Interesting.

Maybe the FAA did some due diligence and realized that low time pilots aren't causing all the incidents/accidents out there that most pilots here seem to think? Nice to hear they're not doing the knee-jerk reaction, if that is in fact the case.

Besides, the idea that there's a statistically significant amount of pilots with <1500 hours out there flying the line (or screwing up) is largely a myth.

"Babbitt argued that basing training requirements merely on the basis of flight hours was not the best way to guarantee that pilots are adequately trained."

I think he's right. Good for him. Besides, his mandate is aviation safety and aviation promotion, not increasing pilot pay.