Commodity Markets Oversight Coalition Letter to Commissioner Sommers on Global Markets Advisory Committee

Commercial aviation helps drive more than 10M American jobs and 5 cents of every dollar of U.S. GDP
Commercial aviation drives more than $1 trillion per year in economic activity
In 2012, U.S. airlines moved more than 48,000 tons of cargo per day
In 2012, the value of a kilogram of U.S. merchandise exported by air averaged 121 times the value exported by sea
For every 100 airline jobs, some 360 are supported outside of the airline industry
Federal taxes constitute $61 – or 20% – of the price of a typical $300 domestic round-trip ticket
In 2011, U.S. airlines carried 16 percent more passengers and cargo using 10 percent less fuel than in 2000
Domestically, airlines drive 5% of economic activity but account for 2% of man-made GHG emissions
From 2000-2011, airlines reduced GHG emissions by 11% while transporting 16% more passengers and cargo
From 1975-2011, U.S. airlines and their partners reduced significant noise exposure by 99%
Commercial air travel is the safest form of intercity transportation in the United States
In the most recent decade, scheduled air service on U.S. airlines was seven times safer than in the 1970s
From 2000-2012, U.S. airlines improved the on-time arrival rate from 72.6% to 81.9%
From 2000-2012, U.S. airlines reduced the flight cancellation rate sharply from 3.30% to 1.29%
Airfares are a bargain: From 2000-2012, U.S. CPI rose 33% while average domestic fare rose just 14%
Adjusted for inflation, the average round-trip domestic airfare fell 15% from 2000
2007 domestic flight delays cost the United States approximately $31 billion
In 2012, the value of U.S. merchandise exported by air reached an all-time high of $427B
In 2012, U.S. exports of air-travel services reached an all-time high of $39.5B, driving a $5.1B trade surplus
In 2012, U.S. passenger and cargo airlines spent more than $50B on fuel, averaging 36% of operating expenses
In 2012, U.S. airlines posted the lowest annual rate of mishandled baggage ever recorded
FAA projects U.S. air travel demand to top 1 billion passengers in 2027
In 2012, US airlines flew 83.4 million passengers in scheduled international service - a record high
In 2012, the total value of merchandise exported from or imported to the United States by air exceeded $927 billion
In 2012, 7.15 teragrams of merchandise was exported from or imported to the United States by air

	Commodity Markets Oversight Coalition Letter to Commissioner Sommers on Global Markets Advisory Committee
	PubZone1 September 28, 2009 The Honorable Jill Sommers Commissioner, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Three Lafayette Centre 1155 21st Street, NW Washington, DC 20581 Subject: The CFTC Global Markets Advisory Committee Dear Commissioner Sommers: Our organizations wish to commend you for your continued commitment to open, transparent and well regulated commodity markets, especially due to their increasingly competitive, complex and global nature. We write to you in your capacity as chair of the Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC) and in light of a soon-to-be-scheduled meeting of said committee that will examine and receive input on the “Treasury Proposal to Regulate OTC Derivatives” and “CFTC Legislative Language” as it relates to this proposal, and other important issues.1 We have on many occasions communicated to the Congress and this Commission that meaningful legislative and regulatory reform is necessary to bring about greater transparency, oversight and accountability in the U.S. and global commodities and derivative markets. As part of this process, we feel it is wise of the Commission to solicit advice from stakeholders and to hear from various perspectives on such reforms and proposals. In reviewing GMAC membership as posted on the Commission’s website,2 we have noted that the committee’s membership is comprised of representatives from the various exchanges, self-regulatory organizations and the financial services industry. While the GMAC’s charter requires representation of U.S. and foreign exchanges and market participants, it also requires “end users most directly involved in and affected by market globalization.”3 Without end user and consumer participation, the committee may also not be “fairly balanced in terms of the points of view represented” as required under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).4 Our organizations have an interest in seeing its membership diversified to include commodity end-users and consumers. We respectfully request that the Commission and its General Counsel examine whether or not the GMAC’s membership is in need of further diversification in order to bring it into greater compliance with the requirements of its charter and the FACA. Thank you for your consideration, please let us know if we can be of assistance in this matter. Sincerely, Agricultural Retailers Association Air Transport Association American Feed Industry Association Cameron Hanover Consumer Watchdog Gasoline & Automotive Service Dealers of America Industrial Energy Consumers of America Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation, Missionary Oblates Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns National Association of Convenience Stores National Association of Truck Stop Operators New England Fuel Institute The Organization for Competitive Markets Petroleum Marketers Association of America Public Citizen Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund USA Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America United Egg Producers Western Peanut Growers cc: The Honorable Gary Gensler, Chairman, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission The Honorable Michael Dunn, Commissioner, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission The Honorable Bart Chilton, Commissioner, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission The Honorable Blanche Lincoln, Chairman, and the Honorable Saxby Chambliss, Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry The Honorable Colin Peterson, Chairman, and the Honorable Frank Lucas, Ranking Member, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture 1 “Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Global Markets Advisory Committee.” Announcement of meeting and agenda at Federal Register 74:174, September. 10, 2009, p.46574. Meeting was scheduled for September 30, 2009 but will be rescheduled per CFTC Release #5722-09, September 28, 2009. 2 Viewed on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 11:00pm EST. 3 See Charter of the CFTC Global Markets Advisory Committee, Preamble, Sec. 1. 4]See 5 U.S.C. App. 2, §5(b)(2), as amended. PubZone2	A4A advocates measures to support aviation safety, security and well-being.