March 8, 1999
Bereuter Says Full Use of Aviation Trust Fund Would
Mean an Additional $10 Million for Nebraska Airports
Washington -- The House Transportation Committee will begin mark-up
this week on a bill that could bring an additional $10 million to
Nebraska's primary airports, according to Representative Doug Bereuter,
who was recently appointed to that committee.
The Aviation Investment and Reform Act (H.R. 1000) would use money
that has accumulated in the Aviation Trust Fund for improvements in the
nation's aviation infrastructure. While the flying public and the aviation
community have been investing in the Airport and Aviation Trust Fund, in
the form of ticket taxes, fuel taxes, flight segment fees, and departure
and arrival taxes, since 1970, only a portion of the fund has been spent
on the aviation infrastructure. If left unchanged, the balance in the fund
will grow to more than $90 billion, according to Bereuter, who is a strong
supporter of this effort to take the Aviation Trust fund off budget.
Aviation Trust Fund money is distributed through the Airport
Improvement Program as entitlement grants and discretionary grants.
Primary airport entitlement grants go to airports that have commercial air
service with at least 10,000 passenger boardings per year. In Nebraska,
Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Lincoln Municipal Airport, Central Nebraska
Regional Airport in Grand Island, William B. Heilig Field in Scottsbluff,
and North Platte Regional Airport are classified as primary airports.
With the increased authorization in the legislation under
consideration, these primary Nebraska airports would all see a substantial
increase in their entitlements: Eppley Airfield from $2,381,352 to
$7,144,056; Lincoln Municipal Airport from $1,059,864 to $3,179,592;
Scottsbluff's William B. Heilig Field from $500,000 to $1,500,000; and
North Platte Regional Airport from $500,000 to $1,500,000. The total
amount of primary airport funds coming into Nebraska would increase from
$4,941,216 to $14,823,648.
The General Accounting Office has reported that nationally there is a
$3 billion annual funding shortfall on airport infrastructure investment.
The legislation being considered by the House Transportation Committee
this week would increase funding for the Airport Improvement Program, the
program that builds runways, taxiways, and provides noise abatement from
$1.95 billion to $5 billion annually, according to Bereuter.
"This action is clearly needed to restore integrity to these funds and
help ensure that they are used for their intended purposes," Bereuter
said. "Congress was successful last year in ensuring that money placed in
the Highway Trust Fund is used for highway construction and maintenance.
Similar action should be taken with the other transportation trust funds."
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