Highway Law Keeps FAA in Charge of Park Airspace
July 25, 2012
America’s newest surface transportation law (MAP-21), signed by President Obama on July 6, softened a controversial provision that would have given the National Park Service (NPS) unprecedented authority over national park airspace.
A proposal from Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in the Senate-passed bill would have vested sole authority in the NPS to deny air tour applications. The aviation industry was worried that the provision would impact the FAA’s ability to regulate airspace, threatening flight safety standards. Many in the air tour business also viewed the amendment as a direct attack on their businesses and employees.
In its final incarnation, however, the law maintained the FAA’s primacy over national airspace. In a nod to the measure’s sponsors, the NPS will be able to deny new or expanded air tour applications to operate over Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains and Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park if the park director determines those operations “would adversely affect park resources or visitor experiences.” The law also requires Grand Canyon tour operators to employ “quiet aircraft technology” within 15 years and mandates the FAA to provide incentives to those that convert to advanced noise prevention equipment sooner.
~~~ posted 7/25/12 ~~~
More from ARSA
Anti-Viral Measures
September 14, 2021 | Categories:
Advocacy, ARSA Works, Aviation Policy, EASA, FAA, Featured Post, Legislative, Maintenance, Operations, Regulatory, Training
For the use of its members and the larger aviation community, ARSA is maintaining this page as a resource for virus-related updates on policy initiatives and business needs. Please bookmark…Read More
DOT Announces $482 Million in Jobs Program Awards
September 14, 2021 | Categories:
Act Now, Advocacy, ARSA News & Updates, ARSA Works, Legislative, Press Releases, Regulatory
To keep tabs on all of ARSA’s work related to the current pandemic, visit arsa.org/anti-viral-measures.
On Sept. 14, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will offer $482.3 million in…Read More
A Veteran at Lifelong Learning – 2021 Scholarship Winner Fawn Carrington
In September, ARSA awarded its 2021 scholarship to Fawn Carrington of Tulsa Technology Center. Carrington is an Air Force veteran committed to aviation education for life. The grant is part…Read MoreHow’s Marshall?
September 07, 2021 | Categories:
ARSA News & Updates
ARSA Managing Director & General Counsel Marshall S. Filler spent August undergoing and recovering from not one, but two open-heart surgeries. The initial procedure included installation of a “bovine replacement”…Read More
