With help from Tanya Snyder
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— Managers at the FAA and Canada’s aviation agency are still worried about a flight control system on the grounded Boeing 737 MAX, according to new emails published by The New York Times.
— The absence of U.S. leadership has undermined international efforts to trim carbon emissions from aviation.
— House Transportation Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) criticized the FCC’s move to open up the airwaves reserved for vehicle safety.
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WORRIES ABOUT THE MAX AT AVIATION AGENCIES: Regulatory officials in the U.S. and Canada continue to be concerned about MCAS, the flight control system implicated in the two Boeing 737 crashes, according to emails obtained by the New York Times and published on Friday. “The only way I see moving forward at this point, is that MCAS has to go,” said a safety manager at the Canadian aviation safety agency. An FAA official agreed, circulating the email to others at the U.S. agency and saying that “MCAS introduces catastrophic hazards that weren’t there before,” that “it and the fix add too much complexity.”
Removing MCAS from the 737 MAX is not something Boeing has suggested, or the FAA has publicly considered. It seems unlikely regulators would force that change, having already spent so much time evaluating Boeing’s upgrades to MCAS. But it’s significant that there are still expert regulators who remain worried about the safety of the plane, even after Boeing’s changes.
Also on Friday: Boeing rolled out the 737 MAX 10, the largest version of the MAX line, which is expected to make its first flight next year. The plane has more than 550 orders and commitments from more than 20 customers around the world, according to the company.
IT’S NOT PARIS, BUT: The Trump administration’s disdain for international climate efforts has undermined a push to reduce carbon emissions from air travel, Pro Energy’s Zack Colman reports this morning. “Climate experts and activists say the absence of U.S. leadership in the negotiations at the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization has … emboldened countries like China to weaken plans to curb the emissions from their fast-growing fleets of planes,” Zack writes.
The international focus has been on the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA. The Trump administration officially supports CORSIA, but the FAA has conditioned its implementation on “a high level of participation by other countries, particularly by countries with significant aviation activity.” And officials with knowledge of the process say in private that the Trump administration has squandered the climate change leverage that the U.S. had over China under the Obama administration.
IN SPACE: The bipartisan leaders of the House Transportation Committee are urging the FAA to make sure that a final rule to update commercial space regulations doesn’t hurt aviation safety or airspace efficiency. Our Brianna Gurciullo reports that in a letter to FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, the chairmen and ranking members of the committee and its Aviation Subcommittee wrote that the final rule should have “sufficient protections to preserve the safety of existing operators and users,” and should minimize “potential disruption of the National Airspace System attributable to launches and reentries.”
One specific issue they flagged: Several industry groups have complained that the FAA licenses launch site operators “without adequately considering the potential effects on surrounding flight operations.”
5.9 REACTION FROM THE HILL: DeFazio “strongly objects” to the FCC’s decision to open up the airwaves previously reserved for vehicle safety. In a letter to agency head Ajit Pai, he said the move could “jeopardize the opportunity to eliminate many of the 36,560 traffic fatalities every year.” DeFazio also decried the agency’s decision last summer to open up the C-band for 5G, which he said risks aviation safety. Pro Tech’s John Hendel has more details for subscribers.
Bark, but will there be bite? It remains to be seen whether DeFazio will use his oversight authority to keep the FCC from moving forward, but his letter stops short of suggesting that.
AUTOPILOT SEEKS PILOT: Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) took his Autopilot crusade to new shores last week, sending Tesla CEO Elon Musk a letter to ask what steps the company is taking to stop drivers from circumventing safety features meant to ensure they’re paying attention even when the Autopilot feature is enabled. Markey also grilled NHTSA’s acting administrator about it in a hearing last week, demanding to know what the agency is telling Tesla to do to fix what he called its safety “defect.” Markey insisted that Tesla disable Autopilot until the problem is addressed.
FROM THE ENERGY DESK: Nevada became the fourth state to move toward adopting clean car standards and place itself opposed to the Trump administration’s rollback, Pro Energy’s Alex Guillén reported Friday. Here’s the latest on the coalition led by California, Alex writes: “Nevada will join Colorado, which has already adopted California’s rules, as well as Minnesota and New Mexico, which are currently working to adopt California’s rules. All four states took action after the Trump administration made clear its plans to revoke California’s waiver, ending the state’s authority to enforce its own stringent standards once the federal standards are rolled back.”
FROM THE CANNABIS DESK: Marijuana legalization in Washington state reduced the number of car crashes involving alcohol in neighboring Idaho, according to a new study. Pro’s Mona Zhang writes: “Using administrative traffic data, Hansen found that Idaho counties along the Washington border saw a 21 percent decrease in alcohol-related car crashes following marijuana legalization. The study also found evidence that access to legal cannabis led to individuals substituting marijuana for alcohol.”
TAPPED: Finch Fulton, a former Capitol Hill staffer who’s been at the DOT since the transition, has been nominated to be assistant secretary for transportation policy. Fulton has spoken regularly about DOT’s stance on autonomous vehicles and connected car technology.
— “With Boeing in cross hairs, Lion Air gets a pass on poor safety record.” New York Times.
— “Royal Brunei Airlines’ first all-female pilot crew lands plane in Saudi Arabia – where women are not allowed to drive.” The Independent.
— “Woman, two children killed in car-train collision ID’d.” Palm Beach Post.
— “American Airlines has bumped more passengers this year than all other U.S. airlines combined.” Dallas Morning News.
— “Finnair cancels 276 flights as unions join solidarity strike.” Reuters.
DOT appropriations run out in 25 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 1,406 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 311 days.
