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Name
Street address
City, State Zip Code
January 7, 2003
Rep. Ray LaHood
1424 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-1318
Dear Rep. LaHood:
I am writing this letter is to
request your assistance in a matter of utmost importance. I am a registered
voter in the 18th District
and wish your assistance in preventing harm to our nation�s air traffic
system. The men and women working in the FAA�s Flight Service Stations serve
our country by providing pre-flight briefings, flight planning and search
and rescue services. The pilots they serve range from professional pilots
working for major airlines to corporate and commercial pilots to student
pilots who are in the process of learning to fly.
Here is some background information regarding Flight Service:
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Like the rest of Air Traffic Control
(ATC), Flight Service deals with safety of lives and property, both in the
air and on the ground. This important duty in itself makes Flight Service an
inherently governmental function.
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Weather is the Number One causal
factor in aviation accidents, as well as the greatest contributor to
fatalities. Between 1987 and 1996, weather accounted for fully one third of
U.S. airline accidents.
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Flight Service�s primary expertise
and responsibility is weather, but it is not their sole responsibility.
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On September 11, 2001, FAA Flight
Service Stations were the primary source of vital information for other ATC
facilities, airports, and the nation�s general and business aviation
communities.
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Flight Service provided critical
information to other FAA facilities and airports as the National Airspace
System executed emergency shutdown immediately after the attacks. In the
days that followed, Flight Service disseminated and, most importantly,
explained the complex restrictions to flight as the NAS gradually reopened.
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Today, Flight Service continues to
be responsible for disseminating Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs),
including those for Presidential movement, to the pilots we serve.
On 7 December 2000, President
Clinton enacted Executive Order 13180, which established an Air Traffic
Performance-Based Organization as "an inherently governmental function." On
6 June 2002, President Bush amended EO13180, removing the language, "an
inherently governmental function," from the Order. In addition, the
Competitive Sourcing Initiative in the President�s Management Agenda
encourages all federal agencies to subject commercial functions currently
performed by government personnel to competition from the private sector to
improve performance and cost efficiency.
In an effort to save money, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has
hired a private contractor, Grant Thornton, LLP to conduct a competitive
sourcing study of the Flight Service Station (FSS) functions in accordance
with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76 policy. The purpose
of this study is to determine whether it is more efficient and cost
effective to have FSS functions performed by FAA employees or by a
contractor. Unfortunately, aviation safety and national security are not
among the study�s criteria. Neither is liability for operational errors and
accidents.
The FAA�s past experiences with contract employees is also not part of the
study. Consider these facts about the FAA�s record regarding current and
past contracts:
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The FAA�s record in managing its
current contracts is quite dismal. According to Ken Mead, Department of
Transportation (DOT) Inspector General, contract tower and weather services
have not been provided at "contract specified levels" and "some contactors
have been compensated for services that were not performed."
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During an audit by the DOT Inspector
General, the FAA claimed to be unable to find their current contract
documents.
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The FAA�s acquisition record is no
better. Examining such programs as the Operational and Supportability System
(OASIS), Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS), Sector
Suite for the Enroute Centers, Weather and Radar Processor (WARP), and
contract weather observers shows that cost overruns have become an
unfortunate tradition in the FAA.
I ask you, is it really in our
nation�s best interest to allow the FAA to contract out more services only
to waste more of our tax dollars through lack of proper oversight?
As a taxpayer, I strongly support sensible efforts to save money. There are
many areas where modernization of old, outdated equipment and FAA procedures
could yield significant cost savings without compromising safety.
The A-76 study is based solely on the lowest cost. Safety, security,
quality, service, liability and performance have no bearing on the matter.
Furthermore, contractors operate on a for profit basis and while the purpose
of owning a business is to make money, pressures to minimize costs in order
to maximize profits could have a deleterious effect on the safety and
security of our nation�s skies.
I ask your assistance in stopping this process, ensuring continuance of the
high level of service that has helped to make our air traffic system the
safest in the world. I ask you to sponsor and support legislation
recognizing Flight Service as critical to the safety and security of our
nation�s aviation system by re-designating Flight Service, along with all
Air Traffic Control, an "inherently governmental" function.
Your prompt attention to this important matter would be deeply appreciated.
Please feel free to contact me should you require any additional
information.
Sincerely,
Name
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