US Senate Committee on Appropriations details ATM aspects of FY2018 THUD bill

US Senate Committee on Appropriations detailed (27-Jul-2017) ATM aspects of the FY2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) bill. Measures include:

• Rejection of ATC corporatisation proposals by the Trump Administration and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Bill Shuster;
• Prohibition against using funds to "transfer authority to modify air traffic procedures for airport arrivals and departures";
• More than USD20 million for UAS research, which is more than the USD6.8 million proposed by the Trump Administration and the USD13.8 million in the House version of the Department of Transport (DoT) spending bill;
• Blocking the US FAA from eliminating Contract Weather Observers at any airport;
• USD162 million in dedicated funding for the Contract Tower and Contract Tower Cost Share Programs, USD3 million higher than the FY2017 enacted level. Provisions also include blocking the FAA from failing to consider or approve any application to the Contract Tower and Contract Tower Cost-Share Programs that were pending and eligible as of 01-Jan-2016;
• USD5 million to continue the remote tower program and deploy remote towers at two additional airports. The Committee "believes that the remote tower is promising technology that will improve aviation safety, reduce capital costs, and increase operational efficiencies". [more - original PR] [more - original PR - II] [more - original PR - III] [more - original PR - IV] [more - original PR - V] [more - original PR - VI] [more - original PR - VII]