[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 167 (Wednesday, October 31, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S13629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. Voinovich, and Mr. Warner):
  S. 2276. A bill to enhance United States competitiveness in 
aeronautics, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Aeronautics 
Competitiveness Act of 2007 with my colleagues, Senators Voinovich and 
Warner.
  Since the Wright brothers first flew at Kill Devil Hills, aeronautics 
has been an iconic American industry. The ability to fly is no less 
remarkable because it has now become commonplace; and in fact, that a 
flight across the country is now routine is a wonder in itself. Very 
few advances have had the national and global impact of the progress of 
aeronautics, and at the core of those advances has been a robust 
tradition of American ingenuity and production.
  The challenges in aeronautics continue to shift. The air traffic 
control system is under strain, and my colleagues on the Commerce 
Committee have worked diligently this year to chart the path for a 
complete overhaul of the system. There are environmental pressures the 
industry has not faced before, including pressure to reduce greenhouse 
gas emissions. At the same time, new sectors of the business, including 
light jets, show the potential for astonishing growth. All of these 
challenges require significant technology advances, and a significant 
investment in research.
  We find ourselves at a crossroads. The European Union has written a 
report entitled ``European Aeronautics: A Vision for 2020.'' I can 
summarize the vision: it is to supplant the U.S. as the global leader 
in aeronautics in the next 13 years. Toward that goal, the E.U. is 
investing about $860 million per year at today's exchange rates in a 
research fund for aeronautics and ``sustainable surface transport.'' 
With the investments of individual countries, the total research 
spending on civil aeronautics is closer to $4.5 billion. In contrast, 
this year's budget for NASA aeronautics research will be on the order 
of $550 million. Aeronautics is the first ``A'' in NASA, but receives 
less than one-thirtieth of the funds.
  The aeronautics industry is part of the fabric of American life, and 
has the highest trade surplus of any industry, at $52 billion last 
year. But U.S. preeminence is far from assured. This is why I am proud 
to introduce a bill that will help to ensure the future competitiveness 
of U.S. aeronautics. It increases the authorization level for NASA 
aeronautics programs by 20 percent per year for the first 2 years, with 
a smaller increase in the third year. It creates a more transparent and 
inclusive process for stakeholder input into research priorities, and 
encourages NASA to take selected technologies farther along from basic 
research towards development. And it invests in the workforce by 
providing for scholarships for graduate students at NASA and the FAA, 
and creating a program modeled on the Independent Research and 
Development program.
  I believe the future is bright for this vital industry, and I 
strongly feel that we should be unwilling to cede leadership to anyone 
in this area, no matter how determined they may be. I urge my 
colleagues to support this bill to preserve the leading role of U.S. 
aeronautics.
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