Transportation News for May 18, 2015

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  • on May 18, 2015
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POLITICO Morning Transportation for 5/18/2015

By JENNIFER SCHOLTES, with help from Tal Kopan and Heather Caygle

LEADERS PRESS ON WITH TWO-MONTH POLICY PATCH: Still short on ideas for coming up with the cash to fill the Highway Trust Fund through the end of the year, leaders in both the House and Senate have teed up floor action this week on a two-month extension of transportation policy, meaning they’ll be again faced with this same conundrum just before trying to leave for August recess.
Breathing room: Our Heather Caygle broke the news Friday that House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan and T&I head Bill Shuster have laid out the July 31 patch: http://politico.pro/1L7DYSa. “It was our preference to move an extension through the end of the year, but we will need more time to reach a bipartisan agreement on offsets,” the duo said in a joint statement: http://politico.pro/1B6LEy4. That move came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took a procedural step Thursday to ease floor action this week on a companion plan.

‘No more lip-service’: Criticizing GOP leaders for opting for the short-term bill, House T&I ranking member Peter DeFazio said Friday that “it appears that Ways and Means Republican failed to find $11 billion in the couch cushions” and that “Congress needs to get serious about a long-term bill. No more lip-service, no more promises, no more delays.” http://politico.pro/1IGzu77

THIS WEEK: House lawmakers are set to hit the road on Thursday for their weeklong Memorial Day recess, and their Senate peers won’t be too far behind. Now that leaders have resigned themselves to passing that two-month extension of transportation policy — rather than a year-end reauthorization that would require funding offsets — the legislative process for getting this next patch should be relatively smooth and swift. By Tuesday night, the House is expected to have passed the two-month extension, and the Senate will likely follow shortly thereafter.

Today — North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple makes the rounds at a roadshow where the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International will show off new drone technology. The House meets for legislative work and debates a Coast Guard authorization bill: http://1.usa.gov/1ruiQdd. The House Rules Committee meets at 5 p.m. to prep the two-month policy extension for floor debate: http://1.usa.gov/1FrLB7g.

CONGRESS BEGINS (LIKELY FUTILE) BATTLE OVER AMTRAK LIABILITY CAP: Those hurt in last week’s deadly Amtrak derailment could soon be stifled in their struggle for compensation as claims reach the $200 million liability cap Congress set 18 years ago. Rachael Bade and Heather Caygle explain that “while transportation-minded Democratic lawmakers are calling on Congress to lift the 1997 ceiling, they’re encountering skepticism. Republicans, many of whom abhor the government-subsidized Amtrak system as a wasteful money sponge, and even a few Democratic skeptics who worry about finding the money, are throwing cold water on the idea.” Lots more on that from Pro: http://politico.pro/1LcCyG8.

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PTC OPPONENTS ABANDON MANDATE RESISTANCE: Naysayers in the debate over Positive Train Control requirements have begun to back away from their previous opposition following last week’s derailment, a sign that lawmakers may not be as understanding of rail operators who have not met the deadline for installing the technology come year’s end. Sen. Patrick Toomey, for example, has argued for years that money for PTC could be better spent on things like rehabbing his home state of Pennsylvania’s crumbling bridges and has complained about the technology’s high cost. But POLITICO’s Burgess Everett and Heather Caygle report that the senator has now “abandoned some of his budget-cutting bombast of years past” and has “dropped his sponsorship of legislation that would postpone the safety system rollout for several more years.” http://politico.pro/1LcEsqm

FRA VACANCY COULD HAMPER DERAILMENT RESPONSE: In looking at rail safety in light of last week’s deadly crash, it certainly doesn’t help for the Federal Railroad Administration to be operating without a presidentially nominated leader for months on end. While acting administrator Sarah Feinberg has close ties to the White House and is popular among lawmakers, she lacks substantial railroad experience, and President Barack Obama has not let on that he plans to pick her to fill the post more permanently. That vacancy, rail safety experts say, could hurt federal response to the recent derailment: http://politico.pro/1PPFLvV.

IT’S MONDAY: Good morning and thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports.

Reach out: jscholtes@politico.com or @jascholtes.

“Come ride with me to the distant shore.” http://bit.ly/1JqAjzS

THE REST OF THE WEEK:

Tuesday — The House meets at noon for legislative work and takes up the July 31 policy extension. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta testifies alongside United Airlines’ chief and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association’s president during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing about FAA reauthorization: http://1.usa.gov/1cIKi6X.

Sen. Jim Inhofe and Rep. Earl Blumenauer join with former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore and DOT policy head Peter Rogoff to talk about transportation funding at an event in the Capitol Visitors Center. Rep. Blake Farenthold speaks at an event hosted by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation on how IT can improve the U.S. transportation network: http://bit.ly/1bUpetk.

Off the Hill, the American Public Works Association makes a pit stop in D.C. on its “Low and Slow Across America’s Infrastructure” tour, which started last week in Massachusetts and will wrap up in Los Angeles next month.

Wednesday — The Senate Commerce Committee marks up a slew of bills, including a maritime administration measure and legislation that would require an independent study on the effectiveness of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program. The panel also plans to consider the nomination of Daniel Elliott to be reappointed to the Surface Transportation Board, Mario Cordero to be reappointed to the Federal Maritime Commission and Rear Adm. Sandra L. Stosz to be deputy commandant for mission support at the Coast Guard: http://1.usa.gov/1FmfvI7.

The American Council on Renewable Energy hosts a conference call on efforts to reduce vehicle emissions: http://bit.ly/1IL6Hww.

Thursday — Senate Commerce holds a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Coast Guard Adm. Peter Neffenger to be TSA administrator: http://1.usa.gov/1HlSW5H. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx receives the Rosa Parks diversity leadership award out in Chicago from WTS International, an association for professional advancement of women in transportation: http://bit.ly/1K4iCYk.

AMTRAK RESTORES SERVICE TODAY: Almost a week after the deadly Amtrak derailment in Pennsylvania, the rail operator restores service between Philadelphia and New York this morning. “Our infrastructure repairs have been made with the utmost care and emphasis on infrastructure integrity including complete compliance with Federal Railroad Administration directives,” Amtrak chief executive Joe Boardman said. More from Capital New York’s Ryan Hutchins: http://politico.pro/1RYvIbL.

FRA orders: The Federal Railroad Administration ordered Amtrak on Saturday to begin operating anti-speeding technology installed along the portion of track where the train derailed and to install more speed limit signage: http://politico.pro/1QVAPbm. The rail operator agreed to “immediately” act on that order and to look into partially activating some components of its Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System already installed along the Northeast Corridor without hampering its ability to make Positive Train Control completely operational in the Northeast Corridor by year’s end, our Kathryn A. Wolfe reports: http://politico.pro/1ea5EuM.

Nationwide PTC precautions: Sen. Richard Blumenthal called over the weekend for FRA to begin a national effort to ensure all U.S. railroads are using PTC technology. “If FRA knows that there are other, additional steps that will make our railroads safer, it should issue an order requiring all railroads to institute those reforms without delay,” the senator said in a written statement.

SECURITY RESEARCHER CLAIMS SUCCESSFUL PLANE HACKS: In the latest twist in the saga of a security researcher detained by the FBI last month after tweeting about airplane security vulnerabilities, a newly revealed document shows the man told the bureau he took control of an airplane in flight. A search warrant for computers confiscated from the researcher, Chris Roberts, said he admitted compromising in-flight entertainment centers up to 20 times from 2011 through 2014. By gaining access to the entertainment centers, Roberts was also able to gain entry to other systems on the airplane network, the warrant said. At one point, Roberts stated he sent a “climb” command to the thrust management computer, resulting in the plane moving sideways. More from Morning Cyber: http://politico.pro/1HmodFT.

The warrant: http://wrd.cm/1FmIOKD. The Wired story: http://wrd.cm/1EMFnZa. And USA Today: http://usat.ly/1JrzwPm.

BOOKER SAYS DEMS HAVE ‘UNASSAILABLE’ INFRASTRUCTURE ARGUMENT: On NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Sen. Cory Booker said GOP accusations that Democrats have been trying to politicize the Amtrak derailment is “a distraction from the reality.” The senator told Chuck Todd that “We know unequivocally our safety as a nation, our air traffic, our aviation infrastructure, our rail infrastructure, our roads and bridges, is inadequate. We should be investing more. That’s unequivocal, unassailable.”

T&I PLOTS AMTRAK HEARING: House T&I Chairman Bill Shuster says his panel will hold a hearing “sometime after Memorial Day” on the Amtrak derailment to “assess and understand the related safety and infrastructure policies currently in place” so lawmakers can figure out “what next steps may be necessary.” http://politico.pro/1AeYCim

MT MAILBOX: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton wrote last week to Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, asking that OSHA investigate workplace protections for transportation workers who have complained that they don’t have enough restroom access. “Drivers have developed conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, urinary tract infections, dehydration, and fatigue,” she wrote. “Studies show that when drivers are in extreme need of a restroom, there can be negative impacts on basic cognitive functions similar to a person who has not slept or who has consumed multiple alcoholic beverages. Transit systems routinely replace urine-soiled driver seats.” http://1.usa.gov/1JSoArV

THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ):

— Investigator says Amtrak engineer didn’t tell dispatchers train was struck. The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1ddtHsE

— Private jet travel takes off. New York Times Magazine: http://nyti.ms/1IDAhE6

— STB starts on-time performance rulemaking and approves Norfolk Southern acquisition. RailwayAge Magazine: http://bit.ly/1HpnOVV

— Transit guide-bots for blind passengers? Route Fifty: http://bit.ly/1bZg66B

— Carl Icahn has invested $100 million in ride-sharing startup Lyft. The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1QP8VxK

— Airlines set to fly record number of passengers this summer. AP: http://abcn.ws/1PPVISV

— China vice premier urges broader electric-car charging network. Bloomberg Business: http://bloom.bg/1EVJhjk

THE COUNTDOWN: Highway and transit policy expires in 14 days. DOT appropriations run out and the FAA reauthorization expires in 136 days. The 2016 presidential election is in 542 days.

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