POLITICO Morning Transportation for 4/2/2015
By JENNIFER SCHOLTES and HEATHER CAYGLE, with help from Tony Romm
HAPPENING TODAY: PUT DOWN THAT PHONE — Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is kicking off National Distracted Driving Awareness Month today at RFK Stadium in Washington. The secretary will be joined by NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind and David Ennis, chief of the Naval Academy police department, for the 10 a.m. event. Expect the traditional press conference but with a little extra spice — there will be a test track on site where people can experience the dangers of distracted driving firsthand. The track will be equipped with special cars that have two steering wheels. Test drivers will text while driving on the track with an officer riding shotgun. DOT estimates that more than 3,000 people were killed and more than 400,000 people injured in distracted driving accidents in 2013.
AVIATION WORKER PROTESTS ABOUND: Pilots for domestic carrier Allegiant Air will be marching into work today to their chagrin, after being banned from waging strikes at airports in Orlando, Phoenix, Tampa and Las Vegas. A federal judge in Nevada issued an injunction Wednesday night, barring the pilots from skipping work: http://politico.pro/1G6eg16. Pro’s Brian Mahoney reported that a Teamsters local said the strike could have grounded more than 250 flights and inconvenienced 33,000 travelers. “Although we know that our strike to restore the status quo is legal, we will comply with the judge’s decision and look forward to having our voices heard at the upcoming hearing,” Corey Berger, an Allegiant Air pilot based in Phoenix, said in a written statement Wednesday night. The pilots claim the airline has illegally rolled back benefits and predictive scheduling over the past two years of acrimonious contract negotiations.
Bags pile up in Philly: Flying out of the Philadelphia Airport could be a largely self-serve experience today as more than 500 airport workers plan to strike, shirking their baggage handler duties, forcing wheelchair-bound travelers to mobilize on their own and skipping out on plane cleaning. The Service Employees International Union argues that the largest airlines operating out of the airport have outsourced passenger service jobs to “low-bid contractors” who pay some workers less than a living wage.
THIS IS THURSDAY: Good morning and thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports.
We’re still giggling from all the April Fools’ Day glory. Man, that “holiday” is more fun now that the world’s auto giants have found their promotional groove in the digital age. While MT laughed harder at Honda’s “selfie” SUV (http://bit.ly/1xTXL5C), we could sure use a Tesla that evades meter maids: http://bit.ly/1CyH7an. Reach out and make our April 2 as entertaining as April 1: jscholtes@politico.com or @jascholtes, and hcaygle@politico.com or @heatherscope.
“Burning a little rubber at the red light, got a little warning from the blue lights…” http://bit.ly/1G5miHm
LOBBYING TACTICS QUESTIONED IN TRUCK DEBATE: In an exposé about lobbying practices used in the battle over bigger and heavier trucks, The New York Times is shining light on law-enforcement officers paid to lobby on behalf of those on both sides of the debate — trucking industry advocates who want more lenient size and weight standards, and those in the railroad industry who want to stymie that campaign: http://nyti.ms/1OZ5WCR.
Batting back: The newspaper reported that the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks put a South Carolina highway patrolman on its payroll, compensating him nearly $70,000 a year for advocating their cause. But the group told MT that it only reimburses law-enforcement officers for expenses from their trips to D.C. and that the organization consistently discloses its industry ties. “It has been our practice for all of our 20 years to make it abundantly clear during our grass-roots meetings about our primary source of funding and relationship with the railroad industry, and that message is reinforced during every law-enforcement briefing prior to officers heading to Capitol Hill,” spokesman Shane Reese said in an email.
Bruce Gower, a chief of police in northern Ohio, told MT that the coalition has only paid him for reimbursable expenses and that he made clear to the New York Times that he has advocated on behalf of the group “because I believe in the cause to stop bigger trucks for the safety of the public.”
‘Predicated on deception’: John Runyan, executive director of the Coalition for Transportation Productivity, told MT he thinks most congressional offices have been oblivious to the lobbying ties of law-enforcement officers who have been encouraging them to oppose new truck standards. “We were not shocked by the story,” said Runyan, whose coalition was not called out for deceptive practices in the article and advocates on behalf of shippers, pushing for an increase in interstate weight limits for six-axle tractor-trailers. “Much of this campaign is predicated on deception.”
FAA BEING SUED OVER DRONE RULES: The Electronic Privacy Information Center is suing the FAA, saying the agency’s proposed commercial drone rules fail to address one of the most important issues — privacy. In a petition filed in a Washington,D.C., federal appeals court, EPIC argues that Congress mandated the FAA in 2012 to address privacy as part of its rules opening the skies for small, unmanned commercial craft. Yet the FAA’s proposed regulations, issued in February, don’t much delve into the issue — and instead affirm the agency’s long-held belief that privacy is beyond its scope. The FAA declined to comment on the lawsuit but pointed out that the Commerce Department is crafting voluntary privacy codes of conduct with drone operators and interest groups, a process that the aviation regulator said it would join. Read the petition:http://bit.ly/1F3CrHR
PRESIDENTIALLY DUBBED HUBS: After Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel floated the idea last week of naming one of Chicago’s airports after President Barack Obama, Smart Politics writes that an Obama International “is hardly farfetched” and has compiled a list of the more than two dozen airports named after 15 different U.S. presidents: http://bit.ly/1I64cpu
WHITE HOUSE TALKS PILOT PRIVACY: Don’t expect the U.S. to make changes to pilots’ health screenings in light of last week’s Germanwings tragedy. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said current federal regulations are the “right balance” between keeping travelers safe and protecting pilots’ privacy. “I will say that the FAA, when it comes to airline pilots, does have regulations that requires pilots over the age of 40 to submit to a medical examination once every six months to ensure that they are fit to fly an aircraft that has members of the traveling public on it. And those kinds of health care examinations include a component dedicated to their psychological health as well,” he said Wednesday. “And that’s an appropriate policy response.” The Germanwings co-pilot who flew the plane into a mountain, killing 150 people, had suffered from severe depression, a condition he had reported to his bosses as far back as 2009 (http://nyti.ms/1CKP2mb).
DEBATING UBER’S IDENTITY: Is Uber a taxi service or a phone app? The answer to that question could have big implications for its service worldwide. Bloomberg reports: “European Union regulators reviewing complaints filed by Uber Technologies Inc. against various national laws are asking a serious question about the company. Is it a Web app or a taxi service? ‘Uber is a technology, but it is a technology that has an impact on transportation,’ Jakub Adamowicz, a European Commission spokesman, said at a press conference Wednesday. ‘We’re taking our time to analyze, see and study.’ … Uber has faced resistance as it seeks to expand in Europe. A German court ordered the company to stop its ride-hailing service in the country for profit on March 18. Uber has sought the EU’s help to break down barriers and filed a complaint against Spanish legislation March 30 after it had already lodged actions over rules in Germany and France.” Full story: http://bloom.bg/1InZiRw
MT MAILBAG: The largest U.S. flight attendants union called on Nicole Kidman today to break ties with Etihad Air, arguing that her appearances in the airline’s commercials and advertising are contrary to the women’s rights work she has done as a U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador. In a letter to the actress, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said the airline “imposes abusive labor practices on its female employees” and is owned by “a government that stands against the very world you imagine.” The letter: http://politico.pro/1xAFyK1
THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ):
— April Fools’ “mini-drone” instantly sells out. Newsweek: http://bit.ly/1NKdiss
— Fishing trawler sinks in Russia, killing dozens. AP: http://bit.ly/1NKhlVv
— What’s the best way to find plane tickets online? The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1P0g9Pv
— L.A. pledges to spend more than $1.3 billion over three decades to fix broken sidewalks following disabilities lawsuit. LA Times: http://lat.ms/1BP61iC
— NTSB releases Safer Seas 2014, an annual report of marine accident investigations: http://1.usa.gov/1NCe3ll
— Can hydrogen-fueled cars rise in China? Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1G6azID
— New analysis shows more than 61,000 U.S. bridges ‘structurally deficient.’ USA Today: http://usat.ly/1OY1sfI
— Ray LaHood: Infrastructure investment critical to ease congestion. The Houston Chronicle: http://bit.ly/1y0S8CX
— Union wants New York City bus drivers exempt from arrest for failing to yield. Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1CSppjD
— Greek air traffic controllers call for radar system upgrade and more staff to avoid flight delays. AP: http://bit.ly/1alhSz2
— Tehran Metro posters: From escalator etiquette to martyrdom. The Guardian: http://bit.ly/1P0djdh (h/t Burgess Everett)
— Toyota sales jump on luxury cars and trucks, while GM and Ford slip. Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1yDbR6f
THE COUNTDOWN: Highway and transit policy expires in 59 days. DOT appropriations run out and the FAA reauthorization expires in 181 days. The 2016 presidential election is in 587 days.
Tags: transportation