[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 13, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1283]]
   THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
                      REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 13, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce 
the Federal Aviation Research and Development Reauthorization Act of 
2007. I am joined by Bart Gordon, Chairman of the Science and 
Technology Committee, as an original cosponsor of the Act.
  This legislation is focused on ensuring the FAA will have the tools 
that it will need to keep the Nation's air transportation system safe, 
efficient, and environmentally friendly. To that end, the act 
reauthorizes a range of important R&D activities at the FAA, starts up 
new initiatives in some key areas, and contains provisions aimed at 
strengthening the interagency Joint Planning and Development Office, 
JPDO, which has the responsibility of planning and developing the Next 
Generation Air Transportation System, NextGen.
  With respect to the JPDO, the act responds to the recommendations of 
the Government Accountability Office, GAO, as well as other expert 
witnesses that the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee heard from at our 
recent hearings by including provisions aimed at strengthening the 
effectiveness of the JPDO. These include such things as: (1) 
strengthening the authority of the JPDO Director; (2) requiring each 
participating agency or department to identify a senior official to be 
in charge of its activities in support of the NextGen initiative; (3) 
requiring an integrated plan with date-specific timetables for 
implementation of NextGen capabilities; (4) requiring the JPDO' s 
Senior Policy Committee to meet at least four times per year; (5) 
having OMB coordinate each agency or department's budget in support of 
the NextGen initiative; (6) directing JPDO to develop contingency plans 
for dealing with degradation of the NextGen system due to a natural 
disaster, major equipment failure, or act of terrorism; (7) requiring 
the JPDO to establish noise, emissions, and energy consumption 
requirements for the NextGen system; (8) directing JPDO to develop an 
R&D roadmap for the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into 
the national airspace system; (9) having GAO carry out annual reviews 
of JPDO's effectiveness.
  As important as the JPDO and the NextGen initiative are, the act 
recognizes that the FAA, in coordination with other agencies such as 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, has a critical 
role to play in supporting other important aviation R&D activities, a 
number of which have been underfunded in recent years according to' the 
testimony of the GAO and FAA's own R&E advisory committee. To that end, 
the act augments the President's funding requests for human factors 
research, weather research, unmanned aircraft systems research, and 
energy- and environment-related research.
  In addition, recent announcements from Europe regarding the potential 
imposition of emissions penalties on aircraft operations in the next 
decade have made it clear that the United States needs to better 
understand the impact of aviation on the climate as well as what might 
be done to mitigate that impact. This legislation takes the first step 
in that direction by directing the FAA, in coordination with NASA and 
the U.S. Climate Change Science Program to develop a plan for such 
research and then having the National Research Council carry out an 
independent assessment of that research plan.
  The Nation's colleges and universities have an important role to play 
in carrying out research in support of the Nation's future air 
transportation system. At the same time, that research is a critical 
means of helping to train the next generation of scientists, engineers, 
and aviation specialists that we will need over the coming decades. 
Thus, this act establishes a research grants program involving 
undergraduate students. It also contains provisions aimed at 
strengthening FAA's Centers of Excellence program.
  The act also contains R&D provisions to continue engine research, in 
coordination with NASA, that has the goal of enabling existing general 
aviation aircraft to operate with unleaded aviation fuel. In addition, 
the legislation continues the Airport Cooperative Research Program and 
also establishes a runway research program that should benefit both 
general aviation and commercial air carrier airports.
  Finally, in view of the increased importance of space weather to 
aviation, especially with the increased incidence of flight operations 
over the polar regions, the act establishes a multi-agency research 
program to conduct research on the impacts of space weather on aviation 
and air passengers.
  Madam Speaker, air transportation is central to the Nation's economic 
well-being, our international competitiveness, and our quality of life. 
FAA's R&D programs play an important role in ensuring the continued 
safety and efficiency of America's air transportation system, and I 
believe that the Federal Aviation Research and Development 
Reauthorization Act of 2007 will keep FAA's R&D enterprise healthy and 
productive.

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