Freshman U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack, a retired airline pilot, was named vice chairman of the Transportation Committee's aviation subcommittee, which oversees airline safety and the Federal Aviation Administration. The Minnesota Republican, who deposed former Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar in the midterm elections, also was appointed Thursday to the subcommittees on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and Water Resources and Environment. "Each of them covers issues and areas that are of vital importance to my constituents in the 8th District – from the Port of Duluth and the Iron Range to the vast resources of our forestlands," Cravaack said. Cravaack will also serve on the Homeland Security Committee, an assignment that could hand him a more high-profile role on national controversies such as terrorism, profiling, and other security issues.
