To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]
From: Morning Transportation
Sent: Tue 11/28/2017 3:03:41 PM
Subject: POLITICO'S Morning Transportation: TSA releases Thanksgiving travel stats -- Will
Washington really take up infrastructure after taxes? -- Strong outlook for airports
By Tanya Snyder | 11/28/2017 10:00 AM EDT
With help from Brianna Gurciullo and Adrienne Hurst
FIRST IN MT: Last week was one of the busiest Thanksgiving travel weeks in TSA's 16-year history. TSA will release data today that show, between Nov. 17 and Nov. 26, the agency screened 21.6 million passengers and crew at airport checkpoints nationwide. More than 2.6 million passengers and crew members passed through TSA screening Sunday, the busiest day of the holiday week and the fifth busiest day since the agency was established.
PreCheck yourself before you PreWreck yourself: TSA said in a statement that nationwide, 98 percent of all passengers waited less than 20 minutes in a checkpoint line and 99 percent of passengers in a PreCheck lane waited less than 10 minutes.
HANDS OFF: A new survey of more than 1,000 flight passengers by Stratos Jet Charters breaks down how different racial, religious and political groups feel about everyone's favorite aspect of air travel: TSA pat-downs. According to the report, nearly three-quarters of Republicans said they believe racial profiling by the TSA is acceptable; Jewish respondents were the likeliest to feel angry about being randomly selected in the security line; and African-Americans were the least likely to be surprised when they were chosen for additional screening.
IT'S TUESDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Tanya is your pilot. Send tips, feedback and song lyrics to tsiiyder@politico.com or @TSnyderDC.
" And as you packed up your load / There was one last look / And then the U-Haul broke free / Now the ditches are flooded over the backroads / And damn this stretch of 99 that takes so many lives / One of them was mine." (h/t Chris Rall, Transportation For America)
GET LISTENING: Follow MT's playlist on Spotify. What better way to start your day than with songs (picked by us and readers) about lonely highways and south-bound trains?
WE'RE UP NEXT, RIGHT? Administration officials have been saying that work on an infrastructure package will have to wait until after the tax fight. But recently, President Donald Trump has indicated that welfare reform could come next, or that he could make another go at health care. Put simply, no one knows what's happening and when, report Eliana Johnson, Andrew Restuccia and Ben White. "White House policy initiatives are typically planned months in advance, with congruent strategies for communications and a view toward working them through Congress," they write. "But there is little agreement between White House officials and Republican leaders on the Hill about what should follow tax reform."
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What's the problem? The president himself isn't as policy-oriented as his predecessors, and his staff is light on policymaking muscle. Aside from costing the president legislative victories, this disorganization "may also make it harder for the White House to retain staff or to attract replacements as administration officials begin to leave next year," report Eliana, Andrew and Ben.
All of them: "Senior White House officials did not dispute characterizations of the general confusion surrounding the sequencing of these legislative initiatives, and said the administration is likely to push welfare reform as well as infrastructure and a health care bill" over the next year, though the order will be determined by Congress, they write.
POSITIVE MOOD FOR AIRPORTS: Moody's said Monday that it predicts "strong growth" in the U.S. airport sector in 2018 thanks to continued economic expansion. In their 2018 outlook report, Moody's said it expects GDP to expand by 2.3 percent in 2018 and enplanements to expand by 3.7 percent. Even with Uber and Lyft cutting into airport parking revenue, Moody's expects that "enplanements for most airports will far surpass budgeted levels in 2017 and moderately surpass them in 2018, resulting in higher revenue than forecasted."
Big or small: Moody's expects airport growth to be concentrated at small and non-hub airports in 2018, with discount carriers expanding in those markets. It predicts slower growth at large airports next year "due to constrained growth at connecting hubs for carriers like American and Delta." But Fitch Ratings says large hubs are "again driving traffic for U.S. airports." Looking at fiscal 2016 data, Fitch said, "Median enplanements grew again [year over year], rising by over 5 percent to 4.71 million for fiscal 2016 compared to 4.16 million in fiscal 2015. Large hubs and international gateways again drove most of the growth [year over year]." The strongest growth was reported at Dallas Love, Orlando, Memphis, Boise and Broward airports.
GILLAN GOING, GONE: Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety President Jackie Gillan will step down in January, to be replaced at the helm by the organization's top lobbyist, Cathy Chase. Gillan has led Advocates since 1990, helping to bring about "numerous federal and state laws advancing motor vehicle and motor carrier safety standards," according to a statement by the organization. Chase has worked at Advocates since 1996.
2 CENTS FOR PENCE: U.S. automakers had a "candid discussion" with Vice President Mike Pence on Monday about proposed changes to NAFTA auto trade rules, the president of the American Automotive Policy Council told Pro Trade's Doug Palmer. "It was a productive and candid discussion ... about the importance of NAFTA to our industry as well as our concerns with some of the reported proposals," Matt Blunt wrote in an email to POLITICO. Also present at the session: U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn.
Don't forget your roots: With Pence's past in Indiana, one of the heaviest auto-producing states, industry leaders might've had their fingers crossed for more sympathy from the VP. As Doug reported last month, one trade association-commissioned study estimated the Trump administration's proposed changes could cost up to 24,000 U.S. jobs in the auto sector by making cars pricier to produce.
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GROWING UP: Older drivers represent a growing proportion of licensed drivers, according to new data the FHWA published Monday. Of a record-high 222 million licensed drivers in the U.S. in 2016, 42 million, or almost 1 in 5, were 65 years or older. "This age group is growing faster than any other, and is far outpacing their teenage counterparts," the agency said in a statement. Drivers between 75-79 years old experienced the largest year-over-year increase with that cohort growing by 5 percent over the previous year, with drivers 85 and older in second place.
PROVE IT: In a study released Monday, Forbes Insights found global infrastructure executives and government officials are cynical when it comes to whether the Trump administration's proposed $1 trillion infrastructure initiative will be able to address the nation's infrastructure shortfalls - 49 percent of respondents said it won't. The survey also found strong support for streamlining regulations and bringing in the private sector.
TITLE AND REGISTRATION: Scott Weaver of Wiley Rein LLP is lobbying for in-flight entertainment company Panasonic Avionics on FAA reauthorization legislation. Weaver formerly worked for Airports Council International-North America.
MT MAILBAG: The Beyond the Runway Coalition sent a letter to Capitol Hill Monday, signed by 51 member organizations, expressing its support for provisions in the Senate TransportationHUD appropriations bill (S. .1655 (.115)) that would lift the cap on the Passenger Facility Charge for originating flights (while maintaining the cap for the subsequent legs of a connecting flight) and increase funding for the Airport Improvement Program.
THE AUTOBAHN:
- "Chuck Schumer says no to gas tax hike, complicating Trump's infrastructure push." The Daily Beast.
- "The GOP tax bills are infrastructure bills too. Here's why." Governing.
- Derailed train leaks 'hazardous molten sulfur' in central Florida. Orlando Sentinel.
- Bali airport closed Monday after ash from the Mount Agung volcano reached airspace. The Associated Press.
- "Senate tax bill targets some foreign airlines." The Wall Street Journal.
- "Waymo's fleet reaches 4 million self-driven miles." Medium.
- "Senate Commerce, Finance committees seek answers on Uber data breach." Senate Commerce Committee.
- "Autonomous cars will cut U.S. sedan sales in half." The Detroit Bureau.
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- "Dallas-Fort Worth airport gets federal money for runway work." The Associated Press. - "Report: Hyundai taking it slow with self-driving cars." Motortrend. THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 11 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 124 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 1,038 days. To view online'. https://www.politico.eom/newsletters/moming-transportation/2017/l l/28/tsa-releasesthanksgiving-travel-stats-033328 To change your alert settings, please go to https://secure.politico.com/settings
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