NEWS & COMMUNITY EVENTS

NJ Senators Block Confirmation of New FAA Head

Hearing held on 2/7

The nomination of Robert Sturgell as new Federal Aviation Administration head was blocked by Senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg at the 2/7 confirmation hearing.

President Bush nominated Sturgell last September as new FAA head, to replace Marion Blakely, who departed after serving a five-year term to become head of the Aerospace Industries Association, an organization which is in favor of the airspace redesign. Bush called Sturgell, a deputy administrator since 2003, "very qualified" and that he "has nearly 20 years of cockpit experience from his time as a Navy fighter pilot, Top Gun instructor, and commercial airline pilot. He is committed to addressing problems that have caused airline delays."

The senators disagreed. "The FAA needs a leader with a new perspective and new ideas to improve flight safety and performance. It's time for President Bush to nominate an administrator who solves transportation problems, rather than creating more of them," said Lautenberg.

Sturgell had also angered both Lautenberg and Menendez by refusing to reconsider the planned airspace redesign, and by moving forward with implementation in December 2007, despite the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into whether the FAA followed correct procedures in conducting the 9-year, $53 million airspace redesign study. And according to Menendez, Sturgell had also been unresponsive in addressing questions and concerns raised during their meeting in late December (Letter from Senator Menendez to Acting FAA Head Robert Sturgell). In that meeting, they discussed a number of issues including increased noise level problems, about near misses on runways and in the air, and increasing reports about flights arriving at Newark with only a minimum amount of fuel left in their tanks.

The hold will remain in place indefinitely until the senators decide to reverse their decision or the session of Congress ends. Sturgell will remain as Acting Administrator of the FAA for the next year, although the hold of his nomination diminishes his chance of ever becoming FAA head. However, there are calls for investigation of possible perjury related to statements made during his hearing (see New Yorkers Call for Criminal Indictment of Acting FAA Head.)