The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) said in testimony last week to the Senate subcommittee on aviation operations, safety and security that foreign repair stations are safe and subject to heavy oversight. According to the association, a recent survey it conducted on foreign repair stations, of which there are almost 700 certified by the FAA, “revealed that an average FAA-certificated foreign repair station is audited more than 74 times each year by a variety of oversight authorities and such stations maintain a robust safety record.” But Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel said in his prepared testimony that a number of requirements placed on U.S.-based repair stations, including drug testing, are not required of foreign-based stations. According to Scovel, the FAA is having difficulty assessing where work is being done and how often it is being outsourced. Lack of inspectors and proper distribution of those inspectors is also an issue, he said.