Aviation Loses a Knowledgeable Voice On the Hill ...

Nov. 3, 2010
... as Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) is caught up in the Republican tidal wave that overtook the U.S. House of Representatives in this week’s election. The 18-term legislator was seen by many as one of the more knowledgeable people in Washington when it comes to aviation issues. He’s also well-known for his cautious approach to airline mergers, evidenced by his recent call to the Justice Department to closely review the proposed buyout of AirTran by Southwest. “It was shocking,” comments Greg Principato, president of Airports Council International-North America, about Oberstar’s loss. “He’s someone who had a wonderful career, as a staff person on the Hill and then a Congressman for several decades. He has a lot to point back to with pride. Whenever there’s a big change election like this … one or two folks end up losing who weren’t on the radar screen. “Anytime you lose someone who has that experience, knowledge, and that commitment and passion and got things done -- you have to take that into account. He brought a lot to the table, and a lot of people learned from him over the years. We’ll miss him for sure. He has certainly been a positive force for aviation. “The leading congressional watchdog on airline mergers – you can certainly characterize Oberstar that way.” Principato says he is optimistic that the airport groups will be able to work with the new Congress, while building on relationships already established with the likes of Rep. John Mica (R-FL) and Tom Petri (R-WI). “We work very well with them, and look forward to continuing that,” says Principato. In anticipation of a changed Congress, ACI-NA and the American Association of Airport Executives moved up their annual joint legislative conference to February 1-3 in Washington, relates Principato. “We knew there’d be a lot of new members elected and we wanted to bring our airport folks in early in the year so that they can see their members of Congress, especially if they’re new. “All the airports want is freedom. There was a lot of talk about freedom in this election; that’s really all airports want – a little economic freedom.” Two central issues toward meeting that agenda are an increase in the cap on passenger facility charges and maintaining an alternative minimum tax (AMT) waiver on airport bonds. Regarding the PFC increase, Principato says, “I’m testifying in a couple of weeks on NextGen, and there’s no NextGen without a PFC increase. The federal government is standing in the way of investing in infrastructure. You can have all those wonderful toys to keep things moving in the air, but the plane still has to take off and land. I’m going to make that point: There’s no NextGen without a PFC increase.” Whether or not Election 2010 brings about any welcome change in Washington remains to be seen. The potential exists that we will move from a Congress that shoves legislation down the nation’s throat to a body that gets nothing done. The good news is Nancy Pelosi will no longer serve as head obstructionist in the House. The biggest irony of the election may be that the good citizens of Las Vegas are responsible for sending Harry Reid, a key Obama ally, back to Washington to head up the Senate. This from a city devastated by the economic downturn, and significantly hurt by President Obama’s negative comments about Vegas following his election. Thanks for reading. jfi