On March 15, during testimony before the House Transportation Security Subcommittee, TSA Administrator John Pistole confirmed to the world what many of us have heard for a few months: the final repair station security rule is being reviewed by the Office of Management & Budget (OMB). To many, this was a positive development.  Will TSA finally issue the repair station security regulations so that the FAA can once again certificate new foreign repair stations?

As much as I want to be optimistic, it’s hard for me.  Especially, when I go back and listen to the exchange between Pistole and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Al.). Here is a rough transcription:

Rogers:  Repair stations, it’s been ten years since we’ve been waiting on a rule, can you tell us that that’s going to happen real soon, you going to have us a rule pushed out?

Pistole:  I can tell you that, but well there is actually good news.  Today, I got an update that OMB has accepted the rule and so that starts a clock, so there will be a public notice out here shortly, and so we actually, for the first time in quite a while, we are making progress.

Rogers:  Great, do you know how long that clock’s going to tick?

Pistole:  So, they have a review period, I will have to check with that, but it’s 60 or 90 days, in this instance because it is a final rule, and then we will be…so sometime this year.

Rogers:  You are certain sometime this year it will be finalized?

Pistole:  Should be.

Rogers:  That’s a lawyerly response.

Pistole:  It should be.

Does that give you confidence the rule will be out soon?  Until I see the rule, ARSA will continue to fight to lift the foreign repair station ban.