S.Amdt. 4688

1. Adds Subtitle B--Runway Safety SECTION 521. SHORT TITLE at the end of title V

   Adds a section

   In H.R. 2881 · Placed on Calendar Senate

   It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey should undertake an airport noise compatibility planning study under part 150 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, for the airports that the Port Authority operates as of November 2, 2007. In undertaking the study, the Port Authority should pay particular attention to the impact of noise on affected neighborhoods, including homes, businesses, and places of worship surrounding LaGuardia Airport and JFK Airport.

   Inserted: Subtitle B--Runway Safety SECTION 521. SHORT TITLE.

   Inserted: This subtitle may be cited as the "Runway Safety Improvement Act of 2008".

   Inserted: SEC. 522. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RUNWAY SAFETY.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (referred to in this subtitle as the "Administrator") shall develop and submit to Congress a report that contains a strategic runway safety plan.

   Inserted: (b) Contents of Plan.--The strategic runway safety plan submitted under subsection (a) shall--

   Inserted: (1) include--

   Inserted: (A) goals to improve runway safety;

   Inserted: (B) a description of near- and longer-term actions designed to reduce the severity, number, and rate of runway incursions;

   Inserted: (C) time frames and resources needed for the actions described in subparagraph (B); and

   Inserted: (D) a plan to implement a continuous evaluative process to track performance toward the goals referred to in subparagraph (A); and

   Inserted: (2) address the increased runway safety risk associated with the expected increases in the volume of air traffic.

   Inserted: (c) Audit of Strategic Runway Safety Plan.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall--

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   Inserted: (1) conduct an audit of the plan developed under subsection (a); and

   Inserted: (2) submit periodic reports to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives that describe--

   Inserted: (A) the efficacy of the runway safety plan in reducing runway safety risks; and

   Inserted: (B) the progress of the Federal Aviation Administration in complying with the plan.

   Inserted: SEC. 523. TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS.

   Inserted: (a) Plan and Schedule for Installation and Deployment of Systems to Provide Alerts of Potential Runway Incursions.--

   Inserted: (1) Deployment plan.--Not later than December 31, 2008, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a plan for the installation of and deployment schedule for systems to alert air traffic controllers and flight crews of potential runway incursions at--

   Inserted: (A) the 35 commercial airports in the United States that are most at risk of runway incursions; and

   Inserted: (B) general aviation airports identified by the Administrator as being most at risk of runway incursions.

   Inserted: (2) Contents.--The plan submitted under paragraph (1) shall--

   Inserted: (A) ensure existing technology for improved situational awareness is available to pilots of commercial and large general aviation aircraft;

   Inserted: (B) enhance the value of investments in existing surface movement detection systems by ensuring that runway incursion alert data collected by such systems are automatically and directly transmitted to flight crews; and

   Inserted: (C) ensure that airports most at risk of runway incursions receive priority for the installation of advanced surface movement detection systems.

   Inserted: (3) Objectives.--The installation and deployment schedule required under paragraph (1) shall ensure that--

   Inserted: (A) not later than March 31, 2009, the Administrator certifies an integrated aircraft and ground-based capability that transmits direct warnings of runway incursions through advanced surface movement detection systems or other detection systems, as appropriate, without controller intervention;

   Inserted: (B) not later than December 31, 2009, capability providing aural indication of own aircraft position relative to airport runways is installed on--

   Inserted: (i) all aircraft operated pursuant to part 121 or 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, with more than 10 seats; and

   Inserted: (ii) all turbine-powered aircraft operated pursuant to part 91 of such title 14, with more than 6 seats;

   Inserted: (C) not later than June 30, 2010, the Administrator provides the capability described in subparagraph (A) at all airports equipped with advanced surface movement detection systems;

   Inserted: (D) not later than December 31, 2010, all aircraft described in subparagraph (B) at airports equipped with advanced surface movement detection systems are equipped with the capability to receive, process, and present runway incursion alerts to pilots; and

   Inserted: (E) a schedule is published for the equipage of aircraft operated pursuant to part 125 or 129 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.

   Inserted: (b) Review of Implementation of Advanced Surface Movement Detection Systems.--The Inspector General of the Department of Transportation shall--

   Inserted: (1) review the installation of each advanced surface movement detection system funded by the Administrator to ensure that each system functions in accordance with the product's certification by the Administrator; and

   Inserted: (2) submit an annual report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives that describes the status of the proper implementation of each system, including a review of the system's--

   Inserted: (A) reliability to ensure it is not susceptible to failures to generate timely alerts for controllers to take appropriate action; and

   Inserted: (B) ability to successfully operate in all climate conditions in which aircraft operations are conducted at the airport.

   Inserted: SEC. 524. INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES.

   Inserted: (a) Authorization of Appropriations for Technology Investments.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator, from amounts deposited in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund established under section 9502(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, to install systems designed to reduce the potential for runway incursions through the purchase and installation of advanced surface movement detection systems, and ground-based infrastructure for cockpit-direct audible runway incursion warning systems--

   Inserted: (1) $41,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;

   Inserted: (2) $42,250,000 for fiscal year 2010; and

   Inserted: (3) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.

   Inserted: (b) Authorization of Appropriations for Near-Term Improvements.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator, from amounts deposited in the Airport and Airways Trust Fund established under section 9502(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, to reduce the potential for runway incursions through the purchase and installation of appropriate automatic equipment, including runway occupancy alerting and warning equipment, perimeter taxiways, and runway status lights--

   Inserted: (1) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;

   Inserted: (2) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and

   Inserted: (3) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.

   Inserted: (c) Authorization of Appropriations for Runway Safety Area Improvements.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator, from amounts deposited in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund established under section 9502(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, to improve runway safety areas to meet Federal Aviation Administration standards--

   Inserted: (1) $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;

   Inserted: (2) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and

   Inserted: (3) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.

   Inserted: (d) Codification of Runway Safety Design Standard Compliance Requirement From Public Law 109-115.--Section 44727 is amended by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(c) Deadline for Runway Safety Area Design Standard Compliance.--Not later than December 31, 2015, the owner or operator of each airport described in section 44706(a) shall improve the airport's runway safety areas to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration design standards required under part 139 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.".

   Inserted: (e) Annual Report on Runway Safety Area Compliance.--The Administrator shall annually submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report that describes the progress of the Administration toward improving the runway safety areas at airports described in section 44706(a) of title 49, United States Code.

   Inserted: SEC. 525. REVIEW OF RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY LIGHTING AND MARKINGS.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall--

   Inserted: (1) review the type of runway and taxiway lighting (both daytime and nighttime configurations) and markings at large and medium hub airports for compliance with standards issued by the Federal Aviation Administration; and

   Inserted: (2) identify runways on which nonstandard lighting and markings, including variance in illumination levels and standard colors used on runways and taxiways, may contribute, or may have contributed, to operational errors or incidents.

   Inserted: (b) Initial Report.--Not later than 60 days after the completion of the review under subsection (a), the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report that--

   Inserted: (1) describes the variance in lighting conditions and markings at airport runways described in subsection (a);

   Inserted: (2) identifies those runways that are most likely to contribute to operational errors and incidents; and

   Inserted: (3) includes a plan for remedying variance in lighting conditions and markings at nonstandard runways, including associated costs.

   Inserted: (c) Comprehensive Review and Report.--Not later than January 1, 2010, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report covering the subjects described in subsection (b), after conducting a full review of the factors described subsection (a) for all airports described in section 44706(a) of title 49, United States Code.

   Inserted: SEC. 526. MONITORING AND RECORDING EQUIPMENT FOR NAVIGATION AND LIGHTING AIDS.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--The Administrator, in consultation with the Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, shall evaluate the potential for improving safety and accident investigations through the use of systems, including existing technologies, that record and enable the archival of the operational status of lighting systems on the movement areas of, or that are critical to the safe operations at, airports described in section 44706(a) of title 49, United States Code, and the operational status of ground-based navigation aids at or near airports described in section 44706(a) of title 49, United States Code, which are used to provide approach, departure, takeoff, and landing guidance at such airports.

   Inserted: (b) Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report that describes the results of the evaluation required under subsection (a).

   Inserted: SEC. 527. IMPROVED DATA COLLECTION ON RUNWAY OVERRUNS.

   Inserted: The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall--

   Inserted: (1) collect data, using either existing sources of aircraft operational incidents or a new reporting process, regarding aircraft excursions that do not result in fatalities, injuries, or significant property damage;

   Inserted: (2) examine the data collected pursuant to paragraph (1) on an ongoing basis; and

   Inserted: (3) submit an annual report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives that describes--

   Inserted: (A) trends and potential safety risks identified by the data; and

   Inserted: (B) actions taken by airports and the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce those risks.

   Original wording

   At the end of title V, insert the following:

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As printed