Says FAA Moved Date Up In Retaliation

Slapped in the face. That's how Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) feels just a week after celebrating House adoption of his amendment to the Department of Transportation's funding bill that would block the consolidation of FAA radar facilities in urban areas.

Not only is the FAA snubbing its nose at Hastings amendment, he says, it is moving up the date of the planned consolidation.

Hastings (right) says he learned of an apparent FAA decision to accelerate the consolidation of Palm Beach International (PBI) approach control with Miami's Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) from the local union president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA).

The NATCA rep said several PBI air traffic workers were told by the FAA to make plans for reassignment to the Miami TRACON sometime in 2008, more than a year earlier than the FAA told Florida congressional delegates such a move might occur.

In a Thursday, June 22, letter to FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, Hastings wrote, "During that [April 10, 2006] meeting, our offices were guaranteed that no TRACON-related personnel moves in South Florida would occur until 2009 at the absolute earliest.

"As you know," Hastings continued, "[Amendment 1037] prohibits the FAA from using funds in fiscal year 2007 to plan for or implement any TRACON consolidation/co-location plans in the country.

"I am astonished that the FAA is not only continuing its efforts... but actually accelerating the move at PBI. I certainly hope that this decision is not an attempt by the FAA to levy political retribution at me for authoring the aforementioned amendment.

"It is absolutely reprehensible that the FAA continues to act in such fashion, dismissing and ignoring not only the commitment that your staff made to mine... but also the views of the House of Representatives."

FMI: http://alceehastings.house.gov/, www.faa.gov