The Week Ahead in Aviation: Congress Remains Focused on Upcoming Impeachment Trial
January 10, 2020
Lawmakers are in for a busy week in Washington that will be dominated, yet again, by the impeachment of President Trump. The House is expected to vote on a resolution to send the articles of impeachment, which were adopted late last year, to the Senate. The upper chamber, meanwhile, is preparing to begin the impeachment trial as soon as the articles are received from the House.
Following next week's session, the House is scheduled to take a one-week break for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, returning on January 27. The Senate schedule is uncertain, but the chamber is expected to remain in session - including potentially on Saturdays - throughout the impeachment trial.
In committee action next week, the House Aviation Subcommittee will hold a hearing on oversight of working conditions for airline ground workers.
House Passes PFAS Bill That Includes Airport Liability Exemption
As we reported earlier today, the House passed an updated version of a bill to regulate PFAS that includes a liability exemption for airports that are required by federal regulation to use firefighting foam that contains so-called "forever chemicals." Lawmakers passed the PFAS Action Act (H.R. 535) on a vote of 247 to 159 after considering nearly two dozen amendments on Thursday night and Friday morning.
Despite House passage of the bill today, proponents face strong opposition in the Senate and at the White House. As PFAS-related issues remain in the spotlight in Washington, AAAE will remain engaged on Capitol Hill and with policymakers to make the point that airports should not be held liable since they are required by federal regulation to use firefighting foam that contains PFAS and have no approved alternatives.
White House Proposes NEPA Rewrite
The White House Council on Environmental Quality this week released a proposal for a comprehensive rewrite of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, with the aim of speeding up infrastructure project reviews.
The 194-page notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) was published in the Federal Register today, which started a 60-day comment period. President Trump appeared at the White House on Thursday to discuss the proposal, but the press event was quickly overtaken by discussion of Iran and other matters.
AAAE submitted comments in 2018 to CEQ in response to an advance NPRM which solicited stakeholder input on how to modernize the NEPA review process. Among other actions, we urged CEQ to introduce more accountability, time limits, and transparency into the process to ensure airports and the public can properly measure the performance of reviewing agencies. AAAE will engage with members through its Environmental Services Committee to develop comments in response to the proposed rule, which must be provided to CEQ on or before March 10. If you would like to get involved or provide feedback, please contact Justin Barkowski.
Additional Updates This Week
- TSA announced that it awarded PreCheck Expansion Other Transactional Agreements (OTAs) to three vendors. According to TSA, the agency continuously seeks to improve security while streamlining the passenger experience and increasing the trusted traveler flying population. In compliance with the TSA Modernization Act of 2018, TSA is increasing the number of enrollment providers for the TSA PreCheck Application Program to foster innovative enrollment methods, improve competition, and provide more convenience to applicants by expanding the TSA PreCheck enrollment network.
- Calvin Scovel III, who has served as DOT Inspector General since 2006, announced he will retire at the end of January. Scovel is the sixth and longest-serving DOT IG.
Please contact Adam if you have any questions or need additional information. Have an excellent weekend.
