49 U.S.C. § 44501: Plans and policy

The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall make long range plans and policy for the orderly development and use of the navigable airspace, and the orderly development of air navigation facilities and services, that will best meet the needs of, and serve the interests of, civil aeronautics and the national defense, except for needs of the armed forces that are peculiar to air warfare and primarily of military concern. meet the forecasted needs of civil aeronautics; meet the requirements that the Secretary of Defense establishes for the support of the national defense; and provide the highest degree of safety in air commerce; the number, type, location, and cost of acquiring, operating, and maintaining required facilities and services; the cost of research, engineering, procurement, and development required to improve safety, system capacity, and efficiency; and personnel levels required for the activities described in subparagraphs (A) and (B); for the third, fourth, and fifth years of the plan, estimates of the total cost of each major program for the 3-year period, and additional major research programs, acquisition of systems, services, and facilities, and changes in personnel levels that may be required to meet long range objectives and that may have significant impact on future funding requirements; ensure that safety is given the highest priority in providing for a safe and efficient airway system; and meet the current and projected growth of the aerospace industry and the requirements of interstate commerce, the United States Postal Service, and the national defense; and a list of capital projects that are part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System and funded by amounts appropriated under section 48101(a). The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall prepare and publish annually a national aviation research plan and submit the plan to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives. The plan shall be submitted not later than the date that is 30 days after the date of submission of the President’s budget to Congress. If such report cannot be prepared and submitted by the date that is 30 days after the date of submission of the President’s budget to Congress, the Administrator shall submit, before such date, a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee of 1 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives stating the reason for delayed submission, impacts of the delay, and actions taken to address circumstances that led to the delay. 1 So in original. Probably should be “on”. to ensure the continued capacity, safety, and efficiency of aviation in the United States, considering emerging technologies and forecasted needs of civil aeronautics; and to provide the highest degree of safety in air travel. provide estimates by year of the schedule, cost, and work force levels for each active and planned major research and development project under sections 44504, 44505, 44507, 44509, 44511–44513, and 44912 of this title, including activities carried out under cooperative agreements with other Federal departments and agencies; specify the goals and the priorities for allocation of resources among the major categories of research and development activities, including the rationale for the priorities identified; identify the allocation of resources among long-term research, near-term research, and development activities; identify the individual research and development projects in each funding category that are described in the annual budget request; highlight the research and development activities that address specific recommendations of the research advisory committee established under section 44508 of this title , and document the recommendations of the committee that are not accepted, specifying the reasons for nonacceptance; and highlight the research and development technology transfer activities that promote technology sharing among government, industry, and academia through the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. Subject to section 44912(d)(2) and regulations prescribed under such section, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall submit to the committees named in paragraph (1) of this subsection an annual report on the accomplishments of the research completed during the prior fiscal year, including a description of the dissemination to the private sector of research results and a description of any new technologies developed. The report shall be submitted with the plan required under paragraph (1) and be organized to allow comparison with the plan in effect for the prior fiscal year. The report shall be prepared in accordance with requirements of section 1116 of title 31 . Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act [ May 16, 2024 ], the Administrator [of the Federal Aviation Administration] shall establish an Advanced Aviation Technology and Innovation Steering Committee (in this section referred to as the ‘Steering Committee’) to assist the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] in planning for and integrating advanced aviation technologies. create and regularly update a comprehensive strategy and action plan for integrating advanced aviation technologies into the national airspace system and aviation ecosystem; and provide direction and resolution for complex issues related to advanced aviation technologies that span multiple offices or lines of business of the FAA, as needed. The Deputy Administrator of the FAA shall serve as the Chair of the Steering Committee. Office of Aviation Safety. Air Traffic Organization. Office of Airports. Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Office of Finance and Management. Office of the Chief Counsel. Office of Rulemaking and Regulatory Improvement. Office of Policy, International Affairs, and Environment. Office of Security and Hazardous Materials Safety. Any other Office the Administrator determines necessary.” The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall develop a report, to be known as the National Facilities Realignment and Consolidation Report, in accordance with the requirements of this subsection. The purpose of the report shall be to reduce capital, operating, maintenance, and administrative costs of the FAA where such cost reductions can be implemented without adversely affecting safety. recommendations of the Administrator on realignment and consolidation of services and facilities (including regional offices) of the FAA; and the Administrator’s justification; the projected costs and savings; and the proposed timing for implementation. representatives of labor organizations representing air traffic control system employees of the FAA; and industry stakeholders. Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act [ Feb. 14, 2012 ], the Administrator shall submit the report to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. The Administrator shall publish the report in the Federal Register and allow 45 days for the submission of public comments. a report containing the recommendations of the Administrator on realignment and consolidation of services and facilities (including regional offices) of the FAA; and copies of any public comments received by the Administrator under subsection (a)(6). Except as provided in subsection (d), the Administrator shall realign and consolidate the services and facilities of the FAA in accordance with the recommendations included in the report submitted under subsection (b). the last day of the 30-day period beginning on the date of submission of the report; or the adjournment of Congress sine die for the session during which the report is transmitted. For purposes of paragraph (1)(A), the days on which either House of Congress is not in session because of an adjournment of more than 3 days to a day certain shall be excluded in computation of the 30-day period. The Administrator may not realign or consolidate a combined TRACON and tower with radar facility of the FAA under this section if, in 2015, the total annual military operations at the facility comprised at least 40 percent of the total annual TRACON operations at the facility. In this subsection, the term ‘TRACON’ means terminal radar approach control. The term ‘FAA’ means the Federal Aviation Administration. relocates functions, services, or personnel positions; discontinues or severs existing facility functions or services; or combines the results described in clauses (i) and (ii). The terms do not include a reduction in personnel resulting from workload adjustments.” Runway Incursion Reduction. System Capacity, Planning, and Improvement. Operations Concept Validation. NAS Weather Requirements. Airspace Management Program. NextGen—Air Traffic Control/Technical Operations Human Factors. NextGen—Environment and Energy—Environmental Management System and Advanced Noise and Emissions Reduction. NextGen—New Air Traffic Management Requirements. NextGen—Operations Concept Validation—Validation Modeling. NextGen—System Safety Management Transformation. NextGen—Wake Turbulence—Recategorization. NextGen—Operational Assessments. NextGen—Staffed NextGen Towers. Center for Advanced Aviation System Development. Airports Technology Research Program—Capacity. Airports Technology Research Program—Safety. Airports Technology Research Program—Environment. Airport Cooperative Research—Capacity. Airport Cooperative Research—Environment. Airport Cooperative Research—Safety.”