cars." POLITICO Europe. - "Frontier Airlines fined for long delays in Denver snowstorm." The Associated Press. - "Judge blocks Justice Department move against sanctuary cities." POLITICO. - "Ford invests $5M in Willow Run driverless car test site." Detroit Free Press. - "FHWA demonstrates three-truck platoon in Virginia." Transport Topics. - "When the Olympics are ready for Los Angeles, will LAX be ready for the Olympics?" Forbes. THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 82 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 13 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 1,109 days. ** A message from Auto Alliance: Automakers have a vision for transforming mobility: save lives with automated vehicles. Leam More ** To view online'. http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-transportation/2017/09/18/what-now-for-faa-222337 To change your alert settings, please go to https://secure.politico.com/settings This email was sent tojackson.ryan@epa.gov by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_O01523_00004417-00004