Federal Daily - July 7, 2009

DOT IG: Air Traffic Controller Fatigue Worsened By FAA Practices At Key Facilities

Inadequate staff and short rest times between shifts could be worsening air traffic controller fatigue at Chicago’s three air traffic facilities, according to a new Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General (IG) report. The IG report examines the issue of controller fatigue at three sites—Chicago O’Hare International Airport Air Traffic Control Tower, Chicago Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility and Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center, among the busiest in the country. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) management at all three sites run schedules giving controllers less than 10 hours between shifts, limiting time for needed rest, the report said. The report also noted that although staffing levels and practices fall within the FAA’s acceptable range, agency guidelines do not account for a high ratio of trainees to controllers which could be increasing controller fatigue. The report also noted that none of the Chicago facilities offered written guidance on how often or when controllers should rotate through more difficult positions. The IG report recommended that the FAA should reevaluate the staffing ranges at its Chicago facilities, once an ongoing O’Hare Modernization Program is fully implemented, and should increase the minimum rest period between shifts. Also, the FAA should mandate yearly refresher training courses for controllers on how to reduce fatigue. “We often take for granted the enormous effort it takes to take off, manage and land the thousands of planes that enter Chicago’s airspace on a given day,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill said in a July 2 statement. “I urge the FAA to implement the report’s recommendations in Chicago and around the country as swiftly as possible.” To see more, go to: www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2498 or http://durbin.senate.gov/showRelease.cfm?releaseId=315316.

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Bill Proposes “Consumer Financial Protection Agency”; Industry Objects

The Treasury Department last week issued a 152-page draft bill calling for the creation of a new independent federal agency to join the federal community—one that would develop and enforce rules and regulations on a wide range of consumer financial products, from mortgages to credit cards. “The current financial system spreads responsibility for consumer protection across multiple agencies, many of which are primarily focused on the prudential supervision of financial institutions, not consumers,” a Treasury Department statement on the plan said. “A single agency will be able to be more responsive to changes in the market and more vigorous in addressing unfair and abusive practices.” As many observers expected, the banking industry—represented by the Consumer Bankers Association—has since answered the administration’s call for a “Consumer Financial Protection Agency” with an unqualified “no.” The group held a conference call with member banks July 2 to “discuss the impact of the proposed legislation on the retail banking industry”. “This proposal will unfortunately have the unintended consequences of reducing credit and raising banking costs for Americans by creating needless uncertainty in our country's consumer financial services industry,” CBA President Richard Hunt said that the industry would work with the administration and Congress to find “a favorable conclusion” on the issue.  For more, go to: www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/tg189.htm and www.cbanet.org/news/PRdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=16434.

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OPM Program Encourages Federal Employees To Donate Food To Needy Families

The Office of Personnel Management recently kicked off a call for federal employees to donate food to families in need, heralded by a new Web site, www.fedsfeedfamilies.gov. “Federal employees, according to OPM Director John Berry, have “rapidly responded to that call.” “Summer break is a fun time for kids, but without school lunch, too many are missing out on nutritious meals,” he said. “Federal workers put a man on the Moon, we can meet this challenge too.” Federal employees often have more job security than workers in the private sector, and some participants said they should increase charitable giving during the current economic downturn. “Food banks across the National Capital Region and around the country are facing severe shortages of non-perishable items, just as summer leaves more children without school nutrition programs,” the program’s Web site states. “Federal employees nationwide are stepping up to meet this challenge by gathering 1,000,000 pounds of food for families in need this summer.” For more, go to: www.fedsfeedfamilies.gov

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