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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
CALLS FOR ADIZ REFORMS
The Small Business Administration (“SBA”) recently released
its “Top 10” list of government reforms to be pursued this year by its Office of Advocacy, which Congress created
in 1976 to represent the interests of small businesses that are affected by Federal legislative and rule-making processes.
One of the items on the list (http://www.sba.gov/advo/r3/r3_flight08.html#fl) is the Washington, DC Air Defense Identification Zone (“ADIZ”) – which, as most pilots
hopefully now know, is defined by a 30-mile ring around the Washington VOR/DME.
The SBA proposal was submitted by David
Wartofsky, manager of the Potomac Airfield in Maryland, one of three airports within the ADIZ. “National security can
be used to justify anything,” Wartofsky said, “[b]ut what are the costs and what are the benefits?” He hopes
that the SBA will employ the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 to urge the FAA, the Department of
Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service to justify the impacts the airspace restrictions have
had on the local economy.
However, a spokesman for the Office of Advocacy told AVweb that the SBA has limited resources
to force any action. “We can't compel them to do anything,” said SBA spokesman John McDowell. “We don't
have a big stick we can whack anybody with. We have our ability to raise the issue in the public consciousness.”
COMMENTS FILED ON FAA CONGESTION PRICING PROPOSAL
NBAA was among the many organizations that filed comments
with FAA, opposing its proposal to allow airports to engage in a limited form of congestion pricing (such as by imposing landing
fees based in part of aircraft weight). Although the proposals found a few supporters
– mostly large airports – most of the industry lined up to oppose the proposal, and to urge the FAA to upgrade
its facilities and technology rather than to try to damper demand. Notably, the
Air Transport Association – the interests of which often run counter to those of business aviation – in this case
not only joined NBAA in arguing that the FAA’s proposals were ill-advised, but took the further step of explicitly arguing
that they exceeded FAA’s statutory mandate and were thus illegal. Other
organizations that filed comments opposing FAA’s proposals included AOPA, IATA, NATA, and NACA, in addition to dozens
of airlines, airports, and other entities.
FAA WASHINGTON UPDATE
Senator John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) – not a historic friend
of business aviation – recently blamed it for the increasing likelihood
that there will not be a FAA funding bill this year, citing "the GA community's inability to compromise." Rockefeller is a
proponent of a $25-per-flight user fee for turbine aircraft, which he asserts is necessary to pay for modernization of the
air traffic control system. Rockefeller also contends that GA is not currently paying a fair share of the costs of operating
ATC.
But Rockefeller’s opinions are not shared by all of the members of the Senate Commerce Committee. Notably, Senator
John Sununu (R-N.H.) described Rockelfeller’s remarks as "a bit of an unfair statement" and noted that GA has supported
bills that "bring us to a much more equitable and proportionate sharing of the costs" of the ATC system."
Moreover, a joint letter recently was sent to the Senate by NBAA and 37 other organizations, ranging from the Aerospace
Industries Association to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urging the Senate to pass a reauthorization bill. The letter that
the organization’s goal were diverse and in many case divergent, but all recognized "he importance of advancing multi-year
FAA reauthorization legislation and the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System." Notable by its absence
was the Air Transport Association – the advocacy group for the major
air carriers, and to little surprise, a supporter of Rockefeller’s proposal. For a copy of the letter, please visit
http://web.nbaa.org/public/govt/letters/20080305Senate.pdf.
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