<B> Washington Wire</B>
By Barbara Cook
<b>Safety on the Agenda</b>
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have instituted a series of follow-up steps to address safety issues raised during the NTSB investigation of the TWA Flight 800 accident. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey and NTSB Chairman Jim Hall, in a joint statement, noted that while the ignition source of the 747's explosion "may never be pinpointed," the agencies nevertheless can take steps to improve the safety of all commer-cial aircraft. Garvey pledged that her agency will: form a team of independent experts to join with senior FAA officials in studying the relationship between aircraft fuel temperature and ignition energy; meet with NTSB officials, the leadership of the American Petroleum Institute and senior corporate officials to discuss the issue of converting commercial Jet-A fuel production to JP-5, which has a significantly higher flash point; and study the level of safety that is appropriate for existing airplanes, for new production aircraft and for new designs; and report back within six months.
<b><a name="story2">New Federal Per Diems For '98</b>
New per diem rates for government travelers took effect on Jan. 1, covering official travel in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. The General Services Administration used data from the American Express government travel card to update the rates, which have increased as much as $45 in some areas and decreased as much as $30 in others. The standard rate remains unchanged at a maximum of $50 for lodging and $30 for meals and incidental expenses. However, individual rates are set for 447 higher-cost U.S. cities.
<b><a name="story3">FAA Moves on Air Traffic, Drug Testing</b>
The Federal Aviation Administration will combine four air traffic control facilities in the Washington, D.C., area into a single new control center in an effort to improve efficiency and safety. The new Potomac air traffic control center, or Tracon, will consolidate the airspace responsibilities, functions and controller workforce of the four existing Tracons at Dulles International Airport, Washington National, Baltimore-Washington International and Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The FAA has been considering such a consolidation of controller functions for more than a decade, due to concern that delays and congestion would mount in the Washington metropolitan area.
The FAA also has reduced the mandatory rate of random alcohol testing of aviation industry personnel from 25 percent of employees to 10 percent, citing a downward trend in the number of violations over the past two years. The tests so far have shown that less than one-half of one percent of employees tested positive for alcohol. The random testing rate for drug abuse, however, will remain at 25 percent.
<b><a name="story4">Toward Open Skies in 1998</b>
The United States is on track toward making open skies aviation agreements the worldwide standard, Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater said last week. Slater's goal is to reach open skies accords, or be on a "definitive path" to such accords, with virtually all major U.S. trading partners by 2000. In 1998, the agenda includes: the U.S.-Canada market, which in February will become the largest open transborder market in the world with the completion of the third phase of liberalization; work with France, Japan and the U.K. to remove restrictions on airline operations; and talks with Italy, Peru and Portugal. The U.S. also will seek to hold talks with other countries and regions, such as China and Africa.