ATC Privatization Shelved by House.....

[Cabanaboy]

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/ATC-Privatization-Shelved-225746-1.html

 

House Republicans have shelved the controversial re-authorization bill that would have, among other things, created a privatized air traffic control system. The Hill was reporting late Thursday that instead of pursuing the full re-authorization bill, the House will instead concentrate on passing a short-term extension of the current authorization, which expires on March 31. House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA), who championed the privatization move, said in a statement the idea is still alive. "This is an ongoing process, and we will continue working to educate members and address questions they have about the bill," he said in the statement. "The need for an extension was not a surprise, and details about the short-term measure are still being discussed."  If the House didn't back off on the bill, the Senate was apparently ready to do it for them, however.

According to Politico, the Senate was getting impatient with the protracted debate over something it clearly saw as a non-starter and was preparing its own reauthorization bill without the privatization element. "We're not going to wait that much longer," Chairman John Thune said Thursday "So we'll probably look at marking something up in the next couple of weeks and try to get it on the floor in April." Aviation group opposition to the privatization bid was a key factor in the House move. The work ahead will likely result in a much different approach to the issue. The biggest concern among opponents was the heavy influence of major airlines (four of 11 votes) on the board of directors that would have resulted from the structure that was envisioned. A few other things of interest to GA were lost with the shelving of the bill. A pure form of the driver's license medical (no medicals at all for most private pilots), the guarantee that no user fees would result from the new ATC corporation and the unfettered ability to build homebuilt aircraft in hangars at airports were also included in the bill.

[steingar]

Kick the can until March.  What a surprise!  I could have a heart attack from that surprise!

 

Place needs a sarcasm smiley.

[Parker_Woodruff]

4 hours ago, Cabanaboy said:

 A few other things of interest to GA were lost with the shelving of the bill. A pure form of the driver's license medical (no medicals at all for most private pilots), the guarantee that no user fees would result from the new ATC corporation and the unfettered ability to build homebuilt aircraft in hangars at airports were also included in the bill.

That's sounds like the Dallas North Tollroad.  They were supposed to take out the toll stations when the road was paid for, but all we get is rate increases and more toll roads.  Meanwhile, fuel taxes don't get spent on the roads.

...also sounds like the "Private" toll roads that are popping up all over Texas...

[jetdriven]

They've been running that toll road scam for 60 years. The I44 toll road is the same thing and it was built in 1960.  I wonder how many toll roads were ever converted to regular style, Id guess zero. 

[Hank]

1 minute ago, jetdriven said:

They've been running that toll road scam for 60 years. The I44 toll road is the same thing and it was built in 1960.  I wonder how many toll roads were ever converted to regular style, Id guess zero. 

Ever seen or heard of a bureaucracy that ever shrank, much less went away? They exist only to grow and multiply, so that the ones in charge can build their kingdoms and wield more power.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Hank

[DonMuncy]

43 minutes ago, jetdriven said:

They've been running that toll road scam for 60 years. The I44 toll road is the same thing and it was built in 1960.  I wonder how many toll roads were ever converted to regular style, Id guess zero. 

Strangely enough, there was a Dallas Ft. Worth turnpike that eventually reverted to a free road. This was back somewhere about the 60s.

[bradp]

I can recall when the CT turnpike was a toll road.  It converted to free circa 1985.   In 1983 a section of a bridge in SW CT literally fell out and a few vehicles plunged into the river below.