Within the next two to three weeks, the FAA might have its first full reauthorization in four years, Rep. James Oberstar (D-Miin.) said at a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing Wednesday.
Oberstar, who chairs the full committee, said he and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate committee on transportation, and their staffs have been meeting and are near agreement. FAA has been operating on temporary, three-month extensions of its authorization for four years, making long-term planning and financing difficult.
The hearing at which Oberstar made the comment was called to look into the the way various government agencies involved in developing the NextGen airtraffic management system are — or are not — working to move the program along.