| Offices : Beckley • Charleston • Fairmont • Martinsburg • Washington, DC | E-mail Senator Rockefeller |
October 6, 1999
WEST VIRGINIA SET TO BENEFIT FROM AVIATION OVERHAUL LEGISLATION
— Rockefeller Provisions for Small Markets Included in FAA Bill —
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said today that West Virginia stands to benefit from the Senate’s passage of legislation overhauling the Federal Aviation Administration. Rockefeller, who is the Ranking Democrat on the Senate Aviation Subcommittee, helped to craft the bill and succeeded in getting provisions included that would increase assistance for airports in the state. The bill will now be considered by a joint House and Senate conference committee.
Rockefeller said, “This bill takes long-overdue steps toward improving air service in West Virginia and other rural states. It is only a start, but I am convinced that the legislation will help accomplish the two critical goals of fostering competition in our state and providing more direct assistance to small airports. This is extremely important in West Virginia because of the essential role air service plays in creating jobs and expanding economic development. Without safe, reliable and affordable air transportation in West Virginia, we will have a very hard time growing and attracting businesses.”
The FAA overhaul bill contains all of the actions that Rockefeller sought in the Air Service Restoration Act of 1999, which he introduced earlier this year. Among the most important changes which would affect West Virginia are:
- Provides a 30% increase in the minimum Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant — meaning that Parkersburg, Morgantown, Lewisburg, Clarksburg and Huntington Tri-State airports will each get at least $150,000 more annually. The bill would also guarantee AIP funding to communities whose annual passenger enplanements temporarily drop below 10,000 due to an airline strike or natural disaster.
- Provides a four-year, $80 million grant program that would provide $500,000 to as many as 40 small communities to develop and implement air service improvement projects.
- Creates a pilot contract program that would allow small communities to keep an air traffic control tower by contributing to the cost of operating the tower. This provision will help the Greenbrier Valley Airport keep their tower.
- Waives certain FAA property restrictions at the Raleigh County Airport, paving the way for the development of an industrial park there.
- Increases the number of flights out of airports in places like Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago — and in doing so, creates incentives and opportunities for more flights into West Virginia.
- Mandates “interlining” between major carriers and new entrants into a small market — which means that a major carrier cannot shut-out a small community by refusing to provide connections at a hub airport.
The overall bill, which authorizes FAA spending for the next two years, will make improvements in aviation safety and security, modernize air traffic control, address system capacity problems, improve service in small markets, and deal with many other aviation issues.
“Our air transport system is under tremendous pressure, and until now Congress has failed to take the steps necessary to deal with the situation,” Rockefeller said. “With the passage of this bill, the Senate has acknowledged that we cannot continue to put passengers at risk with an outdated and underfunded air transportation system. The bill will increase our nation’s investment in aviation, benefitting all Americans who rely on air service for travel or delivery. Air transportation will be made safer, airports will be modernized, gridlock will be reduced, competition will be increased, and airports and air service in small communities will get needed help.”
Rockefeller continued, “It is also important to note that the provisions in this bill to increase the number of flights and modernize airports and air traffic control at major airports would have a direct impact on our state. If gridlock continues to increase in places like New York or Atlanta, the first place where service will be eliminated is in small markets like those in West Virginia.”
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