U.S. Representative Maxine Waters Testifies Against Proposal to Move Los Angeles ATO Workers to Seattle; Cites Safety Concerns

Statement

U.S. Representative Maxine Waters Testifies Against Proposal to Move Los Angeles ATO Workers to Seattle; Cites Safety Concerns

United States Representative Maxine Waters (CA-35) today testified at a hearing before the Committee on Transportation's Subcommittee on Aviation on efforts to modernize the nation's Air Traffic Control system. During her testimony, Rep. Waters urged the Subcommittee to reject a proposal to restructure the Los Angeles office of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Air Traffic Organization (ATO), which is located in Hawthorne, CA. The Los Angeles ATO office provides services to all of the airports in Southern California, including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the fifth busiest airport in the world. Under the current restructuring proposal, approximately 86 employees would be given the choice to relocate to an office 1,500 miles away or lose their jobs. Rep. Waters, whose Congressional District includes both LAX and the Los Angeles ATO office, discussed the potential safety threats that could result if the FAA's plan is implemented. That portion of her statement follows:

Southern California is among the world's busiest airspaces and serves more passengers than any other region in the United States. Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control, which provides radar air traffic approach control services to all arriving and departing aircraft for most airports in Southern California, is the busiest approach control in the world.

Phoenix, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Oakland, and Southern California are among the fastest growing sites of air travel in the United States. All of these airspaces and facilities are currently served by the Los Angeles Regional Office. Under the proposed restructure, they would all be served from Seattle.

In the years ahead, LAX is scheduled for major modernization and safety enhancements worth billions of dollars, programs with which the FAA will play a key role.

An ATO Service Area Office needs to be close to Southern California Facilities to provide immediate and expert attention. A Service Area Office 1500 miles away will result in neglect of these huge and critical facilities. Experience tells us that facilities located near headquarters and regional offices receive better programs and quicker service than outlying facilities. Distancing the service operations away from Los Angeles is folly.

When a controller in a tower flips a switch to turn on a radar, that radar had better turn on. If it doesn't, someone from the regional office had better respond quickly. Neither the controller, the pilot, nor the air passengers will find solace that a repair has been delayed because the closest Service Area Office is over 1500 miles away.

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