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Weekly News Digest
Week of October 20, 2003
Daylight Saving Time Ends Sunday, Oct. 26, For Most Americans. Most of the nation will return to standard time at 2 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, when clocks will be set back one hour. The change will provide an additional hour of daylight in the morning. Under law, daylight saving time is observed from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, with the nation returning to daylight time starting Sunday, April 4. Federal law does not require any area to observe daylight time, but those that do must follow the starting and ending dates set by the law. No resetting of clocks is required for those parts of the country not observing daylight time: Arizona, Hawaii, the part of Indiana located in the Eastern time zone, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas. Also on Oct. 26, the boundaries between Central and Mountain time zones will change in several locations. All of Jones, Mellette and Todd counties in South Dakota, which were divided between the two zones, will move into the Central zone. In North Dakota, all of Morton County and the portion of Sioux County east of State Highway 31 will move into the Central zone. Contact: Bill Mosley: (202) 366-4570.
FAA Rule Will Increase High-Altitude Capacity. On Oct. 23, the U. S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a rule that will significantly increase safety, capacity and operating efficiency at high altitudes. The rule reduces the minimum vertical separation between aircraft from the current 2,000 feet to 1,000 feet for all aircraft flying between 29,000 feet and 41,000 feet. Implementation of the Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM), an important initiative within the FAA’s strategic five-year Flight Plan to increase capacity, will significantly increase the routes and altitudes available to aircraft and allow more routings that will save time and fuel. RVSM also will offer greater flexibility for air traffic controllers and reduce their workload. The FAA will implement RVSM in January 2005. Contact: William Shumann: (202) 267-3883.
FAA Declares New Airport Surveillance Radar Ready for National Deployment. On Oct. 24, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the nationwide deployment of the first all-digital airport radar system. The Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR)-11 will replace older-generation analog radars that are nearing the end of their service life. The ASR-11 performs better than the old surveillance radars and provides improved digital aircraft and weather input needed by the FAA’s new air traffic control automation systems, such as STARS (Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System). The first ASR-11 went operational in March at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station, and has been providing radar data to STARS at the Philadelphia International Airport. The ASR-11 is a joint FAA/Department of Defense program. The FAA plans to procure a total of 112 ASR-11s from Raytheon of Lexington, Mass., with scheduled deployment completed in 2009. The FAA has procured 25 systems since contract was awarded in December 1996. Contact: Rebecca Trexler: (202) 267-3883.
DOT Issues $1.6 Million in Awards for Underground Damage Prevention. On Oct. 23, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration announced grants totaling over $1.6 million to seven states to boost their abilities to provide protection to pipelines and other underground infrastructure. RSPA's Underground Damage Prevention Program has contributed to a 43 percent decline in excavation-related damage to pipelines, the number-one cause of pipeline failures, since the program's inception in 1998. Approximately $5.8 million in damage prevention grants has been awarded to states for pipeline protection. The seven states receiving grants are Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming. Contact: Damon A Hill: (202) 366-4424.
Short Sea Shipping Cooperative Formed. A new government-industry partnership is forming to promote the establishment of a water transportation alternative that will give motorists and industry relief from congestion on American highways and railroads. The Short Sea Shipping Cooperative Program, or SCOOP, held its organizational meeting at DOT Headquarters in Washington on Oct. 15. Its membership includes vessel owners and operators, shippers, trucking and railroad companies, environmental and health interest groups and labor organizations. The cooperative will be lead by DOT's Maritime Administration, which is sponsoring a conference on Short Sea Shipping in Sarasota, FL, Nov. 4-6. Contact: Susan Clark: (202) 366-5807.
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