Federal Aviation Administration chief Randy Babbitt stepped down earlier this month following an arrest in Virginia for drunk driving, which means that President Obama will have to nominate a new candidate for the top post at the agency. Deputy Administrator Michael Huerta took over as acting director after Babbit resigned.
Politico has a rundown of five candidates that could potentially lead the FAA, but notes that getting a candidate past the confirmation process could be a tough prospect in an election year. FAA administrators serve for five years, so an Obama-nominated director who is confirmed could serve the entire first term of a Republican president, should one win the 2012 election. That's a prospect that, unsurprisingly, doesn't sit well with many Republican members of Congress.
"I doubt that the Senate will approve any of President Obama's nominees next year," Politico quotes Illinois Rep. Jerry Costello as saying. "So I think it's very likely that the acting administrator will stay in for all of 2012 through the end of the president's term."
Politico still takes the time to suggest five other contenders for the FAA's top spot, including current National Transportation Security Board boss Deborah Hersman; Huerta himself as more than an interim administrator; Duane Woerth, who helped plan the FAA's "NextGen" program that shifts air traffic control to a satellite-based system; Robert Herbert, a staffer for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; and former House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Jim Oberstar.
Huerta seems the best-positioned to take the place of Babbitt, as current acting administrator and an easy confirmation in 2010 for the post of deputy administrator. Huerta has held a variety of positions, and previously served as commissioner for New York's Department of Ports. Read his official FAA biography here.
The uncertainty over who will replace Babbitt comes as the FAA gears up for another funding fight over the next year. Several aviation issues became lengthy congressional battles in 2011, as a savings-minded House and Senate debated over numerous provisions in the FAA reauthorization bill. It even led to a shutdown of the FAA in July and August that furloughed over 4,000 employees of the agency for two weeks. Sen. Mark Begich noted at the time that 20 previous FAA reauthorization attempts had passed with little controversy.
The short-term FAA reauthorization passed by Congress expires on Jan. 31, which means the issue will come up again early in 2012, though The Hill reports that at least one lawmaker who was involved in last year's dispute is optimistic that an agreement can be reached this time.
Read more about some potential candidates for the FAA's top job, at Politico.
Contact Ben Anderson at ben(at)alaskadispatch.com