DOT Fines American Airlines $4.1 Million for Unlawfully Keeping Thousands of Passengers on the Tarmac for Hours

Airline Quarterly Financial Review – U.S. Major Group Carriers: First Quarter 2023

Airline Quarterly Financial Review - National Passenger Group Carriers: First Quarter 2023

DOT Onboard Demographics, June FY 2023

This spreadsheet provides onboard statistics for June, FY 2023. Demographics are particularly useful to managers in the workforce planning process.  This data is also used by Congressional staffers and others who have an interest in the size and makeup of the federal workforce and by public...

Biden-Harris Administration Announces First-Ever Grants to Fix More Than 160 Fish Culverts Across the Country, Supporting Jobs, the Environment, Tribal communities, and Commercial Fishing

U.S. Department of Transportation Providing Hawaii $3 Million in ‘Quick Release’ Emergency Relief Funding for Traffic Management and Repairs to Infrastructure Damaged by Wildfires in Lahaina

Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the Department of Transportation

Testimony of Secretary Pete Buttigieg
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development
April 20, 2023

Chairman Cole, Ranking Member Quigley, Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget request for the Department of Transportation, totaling $145 billion.

This budget will support the Department’s work in three major areas: running our agency operations effectively, building good projects well, and protecting the safety of everyone who interacts with each part of America’s transportation system.

I want to thank the Members on both sides of the aisle who have been true partners as we work to build a better, stronger, safer transportation system for the American people. Your leadership has helped to make the 2020s into an Infrastructure Decade for our country.

We are in a moment of both profound challenge and historic opportunity for U.S. transportation.

On one hand, our transportation systems are still experiencing the shockwaves of the pandemic, along with worsening climate impacts, and the consequences of decades of disinvestment.

Transportation-related industries have become more concentrated, often slashing staff and leaving the system less competitive and nimble. And when any part of the system strains or breaks, Americans bear the burden in ways that range from the frustrations of millions of airline passengers stranded during the holidays, to the fear and upheaval felt by the residents of East Palestine, Ohio after the Norfolk Southern train derailment there.

Yet this is also a moment of unrivaled opportunity and swift progress. Under President Biden’s leadership and thanks to action here in Congress, we have unprecedented funding to modernize and improve our national infrastructure. Shovels are hitting the ground on new projects all over the country. To date, we have announced over $200 billion for over 23,000 projects nationwide, and we are continuing to get funding to communities as swiftly as we responsibly can. To name just a few examples:

Already, we have started repairing 4,600 bridges, so trucks and commuters can get where they need to go without delay. We are helping States improve almost 70,000 miles of roads, which means safer rides and lower car maintenance costs for families. And we’ve awarded the first round of grants under our new Safe Streets and Roads for All program, delivering safety funding to big cities like Detroit, rural communities like Fayette County, Iowa, and Tribal lands like the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. Every year, we see roughly as many traffic deaths in America as gun deaths. That’s why the President’s budget includes $3.1 billion for the Highway Safety Improvement Program, funding to save lives through much-needed projects, as well as advanced safety research initiatives.

When it comes to public transit, we have advanced projects across the country. This budget includes $4.45 billion for our popular Capital Investment Grants, which will help with major projects like the two light rail extensions in Phoenix and the Red Line extension in Chicago. And the budget would also give transit agencies the flexibility they need to use federal formula funding for operating expenses, as they adapt to new post-pandemic ridership patterns.

With regard to supply chains, we’ve strengthened ports around the country—from smaller ports like Helena, Arkansas and Kaskaskia, Illinois, to major ones in Portsmouth, Virginia and New York City. This work complements the nearer-term efforts that have helped cut the number of ships idling at American ports from over a hundred down to the single digits, and contributed to Pacific shipping rates coming down 80%. The President’s budget request includes $230 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program to continue our important work.

When it comes to rail, we have made nearly $18 billion available to improve service and safety, advanced more than 70 major new rail projects nationwide, and proposed a new rule that would require a minimum of two crewmembers per train. Derailments may be down compared to decades past, but the status quo, in which there are still multiple derailments every single day in America, is not good enough. That’s why the President’s budget includes $273 million to support FRA safety personnel, expand our inspection capabilities, and increase stakeholder engagement. I’ve been heartened by the surge of bipartisan support for rail safety in recent months, and we are more than eager to work with anyone who’s serious about that commitment, which is why we strongly support the Railway Safety Act, and hope all those leaders who have spoken out on this issue will support it too.

Aside from getting money out the door for more good projects, we’re also using our regulatory and enforcement authorities to protect and advocate for the traveling public. On the aviation side, we’re getting airlines to honor the tickets they sell and compensate passengers fairly when there are issues. The cancellation rate has stayed well below 2% in the first few months of this year, compared to over 5% in January 2022, and 2.7% on average last year. But there’s still much more to do, as we’ve all seen. That’s why the President’s budget invests $24.8 billion to hire new air traffic controllers, improve safety and capacity at airports, and modernize critical systems like the Notice of Air Mission System.

In short, there’s a great deal of work underway, and a great deal yet to be done.

Our transportation system is at a turning point. We are finally in the process of renewing its physical foundations, but we are also grappling with serious vulnerabilities—especially in areas where federal oversight and regulation have been undermined—which pose very real dangers to workers, families, and communities.

In recent years, Congress has proven that it can deliver—on a bipartisan basis—the kind of transformative infrastructure law that evaded our predecessors for decades. Now we need to bring that same bipartisan dedication to sustain those investments in America, and ensure they reach every person and every community, from the largest cities to the most rural communities.

Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.

Advancing Next Generation Aviation Technologies

STATEMENT OF KEVIN WELSH
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION

HEARING BEFORE THE UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
ADVANCING NEXT GENERATION AVIATION TECHNOLOGIES

MARCH 29, 2023

Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Cruz, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to be here today to discuss the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) work related to advancing next generation aviation technologies. My name is Kevin Welsh, and I am the executive director of the FAA’s Office of Environment and Energy. My office conducts research, develops policy, and collaborates across the U.S. government, with the aviation community, and internationally to address the environmental impacts of aviation. The FAA’s core mission is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world. This mission also includes addressing the environmental impacts of aviation, such as climate change, local air quality, and noise. As laid out in the National Aeronautics Science and Technology Priorities and U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan, this administration is committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation sector by 2050. To achieve this, we are working with industry and other important aviation stakeholders to develop new technologies, enable increased production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), increase the energy efficiency of air traffic operations, and conduct research and develop tools to support the FAA’s mission. Our work in these areas not only helps address environmental impacts, but can also reduce costs, such as through reduced fuel burn, and supports job growth and economic development.

TECHNOLOGY

Improvements in aircraft technology have long played a central role in reducing aviation’s environmental impact. Continued FAA investment in aircraft technology research and development is focused on accelerating the development and introduction of new aircraft technologies that reduce emissions and noise while improving fuel efficiency. For example, the FAA, aircraft manufacturers, and airlines collectively work toward further reducing aircraft noise and emissions at the source through efforts like the Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise (CLEEN) Program, which began in 2010. The FAA’s CLEEN program provides funding to develop and accelerate the introduction of technologies that will reduce noise, emissions, and fuel burn. CLEEN is implemented in 5-year phases, and we are currently in the third phase of the program. Funding for the CLEEN program, including the industry cost share component, has exceeded $500 million since its inception. Cumulatively, CLEEN Phases I and II are estimated to save the aviation industry 36 billion gallons of fuel through 2050, reducing CO2 emissions by 420 million metric tons over this period. These fuel savings would reduce airline costs by over 90 billion dollars at current jet fuel prices. These savings would also benefit passengers. These CO2 reductions are equivalent to removing three million cars from the road from 2020 to 2050. These technologies, as well as the use of SAF, will also dramatically reduce nitrogen oxide and soot emissions from aircraft operations. Technologies from Phases I and II are estimated to eliminate over 997 kilotons of nitrogen oxide emissions during landing and takeoff through 2050. Phase III will continue to target further reductions in aviation noise, emissions, and fuel burn.

A few examples of the accomplishments from the FAA’s investments in the CLEEN program include:

• Under CLEEN Phases I and II, GE Aerospace has developed new low-emissions jet engine combustion systems. The enhanced “TAPS” combustion system is used in aircraft engines, reducing nitrogen oxide emissions for over 500 aircraft in service and over 5,000 on order. A further improved TAPS combustor was developed under CLEEN Phase II to reduce emissions for the forthcoming Boeing 777X aircraft.
• Under CLEEN Phase II, Boeing has developed and demonstrated advanced aircraft wings made of stronger and lighter-weight materials to support innovative development of current and future aircraft. This technology alone is expected to reduce fuel consumption by 3.5 percent.
• In addition to the technologies being developed by the CLEEN Program, our industry partners are using the knowledge gained through the program to enhance other systems. For example, Pratt & Whitney leveraged the CLEEN Program to demonstrate new engine fan technologies to further reduce fuel consumption and noise from their geared turbofan engines. This knowledge has also resulted in improvements to the design software that Pratt & Whitney uses to design all of their engines. As such, CLEEN has an impact that is far greater than the individual technologies that we are working to mature.
• Finally, data from CLEEN Program tests have contributed to the approval of a number of alternative jet fuels for safe use.

Through the FAA Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels & Environment, also known as the Aviation Sustainability Center, or “ASCENT,” work is also underway to develop innovative technological solutions to reduce noise, emissions, and fuel burn from subsonic and supersonic aircraft. ASCENT technology research is complementary to CLEEN, partnering with academia, rather than industry, to advance the state of the art knowledge broadly within the aviation community. Whereas CLEEN research focuses on a higher maturity for the technology and a direct path to product application, ASCENT research can cover a wider range of ideas and different maturity levels. Further, ASCENT is using its research efforts to develop analytical tools that can be used by industry to develop quieter, cleaner, and more efficient products. This research spans partnerships with sixteen universities, covering a breadth of technical areas, including noise reduction technologies, system-level modeling and design, propulsion-airframe integration, combustion, turbomachinery, and supersonics.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provided over $46 million for a new Low Emissions Technology grant program that the FAA calls “FAST-TECH.” The FAA will launch the program this year, which will support projects to develop, demonstrate, or apply low-emission aviation technologies. This grant program is expected to support projects that are designing, prototyping, and testing new low-emission aviation technologies, as well as projects enhancing technology testing and demonstration capabilities that will accelerate a broad range of low-emission aviation technologies. FAST-TECH will play a complementary role to CLEEN and ASCENT by providing a focus specifically on low-emission aviation technologies and building up not only individual technologies, but also testing capabilities to drive a new generation of low-emissions aircraft.

The FAA also continues to demonstrate international leadership on aviation and climate change, including our leadership in setting international environmental standards for aviation at the International Civil Aviation Organization. Adoption of international environmental standards not only advances environmental protection globally, but also helps to set a level playing field and facilitates the export of Unites States-developed and manufactured aerospace technology.

SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL

SAF presents the most promising near-to-medium-term tool to dramatically reduce aviation emissions and will be critical to longer-term efforts to decarbonize aviation. Creation of good jobs is a priority for this administration, and SAF production is expected to enhance the creation of jobs related to agricultural production, municipal solid waste reduction, fuel refining, and engineering. Over the last 15 years, the FAA has led efforts to support SAF development through testing, analysis, and coordination across government, academia, and the private sector. The FAA supports SAF development through a robust research program that spans the breadth of fuel testing and qualification to environmental and economic analysis. Through ASCENT, the FAA advances new research on SAF production and supply chain analysis and enables streamlined fuel approval via ASTM International. Since 2006, the FAA has partnered with industry to support broad engagement of SAF stakeholders through the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative. Additionally, under the CLEEN Program, the FAA partners with industry to support critical SAF testing to ensure safety and performance. This administration is broadly committed to the development of SAF. In September 2021, the Departments of Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture entered into a memorandum of understanding launching a government-wide Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge (the SAF Grand Challenge). The objective of this effort is to reduce the cost, enhance the sustainability, and expand the production and use of SAF that achieves a minimum of 50 percent reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas compared to conventional fuel to meet a goal of supplying 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030 (approximately 10 percent of projected jet fuel use) and sufficient SAF to meet 100 percent of domestic aviation fuel demand by 2050. The FAA is coordinating closely and collaborating with the other agencies on the SAF Grand Challenge to effectively use resources and accelerate the increased production of SAF. At the FAA we are, among other things, coordinating SAF testing and analysis, working with standards organizations to ensure the safety and sustainability of SAF, providing international technical leadership, and seeking opportunities to support the development of infrastructure to connect SAF producers with aviation users.

Finally, in addition to the FAST-TECH grant funding noted earlier, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 also provided $244.5M to support the development of a new SAF- focused grant program that the FAA calls Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition via SAF (“FAST-SAF”). The program aims to support rapid SAF deployment, focusing on domestic projects that enable SAF production, transportation, storage, and blending. The objectives of this grant program are in line with the goals of the Administration’s SAF Grand Challenge, with a primary focus on enabling the rapid scale-up of the domestic production of SAF that provides significant lifecycle greenhouse gas reductions.

CERTIFICATION OF NOVEL TECHNOLOGIES

An important aspect of the quest to reduce aviation emissions and noise is the development of new technologies to power aircraft, such as hydrogen or electric propulsion systems. As the FAA works to certify aircraft that seek to use these technologies, safety will always be the agency’s first priority. As a mechanism to help facilitate the safe introduction of new, innovative products, including new propulsion technologies, the FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service established a structure and process to facilitate the introduction of new technology through early engagement with companies to identify policy and certification issues and to develop strategies to address them early in the application process for type certification.

Although current regulations may not have been drafted with these technologies in mind, our regulatory framework has the flexibility necessary to certify them. Where necessary, FAA technical specialists are developing performance-based requirements to address novel or unusual design features that current requirements do not address. In addition to applying the extensive technical knowledge and experience of our own specialists, the FAA is also leveraging the work of NASA, industry standards committees, research organizations, and other industry working groups to broaden our understanding of the technical issues that new technologies like electric and hydrogen propulsion systems pose.

As the technology matures and the FAA and industry gain experience in the certification of these new technologies, we expect the regulatory structure to evolve. In the meantime, however, current processes are effective in ensuring the technologies meet the expected level of safety.

CONCLUSION

The FAA will continue to support the development and deployment of innovative technologies, SAF, and other new energy sources to reduce aviation’s environmental impact, ensure continued global leadership in innovation and aviation, and support continued economic growth and job creation. We are focused on continuing to pursue and support cutting-edge research and development, and establishing and maintaining close partnerships within government, industry, and academia, as the safest and most efficient airspace system in the world evolves to meet the needs of the future. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

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Secretary Buttigieg Appoints Members of the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity (ACTE)

Secretary Buttigieg delivers remarks alongside President Biden on Airline Consumer Protection

Afternoon! 

I want to begin by thanking President Biden for his leadership. And thanks to all of you for joining us today. Every day, more than a million Americans step aboard an airplane. Some people are setting out on the trip of a lifetime; others are wrapping up a weekly...