While there’s still no word on what will happen to the FAA’s (heavily influenced) bid to make the Washington Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) a permanent fixture, the sore spot was rubbed a little earlier this month when the NOTAM that enforces the long list of flight restrictions was reissued. A couple of days after the new (old) NOTAM appeared on the FAA Web site, AOPA issued a news releaseclaiming progress in the political battle against the controversial measure. AOPA says a high-ranking Congressman on the Committee on Homeland Security has challenged the Department of Homeland Security to justify the ADIZ. “The Committee on Homeland Security has oversight responsibility over the DHS — they can’t get around this,” said Andy Cebula, AOPA senior vice president of government affairs. AOPA says Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, the ranking member on the committee, wrote DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff asking what’s up with the ADIZ. “In light of the improvements to the security of the airspace surrounding our nation’s capital, I would like to know whether the department has assessed whether the ADIZ is still necessary today,” AOPA quotes Thompson as writing. Thompson also wonders if DHS has even looked into the need for the ADIZ and, if not, wants to know why. AOPA says “several” members of Congress have posed similar questions recently as a result of AOPA’s lobbying campaign.
