Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced to DOT employees this morning that he will not be staying on for a second term. The former seven-term Congressman was the lone Republican in President Obama’s first Cabinet. During his four years as DOT secretary, LaHood was Obama’s point man for increased infrastructure spending to help heal the economy. He said he will stay on until his successor is confirmed.
Illinois
January 21, 2013 - 12:50pm
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) for Chicago and its surrounding region has publicly charged United Airlines and American Airlines with running “sham” business operations conceived to circumvent city and RTA sales taxes. In a lawsuit filed against United last week, the RTA–a municipal corporation of government that oversees the Chicago area’s public transportation departments–claimed that the airline established shell offices in the town of Sycamore, Illinois, where it pays a total tax rate of 8 percent.
December 6, 2012 - 12:45am
Opponents of development at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport, near Munich, Germany, were recently dealt a blow when a high court instead ruled in favor of increased general aviation activity. At issue were noise complaints from neighbors of the field, which has allowed general aviation traffic since 2008.
October 31, 2012 - 5:50pm
For the third year in a row, the Rockford (Ill.) Area Aerospace Network (Booth No. 2930) is attending the NBAA Convention to demonstrate the region’s continuing growth as an aviation manufacturing hub.
October 25, 2012 - 10:50am
When President Obama criticized tax breaks for owners of corporate jets during the first debate with contender Mitt Romney on October 3, the reaction from the business aviation community was swift. Obama was referring to the allowable accelerated depreciation for capital goods, which ironically is part of a bill that he signed in 2010, HR 4853, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance and Job Creation Act.
October 25, 2012 - 9:45am
Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) president and CEO Marion Blakey said she jumped out of her chair this week when she heard President Obama say, during the final televised debate between U.S. presidential candidates, that sequestration “will not happen.” She said that the AIA is calling on the Obama Administration and Congress to star
October 18, 2012 - 10:57am
Virtually every industry and profession in America enjoys the backing of an association and its lobbyists. And it doesn’t matter whether those lobbyists represent funeral directors, textile manufacturers, dairy farmers or dental consultants.
October 9, 2012 - 4:25pm
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen, JSSI chairman Lou Seno and former Cessna chief Jack Pelton separately weighed in on President Obama’s remarks about “corporate jets” during the televised presidential debate last week. “Why wouldn’t we eliminate tax breaks for corporate jets?” Obama asked. “My attitude is if you got a corporate jet, you can probably afford to pay full freight, not get a special break for it.”
October 5, 2012 - 2:40am
While pilots using Chicago Waukegan Airport await news of when the airport’s 6,000-foot Runway 5/23 might be extended to 7,000 feet–a more comfortable length for jet operations–interagency conflicts could ultimately lead to a reduction of the runway’s usable length.
