Cynthia Lummis To Bryan Bedford: FAA Needs To Train Weather Observers Or Give Program Back To NWS

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During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing last month, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) questioned FAA Administrator Nominee Bryan Bedford about weather equipment.

Transcript

00:00We haven't had a chance to meet yet, and I know the clock is running on some votes over in the

00:06Capitol building, so I'm going to be quick. You and I will meet on June 17th. I'm looking forward

00:12to it. I'm going to give you a heads up on the two issues that I will be emphasizing when we meet.

00:19One is, and this is down in the weeds, but very important to my state. I'm from Wyoming.

00:25Section 702 of the FAA reauthorization law addressed airport improvement program dollars

00:35and the eligibility for taxiways and taxi lanes at airports. Congress clarified eligibility last

00:44year in our FAA bill, making very specific language in the authorizations. Somebody at

00:52the FAA keeps tinkering with that language, and they're making it difficult for small

00:59airports, and I'll name one specifically, Rock Springs, Wyoming, to get the airport paving

01:07funding it needs, that it's eligible for pursuant to the statutory criteria. But somebody at FAA

01:17keeps tinkering with that language, and it's making it difficult for my state and my airports

01:25to gain access to those funds. So for reference to our June 17th meeting, that's going to be

01:33high on my list of conversations I want to have with you, and thank you.

01:37The other one is about weather equipment. So, you know, a lot of weather changes in Wyoming,

01:45and very major weather changes. So there used to be, at the National Weather Service, a training

01:54program for when the weather technology equipment goes down and someone has to be sent out to repair

02:01it, hours and sometimes days can go by where air traffic is shut down. And so the FAA received the authority

02:18from the National Weather Service to train weather observers. It's not, you know, a major meteorologist-type

02:27training, but it's something that can allow you to understand the cloud cover, the visibility. So it's,

02:37but it's not happening. The FAA has never implemented this. And so my plea is either implement the program,

02:46train some people, or give the program back to the National Weather Service because they were doing it when

02:52they had that authorization. So those are the two very specific Wyoming issues that I'll be looking forward

02:59to discussing with you on June 17th when we meet. I've read your qualifications. They're tremendous.

03:05You obviously have experience working in western states where weather-related issues are significant,

03:13and there are a lot of small airports.

03:15Cody, Gillette, Sheridan, Jackson Hall. Yes, I've been to all of them.

03:19You've got it.

03:20It's a challenging territory to get around.

03:23Indeed it is. And you're taking on a heavy load, high profile with all of the technology

03:31updates that are necessary. I'm looking forward to working with you hand in hand. And thank you,

03:36Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Senator Markey.

03:38Thank you, Mr. Chairman, very much. Mr. Bedford, thank you for being here. The American airline crash in

03:44January was an unspeakable tragedy. 67 people died, including six members of the Boston Skating Club

03:51and other people from Boston as well. And that crash echoes a plane crash in 1961

03:59where 10 members of the Boston Skating Club were killed. So it's traumatic up in Boston,

04:04and that team in 61 was the core of the 1964 Olympic skating team. And so obviously the

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