U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today advised the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to study Alaska’s Capstone and Medallion flight programs in order to improve the nation’s aviation safety. Senator Stevens also called for the FAA and all aviation stakeholders to work to maintain the highest level of safety during a Commerce Committee hearing.

Senator Stevens submitted the following statement:

“Given the recent high profile maintenance incidents and the continued economic woes of the airline industry, it has never been more crucial that our aviation safety system is operating at its highest level. The U.S. aviation safety system is a complex and redundant system that includes layers of coordination between many stakeholders including the FAA, air carriers, manufacturers, pilots, inspectors and controllers, amongst others. When the ‘safety first’ culture breaks down, it cannot – must not fail. The FAA and all the aviation stakeholders involved have a professional and moral responsibility to maintain the utmost level of aviation safety.

“In Alaska, our aviation community has worked hard to create an ever improving culture of safety. As I have reported to this Committee many times, Alaska is dependent on aviation more than any other state. With the vast spectrum and sheer amount of commercial cargo and general aviation in our state, it has been a challenge to continually decrease our accident rates. Through programs like Capstone, Alaskans have been able to make dramatic strides in the area of aviation safety. The FAA and Alaska aviation industry stakeholders have set a long-term goal of equipping Alaska based aircraft and installing ADS-B ground infrastructure to cover 90 percent of the operations in our state. By working collaboratively to reach that goal, the FAA estimates there will be a 33 percent reduction in fatal accidents over the next 27 years.

“In addition, because Alaska has six times the number of pilots per capita compared to the Lower 48 and 14 times the number of aircraft, the Alaskan aviation community initiated the Medallion Foundation. Medallion is a voluntary program for air carriers and pilots in Alaska. It establishes safety standards that exceed regulatory requirements to help the Alaska aviation community detect safety trends or needs before actual accidents occur. The benefits of Capstone and Medallion would not have been realized without the collaboration between the Alaska aviation stakeholders and the FAA. The FAA could and should learn a valuable national lesson from the Alaska example. While the process of change is almost always difficult for both the FAA and the providers involved, the safety benefits far outweigh the angst it took to get them. The FAA must take a renewed look at the way it implements its aviation safety partnership programs. Understandably, the FAA needs to thoroughly review the recommendations of the Department of Transportation Inspector General and take corrective action to address the problems.”

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee hearing on Improving the Capacity of U.S. Climate Modeling for Decision-Makers and End-Users to be held May 8, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. Climate models allow scientists to understand the dynamics of the climate system and predict the effects of climate change by simulating the interactions...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences Subcommittee hearing on Reauthorizing the Vision for Space Exploration. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. The Subcommittee will consider the issues facing the upcoming reauthorization of the National Aeronautics and Space Admi...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee Nomination Hearing for Lily Fu Claffee to be General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce and for William J. Brennan to be Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. Nominatio...

- Attached below is the Senate Commerce Committee Weekly Roundup for April 21st - 25th, 2008.

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today announced the witnesses for the upcoming Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism Subcommittee hearing on Improving Consumer Protections in Subprime Home Lending. The witnesses are listed below. The hearing will consider the history and current status of subprime mortgage lending and non-traditional mort...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee said he was pleased to learn that the Department of Transportation was moving forward to increase fuel economy for cars and light trucks. This historic action will raise fuel economy standards for the first time since 1975 and was included as part of the Energy Inde...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), today introduced legislation to close the gaps in United States law that currently allow illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fish products to enter the country. The International Fisheries Stewardship and Enforcement Act of 2008 wo...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee unanimously reported today S. 2688, the Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act. The bill, introduced by Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) would establish a federal program to ensure that seafood distributed commercially in the United States is fit f...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Commerce Committee approved today S.J. 28, a Joint Resolution disapproving a February 22, 2008 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule allowing for increased media consolidation. The resolution, introduced by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), would overturn the FCC ruling (Report and Order FCC 07-216), which allowed for cross ownership of newspapers and broadc...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today introduced legislation to combat the issue of “phantom traffic,” which represents traffic that is sent over telephone networks without identifying information used for intercarrier billing purposes. The Signaling Modernization Act of 2008 is cospo...

- WASHINGTON D.C. – The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today approved legislation cosponsored by Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to amend the Maritime Pollution (MARPOL) Act. The “MARPOL Annex VI Implementation Act of 2008” (H.R. 802), would amend the “MARPOL Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships” by requiring the United States Coas...

- WASHINGTON D.C. – The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today approved legislation sponsored by Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to improve seafood safety in the United States. The bill (S.2688) would establish a federal program to ensure commercially distributed seafood in America is fit for consumption. This meas...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces an Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee hearing on The State of the Airline Industry and the Potential Impact of a Delta/Northwest Merger scheduled for May 7, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. The record high cost of fuel is challenging U.S. air carriers’ ability to achieve continued finan...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) delivered the following statement at today’s hearing on the future of the Internet. “The Internet is one of the great success stories of the 20th century. It has been a key factor in the ability of the United States to steadily improve worker productivity for the past 15 years. Our economy and the quali...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces one additional witness for tomorrow’s Full Committee hearing on The Future of the Internet. In addition to the previously announced witnesses, the Honorable Kevin J. Martin, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will appear before the Committee. The witnesses are listed below. ...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today announced the witnesses for the upcoming Full Committee hearing on The Future of the Internet. The witnesses are listed below. The hearing will focus on developing applications, consumer expectations, and network operation. The Future of the Internet Full Committee Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Ti...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today announced the witnesses for the upcoming Full Committee hearing on Phantom Traffic. The witnesses are listed below. The hearing will examine concerns regarding traffic over telephone networks that is sent without identifying information used for intercarrier billing purposes. Phantom Traffic Full Com...

- The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today announced the witnesses for the Full Committee hearing on Moving Passengers and Freight into the Future: A Review of the Report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. The witnesses are listed below. The hearing will examine the Report’s recommendations relating to freight mobility; hig...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today released the witness list for the Science, Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee hearing on National Nanotechnology Initiative: Charting the Course for Reauthorization. The witnesses are listed below. Nanotechnology has the potential to be the next great technological revolution. Currently, the federa...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announced today the agenda for its Executive Session scheduled for Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 10:30 a.m. Committee members will consider: S. 2688, the Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act S.J. Res 28, A joint resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commiss...

- The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee hearing on Moving Passengers and Freight into the Future: A Review of the Report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission to be held April 22, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. The Commission’s Report, required pursuant to section 1909 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Tra...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee hearing on The Future of the Internet to be held April 22, 2008, at 10 a.m. The hearing will focus on developing applications, consumer expectations, and network operation. The Future of the Internet Full Committee Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: Ro...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Science, Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee hearing on National Nanotechnology Initiative: Charting the Course for Reauthorization to be held Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. Nanotechnology has the potential to be the next great technological revolution. Currently, the federal investmen...

- Attached is the Senate Commerce Committee Weekly Roundup.

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces an Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism Subcommittee hearing on Improving Consumer Protections in Subprime Home Lending to be held Tuesday, April 29, 2008, at 10:30 a.m. The hearing will consider the history and current status of subprime mortgage lending and non-traditional mortgage loans execu...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) delivered the following statement at today’s Full Committee hearing on Challenges Facing Hawaii’s Air Service Market. “As an island state, Hawaii is uniquely dependent on commercial aviation. Our state’s economy requires a vibrant air service sector to connect us within the state, to the rest...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement at today’s oversight hearing on aviation safety. “The traveling public has been very fortunate that despite the recent publicized lapses in safety inspections and maintenance, we are currently experiencing the safest period in the history of aviation. “Safety is th...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the addition of two witnesses for a Full Committee hearing on Challenges Facing Hawaii’s Air Service Market scheduled for today, at 2:30 p.m. The additional witnesses are Mr. Barry Fukunaga, Chief of Staff for Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle and Mr. Leslie Murashige, Chief Operating Officer of Islan...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate last night passed by unanimous consent, Senate Resolution 468, sponsored by Senators Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), which designates April 2008 as “National 9-1-1 Education Month.” The resolution recognizes the importance of educating citizens about the proper use of the 9-1-1 system. Stevens noted that...

- WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today commended the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for implementing a wireless emergency alert system to better alert the public during a crisis or disaster. The Senate approved the alert system known as the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) in Se...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today received an award from Kids and Cars, an organization dedicated to assuring no child is injured in non-traffic, motor vehicle related accidents. Senator Stevens was presented the award to honor his work on the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the witnesses for a Full Committee hearing on Challenges Facing Hawaii’s Air Service Market scheduled for April 10, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. The witness list is below. The State of Hawaii is uniquely dependent on air service due to its distinctive geography. Recently, Aloha Airlines (Aloha), one o...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today advised Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin Martin and Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce and head of the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) Meredith Atwell Baker, that the upcoming digital television (DTV) tra...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) delivered the following statement at today’s oversight hearing on the digital television (DTV) transition. “Our nation relies on television for news, information, and entertainment. Yet with February 17, 2009, only ten months away, too many Americans remain in the dark about what the digital televis...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) joined Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism Subcommittee Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) to cosponsor the FTC Reauthorization Act of 2008. Introduced today, the measure would reauthorize the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the first time since 1996. “I commend Senator Dorgan for his hard work in drafti...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee hearing on Challenges Facing Hawaii’s Air Service Market scheduled for April 10, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. The State of Hawaii is uniquely dependent on air service due to its distinctive geography. Recently, Aloha Airlines (Aloha), one of the state’s largest and nation’s ...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today announced a corrected witness list for an Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee hearing on Aviation Safety Oversight to be held April 10, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. The witnesses are listed below. Although the U.S. aviation industry is experiencing its safest period in history there have be...

- Attached is the Senate Commerce Committee Weekly Roundup.

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today released the witness list for the Science, Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee hearing on Coal Gasification Technologies and the Need for Large Scale Projects. The witnesses are listed below. Coal gasification can provide an efficient, clean, and versatile way to generate electricity and other ene...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announced today that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin J. Martin and Commerce Department Acting Secretary for Communications and Information Meredith Attwell Baker will testify at a Full Committee oversight hearing on the digital (DTV) transition. With the transition less than a year aw...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – During today’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing on international fisheries, Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Committee, called for more aggressive protections of Arctic Ocean fisheries and re-affirmed his commitment to ensure that the United States has every authority, resource, and tool needed to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU)...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Science, Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee hearing on Coal Gasification Technologies and the Need for Large Scale Projects. Coal gasification can provide an efficient, clean, and versatile way to generate electricity and other energy products from coal as an alternative to traditional gen...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has postponed its Executive Session for Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. The Executive Session has been rescheduled for April 24, 2008, at 10 a.m. ###

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the following witnesses for the Full Committee hearing on Thursday, April 3, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., on International Fisheries: Management and Enforcement. The witnesses are below. The hearing will focus on international fisheries issues, including Regional Fisheries Management Councils (RFMO’...