With help from Tanya Snyder
— Another Chinese transportation technology, lidar, ignites fights in Washington.
— Expect another FAA extension this week, well ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline.
— A group of House Dems in competitive districts expresses concerns with “right to repair” laws.
IT’S MONDAY: You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. You can reach Alex, Oriana, Tanya and Hannah at [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected], respectively. Find us all on the platform formerly known as Twitter @alextdaugherty, @TSnyderDC, @oriana0214 and @HannahPinski.
“You’re on my radar/(On my radar)/On my radar/(On my radar)/And yep I notice you/I know it’s you.”
ANOTHER U.S.-CHINA FIGHT: While EV battery components and critical minerals from China get the lion’s share of attention from U.S. automakers and politicians, Tanya reports that another key technology, lidar, is quickly becoming a new dividing line in relations between the U.S. and China.
Lidar sensors are a key component of driverless cars in places like San Francisco and Phoenix, and one company is trying to warn lawmakers of Chinese lidar technology being used to spy on Americans and deliver intelligence to Beijing. Ouster, a San Francisco-based company, says Chinese lidar technology “perpetuates their nefarious trade practices all while bolstering their military and security ambitions.”
Ouster and its lobbyists have stepped up efforts on Capitol Hill, meeting with lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and Biden administration officials. The campaign has similarities to another push to limit Chinese technology in Washington against Chinese drone giant DJI, leading Congress to ban the company from some federal business (notably the military).
DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an interview the U.S. must “watch very closely to make sure it doesn’t entail an undue economic security or cybersecurity threat.” Buttigieg also noted the need to “de-risk and necessarily decouple from China,” especially when it comes to technology like lidar.
Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a statement that “China has always opposed the use of information technology to damage other countries’ critical infrastructure or steal strategic data.” And Chinese manufacturer Hesai, which makes lidar technology that is cheaper and more sophisticated than many U.S. companies, is fighting back, egged on by some U.S. auto interests whose vehicles already use its technology. Hesai CEO David Li said in an interview that Ouster is turning a business dispute into a national security issue. Li said Ouster is spreading “false rumors” about Hesai.
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EXTENSION LOOMS: Congress this week is expected to pass another temporary FAA extension until March 8, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announcing Friday that a bill, H.R. 6503 (118), from Transportation Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) is on this week’s House suspension calendar. That’s a signal that an FAA extension, which is a “clean” bill without other policy items attached, will move fast. Two-thirds of the House will need to vote in favor, though there’s broad support for extending the FAA because a lapse in its authorization would lead to tens of millions of dollars per day in uncollected aviation taxes.
The Senate is expected to follow the House, and is likely to use a unanimous consent request to pass the extension before leaving town for the holidays at the end of the week. That, hopefully, means there won’t be any last-minute drama ahead of the Dec. 31 authorization deadline, as there was in September when the first temporary authorization was passed with just hours to spare.
But the Senate remains in limbo on its FAA bill, S. 1939 (118), despite senators on both sides of the pilot training issue saying there’s now a compromise in place on that issue that would give the FAA instead of Congress the ability to decide how many hours of alternative flight training, likely in simulators, would count toward the 1,500 hours of flight time prospective pilots are expected to complete. Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said late last week that other issues besides pilot training were now holding up a potential markup on the bill, but he declined to give specifics. It is looking increasingly likely that a markup won’t take place until January at the earliest, with this week as of now being the last that the Senate is scheduled to be in Washington until the new year.
GETTING ‘RIGHT TO REPAIR’ RIGHT: NHTSA is on board with Massachusetts’ Right to Repair law and is working to ensure that vehicle manufacturers design their telematics systems in a way that data can be accessed by vehicle owners or independent repair shops. But there’s a rub, say three House Democrats who are expressing their concerns in a letter today to DOT.
Is Bluetooth a solution? Reps.Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) — herself the owner of an auto repair shop before coming to Congress — and Jared Golden (D-Maine) challenge NHTSA’s assertion that that giving independent repair shops the same remote access to telematic data as vehicle manufacturers would be too risky. The lawmakers said that NHTSA’s suggestion that independent shops use Bluetooth instead amounts to a “double standard” that “will entrench manufacturers’ dominance in the repair market in the long run, harm competition, and discourage other states from pursuing comprehensive right to repair legislation.”
GAS KEEPS FALLING: The average price for a gallon of gas fell to $3.15 as of Sunday, according to AAA, and it is looking likely that gas prices could average below $3 by the end of the year if current trends continue. “More than half of all US fuel locations have gasoline below $3 per gallon,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said in a statement. “By the end of the year, the national average may dip that low as well.” Despite increased demand for gasoline, gasoline stocks continue to increase, as well, and the supply growth has helped lead to the lower prices.
Alyssa Ring is joining Tremont Strategies Group as director of federal government affairs. She most recently was at MassDOT. (h/t Daniel Lippman)
— “‘Asia’s Detroit’ wants an EV makeover. Enter: Chinese carmakers.” The Wall Street Journal.
— “China’s electric car factories can’t hire fast enough.” The New York Times.
— “New York senator asks judge to step aside from tolling case because of Murphy ties.” POLITICO.
— “American Airlines asks US court to overturn ruling barring JetBlue alliance.” Reuters.
— “MTA indefinitely suspending light rail services starting Friday.” The Baltimore Sun.
— “Unfounded threat halts Metra trains at Ogilvie Transportation Center.” NBC5 Chicago.
