Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2016
Floor Speech
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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, as we take up extension of the FAA reauthorization this week, I want to voice my frustration that an extension of the section 48 energy investment tax credit was not included. More importantly, I want to make clear my continued commitment to securing the credit's extension before the end of the year. This is an issue of immediate urgency.
The tax package agreed to at the end of last year extended the section 48 energy investment tax credit for 5 years, beginning on January 1, 2017, phased down to 26 percent in 2020 and 22 percent in 2021. However, through a drafting error, some technologies in section 48 were left out of that long-term extension. As a result, those technologies--including fuel cells, geothermal, hydropower, and biomass, among others--are set to expire at the end of this year.
Picking winners and losers was not our intention. The majority leader agreed with that sentiment and made a commitment to address the discrepancy early this year. Unfortunately, we have yet to place it on a moving legislative vehicle. The lack of certainty for these technologies is creating market distortions that will drive capital out of these technologies and toward those with longer-term incentives.
I think it is important that we support an all-of-the-above energy strategy and ensuring new clean energy technologies have a seat at the table is a key component. Therefore, although I had hoped to see us put the section 48 fix on the FAA extension, I remain committed to securing this change before the end of the year. This is a noncontroversial, already-agreed to modification and it should be processed expeditiously.
(At the request of Mr. Lankford, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)
I am particularly pleased to note that this bill includes the third class medical reforms from my bipartisan Pilot's Bill of Rights 2, which has passed the Senate three times since last December. This legislation is strongly supported by the entire general aviation community, a number of pilot unions, including the Allied Pilots Association representing the pilots of American Airlines, the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association, and the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, as well as the National Association of State Aviation Officials. In particular, I want to highlight the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, AOPA, and the Experimental Aircraft Association, EAA, for their leadership and support from the beginning and all their work to educate my colleagues in Congress on issues that affect pilots. I am very grateful for the strong and consistent voice of AOPA and EAA members who have shared why third class medical reform is necessary.
FAA's current medical certification process is bureaucratic, burdensome, and discourages pilots from disclosing and treating medical conditions that could impact their ability to fly. This legislation reforms the medical certification process for general aviation pilots in a way that will increase pilots' knowledge of risk while demanding treatment of identified conditions. The reforms expand the existing exemption for light sport pilots to include more qualified, trained pilots, as long as they complete three requirements. First, pilots must complete an online medical education course; second, pilots must maintain verification that they have been to a doctor at least once every 4 years and certify that they are receiving the care they need as directed by their physician to treat any medical condition that warrants treatment; and third, pilots must complete one comprehensive medical review by the FAA.
The FAA extension legislation also includes a provision that would allow critical infrastructure owners and operators to use unmanned aircraft systems to comply with mandated regulations and to perform emergency response and preparation activities.
This amendment would apply to energy infrastructure, such as oil and gas and renewable electric energy, it would apply to power utilities and telecommunications networks, and it would apply to roads and bridges and water supply system operators. Today critical infrastructure owners and operators are required to comply with significant requirements to monitor facilities and assets, which can stretch thousands of miles, and traverse rural and hard to access areas. Existing Federal safety regulations require periodic patrolling of the rights of way of critical infrastructure such as pipelines or transmission lines to check for encroachment, unauthorized excavation, evidence of leaks, or any other conditions that might jeopardize the safety of the pipeline or transmission line. Currently, Federal regulations allow periodic patrols to be conducted on foot, in vehicles, or with manned aircraft.
This language would ensure that critical infrastructure owners and operators, sponsors or associations who sponsor critical infrastructure, or their agents are able to apply to the Federal Aviation Administration to use unmanned aircraft as well.
This is of particular importance because unmanned aircraft can be quickly deployed to assess dangerous situations as part of a coordinated response to provide immediate feedback and situational awareness and direct resources to locations of highest danger. The use of unmanned aircraft would provide consistent and long-term on-scene information gathering capability in spite of weather or other incident dangers harmful to responding personnel, reduce the threat to response personnel in emergency situations. This amendment is supported by a wide array of stakeholders including the Small UAV Coalition, the National Rural Electric Cooperatives, the American Public Power Association, Edison Electric Institute, CTIA--the Wireless Association, the American Gas Association, the American Public Gas Association, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, the American Petroleum Institute, the Association of Oil Pipelines, the American Fuels and Petrochemical Manufacturers, 3D Robotics, and the American Wind Energy Association. Congress should provide direction to FAA to set up a process for critical infrastructure operators to be able to safety operate unmanned aerial vehicles where there is clear and articulable need, and the provision included in this bill accomplishes that goal.
I strongly support this legislation, and I look forward to ensuring the swift implementation of these provisions by the Federal Aviation Administration in the coming months.
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