Hirono, Cortez Masto, Moran Lead Senators to Urge FAA to Implement and Improve Airport Contract Tower Program
Washington, D.C. – In
a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Senator Mazie K. Hirono
(D-Hawaii), joined Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jerry Moran
(R-Kan.) and 33 colleagues in calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to
implement Section 152 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.
This provision will
provide contract towers at Lihue Airport, Molokai Airport, Kona International
Airport, and Kalaeloa Airport eligibility to
compete for FAA Airport Improvement Program grants for small airports which
support construction and equipment acquisition projects.
“Not
only do contract towers provide an important safety service, they do it in a
cost-effective manner,” the Senators
wrote. “It is Congress’s clear intent that tower
construction, improvement, and related equipment should be given priority
consideration when determining which projects should receive grants from the
small airport fund.”
In the letter, the
Senators asked for the list of airports that requested and received funding for
air traffic control tower construction, improvements, and related equipment
projects. They also sought clarification as to why select airports did not
receive the funding they requested to complete their projects.
The full
text of the letter is available here
and below:
Dear Acting Administrator
Elwell:
As you begin implementing
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018, we would
like to draw your attention to section 152 of that Act. Section 152
authorizes the FAA to make grants from the small airport fund to an airport
participating in the contract tower program for the purpose of constructing or
improving its air traffic control tower and for the acquisition and
installation of related equipment.
The contract tower
program has been in place for over 30 years. Currently, there are 256
airports in 46 states that participate in this program and it consistently
receives high marks for customer service from aviation users (pilots, airlines,
FBOs, flight schools, and corporate flight departments). Without it,
people living and traveling to small communities and rural areas would be
without the important safety benefits that air traffic control provides.
Not only do contract
towers provide an important safety service, they do it in a cost-effective
manner. This is demonstrated by the fact that contract towers handle
approximately 29 percent of all U.S. air traffic control tower operations, but
account for just 11 percent of FAA’s overall budget allotted to such
operations. This means that the contract tower program saves the FAA and
taxpayers approximately $200 million per year and $2 billion over a decade.
In addition to the safety
and financial benefits, the contract tower program plays a key role in
connecting rural communities to the national air transportation system, helping
airports retain and develop commercial air service, and promoting economic
development and job creation. It also provides significant support for military
readiness and training as well as for disaster relief, homeland security, and
law enforcement operations.
For all these reasons,
the contract tower program enjoys widespread support in the Congress. That is
why Congress included section 152, as well as other provisions to boost the
contract tower program, in the FAA Reauthorization Act. It is important
to note that this provision authorizing small airport funds for tower
construction and improvement was placed in subsection (d) of section 47116 of
the United States Code. Subsection (d) is entitled “Priority
Consideration for Certain Projects.” This provision could have been
inserted in section 47124, but was placed in subsection 47116(d) precisely
because Congress desired air traffic control tower construction and improvement
projects to receive priority consideration for grants from the small airport
fund. It is Congress’s clear intent that tower construction,
improvement, and related equipment should be given priority consideration when
determining which projects should receive grants from the small airport
fund. Priority consideration for these projects is fully justified in
light of the safety, financial, and other benefits that these towers provide to
small airports and rural areas.
We expect FAA to follow
congressional intent in implementing this important provision that will enhance
air traffic safety at smaller and rural airports throughout the country,
including utilizing the benefit/cost ratios for new airport applicants/candidates
that FAA submitted to Congress in April, 2018.
Additionally, we request
that you explain to how the FAA will revise its National Priority Ranking and
related order to ensure that funding for air traffic control tower
construction, improvements, and related equipment receive the priority intended
in the law. We also ask that, after the end of this fiscal year, you
provide us with a list of the airports that requested money from the small
airport fund for tower construction, improvement, or related equipment, a list
of those airports that received such funds for that purpose, and a statement
explaining why airports did not receive such funding even though it was
requested.
We appreciate your
attention to this timely matter and look forward to continuing to work with you
in a constructive manner on this important issue.
Sincerely,
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