500e
10th Mar 2012, 21:07
Dear HAI Member,
I am contacting you today about a very serious matter that will be debated in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, March 13. Your help is needed to ensure that the Alexander Amendment #1779 is not approved. This amendment would set a dangerous precedent and curtail helicopter tours over national parks.
The U.S. Senate will continue debate on the highway bill next week, and Alexander #1779 will be voted on late in the afternoon or early evening on March 13. It 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. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) is attempting to insert his amendment into the surface transportation bill after having failed to insert similarly dangerous language in the final FAA reauthorization bill passed last month.
Alexander developed this amendment with no consultation with air tour operating companies or HAI and it was sprung at the eleventh hour, just as the Senate prepared to begin debate. The NPS's authority over air tour operators under this amendment would be nearly unfettered.
The Alexander amendment is ill-advised and marginalizes the role of the FAA in air tour operations over national parks and tribal lands. HAI strongly believes that, should the Alexander amendment pass Congress, it will mean the loss of hundreds of jobs and tens of millions in revenues. It will also limit access for visitors to our national parks, especially the elderly and the disabled.
The helicopter industry could also suffer a tremendous trickle-down effect on manufacturers, suppliers, and other aspects of the helicopter industry.
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 U.S. Senate (http://www.senate.gov). Telephoning your senators' Washington offices is the most expedient way of making your voice heard.
If you need help in sending your message to Washington, please do not hesitate to contact me via email or phone.
Ann O'Hara Carroll
Vice President of Government Affairs
Helicopter Association International (HAI)
1635 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
T 703.683.4646, x8457
I am contacting you today about a very serious matter that will be debated in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, March 13. Your help is needed to ensure that the Alexander Amendment #1779 is not approved. This amendment would set a dangerous precedent and curtail helicopter tours over national parks.
The U.S. Senate will continue debate on the highway bill next week, and Alexander #1779 will be voted on late in the afternoon or early evening on March 13. It 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. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) is attempting to insert his amendment into the surface transportation bill after having failed to insert similarly dangerous language in the final FAA reauthorization bill passed last month.
Alexander developed this amendment with no consultation with air tour operating companies or HAI and it was sprung at the eleventh hour, just as the Senate prepared to begin debate. The NPS's authority over air tour operators under this amendment would be nearly unfettered.
The Alexander amendment is ill-advised and marginalizes the role of the FAA in air tour operations over national parks and tribal lands. HAI strongly believes that, should the Alexander amendment pass Congress, it will mean the loss of hundreds of jobs and tens of millions in revenues. It will also limit access for visitors to our national parks, especially the elderly and the disabled.
The helicopter industry could also suffer a tremendous trickle-down effect on manufacturers, suppliers, and other aspects of the helicopter industry.
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 U.S. Senate (http://www.senate.gov). Telephoning your senators' Washington offices is the most expedient way of making your voice heard.
If you need help in sending your message to Washington, please do not hesitate to contact me via email or phone.
Ann O'Hara Carroll
Vice President of Government Affairs
Helicopter Association International (HAI)
1635 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
T 703.683.4646, x8457