House Transportation Committee 'monitoring' 787 investigations

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is keeping tabs on federal investigations into the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, officials with the panel said Thursday.

The 787 was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week following a series of incidents during the airplane's roll-out, including a pair of near electric fires that were sparked by onboard batteries.

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a separate investigation into the battery issues that led to the grounding.
 
A House Transportation Committee aide told The Hill Thursday that the panel is following the various 787 inquiries and leaving the option open to conduct a review of its own.

"The committee is closely monitoring the recent events involving the 787 Dreamliner and has been receiving updates from the FAA, the NTSB, and Boeing," the aide said. "We will continue to monitor developments and act accordingly."  

The Senate panel that handles transportation issues has already raised the possibility of conducting hearings into the 787's mishaps.

"I just talked with the [aviation] subcommittee chairman, [Sen.] Maria Cantwell [(D-Wash.)] ... and I think she is interested in doing it," Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) told reporters at the Capitol earlier this week.

Rockefeller has said he supports the FAA's decision to ground the 787.

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