CEO Council supports NY/NJ/PHL airspace redesign I guess the CEO' council endorsing the NY/NJ/PHL airspace redesign have not read some of the most recent audits released by the OIG regarding FAA's management of government funds or large airspace and technology projects? Also reported by the News Journal this week a plan that will require states along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor to pay more to use rails for commuter trains and to keep the service running. Northeastern states will be required to pay an additional $59 million to subsidize the rail service.

OIG Report Number: AV-2005-059 - Date Issued: May 13, 2005
Airspace Redesign Efforts Are Critical To Enhance Capacity but Need Major Improvements: FAA estimated that NAR would cost the Agency $250 million, and mid-term initiatives would be completed in 2008. FAA has never established completion dates for long-term NAR projects or updated the cost estimate. The $250 million estimated cost for NAR does not include the cost to implement redesign projects, nor does it recognize the effect changes in project scope, problems in developing new procedures, and environmental issues have on cost and schedule estimates.



OIG Report Number: AV-2005-061 Date Issued: May 26, 2005
Status of FAA's Major Acquisitions: Cost Growth and Schedule Delays Continue To Stall Air Traffic Modernization: We found that cost growth, schedule delays, and performance shortfalls with FAA’s major acquisitions continue to stall air traffic modernization. Overall, 11 of the 16 projects we reviewed will experience a total cost growth of about $5.6 billion, and 9 of the 16 projects will have schedule slips from 2 to 12 years, based on current estimates. Two programs have also been deferred.... Given the cost growth and schedule slips with major acquisitions and the declining level of facilities and equipment funds, FAA must determine how to get the most out of its limited resources.


Stephen Donato
www.phl-caw.org

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US Airways chief joins Phila.-area business group - 2006-02-28
Athena D. Merritt
The CEO Council supports the ongoing federal airspace study, which will help determine potential new air-traffic patterns, and will urge the Federal Aviation Administration to enhance Philadelphia International Airport's ability to get more planes in and out, quickly and on-time. Doing so will require some reallocation of existing airspace in the Northeast corridor, the CEO Council said. In October, the group cast its support behind the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2005, a U.S. Senate bill aimed at improving infrastructure and operations of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.



Common pollutants linked to fetal growth retardation
Pollution Channel Nov 17, 2005, 16:33
Babies born to women exposed to high ozone levels during pregnancy are at heightened risk for being significantly underweight, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Women who breathe air heavily polluted with ozone are at particular risk for having babies afflicted with intra uterine growth retardation-which means babies only fall within the 15th percentile of their expected size. The findings were published early online on the Web site of Environmental Health Perspectives, the journal of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
Nov 17, 2005, 16:33

Foreign Ownership of US Airlines & Ports Deemed Troubling - Diane Grassi  ¶ 3/02/2006