As the U.S. Senate continues to debate the highway bill, HAI opposes amendment #1779 being offered by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). The amendment will be voted on late March 13 and contains provisions that would significantly affect air tour operators conducting tours over national parks, and would give the National Park Service sole authority to curtail air tours. Alexander is attempting to insert his amendment into the surface transportation bill after having failed to make it into the FAA reauthorization bill passed last month.

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), gave members of his party an ultimatum of March 7, telling House Republicans that they must stop their infighting and pass as transportation bill to keep highway projects flowing. Boehner warned that if House Republicans fail to pass a bill, the House will be forced to pass the Senate version of the bill.

Republicans and Democrats agreed to allow votes on up to 30 amendments to the Senate version of the highway bill. Debate on several amendments occurred March 8, while the remaining amendments are expected to come up for a vote on March 13.

Among the amendments passed on March 8 was a provision directing 80 percent of the funds from fines collected from BP, as a result of the Deepwater Horizon spill, be returned to the Gulf of Mexico region for environmental and economic improvements. Without the provision, the fines would have gone to the federal treasury. House lawmakers passed a similar measure as a part of different transportation package last month.

House leadership is hoping that when lawmakers return from next week’s recess they will be voting on a five-year reauthorization bill crafted by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) and voting on a short-term extension of existing highway authorization to prevent a shutdown of highway projects.

The Senate bill is for two years and would cost $109 billion, and remains the fallback for the House if the whip count falls short on the Mica bill. “Not every community has an airport in it, but every community has a bridge and a road,” said Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.). “You’re talking about something that’s going to affect every congressional district in every state, almost every community in America, if this thing expires.”

HAI urges you to contact your U.S. senators today and ask them to oppose the Alexander amendment related to overflights of national parks – contact information can be found at www.senate.gov. Telephoning their Washington offices is the most expedient way of letting your voice be heard.