Dear Colleague Letter From Rep. Sherwood Boehlert Regarding H.R. 5382, the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act

Here are the facts on H.R. 5382, the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act

VOTE YES

 
Dear Colleague:

A few minutes ago you received a letter from congressman Oberstar about H.R. 5382 which will be before the house shortly.  Mr. Oberstar’s objection to the bill is well intentioned but reflects fundamental misunderstandings about the bill.  Here are some facts:

• The house passed earlier this year by a vote of 402 to 1 and earlier version of this bill (HR 3752) that gave the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) less regulatory authority over commercial human space flights than does the bill before us today.
• The Science Committee which has primary jurisdiction over this bill which was given the sole initial referral had several hearings on the bill and has talked about it frequently with the press, engendering more public discussion.
• This bill concerns the commercial space flight industry, an industry that is now of interest only to entrepreneurs and daredevils and should not be regulated as if it were a commercial airline acting as common carrier, which is basically what Mr. Oberstar is advocating.
• The bill does give FAA unlimited authority to regulate these new rockets to ensure that they do not harm anyone on the ground and to ensure that the industry is learning from any failures. The bill also gives FAA additional authority after 8 years by which time the industry should be less experimental.
• The Oberstar approach would be the equivalent of not letting the Wright Brothers test their ideas without first convincing federal officials that nothing could go wrong.
• Without this Bill the FAA will continue to license private space flights without adequate authority to protect either the safety of the public or the finances of the government.

Please support HR 5382, just as you voted for the initial version in March. Today’s bill is an equivalent of a conference report as it reflects bipartisan negotiations with the Senate.

 
Sincerely,

SHERWOOD BOEHLERT