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— Infrastructure hasn’t been an early focus in the 2020 Democratic primary — at least when it comes to the front-runners.
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— Acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell is planning to stay at the agency “as long as he’s needed.”
— The drone industry seized on the news Thursday that a plane in Mexico was not in fact struck by a drone in December, as was widely reported at the time, but instead was the victim of faulty repairs.
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WHO’S WINNING THE INFRASTRUCTURE PRIMARY? As infrastructure talks wither in D.C., your host took a look at who’s saying what on the 2020 campaign trail. The verdict: So far, it’s not the front-runners who have made infrastructure a big part of their platforms, but some of the lesser-known names in the race.
The two candidates who have released full-fledged plans are former Rep. John Delaney and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who are both trailing the main pack in polls so far. One divide in their proposals is a question that will be interesting to follow as more candidates eventually weigh in: whether or not to raise the gas tax. Klobuchar’s against it (she wants to fund infrastructure solely with a corporate tax hike), and Delaney wants to do both. In that sense, the debate mirrors Washington, where the issue of funding infrastructure has remained the biggest barrier.
Where’s “Amtrak Joe” Biden? The front-runner has talked a bit about transportation on the trail, but hasn’t released an infrastructure plan or gone into detail on his website. That could change since Biden is expected to come out with a climate plan, and versions of his stump speech have linked the two issues, as Bernie Sanders has.
HYPERLOOP LOBBYING TAKES OFF: Hyperloop companies are ramping up their lobbying efforts in Washington, with an eye toward winning regulatory approval for the nascent technology. As POLITICO Influence reports, Virgin Hyperloop One, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and Hyperloop America Inc. have all hired lobbyists and lawyers in D.C. this year.
TO BE CLEAR: Thursday’s MT included an item about a new report from the Problem Solvers Caucus coming up with infrastructure solutions. Not so fast: It turns out that it’s just a repackaged version (close to word for word) of a report the group first issued in 2018. Thanks to an eagle-eyed MT reader who noticed the similarities.
NOT GOING ANYWHERE: Elwell told our Brianna Gurciullo on Thursday that he has no immediate plans to leave the FAA if and when his replacement, Steve Dickson, is confirmed by the Senate. “I’m prepared to do whatever the president needs and Secretary [Elaine] Chao needs,” he said. “I will stay as long as the FAA, as long as Steve needs me. There’s always a transition, so I’m prepared to serve as long as I’m needed.” The former deputy administrator could go back to that position if Dickson is confirmed (and if Congress passes a waiver allowing two former military officers to hold the top two positions at the FAA).
What’s next: The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on Dickson’s nomination on May 15. A markup has yet to be scheduled.
DIG IN TO WAIT FOR SPACE RULE: The FAA has extended the comment period on a proposed commercial space launch rule until the end of July. As Brianna reports, the extension came after dozens of requests for more time to weigh in, given the proposal’s “breadth, significant impact, length, and complexity.”
The rule itself won’t be codified by the end of 2019, partially because of the government shutdown, according to the FAA’s commercial space chief Wayne Monteith.
WHEN IS A DRONE NOT A DRONE? When it’s really just not a drone. A Mexican airliner said to have been hit by a drone in December was actually damaged after a flawed repair job caused its nose to collapse and crack, Bloomberg reported. That revelation came in a report from the airline to the NTSB, and it’s vindicating for the drone industry, which has argued that reports of drone strikes are often false and the risk to aviation overblown.
“It would be nice if every news outlet that ran a scary story speculating about a drone collision would correct their coverage, but we know that probably won’t happen,” wrote drone giant DJI on a company blog. “Instead, we hope this will spur the media, the drone industry, government officials and the general public to be skeptical the next time they hear an unverified allegation that a drone had a close call with an airplane thousands of feet in the air.”
CRITICISM OF BOEING FROM THE HILL: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who has been critical of Boeing and the FAA in the wake of two 737 MAX crashes, wasn’t taken by the company’s CEO apologizing during an interview with CBS Evening News this week. “Plane passengers deserve more than apologies & promises from Boeing’s CEO about the updated 737 MAX’s airworthiness, any ‘fix’ must be independently scrutinized. A new, robust review of all safety systems is paramount,” Blumenthal tweeted on Thursday.
TSA HIT SCREENINGS RECORD: U.S. airports experienced their busiest day ever on May 24, with TSA screening a record 2,792,525 passengers and crew members, the agency announced Thursday. In the same statement, the agency acknowledged that “increased traveler volume this summer may present challenges” as its resources are sent to support DHS’ mission at the U.S. border with Mexico.
WHO MAKES WHAT: The Bureau of Labor Statistics released an interesting new dataset on transportation industry employment. The numbers, which date back to May 2018, show employment levels and mean salaries. You should look through yourself, but a few randomly selected tidbits: The annual mean wage for airline pilots is $169,560. There were 1.8 million truck drivers working in the U.S at that date. And the rail industry wins the award for goofiest job titles, with “dinkey operators” and “hostlers” among the positions listed.
PTC PROGRESS: The FRA said this week that, as of March 31, positive train control systems were being used on close to 48,050 of the 58,000 route miles subject to a statutory mandate. That’s a 3 percent increase from last quarter, with 19 months left before a December 2020 deadline. The agency also said it sent a letter to freight, non-Class I tenant railroads “emphasizing the importance of timely implementation, and inviting them to meet with FRA in Washington, DC, this summer.”
— “Pollution: the race to clean up the shipping industry.” Financial Times.
— “Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office is working with Volkswagen to crush a union drive.” The Intercept.
— “Why New York can’t have nice things.” New York Magazine.
— “California is cracking down on the gig economy.” Vox.
— “Why aren’t cities getting ready for autonomous vehicles?” CityLab.
— “Former Senate Appropriations Chairman Cochran dies.” POLITICO Pro.
— “Sen. Jerry Moran on the mend after rescue from Camelback Mountain.” Roll Call.
DOT appropriations run out in 122 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 1,583 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 491 days.
