Monday, February 13, 2012
G-Comm™: FAA Bill a Major Win for West Virginia
Imagine there were no airports in Beckley, Clarksburg, Morgantown or Parkersburg. Can you?
It’s not that I can’t. It’s that I won’t.
Last year, during debate over a long-term bill to fund our nation’s aviation system, some in Congress fought for draconian cuts that would have eliminated federal support for rural airports.
On the chopping block was the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which provides federal support to small airports that allows them to maintain and grow their commercial air service. It’s a program I have strongly supported because I know that it is important for West Virginians to have access to our nation’s air transportation system. And without it, many West Virginia airports would lose commercial service altogether.
To me, it makes no sense for a West Virginian living in Parkersburg to have to drive to Columbus to catch a flight. People living in Clarksburg shouldn’t have to drive to Pittsburgh, either.
And that’s why, when this fight started, I refused to accept measures that would cut air service to West Virginia airports.
Earlier this week, Congress passed a comprehensive, long-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization and funding bill. It was a deal I helped broker through my chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Because of this legislation—and the tireless work of colleagues like Nick Joe Rahall, who is the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee—we can rest a bit knowing EAS funding for Beckley, Clarksburg, Morgantown and Parkersburg is safe.
The air service provided through the EAS program serves as an engine of economic growth in their communities. Here in West Virginia, the communities surrounding Beckley, Clarksburg, Morgantown and Parkersburg all benefit.
But the FAA bill does more than just protect airports in West Virginia. It means a safer and more reliable air transportation network for all of America.
Benefits provided by this bill include:
• Modernizing the air traffic control system and greatly increasing the efficiency and capacity of the airspace.
• Supporting thousands of jobs by investing more than $3 billion annually in airport infrastructure.
• Improving the FAA’s safety oversight of airline operations and foreign repair stations.
• Strengthening passenger protections by requiring transparent airline ticketing practices and planning requirements for extended tarmac delays.
Now maybe you can see why this is such a triumph, not only for West Virginia, but for our entire country.
So join me in celebrating an air transportation system for the 21st century—and a dismissal of any fears about losing air service in our state.
The message should be much more important than the messenger but still people just don’t read or take the responsibility of independent thinking. It seems more important to know who said it, to be on the “right” side. I don’t like bullies. I don’t care for people telling others what they should and should not say or how to say it. That’s my right, my opinion. Don’t have any problem signing my name to this but for now I’ll just use…
To Not Me,