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State Representative Joe Atkins
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4192
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
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UNDER THREAT OF SUBPOENA, DELTA PRESIDENT TO TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE COMMITTEE
ST. PAUL - Delta Airline officials notified Chairman Joe Atkins of the House Commerce & Labor Committee this morning that Delta's President, Ed Bastian, will be made available for hearings being held by Atkins's committee into the announced purchase of Northwest Airlines by Delta. This following no response to repeated invitations by Atkins to Delta officials to provide answers about the impact of Delta's planned purchase of Northwest Airlines. On Tuesday, Atkins said he apparently needed to stop being "so Minnesota nice."
"The people of Minnesota have a $500 million investment in Northwest Airlines, and our taxpayers have a right to some answers about what this transaction will mean to them," said Rep. Atkins. "This buyout could affect thousands of jobs, the existence of the headquarters and the hub, travel prices, and the Minnesota economy generally."
On Tuesday, after several polite invitations to Delta officials, and even offering up his own frequent flier miles to Delta CEO Richard Anderson to fly to Minnesota, Atkins authorized preparation of subpoenas for consideration by the House Commerce & Labor Committee, in the event of a continued lack of cooperation from Delta. By this morning, Delta had notified Atkins of Bastian's attendance.
Atkins said he hopes to finally get some answers and is very pleased with Delta's making available Mr. Bastian. At prior hearings, Northwest Airlines officials deferred answers to several important questions to Delta. Scheduling of Mr. Bastian's appearance is expected to be set by the end of the week.
In light of Delta's recent correspondence and promises to cooperate with the House Commerce and Labor Committee, Rep. Atkins is ruling out the issuance of subpoenas at present.
News Items
- Rep. Atkins, Sen. Lourey Introduce Health Insurance Exchange Legislation - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:44PM)
- Rep. Atkins – Statement on Deal to End NHL Lockout - (Posted: Jan 7 2013 2:05PM)
- Rep. Atkins to Hold Minnesota House Hearing on Economic Impact of Hockey Lockout - (Posted: Jan 2 2013 3:20PM)
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