One of the most influential lawmakers involved in aviation policy in the past half century died Saturday morning. Congressman James Oberstar served in the House of Representatives for 36 years, the past several as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Oberstar was 79.
He was elected to the House in 1974, but he arrived in Washington, D.C., in 1963 to work for his hometown congressman, John Blatnik. It was during that time, sources say, where he learned about transportation and infrastructure spending.
And it became his career’s work. Accolades poured in throughout the weekend. The American Association of Airport Executives released an unattributed statement calling Oberstar “Mr. Aviation” and saying his legacy would live for generations to come.
“He was a passionate advocate for aviation and for transportation and a dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly on behalf of his district and the nation,” according to the statement. “The airport community and all segments of the aviation industry benefitted significantly from his service, and we mourn his passing.”
“His dedication to modernizing airport infrastructure resulted in a safer and more secure aviation industry,” adds Kevin Burke, president and CEO of Airports Council International-North America,
Airlines for America also commended his service on behalf of the industry.
“He worked tirelessly on behalf of establishing and improving safety standards and was a strong advocate for employees in all transportation sectors,” says Nicholas Calio, president and CEO.
Oberstar was defeated in his bid for a 19th House term in 2010, but he stayed involved in transportation issues after his congressional career ended. He was considered a possible candidate for U.S. Secretary of Transportation in 2013 following the retirement of Ray LaHood, though he did not get that job.
In recent years, he had been involved with National Strategies LLC, a consulting organization in Washington, D.C., where he was instrumental in recruiting Greg Principato, former president and CEO of ACI-NA.
Principato says the longtime congressman’s fingerprints are on virtually every piece of aviation legislation going back decades, including deregulation of the airline industry, the original implementation of the passenger facility charge and many of the security enhancements that were put in place following Sept. 11 attacks.
Oberstar was a dedicated public servant who was not always beholden to partisan politics, Principato says, adding that the two often agreed on issues but also frequently didn’t. Oberstar would listen to lobbyists but felt it was his responsibility to independently educate himself on issues and vote for what was right.
“He was completely impervious to being ‘B.S.ed,’” Principato says. “He made up his own mind and then fought like hell for it.”
When Oberstar was still in the House and chairing the transportation committee, Principato says the congressman twice helped lead passage of a reauthorization of funding for the Federal Aviation Administration that would have led to many improvements for the industry if the Senate had been able to pass a similar accompanying bill. Instead, the funding bill was at an impasse through more than two dozen temporary extensions before a two-year compromise was reached in 2012.
“If those bills had been enacted into law, airport infrastructure would be so much better than it is now in so many places,” Principato says. “There was an increase in the PFC, there was a robust [Airport Improvement Program]. It just didn’t get through the Senate.”
Principato had worked with and testified in front of Oberstar going back as far as 1993. Most recently, when Principato left ACI-NA, Oberstar recruited him to work for National Strategies. The two had traded messages as recently as Friday to discuss details of an upcoming call, so Principato was shaken to learn of Oberstar’s death.
“It’s a total surprise and shock to everybody,” he says. “I was stunned.”
