FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, although I am glad the House of Representatives is taking a step in the right direction by reauthorizing the FAA for a few months, I am frustrated that we are not going as far as we could to protect lives that could be easily saved.

On July 3, 2015, just over a year ago, there was a Flight for Life crash in Frisco, Colorado, in my district. The pilot died, and one person on board is still recovering from major burns. The death was caused not because of speed or pilot error, but simply because the fuel system didn't have a crash-resistant system that is already mandated in military helicopters.

Representative Perlmutter and I have introduced the Helicopter Fuel System Safety Act, and that would require the FAA to install crash- resistant fuel systems in newly manufactured helicopters by December 31, 2016. I am glad this reauthorization language moves the FAA in that direction, but I hope that we can move forward quickly to save lives and fix this.

I was also disappointed I wasn't allowed to offer several other amendments, including one which would have given local airports more flexibility in limiting flights, something of great concern for my district around flight noise for constituents near Longmont. I don't know how many of you live near airports that have continuous flights with older planes, but I hear from my constituents often on this, and I wanted the opportunity to do something about it to make sure that they can enjoy their sleep and their peace and quiet of their neighborhoods. I hope to work with the FAA, the ranking member and chairman to give communities and airports the flexibility they need to have quiet skies in the future.

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