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Press Releases |
For Immediate Release
06/17/09
Contact: |
Jena Longo - Democratic Deputy Communications Director 202.224.7824
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Hearing Summary: Aviation Safety: The Role and Responsibility of Commercial Air Carriers and Employees
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a subcommittee hearing today on Aviation Safety: the Role and Responsibility of Commercial Air Carriers and Employees.
Witness List:
Mr. Jim May, President and Chief Executive Officer, Air Transport Association of America
Mr. Roger Cohen, President, Regional Airline Association
Captain John Prater, President, Airline Pilots Association, International
Mr. Scott Maurer, Representative of the Families of Continental Flight 3407
Key Quotes:
“Airlines must make commitments to embrace the best practices across the industry if they are going to improve safety in a meaningful manner.”
Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV
“In this country, we continue to have a remarkably safe air system. But we have a responsibility to examine crashes when they occur and ensure that we do all we can to prevent further accidents.”
Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
“No accident or incident is acceptable. We seek to learn from each event. Consequently, ATA has formed a Senior Advisory Task Force to address the matters raised during the recent NTSB hearing about the Buffalo accident. The task force is comprised of airline presidents, chief operating officers and their peers. It will ensure that our support of the FAA, airlines, unions and others is responsive, targeted and thorough.”
Mr. Jim May, President and Chief Executive Officer, Air Transport Association of America
“Federal safety statistics clearly show that flying is the safest mode of travel. A person is far more likely to have a fatal accident traveling in a car, train, or bus than traveling by air. According to the National Safety Council, the fatality rate for cars is 7,700 percent higher than for commercial aircraft and the fatality rate for trains and buses is 300 percent higher. This remarkable safety record is the result of decades of dedicated work from aviation safety professionals, both in the government and in the industry.”
Mr. Roger Cohen, President, Regional Airline Association
“The current U.S. flight and duty time rules are a patchwork of regulations that are intended to address disparate domestic, international flag, and supplemental operations. There have been a number of attempts to revise the regulations over the past 25 years, but those attempts have met with generally abysmal results because of the contentious disagreement by the stakeholders as to which changes were appropriate or needed.”
Captain John Prater, President, Airline Pilots Association, International
“Voluntary safety recommendations made to cash-strapped airlines cannot protect the flying public. It is imperative that the mechanism for translating NTSB safety recommendations into mandated practice be streamlined to eliminate what is often years of delay between recognition of a safety concern and action to correct it.”
Mr. Scott Maurer, Representative of the Families of Continental Flight 3407
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Chairman Rockefeller Applauds the Senate's Confirmation of Nominees
- WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement today regarding the confirmation of:
Mr. Christopher P. Bertram, to be Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs and Chief Financial Officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation
Ms. Patricia D. Cahill, to be a...
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7th - |
Chairman Rockefeller on "Cash for Clunkers"
- WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement today regarding the Senate’s passage (60-37) of H.R. 3435, a bill making supplemental appropriations for FY2010 for the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program (“Cash for Clunkers”).
“I a...
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6th - |
Hearing Summary: Waste, Fraud and Abuse in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today on Waste, Fraud and Abuse in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.
Witness List:
Mr. Alfred J. Longhi, Jr., former Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Lithium Power Technologies
Mr. Thomas J. Howard, Acting Inspector General, National Aeronautic...
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6th - |
Hearing Summary - Aviation Safety: The Relationship Between Network and Regional Airlines
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a subcommittee hearing today on Aviation Safety: The Relationship Between Network Airlines and Regional Airlines.
Witness List:
Mr. Philip H. Trenary, President and Chief Executive Officer, Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
Mr. Peter Bowler, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Eagle Airlines...
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6th - |
Hutchison: FAA Must Stay Vigilant
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today during a hearing on the relationship between network and regional airlines said that the Federal Aviation Administration must stay vigilant when it comes to air safety.
“Despite the remarkable safety record of the U.S. aviation industry, rece...
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5th - |
Executive Session: Committee Legislation Summary
- WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held an Executive Session and favorably reported out the following legislation and nominees:
S. 1078, the AmericaView Geospatial Imagery Mapping Program Act
S. 30, the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009
S. 251, the Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009
S. 952, Harmful Algal Blooms and Hyp...
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5th - |
Chairman Rockefeller's Remarks on Today's Executive Session
- WASHINGTON, D.C.--We have four very important bills and a number of key Administration nominations on today’s agenda.
First, the committee will consider, S. 1078, the AmericaView Geospatial Imagery Mapping Program. This bill authorizes the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to expand the AmericaView program, which is designed to use satellite and remote sensing data to support applied resea...
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5th - |
Hearing Summary: Nominations Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today on nominations.
Witness List:
Mr. Dennis F. Hightower, to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce
Mr. Robert S. Adler, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
Ms. Anne M. Northup, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product...
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5th - |
Chairman Rockefeller's Remarks on Today's Nominations Hearing
- I am pleased to welcome Mr. Dennis F. Hightower to the Committee today. If confirmed as the next Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce, you will serve as the Department’s chief operations officer and take responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Department’s $17 billion budget and more than 38,000 employees.
I am confident that your work in the private and pu...
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5th - |
Committee Approves Hutchison Bill to Jam Illegal Prison Cell Phones
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today approved bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Committee, to allow prisons to block calls from contraband cellular phones. The Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009 (S. 251), is cosponsored by Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Diane Feinstein (...
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