[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 80 (Friday, May 22, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SPURRING PRIVATE AEROSPACE COMPETITIVENESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACT OF 
                                  2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2015

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2262) to 
     facilitate a pro-growth environment for the developing 
     commercial space industry by encouraging private sector 
     investment and creating more stable and predictable 
     regulatory conditions, and for other purposes:

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr Chair, I voted for H.R. 2262, the Spurring Private 
Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship (SPACE) Act of 2015 to 
promote continued American competitiveness and ingenuity in space 
exploration. I agree with many of my fellow Democrats that as this 
industry matures, we should be regularly revisiting the issue of the 
``learning period,'' and its related Federal Aviation Administration 
(FAA) regulations regarding spacecraft, as well as rules relating to 
indemnification.
  This is why I supported the Edwards amendment to the SPACE Act to 
shorten the extension of these provisions to five and four years, 
rather than continuing them through 2025. Though that amendment failed, 
I voted to support the underlying bill because it is important to 
encourage growth in this industry, considering the end of NASA's space 
shuttle program in July 2011, and the rapid development of this 
industry internationally.
  As is now happening with our commercial drone industry, which can 
help us with everything from enforcing environmental protections to 
improving worker safety, a failure to move beyond outmoded federal 
regulations in the U.S. will mean other countries progress and we're 
left behind. A failure to reach agreement on these critical areas of 
emerging technology and the role of the federal government will 
undercut American's ability to compete and lead in the 21st century. 
Research, innovation and investments are happening in the area across 
the globe. We must strike the right balance, but Congress ought not 
play a role by adding complexity and delay.

                          ____________________