Federal Daily - June 16, 2008

Union Says FAA Reneged on NATCA Whistleblower Accord

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reneged on an agreement that would have allowed air traffic controllers to report safety concerns without fear of reprisal, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said June 12. NATCA and FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell on March 27 signed an agreement creating the Air Traffic Safety Action Program (ATSAP), which was designed to foster a voluntary, cooperative, non-punitive environment for the open reporting of safety concerns by FAA controllers, said Patrick Forrey, NATCA president. The agreement encouraged employees to voluntarily identify performance issues, such as when controllers mistakenly allow planes to violate separation standards, Forrey said. According to Forrey, however, FAA now has put in place new rules that allow the agency to discipline controllers who point out such work place mistakes. “The FAA intentionally misled Congress when it said it would implement an ATSAP program that protected controllers for coming forward to report safety concerns,” Forrey said. To see more, go to: www.natca.org/mediacenter/press-release-detail.aspx?id=514.

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PEER: Issues Remain with Contaminated Army Housing Development

The Army is still struggling with environmental cleanup of a housing site next to Alaska’s Fort Wainwright that was built on an old munitions dump site, according to documents posted June 12 on the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) Web site. In 2005, base officials authorized construction of 128 units on a 54-acre site, called Taku Gardens. After 79 units were built, construction was stopped because the site was found to be contaminated with munitions—some holding chemical agent—as well dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), PEER said in a statement. In April 2008, the Army said it would begin another round of hazardous waste investigation and clean-up at Taku Gardens, where last year more than 1,800 tons of PCB-tainted soils were removed, PEER said. The Army hopes to be done with this next phase by the end of 2010, PEER said. Despite the cleanup efforts, the units will probably never be occupied, said PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “The Army still has no idea what else it will uncover at this housing-from-hell sinkhole,” Ruch said. PEER is asking for a DoD Inspector General probe into the site. To see more, go to: www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1063.

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VA Reaches Out to Vets with Mortgage Problems

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said it is providing a wide array of financial assistance programs to prevent veterans from defaulting on their home loans, even as the overall national number of foreclosures skyrockets. VA said data for the first four months of this year show that veteran foreclosures are down more than 50 percent compared to the same period in 2003. VA attributes this to prudent credit underwriting standards, its supplemental loan servicing program and VA financial loan counselors. About 2.3 million home loans still in effect were purchased through VA’s home-loan guaranty program, which makes home loans more affordable for veterans, active-duty members and some surviving spouses by protecting lenders from loss if the borrower fails to repay the loan. To obtain help from a VA financial counselor, veterans can call 877-827-3702 or click on www.homeloans.va.gov. “VA is reaching out to veterans to keep people in their homes,” said VA Secretary James Peake. To see more, go to: http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1514.

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