fully in the House restrictions on any closures and consolidations if the requirements as to the quality of service will not be met. Specifically, the affected service area must be served by an automated flight service station with model 1 or model 1 full capacity service.

The Committee's recommendation also provides the $2,700,000 included in the budget estimate and House allowance to initiate a procurement program for the automated weather observing system [AWOS]. The AWOS equipment is to be installed at locations where existing flight service stations are to be consolidated or relocated to an automated flight service station. The AWOS will provide automated observations where manual weather observations can no longer be made. The Committee also concurs in the House requirement that AWOS meet both FAA's operational requirements and the intent of the legislative requirement concerning the quality of the weather information provided. The data should be suitable for both scheduled and unscheduled aircraft operations.

AIR NAVIGATION FACILITIES

The Committee recommends $72,052,900 for air navigation facilities. This is $9,650,000 more than the House allowance and $39,025,000 less than the budget estimate. The principal change from the budget estimate is due to the reduction of funds for the microwave landing system [MLS]. The Committee's recommendation also includes the $10,800,000 request, also approved by the House, to install automated weather observing systems only at nontowered airports which have no weather observation services. The specific differences between the Committee's recommendations and the House allowance and/or the budget estimate for the individual air navigation facilities and equipment are discussed below.

VOR, DME, and VORTAC facilities

The Committee does not concur in the House addition of $125,000 over the budget estimate for distance measuring equipment [DME] at Gary, IN, but does agree with the reduction of $4,500,000 for TACAN antennas. The Committee also endorses the House expectation that FAA begin procurement of new solid state TACAN antennas as soon as $16,700,000 in previously appropriated funds are transferred from the Air Force as directed.

The Committee also directs FAA to implement the VORTAC improvements planned for the Newark, NJ, airport, which the Committee understands have already been approved by FAA.

Runway visual range [RVR]

The Committee recommendation of $5,375,000 for RVR equipment is the same as the House allowance and $675,000 above the budget estimate.

Airport approach and landing and facilities

The Committee recommends approval of the full budget estimate of $4,936,800, but does not concur in the addition of $225,000 over the budget estimate by the House.

MLS/MALSR

The Committee denies the $48,735,000 requested in the budget for the procurement and installation of 38 more microwave landing systems [MLS] and 11 associated approach light/runway alignment systems. The 38 additional MLS's would be the first increment of a proposed 500 unit second procurement. The Committee's recommendation also deletes the $3,535,000 provided by the House for MLS flight tests involving widebody aircraft.

The Committee observes that the MLS has had a long, problemplagued development history. Delay in delivery of the first 178 units on order is now estimated to extend beyond 2 years because of technical problems encountered by the contractor. In addition, several changes occurring since the MLS program was initially justified, about 17 years ago, raise serious questions about the FAA overall plan to replace every ILS with a MLS, regardless of need or increased benefits. These changes include improvements to ILS capabilities and reliability and diminished user support for MLS. For example, according to GAO, the leading manufacturer of air carrier aircraft informed FAA in March 1987 that every one of its airline customers have rejected the option of installing MLS avionics. Consequently, aircraft being ordered for delivery over the next 4 to 5 years will not be equipped for MLS.

The Committee recognizes that MLS's will be needed by 1997 at some locations to satisfy an international commitment to provide MLS, and at other locations to provide precision approach capability not achievable with the ILS. However, FAA has also recently revised its MLS benefit/cost analysis and developed another siting plan for the first 178 units. The Committee observes that FAA apparently has had considerable difficulty in deciding where to locate the first 178 MLS's as evidenced by frequent revisions to its siting plan and, in that regard, the Committee has not received the final siting plan for review. Moreover, the GAO is completing a comprehensive evaluation of the MLS program which will include FAA's justification for replacing all ILS's, the benefit/cost study, and the siting plan. In addition, the Committee has been informed that the DOT Inspector General is also completing an inquiry into certain aspects of the MLS program including user interest.

In view of the changes and the serious questions surrounding the FAA's MLS program plan, the Committee believes that additional funding for a second procurement at this time is unwarranted. The Committee will defer further action on MLS until it has had the benefit of evaluating the results of the GAO and inspector general investigations and has determined how the issues they may raise are to be resolved.

In that regard, the Committee notes that in response to a question from the House Appropriations Committee as to whether any airports were waiting to receive an MLS in order to meet a safety deficiency, FAA testified that no safety deficiencies have resulted from delays in the MLS program.

The Committee also requires assurance that the benefits of the MLS have already been thoroughly evaluated through actual operations in a complex airspace environment such as the New York area. Therefore, the Committee directs FAA to provide a report by November 1, 1987, on the scope, objectives, locations, and results of the operational tests completed as of October 1, 1987, and the plans for any additional tests to be made with the 178 units now under contract.

Instrument landing systems

Aviation industry groups have identified a number of airports where precision approach capability is needed to enhance air traffic operations and where FAA has indicated that an ILS is feasible. In light of these needs and the uncertainties surrounding the MLS program, the Committee recommends $10,000,000 for the installation of ILS's or upgrading existing ILS's as specified at the following locations:

Appleton, WI;

Ardmore, OK (glideslope transmitter);

Hilton Head, SC;

Las Cruces, NM;

Newark, NJ (runway 22R);

Newport, OR;

Petersburg, WV (localizer);

Rogers, AR; and

Salt Lake City, UT (runway 16R, CAT. III).

The Committee is also aware of the increasing air traffic activity in many areas including Ogden, UT, and the expressed concerns about the lack of precision landing capability. Therefore, the Committee expects FAA to monitor that activity during fiscal year 1988 with the objective of validating the need for additional instrument landing systems including one at the Ogden Airport.

HOUSING, UTILITIES, AND MISCELLANEOUS FACILITIES

The Committee recommends $230,559,300 for the various facilityrelated projects and utilities. This is $17,700,000 less than the budget estimate but is $84,626,800 more than the fiscal year 1987 level. It is also $14,000,000 above the House allowance.

The specific differences between the Committee's recommendation and the House allowance and/or the budget estimate are discussed below:

National radio communication system [NARLS]

The Committee concurs with the House reduction of $1,000,000 from this program.

Modernize and improve unmanned facilities

The Committee's recommendation restores the House reduction of $7,000,000 for this program to assure that anticipated reductions in energy consumption and other benefits are fully realized.

Airport cable loop systems

The Committee's recommendation provides the full budget estimate and restores the $3,000,000 reduction made by the House.

Improve/replace power systems

The Committee recommends $12,366,100 for this activity which is the full budget estimate. The Committee's recommendation restores the $3,000,000 reduction made by the House.

ADP facilities management

The Committee concurs in the House action to defer without prejudice the budget estimate of $16,700,000 for this activity until the Committee has had the opportunity to review the report from the Office of the Secretary required by the House.

Systems engineering and integration [SEI]

The Committee recommends $95,200,000 for SEI support of the NAS plan. The Committee's recommendation is $8,000,000 less than the budget estimate and $3,000,000 less than the House allowance. The Committee agrees with the House that the increase of over $200,000,000 in the cost of the SEI contract since 1984 raises serious questions. The Committee's major concerns center on the responsibilities and accountability of the SEI contractor, the contractor's performance, the appropriateness of fees awarded and the relative cost-effectiveness of different arrangements for obtaining future SEI services. Therefore, the Committee has joined the House Committee on Appropriations in requesting the GAO to review various aspects of the current contractual arrangements between FAA and the SEI contractor and other alternatives for post-1988 SEI services. The Committee expects GAO to address these matters in conjunction with FAA's fiscal year 1989 appropriations hearings.

The Committee also concurs in the opinion expressed in the House report that FAA should fully explore a level-of-effort contract to obtain needed technical support services for the installation, testing and operational integration of NAS equipment.

Airway sciences

The Committee recommends $8,000,000 for continued support of airway science programs. This is $4,000,000 above the funding provided by the House. However, the Committee also is aware of an increasing number of competing requests for airway science funds. Therefore, instead of designating specific amounts for specific recipients, the Committee directs FAA to award funds on the basis of a competitive grant award system that would yield the most salient benefits to FAA. In that regard, the Committee expects that worthy applications from interested institutions such as Auburn University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical

University, Polytechnic University, Florida Memorial College, the University of North Dakota, and the Florida Institute of Technology will be given full consideration by the FAA in accordance with published criteria.

AIRCRAFT AND RELATED EQUIPMENT

The Committee recommends $26,338,200 to upgrade, modernize, and equip FAA flight inspection and other aircraft. This is $5,000,000 less than the budget estimate of $31,338,200 and $17,000,000 less than the House allowance. The Committee's reduction of $5,000,000 from the budget estimate and the House allowance is predicated on anticipated administrative savings as well as schedule slippages in the various modernization projects.

The Committee has also deleted without prejudice the $12,000,000 in unrequested funds for the replacement of a Jetstar aircraft. The Committee recognizes that the age and condition of the Jetstar may make continued utilization through extended repair and reconditioning uneconomical. However, in view of budgetary constraints and other priority aviation needs, the Committee believes that FAA should prepare a detailed justification of its requirements for another aircraft and provide a report of same to the Committee. The justification should address (1) the mission profile for the aircraft; (2) the comparative costs and savings to be realized through the replacement; (3) the appropriate types of replacement aircraft; and (4) the comparative advantages of lease versus purchase options.

DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUATION

The Committee recommends $10,700,000 for development, test, and evaluation activities. This is the same as the House allowance which is $1,500,000 less than the budget estimate.

This appropriation finances research, engineering, and development programs to improve the national air traffic control system and to increase its safety, productivity, and capacity. The programs are designed to meet the expected air traffic demands of the future and to promote flight safety. The major objectives are to keep the current system operating safely and efficiently; to protect the environment; and to modernize the system through improvements in facilities, equipment, techniques, and procedures in order to insure that the system will safely and efficiently handle the volume of aircraft traffic expected to materialize in the future.