[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 73 (Thursday, May 24, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5633-S5636]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BAUCUS:
  S. 959. A bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize 
the Secretary of Transportation to consider the impact of severe 
weather conditions on Montana's aviation public and establish 
regulatory distinctions consistent with those applied to the State of 
Alaska; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the Montana 
Rural Aviation Improvement Act.
  As many in this body know, flying in Montana can be an adventure. 
There's an old saying in Montana that ``if you want the weather to 
change, wait five minutes''.
  Simply put, this act would provide the aviation public with an 
accurate report of Montana's weather conditions at airports across the 
state.
  This year the Federal Aviation Administration eliminated the use of 
on-site certified weather observers at Service Level D Airports in 
Montana. These Level D Airports are an important part of Montana's 
transportation infrastructure and economy. Without accurate 
information, both commercial and private planes may not be able to land 
at these airports because of inaccurate readings from the Automated 
Surface Observing System, ASOS.
  In August 2000 I directed a member of my staff to spend a day at the 
Miles City weather observation station, where the Automated Surface 
Observing Systems system was being tested.
  I am now even more convinced that the commission of the Automated 
Surface Observing Systems as a stand-alone weather observation service 
is a grave mistake.
  Many of the following conditions are characteristic of Montana's 
complicated weather patterns and can't be

[[Page S5636]]

accurately read by the Automated Surface Observing System.
  The Automated Surface Observing System User's Guide, dated March 
1998, states that the following weather elements cannot be sensed or 
reported by Automated Surface Observing System; hail; ice crystals 
(snow grains, ice pellets, snow pellets); drizzle, freezing drizzle; 
volcanic ash; blowing obstruction sand, dust, spray; smoke; snow fall 
and snow depth; hourly snow increase; liquid equivalent of frozen 
precipitation; water equivalent of snow on the ground; clouds above 
12,000 feet; operationally significant clouds above 12,000 feet in 
mountainous areas; virga; distant precipitation in mountainous and 
areas and distant clouds obscuring mountains; and operationally 
significant local variations in visibility.
  Five of the seven airports affected provide commercial airline 
service through the Essential Air Service, EAS, program--a program that 
is indispensable to the transportation and economy of Eastern Montana. 
With Automated Surface Observing System on stand-alone, Montana's EAS 
commercial carrier has expressed real reservations to landing at 
airports where data may or may not be current or correct, and 
especially in circumstances where Automated Surface Observing System 
does not yet read inclement or severe weather conditions common to 
Montana. As you know, airline service is dependent on one thing--
passengers. If they cannot land, who would pay to fly?
  This past summer I hosted the Montana Economic Summit, a statewide 
conference that brought together a strong public- private partnership 
to examine the evidence, chart a course and focus on those elements we 
can execute to help move this state forward. Transportation is a strong 
component of this state's economy. If commercial air service is 
impacted, it will have a dire and immediate impact on my state's 
economy, currently ranked at 49th in per capita income and struggling 
to climb out of the basement.
  I would like to add an accountability log compiled by the Miles City 
weather observers that identifies errors Automated Surface Observing 
System in data collected and reported by the Automated Surface 
Observing System at the Miles City Airport from April-July 2000. My 
staff observed the hourly accounting throughout the day, particularly 
noting the frustration by weather observers to input, correct and 
transmit data via the keyboard and terminal. It is extremely important 
to note that Montana's weather observers see the Automated Surface 
Observing System as a compatible tool to complement their professional 
training and provide the safest environment for Montana aviation.
  Maintenance and operational backup are of additional concern in 
Montana's rural landscape. It goes without saying that in instances of 
severe weather, when the Automated Surface Observing System should go 
down without backup, it effectively closes the airport to any traffic, 
commercial or private, that cannot or will not land without the 
technological benefit of reliable weather data. This process could 
clearly impact the safety of Montana's flying public.
  It cannot be overemphasized that in many smaller airports, 
specifically Service Level C&D sites, these observers are critical to 
the overall operation and safety of community airspace. I know you 
would have felt the same pride and support for the human weather 
observer positions that I do. We are one team, working for the same 
goal.
  The best available tools should be used to provide the most accurate 
data in situations involving public safety. The human weather observers 
assure me that Automated Surface Observing System as a tool, combined 
with their individual ability to override, correct or supplement 
weather data gathered by the sensors, will provide the American public 
with the highest quality safety and weather reporting capability in the 
world.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 959

  [Data not available at time of printing.]
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