By Oriana Pawlyk

Presented by American Public Transportation Association

With help from Tanya Snyder 

— Congress is back this week and will try to sprint through competing priorities, including the FAA reauthorization bill — still held up in the Senate Commerce Committee over pilot training rules.

— This summer’s record heat is turning up the misery for airline passengers, calling new attention to complaints from pilots and Flight Attendants who say Washington needs to set uniform standards for cabin temperatures during boarding.

— The Biden administration has announced billions in new funding initiatives to help spur domestic battery manufacturing.

IT’S TUESDAY: You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. Send tips, thoughts, song lyrics and recipes you like to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Find us on Twitter @alextdaugherty, @TSnyderDC and @oriana0214.

“Welcome back / your dreams were your ticket out / welcome back / to that same old place that you laughed about.”

A message from American Public Transportation Association:

Public transportation boosts local economies by connecting people to jobs, education, healthcare, and businesses. It benefits all Americans, not just the millions who ride it every day. So it’s crucial that we continue to fund the public transportation projects that keep America on track for success. Learn more.

HOW MANY HOURS? The Senate returns this week to a host of issues and appropriations deadlines that lawmakers have to advance in the next few weeks, including the FAA reauthorization bill, which has stalled in the Commerce Committee following a postponed markup in June. (A new markup date has not been set.) Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) recently acknowledged that an FAA bill extension is expected given the September time crunch, and it seems lawmakers still haven’t found common ground when it comes to a long-standing pilot training rule amid a push from some lawmakers and aspects of the airline industry to alter the standard.

Opposing views: In an Aug. 30 opinion piece, Senate Commerce Aviation Chair Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) reiterated her opposition to an amendment sought by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) that would allow the FAA to green-light alternative forms of pilot training, such as simulator time, that could count toward the current 1,500-hour pilot training requirement. Duckworth’s piece is the latest reminder that many Democrats, especially in the Senate, will likely hold the line on the requirement put into place more than a decade ago.

Tick, tock: Meanwhile, the White House has yet to announce its choice for a permanent leader of the FAA in what has become a new waiting game for aviation groups that have grown increasingly frustrated with the ongoing leadership void.

OH, BY THE WAY: The Aerospace Industries Association is out this morning with a fresh statement from Eric Fanning, AIA’s president and CEO, who lays into the Biden administration for still being without a permanent FAA administrator.

First in MT: “The Federal Aviation Administration has been without permanent leadership for over 500 days — to the detriment of the flying public, American equipment manufacturers and suppliers including the Aerospace Industries Association’s more than 320 member companies, and America’s global leadership in aviation,” Fanning said in a statement to POLITICO. Fanning said that despite capable people filling the position on an interim basis, “there is no substitute for Senate-confirmed leadership,” and he urged President Joe Biden “to prioritize nominating a confirmable candidate and the Senate to act swiftly when the nomination is received.”

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A HOT-BUTTON ISSUE: Record travel on the books, coupled with record heat these summer months, has brought new attention to complaints from pilots, flight attendants and passengers about airlines’ tolerance for cabin temperature thresholds — or lack thereof. Aviation unions say now is the time Washington must act to regulate aircraft cabin temperatures in yet another example of the conflicts that the planet’s warming is creating, your MT host reports.

Vague authority: Airlines don’t have to abide by a strict temperature range, in part because there aren’t regulations on the books that explicitly define that, aside from the Transportation Department's saying airlines must keep cabins at a “comfortable” temperature during extended tarmac delays before takeoff or after landing. That rule doesn’t define “comfortable.”  

Airlines' cooling options have trade-offs, so unions want something consistent, such as requiring airlines to run the air conditioners sooner, or setting an acceptable temperature range for plane cabins from the get-go. “Airlines will only operate when passengers, crew and people on the ground are safe,” said Airlines for America, which represents major domestic airlines. But the unions say heat-related illnesses are an increasing concern.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told POLITICO that his department is monitoring heat trends, too, and taking action in “extreme cases.” But he added that “more routinely, there needs to be a level of comfort and safety in terms of cabin temperature.”

Keep it quick: As long as planes are able to take off without an extended delay that leaves planes waiting on the tarmac, cabin temperatures can be quickly rectified, Buttigieg argued. More on that here.

NEW HIGHS: At Chicago’s O’Hare airport last week, Buttigieg said Labor Day weekend would cap "what TSA reports is the busiest summer travel period on record — the most air travel passengers that have been screened by TSA in American history."

TSA has screened more than 227 million passengers since Memorial Day, according to the agency. Overall, there were fewer canceled flights this summer — and less finger pointing compared with last year, when Buttigieg frequently appeared on cable news to ding airlines.

CLOSER TO A STRIKE: Last week, 99.5 percent of American Airlines flight attendants voted to authorize a strike. Their union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, is seeking pay raises to counter inflation and what it calls “reasonable contract terms” to wrap up negotiations with the world’s largest carrier that have gone on for more than four years.

What the vote means: A strike authorization vote does not mean a strike is imminent. But if the union asks to stop federal mediation — which it initiated back in March — a 30-day cooling-off period would kick in before flight attendants could strike. APFA said 93 percent of the more than 26,000 American flight attendants participated in the vote to authorize a strike.

IN MEMORIAM: Former journalist and airline official Philip Stewart died in August at the age of 40. After an award-winning turn as an investigative reporter for WJLA, he became a spokesperson for WMATA and then turned to aviation, his true passion. He spent eight years at JetBlue, then moved to British Airways earlier this year as vice president of corporate affairs. A memorial will be held in New York next weekend.

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ENERGY BOOST: The Biden administration announced more than $15 billion in new funding opportunities to help spur domestic battery manufacturing and ensure that U.S. auto workers are taking part in the transition to electric vehicles amid continued pressure from organized labor, POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino reports. The Energy Department said last week it will provide up to $12 billion through cost-shared grants and loans for automakers and parts suppliers to retrofit their existing facilities to produce various hybrid, plug-in and electric vehicles; and another $3.5 billion to help boost domestic battery manufacturing.

ICYMI: Sue Lawless has been named FMCSA’s next assistant administrator and chief safety officer, officially starting Sept. 10. Lawless started working at FMCSA in 2001, left for a time to work at a law firm (representing motor carriers and drivers) and returned in 2010, serving as director of FMCSA’s Motor Carrier, Driver and Vehicle Standards division.

Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here.

— “Europe's carmakers fret over China's EV prowess at Munich car show.” Reuters.

— “Florida's new train has lessons for California.” The Washington Post.

— “Why Biden is now routinely taking the short stairs up to Air Force One.” NPR.

— “Administration seeking funding plus-up for controller hiring, TSA and more in stopgap.” POLITICO.

— “Highways are the next target. One Texas town is resisting.” The Washington Post.

— “A beefed-up car with giant bull named Howdy Doody crammed into passenger seat pulled over by Nebraska police.” NBC News.

— “At O'Hare Airport, hundreds of migrants are stuck at a shelter that's overcrowded, unsanitary.” Chicago Suntimes.

— ICYMI: “5,000 pilots suspected of hiding major health issues. Most are still flying.” The Washington Post.

A message from American Public Transportation Association:

As Congress considers cutting funding for public transportation projects across the country, it’s important to remember what that investment can mean to everyday Americans and to communities large and small. Nearly 9 in 10 trips on public transportation have a direct economic impact by getting people to the places they earn or spend money. And for every $1 we invest in public transportation, we see $5 in long-term economic returns. These projects are critical for creating jobs and boosting business in so many communities. Protect funding for public transportation to protect local economies. Learn more.

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