Rural Airport Aid on Chopping Block

Posted on Thu, Feb. 12, 2004 
 
Rural Airport Aid on Chopping Block
Duluth News Tribune, MN


WASHINGTON - The Chisholm-Hibbing Airport is one of
more than 100 small airports nationwide facing federal
budget cuts that could ground commuter flights and
strip rural communities of a crucial connection to
airline hubs.

The White House budget for the 2005 fiscal year would
eliminate aid to 23 airports, including
Chisholm-Hibbing, and force 82 more to pay part of the
costs to continue commuter flights to hub airports.

Without the funding for the Essential Air Service
program, many of the small nationwide airports would
have to eliminate commuter air service, Rep. John
Peterson, R-Pa., said Tuesday. That could stymie
economic development efforts in already cash-strapped
areas.

"There seems to be nobody looking out for rural
America," said Peterson, co-chairman of the 130-member
Congressional Rural Caucus, who threatened to block
legislation if the money is not restored.

Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., is also unhappy with the
proposed cuts.

"It could mean the loss of service for people who rely
on regular, accessible air travel," said Oberstar's
spokeswoman, Mary Kerr.

Oberstar is the ranking member on the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Last year, Northwest threatened to stop flights to
Hibbing, but ultimately continued service after it was
offered a $1.2 million subsidy through the Essential
Air Service Program. According to Peterson, the
airport could lose all that funding under the
president's proposal, while airports in Thief River
Falls and Ashland could lose 10 percent of their
federal funding for commuter flights.

However, Chisholm-Hibbing airport director David
Danielson isn't too concerned about the proposed
budget. He said similar cuts have been proposed many
times before but have never been put into law.

"They wrestle with this every year, but so far the
program goes on," he said.

He said his airport, which is 180 miles from the
nearest hub, continues to do good business and could
probably survive a reduction in federal aid. "I think
there is still a need," he said. "We fill all the
airplanes up."

The airport also could benefit from the recent
decision by Northwest Airlines to stop commuter
flights to Grand Rapids, which means people wanting to
fly to the Twin Cities will have to drive about 35
miles to Hibbing.

Grand Rapids wasn't eligible for the Essential Air
Service Program.

Bush's proposed budget would cut funding under the
Essential Air Service Program to $50 million -- from
its current $113 million level, a Transportation
Department spokesman said. That would force some
remote airports to pay part of the costs of commuter
flights to hubs, and others to pick up the entire tab
on their own.

The budget offers the following breakdown:

• 49 airports beyond 210 miles from a hub would have
to pay 10 percent of commuter flight costs.

• 33 airports between 100 and 210 miles of a hub would
have to pay 25 percent of the costs.

• 23 airports within 100 miles of a hub would not be
eligible for any EAS flight aid, but could qualify for
a 50 percent federal funding match for bus or other
transit.

Transportation Department spokesman Leonardo Alcivar
said the budget avoids a "one size fits all" approach
for the 105 small and rural airports seeking funding
in the face of a growing federal deficit.

The Bush budget "would direct funding to the
communities that need it most, and offer more service
options," Alcivar said. "This approach will provide
communities with service that is better tailored to
their individual needs and at a lower cost."
 

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