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DOGE team to review National Transportation Safety Board Operations
A spokesperson for the NTSB confirmed that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative recently assigned a review team to the National Transportation Safety Board. DOGE has assigned teams to several independent agencies, and sought to review recently agencies that are part the legislative branch. In early February, the White House dismissed three Democrats from the five-member Consumer Product Safety Commission. This was after a DOGE delegation visited the agency to ask to be detailed. The three commissioners filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to challenge the dismissals. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, told reporters that in March it had not suffered any staff losses as a result government job cuts. It was also exempted from DOGE’s buyout offer. Homendy wrote in a letter to Congress dated April 14, "The Trump administration has acknowledged the critical role the NTSB, its staff and the NTSB plays." Homendy stated that the NTSB, which has 400 employees, had submitted a plan of reorganization that included the elimination of 14 positions by regular attrition. As part of the government's sweeping reform, DOGE teams are reviewing leases and staffing contracts as well as financial contracts. The Jan. 29th incident was part of a series of incidents involving aviation safety. Mid-air collision between The NTSB opened numerous safety investigations in recent months after an American Airlines regional plane and a Army chopper that killed 67 victims raised alarm. The NTSB also conducted investigations into high-profile incidents train derailments The collapse of the 2024 collapsed container ship is one of many maritime accidents. Key Bridge in Baltimore The board issued a u Safety recommendations for March The NTSB's workload is typically more than 2,000 investigations per year.
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US redirects $365 Million Biden Set for Puerto Rico Solar Power
The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it would redirect $365,000,000 in funding awarded to Puerto Rico during the previous administration for its power grid, towards rooftop solar and battery storage. Puerto Rico has suffered from widespread power outages for years due to its crumbling infrastructure and the bankruptcy of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority in 2017. It also had to deal with a series of devastating hurricanes. A month ago it experienced a blackout that affected the entire island, and then another outage that affected 134,000 customers. The Department of Energy stated that the funds will be redirected "to expand access to reliable electricity for millions of people instead of thousands, and generate a greater return on investment for tax payers while advancing grid resilience for Puerto Rico." The Department did not respond immediately to a question about the use of funding in lieu of solar. Last week, Energy Secretary Chris Wright gave an order to Puerto Rico's government-owned utility that it must use electricity generated by oil-burning plants in order to fill the chronic electricity shortages on the island. These power plants emit greenhouse gases and pollution. Solar power projects, which were scheduled to start construction in 2026, received funding in late 2024. The DOE stated that the redirected funds will support emergency and practical fixes, which offer a quicker, more effective way to solve the current crisis. This includes hospitals and community centres, both of which are critical facilities.
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Reports say that the US has accepted a luxury jet from Qatar as a gift for Trump.
Media outlets in the United States reported that Qatar has given the United States a 747 jetliner and asked its Air Force to find a quick upgrade to use it as a replacement for Air Force One. The New York Times reported that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had accepted the $400-million Boeing jet, and asked the U.S. Air Force how it could be upgraded quickly to serve as President Donald Trump's personal plane. Legal experts have questioned whether the scope of Gift laws From foreign governments that are aiming to stop corruption and improper influences. Democrats They have also tried to stop the transfer. Qatar is a country in the Middle East. Dismiss concerns About the aircraft deal. Trump also dismissed ethical concerns by saying that it would be "stupid", not to accept this jet. Bloomberg, CBS News and CNBC, among other media, reported the deal based on a Pentagon spokesperson. No one from the Department of Defense was available to comment immediately. Qatar's government could not also be reached. (Reporting and additional writing by Susan Heavey, editing by Doina Choiacu and Deepa Babyington; reporting by Katharine Jack)
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Luxair challenges EU approval for Lufthansa/ITA merger
Luxair, the Luxembourg flag carrier, announced on Wednesday that it has filed a lawsuit before the General Court of the European Union to challenge the European Commission’s approval of the merger of Lufthansa with ITA. Luxair has said it does not object to the merger but that smaller carriers such as Luxair have been marginalized in the allocations of landing slots on the Milan Linate airport. In November, the European Commission approved a set of remedies proposed to the Commission by Lufthansa in order to acquire a minority stake of ITA Airways in Italy, which would allow EasyJet, IAG, and Air France-KLM more routes. After winning EU antitrust approval on July 20, 2024, Lufthansa offered to purchase 41% of ITA, the successor to the bankrupt Alitalia airline, for 325 millions euros ($343.6) in a deal intended to increase its presence in southern Europe. (Reporting and editing by Makini Brrice; GV De Clercq)
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Boeing accelerates 737 production as safety and quality culture improves
Doug Ackerman, Vice President of Quality for Commercial Airplanes at Boeing, told reporters Tuesday that the company expects to stabilize 737 MAX output at 38 aircraft per month in the coming months. After a mid air panel blowout on a brand new 737, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration set a monthly production limit of 38 aircrafts. Boeing's best-selling plane had been fluctuating between the teens to the thirties in monthly production. But the company has struggled with a series crises and controversy that have weakened its finances, damaged employee morale, and undermined public trust. The U.S. aircraft manufacturer needs to increase production of the 737 to generate more cash after losing $12 billion in 2012. Two sources familiar with the situation said that the company was on track to manufacture about 38 single-aisle aircrafts in May. Boeing's spokesperson refused to comment on May's production rate. Boeing's chief executive Kelly Ortberg said previously that the company must prove that it can continue production at this level for several more months before asking the FAA to raise the cap. Ackerman stated that once production runs smoothly, Ackerman's company will also begin work to add a fourth line. Boeing has made steady progress in all six metrics for production quality and safety created by the company, as well as regulators. This is according to the annual Chief Aerospace Safety Officer Report released on Wednesday. The report states that the number of safety concerns reported by employees through the Speak Up system has increased by 220% between 2023 and 2024. Don Ruhmann, the Chief Aerospace Safety officer at the Tuesday media briefing, said that the program is becoming more effective as a result of the ongoing changes. Safety concerns, for example, are now assessed by managers in other sections, who are likely to be more impartial than those who supervise the work. Boeing uses machine learning as well to detect quality issues in its supply chain and fix them before they spread. Ackerman stated that while the company is still "fine-tuning" its approach, they are seeing statistical correlations in the data between supply chain issues and the data. Reporting by Dan Catchpole and Allison Lampert, both in Seattle; editing by Kirby Donovan.
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US air traffic control system failing Americans, airline CEOs say
On Wednesday, major airline CEOs called on Congress for billions of dollars to fund the modernization of the United States' outdated air traffic control system. They said it was "failing Americans." Air traffic control problems at the Federal Aviation Administration have been brewing for years. A series of high-profile accidents, near misses and the deadly crash of an aircraft in January have all contributed to this. American Airlines regional jet Public alarm prompted new calls to action In a letter sent together, airline executives pointed to recent failures at Newark Airport. They also said that the FAA’s technology was "wildly outdated." The letter cited a 2023 review by an independent group that raised safety issues. Executives called for immediate action, as the busy summer travel period begins this weekend with Memorial Day. The FAA predicted on Tuesday a record number Memorial Day holiday flights, despite temporary flight reductions at Newark because of runway construction issues, technology problems and persistent staffing shortages in air traffic control. The letter was signed and dated by senior executives from FedEx, UPS, and United Airlines as well as the heads of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways. This month, airlines and others called for at least $11 billion to be spent on air traffic reform. The U.S. House of Representatives is examining legislation that would allocate an initial $12.5 Billion for air traffic reform efforts. Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation secretary, wants to spend billions on replacing outdated radar systems and telecommunications equipment as well as air traffic towers and other air traffic facilities. The FAA is seeking funding to upgrade radios and network connections, replace 618 radars and install anti-collision technology on 200 airports. It also wants to build six new air-traffic control centers, and expand the ADS-B system of real-time information about aircraft traffic. The FAA has about 3,500 fewer air traffic controllers than the targeted levels. (Reporting and editing by Louise Heavens, Joe Bavier, and David Shepardson)
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Deutsche ReGas gets EU funding for Lubmin hydrogen project
Deutsche ReGas announced on Wednesday that it would receive public grants worth 112 million euro ($126.97m) from the European Union Hydrogen Bank to fund a renewable hydrogen development project in Lubmin, Germany on the Baltic Sea coast. The grant is part of EU funding schemes that promote electrolysis processes using carbon-free electric to jump-start local economies producing hydrogen as an alternate to fossil fuels. ReGas has said that the production of hydrogen at Lubmin can reduce carbon dioxide by 1.6 million tons. The funding for this project will be spread out over a period of 10 years. The EU subsidy is intended to close the price gap between the green hydrogen production costs and conventional electricity prices. ReGas announced that the funding was awarded at a 992-million euro auction. This was the second one for the Hydrogen bank, and 15 projects from 5 countries received money. ReGas, a private energy infrastructure developer and operator, includes floating storage and regasification unit and hydrogen electrolysers. The Lubmin plant is located near the location where ReGas imported liquefied gas from a floating terminal after the energy crisis of 2022. It aims to use offshore wind energy as well as Baltic Sea water for the electrolysis process that will produce hydrogen. The new core hydrogen transport network is set to begin between 2025-2032. ReGas is moving its LNG operations from Lubmin in order to build an LNG landing facility at the nearby German Port area of Mukran, on Ruegen Island. Ingo Wagner, managing director, said: "From the beginning, we wanted to ensure energy supply while also advancing the energy transition." ReGas attached a document from the EU that stated grant agreements for the selected hydrogen projects by the EU during the auction round should be signed in September/October.
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Pre-tariff US traffic boosts revenue from the Ferrovial Highway
Ferrovial, a motorway and airports company, reported a first-quarter surprise revenue boost from freight traffic on US toll roads and Canadian toll roads, likely related to imports anticipating sweeping U.S. Tariffs, according to its CFO. The Spanish company's surge in revenue despite the adverse winter weather is part of a larger trend of increased commercial activities at U.S. roads and ports that predated U.S. president Donald Trump's announcement on April 1, 2017 of new tariffs. Many of these remain suspended. Ferrovial reported last week that its first-quarter revenues from its North American toll roads business rose by 14%. This shows growth in a region where the company plans to focus its investments over the next few years. Ernesto Lopez, Chief Financial Officer Ernesto Lopez said late on Tuesday that "we were the first ones to be surprised (that) the results were even better than we expected." Lopez added that the public data showed traffic on toll road levels to be higher than last year. Ferrovial is a Canadian company that operates toll roads and highways in the United States. Ferrovial also plans to bid on between four and six motorway construction projects located in California, Tennessee and North Carolina. Lopez said that the increase in commercial traffic could be due to a greater volume of goods entering Texas from the Mexican border. North Carolina traffic was also boosted by more companies sending their employees back to work. According to the U.S. Commerce Department Census Bureau, the U.S. Trade Deficit in Goods widened in March to a new record high as businesses increased efforts to bring merchandise in and to pre-empt the impact of tariffs. Imports to the U.S. reached a record $342.7 billion in March, mainly due to consumer goods and automobiles. (Reporting and editing by Andrei Khalip, David Goodman, and Corina Pons)
After a power outage, Spain and Portugal request that the EU push for power connections with France
A letter obtained by revealed that Spain and Portugal asked the European Union (EU) to intervene to encourage the construction of more interconnectors between France and Spain after a major power outage in the Iberian Peninsula occurred last month.
Spain and Portugal are only connected to a limited number of power grids in Europe. They claim that France is blocking new interconnections that could prevent power disruptions such as the one that affected the Iberian Peninsula.
The strengthening of an existing interconnector that connects France and Spain is expected to be finished this year. A new underwater powerline that spans the Bay of Biscay will be completed in 2028.
Spain and Portugal urged Brussels in a letter sent to EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen on Wednesday, which was seen by, to take action to ensure that new interconnections projects are progressed.
The letter signed by the Spanish Energy Minister Sara Aagesen, and the Portuguese Energy Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho, stated that "a firm commitment at all levels is required to ensure the rapid and effective integration into the EU's energy system of the Iberian Peninsula."
The letter stated that "Spain, Portugal and France propose a meeting of ministers during this year, where we, along with France and the Commission can agree on a road map with specific milestones, and steps to take."
Un spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed that it received the letter and had been in contact with the governments.
A spokesperson for France’s energy minister didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry for comment about the letter.
In its recent multi-year planning document, French grid operator RTE studied the feasibility of constructing two additional interconnections to Spain over the Pyrenees.
RTE's report on planning said that it would expect EU financing for any such upgrades as the goal would increase interconnection to Spain "with the beneficiaries located outside France."
France gets most of its electricity from nuclear power plants. Iberia, on the other hand, uses more renewable energy sources. Their fluctuating production increases the need for flexibility within the grid.
Iberia is behind the EU target of connecting 15% of its electricity capacity with neighbouring countries by 2030. Iberia's share is only 3%.
Spain and Portugal claim that this increases prices and hinders the ability of their grids to respond to interruptions. By allowing power to move between countries, interconnectors help stabilize energy grids.
The letter stated that "accelerating completion of electrical interconnections with Iberian Peninsula should be among the highest priorities."
In Europe, power outages as severe as those in Spain and Portugal in the last month are uncommon. The blackout was a major disruption, causing planes to be grounded and hospitals to stop their routine operations. The EU is investigating the cause.
Both a spokesperson from the energy ministry of Portugal and Spain confirmed that their respective ministers had signed the letter.
(source: Reuters)