I don’t know what the FAA bill will look like, but I know FAA must be provided the resources needed to maintain the highest level of safety for the flying public. That means the government cannot pull back the throttle on NextGen implementation. NextGen is a wholesale transformation of our air traffic control system – not a modernization project. It is not something that can be accomplished piecemeal in 90-day legislative extensions. Short-term extensions handcuff mid- and long-term plans. Yet, that is exactly what we’ve done with FAA’s budget and programming authority for over three years.

My sincere hope is that the House and Senate can resolve any remaining issues; build on progress made during the 111th; and fashion a new bill for consideration early next year. Just like roads and highways, improvements to aviation transportation infrastructure benefit a wide swath of American life, from business and tourism to law enforcement, freight shipment and family cohesion. In a budget-constrained environment, the government should account for how quickly dividends on investment are returned. The payoff in safety, efficiency, productivity and environmental benefits from NextGen is impressive and relatively quick. Only the stability and predictability of a multi-year FAA authorization will provide the confidence needed to build a new National Airspace System.

As some of my colleagues have mentioned, the industry came together over the past few months to form recommendations for improving the aviation industry through the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee. Although the committee’s work can help guide not only DOT but also Congress on the future direction of the aviation industry, it cannot provide the stability needed for the industry: only a new Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill can do that.

The airport community, like so many others, is disappointed to see the 111th Congress end this week without passage of a new FAA reauthorization. The series of short-term extensions over the past three and now headed into the fourth year have weighed heavily on airport infrastructure. Airports need to plan now in order to be ready to meet these future demands, and they need a multi-year FAA Reauthorization bill in order to do so. A multi-year FAA reauthorization will provide airports with the financial tools necessary to build critical safety, security and capacity projects, including new runways, taxiways and completing other critical safety projects. Without this financing, airports will increasingly become chokepoints, creating air travel gridlock and slowing commerce in a critical time for our national economy.

When the FAA operates under a short-term extension, it is impossible for Airport Improvement Program funded projects to receive their entire full year allocation of funds since the FAA is not authorized to do so. This inability to fund longer term projects has a rippling impact on the entire industry. Furthermore, without a multi-year reauthorization bill, airports have also been left without new financing options, like an increase in the Passenger Facility Charge, to help meet the future demand of passengers and infrastructure investment for NextGen.

Incoming House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica understands the critical needs of the aviation industry, and I believe he will work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to see that a long term FAA reauthorization bill will be considered by his committee.

As some of my colleagues have mentioned, the industry came together over the past few months to form recommendations for improving the aviation industry through the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee. Although the committee’s work can help guide not only DOT but also Congress on the future direction of the aviation industry, it cannot provide the stability needed for the industry: only a new Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill can do that.

The airport community, like so many others, is disappointed to see the 111th Congress end this week without passage of a new FAA reauthorization. The series of short-term extensions over the past three and now headed into the fourth year have weighed heavily on airport infrastructure. Airports need to plan now in order to be ready to meet these future demands, and they need a multi-year FAA Reauthorization bill in order to do so. A multi-year FAA reauthorization will provide airports with the financial tools necessary to build critical safety, security and capacity projects, including new runways, taxiways and completing other critical safety projects. Without this financing, airports will increasingly become chokepoints, creating air travel gridlock and slowing commerce in a critical time for our national economy.

When the FAA operates under a short-term extension, it is impossible for Airport Improvement Program funded projects to receive their entire full year allocation of funds since the FAA is not authorized to do so. This inability to fund longer term projects has a rippling impact on the entire industry. Furthermore, without a multi-year reauthorization bill, airports have also been left without new financing options, like an increase in the Passenger Facility Charge, to help meet the future demand of passengers and infrastructure investment for NextGen.

Incoming House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica understands the critical needs of the aviation industry, and I believe he will work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to see that a long term FAA reauthorization bill will be considered by his committee.

We have a response from Ron Siecke, chair of the aviation practice at HNTB Corporation

Congress will give the Next Generation Air Transportation System an important vote of confidence when the long-term Reauthorization solution is finalized.

Still missing is a commitment of resources for making NextGen a reality: how to pay for it. Without this critical piece, airlines and airports can’t proceed with long-term planning of the investments required for meeting increased demands on our aviation system.

When funding is no longer in limbo, airlines — which may incur equipment costs, but reap savings in fuel taxes — can move ahead toward NextGen implementation. And airports — which can balance equipment and training costs with increased capacity, productivity and traveler satisfaction — can begin the transition away from radar and toward a far-more-efficient, satellite-based system.

The result? We all will enjoy a more environmentally friendly, safer travel experience hampered by less congestion.

But the aviation industry needs specifics; something that can’t happen with continued extension after extension.

That said, if it takes another extension to hammer out tangible, actionable next steps for NextGen (and Reauthorization as a whole), then so be it. But too much time has already been lost to continue indefinitely with uncertainty and a cloudy view of what may or may not be coming with a long-term reauthorization.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee needs to — and will — step to the plate and push Congress toward a solution on upgrading our decades-old traffic control system through FAA Reauthorization. The multi-billion-dollar question is “when?”

On Dec. 15, 2011, the aviation community came together in the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee (FAAC) and recommended 23 policy initiatives to buttress the vitality of the aviation industry. Congress should utilize these recommendations as a blueprint for the FAA reauthorization bill, which has languished for almost three years.

While the FAAC recommendations spanned a number of issues, some key recommendations follow:

FOCUS EFFORTS ON NEXTGEN TO DELIVER BENEFITS TO PASSENGERS QUICKLY

Three of the FAAC subcommittees echoed the need for the acceleration of NextGen. The FAAC recommended that the U.S. government should make “a significant financial investment” in equipping cockpits to achieve “extensive public benefits” from implementing the next generation air-traffic control system sooner than currently planned. NextGen has long been touted as the way to reduce both delays and the environmental impact of aviation. Congress should ensure that the FAA delivers real benefits to passengers and the country by making the needed investments and establishing a timetable/performance metrics for introducing operational benefits such as reduced gate-to-gate times and reduced fuel burn.

ENSURE THE COMPETITIVENESS AND VIABILITY OF THE AVIATION SYSTEM

The FAAC recommended that the DOT should foster conditions that enable global airline alliances that enhance the viability and global competitiveness of U.S. airlines, airports and manufacturers, and protect and create U.S. aviation industry jobs. Why is it important to have a viable aviation system? Because a healthy aviation system fuels jobs – a key priority for Congress and the administration. More than ever, aviation is a global industry. Any FAA bill should facilitate the continued expansion of the DOT Open Skies initiative, especially in the largest and fastest growing markets such as China and Brazil.

Many FAAC subcommittee members agreed that reducing the aviation tax burden is critical to the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. aviation industry. The FAAC noted that since 1990 the industry’s tax burden has grown from six taxes/fees, raising $3.7 billion; to 17 taxes/fees, raising about $17 billion annually. Any FAA bill should reduce or freeze existing levels of aviation taxes and fees. After a decade of losses mounting to almost $58 billion, the industry is attempting to climb back to stability, and it is critical that Congress not disrupt this fragile recovery by increasing aviation’s tax or regulatory burden.

IMPROVE SAFETY

The FAAC safety subcommittee noted that aviation safety is measurable better than it was in 1990. Since air travel is already safer than other modes of travel, Congress must enact policies to ensure that the past dramatic improvements in airline safety are continued. Our commitment to safety is currently being realized through implementation of Safety Management Systems, which ensure an overall framework for continuous and comprehensive safety improvements. Data and enhanced data analysis are the critical components of a safer system. These systems do not simply rely on accident data, rather the emphasis is on the analysis of a variety of air traffic control, airline and employee data, collected and reported on flights that operate and land safely. The FAAC recommended that in order to ensure that this data collected through voluntary programs is supplied, Congress should enact more comprehensive legal protection of this data. In addition, all relevant participants (for example maintenance providers) should be included in voluntary safety programs.