[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 125 (Thursday, July 20, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H3876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1100
             THE INCREASE OF TURBULENCE AFFECTING AIRCRAFT

  (Ms. STEVENS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill I 
authored that is included in the FAA package to research severe 
turbulence and the impact of climate change on the flight forecasts.
  Turbulence is the top cause of injuries to both passengers and crew. 
My bill improves the FAA's understanding of turbulence to better inform 
safety measures for flight crews and the flying public.
  Last month, a scientific study analyzed 40 years of high-quality 
atmospheric data. The researchers found severe clear-air turbulence 
increased 55 percent from 1979 due to climate change.
  Further, other recent studies have shown that turbulence will 
increase significantly as the climate changes, with the most severe 
turbulence increasing by 149 percent over the next several decades.
  We should all be concerned about the rise of turbulence and the 
projected increase in the years ahead.
  Unfortunately, scientists and researchers have reported their 
difficulty in calculating turbulence due to limited data coverage.
  That is why the FAA needs better tools and research to address 
passenger safety amid this threat to air travel. The FAA research we 
support today means that tomorrow, Americans will fly safer.

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