"A Slight Funding Shortfall"

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

A Slight Funding Shortfall
Air Safety Week


A group of congressional Democrats is calling on their colleagues on the
House Appropriations Committee to increase funding next fiscal year for the
Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Calling AIP an important source of
federal support for runway, apron, and taxiway construction and
rehabilitation, the group cites the Airports Council International-North
America's contention that overall airport capital development costs will
total more than $71.5 billion from 2005 to 2009. The reality is far
different: AIP's annual funding level has hovered at about $3 billion over
the past six years. 

But the Bush administration's FY 2007 budget request for AIP is just $2.75
billion, which is $950 million less than what Congress has already
authorized, according to a May 4 letter to appropriations leaders of both
parties and signed by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) and 39 of his
colleagues. The cut will trigger significant changes to the AIP formula
funding. The minimum entitlement for primary airports with more than 10,000
boardings annually will be reduced from $1 million to $650,000; the minimum
for larger primary airports "will be cut by one-half," and at more than
2,500 general aviation airports, entitlements of up to $150,000 will be
totally eliminated. Meanwhile, an April 26 Aviation Subcommittee hearing on
safely managing the national airspace was cancelled with no new date set. 

Contact: House Transportation Committee, (202) 225-4472

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