To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]
From: Morning Transportation
Sent: Wed 5/31/2017 2:04:51 PM
Subject: POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, presented by Delta Air Lines: Europe escapes electronics
ban, for now -- Order of GOP lawmakers' tasks subject to change? -- FAA looks to fine United over
airworthiness issue
By Brianna Gurciullo and Tanya Snyder | 05/31/2017 10:00 AM EDT
With help from Stephanie Beasley
EUROPE ESCAPES ELECTRONICS BAN - FOR NOW: After nearly three weeks of daily anticipation, DHS announced Tuesday that it wasn't planning to expand its electronics ban - at least for now. Prohibiting passengers from carrying large electronics in the cabins of flights from Europe to the United States is "still on the table," according to a DHS statement. However, European officials on a call with DHS Secretary John Kelly came away with the impression that the ban talk was settled for the time being, though that could change based on future intelligence.
Not now, not soon, maybe later: DHS would not comment on the details of the call when POLITICO first reached out Tuesday, but the agency later issued a statement saying Kelly and European officials agreed to "raise the bar for aviation security." The news will surely cause some to breathe a sigh of relief after a couple of tense weeks in U.S.-European relations, including U.S. leaks about the recent bombing in Manchester and an ongoing spat between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the role the United States should play in Europe.
More talks to come: Dimitris Avramopoulos, European home affairs commissioner, and Violeta Bule, transport commissioner, described Tuesday's call as "positive and constructive" in a statement. "Both sides agreed to intensify talks both at technical and political level to find common solutions to mitigate potential threats to aviation security and work together to step up security requirements," they said.
IT'S WEDNESDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Lauren will co-host MT starting Thursday, so please send tips, feedback and lyrics to tsiiyder@politico.com or @TSnyderDC and lgardner@politico.com or @GardnerJLM.
"Baby, I met you in downtown Chicago / But I, I had to drive away the very next day / So I flew your pretty a** to New York City / Then I, I left you in L.A."
Want to keep up with MT's song picks? Follow our Spotify playlist.
** 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 **
CAUGHT OFF GUARD: The GOP's legislative timelines could get a little more complicated.
Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906
ED_001523_00004015-00001
The White House now wants lawmakers to increase the national debt limit before July ends, rather than in the fall, POLITICO'S Burgess Everett and Rachael Bade report. What would that mean for pending transportation business? Moving up the debt ceiling debate could free up some time in the third quarter for talk about infrastructure, as the Trump administration has hoped, but it could seriously suck the air out of the room on reauthorizing the FAA.
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT: Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) wants to move up the process for funding the government through fiscal 2018, proposing that the House approve an omnibus before members leave town for the August recess. Pro Budget & Appropriations Briefs Sarah Ferris and Jennifer Scholtes report: "Graves said his plan is to simply pass the package through the House, letting the Senate 'deal with its own political challenges' while the lower chamber moves on to tax reform and infrastructure legislation."
A PINCH OF SPICE: When asked Tuesday whether the White House thinks it can reach its goals for health care, taxes and infrastructure by the end of 2017, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that Trump's "legislative agenda is in full swing," and reiterated that infrastructure is a "priority."
UP IN THE AIR: The FAA wants to slap United Airlines with a $435,000 fine for allegedly using a plane that wasn't considered airworthy for nearly two dozen flights in 2014. The agency has accused United of using the plane after not checking the replacement of a fuel pump pressure switch. The airline did the mandatory inspection 19 days following the replacement - after the plane had completed 23 international and domestic flights, according to the agency. The FAA says that before two of the flights, it informed the airline that it needed to do the check. The fine is a proposal. Negotiations will now begin.
TRUCKS WITH NO DRIVERS: Driverless trucks could reduce the demand for drivers by 50 to 70 percent in the United States and Europe by 2030, according to a new report by four international transportation organizations. They suggest that countries start addressing the workforce transition issues now, regulate the speed with which countries adopt the new technology, set the rules of the road for self-driving trucks and continue testing the new technology. They predict that driverless trucks "could be a regular presence on many roads within the next ten years."
TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON GERMANY TOUGH TALK: Days after U S and European leaders were forced to do damage control from Trump's comments that Germans were "bad, very bad" for selling too many cars to the United States, insisting that his tone wasn't "aggressive," Trump renewed his crusade Tuesday. "We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change," he tweeted early Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon, Spicer called Trump's relationship with Merkel "fairly unbelievable" and said the two "get along very well."
MT MAILBAG: New Jersey lawmakers sent a letter Tuesday to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao asking DOT to push Gateway Program projects along the federal transit grant pipeline "in an expeditious manner, and avoid unnecessary delays and red tape for some of the most important infrastructure projects in the nation." Key to note: One of the two from the
Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906
ED_001523_00004015-00002
Garden State's congressional delegation that didn't sign the letter was House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen. (The second, as POLITICO New Jersey's Ryan Hutchins reports, is Tom MacArthur.)
TRUMP AND PISTOLE MEET: Trump was scheduled to meet Tuesday with former TSA administrator John Pistole, a contender to be FBI director. As POLITICO'S Louis Nelson reports, Pistole was deputy FBI director when Robert Mueller was at the head of the agency. Pistole is now president of Anderson University. Trump was also set to meet Tuesday with former assistant attorney general Christopher Wray, who's under consideration for FBI director as well.
SHIFTING GEARS: Eric Sutton has left his job as vice president of corporate relations for Transurban to be senior vice president of public affairs at FP1 Strategies, (h/t POLITICO Playbook Power Briefing)... Josh Mohrer, who served as general manager for Uber in New York, has gone to Tusk Ventures. The firm's founder, Bradley Tusk, is an Uber consultant and investor, (h/t POLITICO Pro New York)
THE AUTOBAHN:
- "Uber fires executive at center of driverless car legal fight." Bloomberg.
- "This lawmaker doesn't like NJ Transit's solution to Penn Station track work." NJ.com.
- "Judge dismisses most of lawsuit against Purple Line, but ridership estimates must still be redone." The Washington Post.
- "Amtrak riders to share in Penn Station's 'summer of hell.'" The New York Times.
- "Uber, but for meltdowns." New York Magazine.
- "Uber winds up harassment probe, leaving employees on edge." The Wall Street Journal.
- "BA fiasco shows air's getting thinner for legacy airlines." Bloomberg.
- "BA debacle puts spotlight on airlines' old IT systems, cuts." The Associated Press.
THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 123 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 123 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 1,219 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
Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906
ED_O01523_00004015-00003
footprint. Learn more: delta.com/dca **
To view online'. http://www.politico.eom/tipsheets/morning-transportation/2017/0/ electronics-ban-for-now-220584
rope-escapes-
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_O01523_00004015-00004