SHOT/CHASER: Despite Boeing Oversight Failures, DOT Pushes Deregulation

“Evidently, the Boeing disasters were not enough to convince Secretary Elaine Chao that public safety should be the Department of Transportation’s top priority,” said Lizzy Price, director of Restore Public Trust. “At the same time that the FAA is getting slammed for putting its cozy relationship with Boeing ahead of people’s safety, Chao wants to roll back regulations at the transportation department. Secretary Chao needs to explain how and why she thinks less oversight will help keep Americans safe.”

SHOT: FAA’s Oversight of Boeing 737 Max Jet Slammed by Lawmakers [Bloomberg, 12/11/19]

CHASER: Consumer and safety advocates are criticizing DOT’s new regulation governing rulemakings. [Politico, 12/9/19]

OVERRULED: Consumer protection and safety groups are not fans of DOT’s new “rule on rules.” Amit Narang, a regulatory expert at Public Citizen, said the new rules would “make it harder, not easier, for DOT to issue new regulations onboarding new technologies like drones and automated vehicles,” and called the move an “acknowledgement” that the administration’s deregulatory actions would otherwise likely be repealed by future administrations. And Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety compared the $3.7 billion DOT claims have been saved with the trillions that roadway crashes cost society each year. “Impeding the implementation of commonsense, lifesaving auto safety regulations will only exacerbate this horrific death and economic toll,” said Advocates President Cathy Chase, pointing to NHTSA’s already large backlog of safety regulations.

Defazio said he is “concerned about the safety and transparency implications” of the rule and planned to follow up with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao “in the very near future.”

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Press Release

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