U.S., China to cooperate on hazmat transport

U.S., China to cooperate on hazmat transport       U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Chinese Minister of Transport Li Shenglin on March 30 signed an agreement to cooperate on the safe transportation of hazardous materials by all modes of transportation.
      LaHood indicated that the U.S. goal is to make sure that imports of Chinese goods with dangerous materials are safely transported.
      The two countries agreed to:
      '    Open dialogue on safe handling practices for dangerous goods.
      '    Exchange and help develop technical information to support the development of hazmat regulations.
      '    Improve harmonization of rules and implement international regulations.
      '    Cooperate on enforcement and investigative actions, including exchange of data regarding any incidents or violation of regulations.
      '    Organize training for managerial and technical personnel.
      The agreement is a by-product of a joint Transportation Forum held in Beijing in December. The next Transportation Forum is scheduled for Washington in late 2009.
      Proper packing, labeling, documentation and loading of flammable and other dangerous materials are especially important for air transport.


Crowley speaks from both ends on security
      P.J. Crowley, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, may have a consistency problem. On the one hand he advocates 100 percent screening of air cargo on passenger planes and that the security must be conducted by government personnel because the private sector cannot be trusted to self-police shipments. A report by Crowley in 2007 served as a blueprint for a provision in the 9/11 Commission Recommendations legislation mandating the 100 percent security regime.
      Now, in a new commentary, he criticizes the Transportation Security Administration for deviating from its risk management strategy by adding redundant layers of security. And he supports increased use of the Registered Traveler program using private security companies to staff the airport checkpoints, freeing up TSA staff for other duties.
      Crowley, a former National Security Council staff member during the Clinton administration, seems to be advocating two polar opposite approaches.


Airports to receive stimulus aid
      The U.S. Department of Transportation said April 8 it will award $258 million in funds from the economic stimulus bill.
      The money is the first installment of $1.1 billion the Federal Aviation Administration will dispense to airports based for priority projects that address airport safety and security, infrastructure, runway safety, increased capacity and mitigate environmental impacts of airport activity.


Oberstar goes after Virgin America, again
      Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is questioning whether low-cost airline Virgin America has exceeded the permissible threshold on foreign ownership and qualifies as a U.S. carrier.
      The congressman is a staunch opponent of allowing foreign airlines to gain control of U.S. airlines, which pilot unions see as the first step to dismantling the U.S. carrier and hiring cheaper pilots from other countries. He and other lawmakers fought the original application of Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson to form a domestic U.S. carrier. They eventually lost that battle, but were able in 2006 to prevent the Department of Transportation from loosening the definition of 'actual control' of airline operations.
      Under U.S. citizenship requirements, foreigners can only own 25 percent of an airline's voting stock, and Americans must constitute two-thirds of upper management and the board, and control company operations.
      The DOT in early 2007 reversed itself after initially denying Virgin America's application for an operating certificate because it determined that foreign ownership and control of the airline exceeded U.S. limits. Virgin America began service in August 2007.
      Virgin America was backed by Branson and two U.S. private equity firms, Black Canyon Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners.
      In a letter to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, Oberstar pointed to a Wall Street Journal report that the two private investment firms have sold shares amounting to 47 percent of the company's stock to Virgin Group, based in the United Kingdom.
      According to the reports, the equity funds still hold title to the shares while Virgin searches for a new buyer, but the purchase price has already been set and the funds will see no further gains or losses from the airline's performance.
      'If these reports are accurate, it calls into question whether Virgin America continues to meet the requirements for holding a certificate as a U.S. air carrier,' Oberstar wrote. 'If the equity funds have no further stake in the success of the company, there is serious question as to whether their continued title to the shares is sufficient grounds for them to be considered the owner of the stock, for the purpose of the statutory requirement that a U.S. carrier must have 75 percent of its voting stock owned or controlled by persons that are citizens of the United States.'
      Oberstar asked the secretary to order a comprehensive review of the accuracy of the news reports, and, if the reports are proven correct, to conduct a public proceeding to examine the question of Virgin America's citizenship.
      Alaska Airlines is among several groups that have also asked the DOT to examine Virgin America's citizenship.


Wind shear dooms FedEx cargo plane
      The FedEx freighter that crashed during landing at Narita Airport on March 23 was not equipped with a warning system that can predict wind shear, or sudden and violent changes in wind direction, the Japanese government determined, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun daily.
      The system could have helped the pilots of the MD-11 aircraft to abort their approach to the airport.
      However, the FedEx plane was notified by air traffic controllers about the wind shear and strong winds at ground level, the paper said.
      The MD-11 is notorious for being difficult to control in high winds.
      Both pilots were killed in the fiery crash.