Press Releases

Rep. Beyer’s appropriations amendment directing $20 million in funding to NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate for ultra-efficient flight, including electric flight, was adopted last night by the House of Representatives.

His comments on the amendment follow:

Statement for the Record on HR3055, Division A – Commerce, Justice, Science

Beyer Amendment #159, Printed in the House Rule as #57

My amendment would direct 20 million from the topline of the Aeronautics account to the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate 3 into ultra-efficient flight, including electric flight.

The point of the amendment is to help us move our commercial fleet of planes currently dependent on fossil fuels to more climate friendly alternatives.

One key way to do that is to sufficiently invest into the work the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is doing into ultra-efficient flight, including electric flight.

The President’s FY20 budget specifically said “Electric Aircraft Propulsion is showing great potential and industry interest and is a focus of NASA.

“The NASA Electric Aircraft Test Facility is enabling full scale ground testing of high-power electric propulsion systems, and technical accomplishments will be building blocks demonstrating progress with integration and test.

“In FY 2020, NASA will begin a multi-year effort to solve the technical challenges of a 1MW+ power electric propulsion system.

“Further, NASA will initiate new ground and flight research activities to validate these new electric systems in flight.”

From NASA’s own website, “NASA is investing in Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) research to improve the fuel efficiency, emissions, and noise levels in commercial transport aircraft.”

I’m offering my amendment to ensure that we are actually investing in the pursuit of the electrification of commercial flight.

There is potential but in order to make that potential a reality we need to fund the work of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate into ultra-efficient commercial vehicles, including electric fight.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.