FAA Conference Report

Floor Speech

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Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, the long-awaited passage of the long term FAA reauthorization conference report is a great achievement for Chairman Rockefeller, Ranking Member HUTCHINSON, and the many other Senators and staff members who were involved in this legislation. I'm pleased with the important nationwide achievements in this bill--NextGen radar systems, improved passengers' rights, and airline ticket transparency, to name a few.

But I wanted to take a few moments to talk about the huge positive impact this legislation is going to have throughout almost every part of my home State of Oregon.

The big news for the Portland region is that the new slot exemptions at Washington National Airport will likely allow for the first direct flight from Portland International Airport to Washington National. This was not an easy victory for the northwest--many of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle had opinions on this issue and it seemed like we were not going to be able to come to an agreement. But I'm proud to say that both sides came to a compromise that will improve air service in the northwest and throughout the country.

One of the things I'm most proud of is that this bill permanently protects Crater Lake from the threat of noisy air tours. As most folks who have visited Crater Lake know, the quiet and peace of the park is just as important as its scenic beauty. This legislation says that Crater Lake is specifically off limits to any overflights that might threaten that tranquility.

This bill creates six new test areas for commercial use of unmanned aerial systems. In Central Oregon, folks are excited about the potential for using those test areas to advance the cutting edge aviation industry that already exists there. It's also an opportunity to monitor wildlife, do meteorological testing, and improve law enforcement in the vast acres of public lands now being co-opted by drug traffickers.

Perhaps the folks who are most directly helped by this legislation are in Independence, OR. Independence has a community of general aviation enthusiasts who live near Independence Airport and who keep their planes on their own property. The FAA recently decided to change the rules on them, putting their future in doubt. This legislation erases that doubt and allows those folks to continue an arrangement they've had for nearly 40 years with no significant safety issues and no significant noise complaints.

Finally, this legislation includes language to encourage recycling at airports, something I have been working on for nearly a half dozen years. I'm glad that it will provide important tools for airport recycling going forward.
I commend my colleagues for moving this legislation forward as a positive step for the country and for my home State.

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