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Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, on March 7, 1959, history was made when the first aviator charted over a million miles in a jet. Although it seems commonplace today, at the time, traveling a million miles was indeed, an aviation milestone. Well, today, more than forty years later, we are considering another aviation milestone of sorts: a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration which will be of significant benefit to our nation's communities, our air infrastructure and the flying public.
I represent a state that has an enormous amount of aviation. Texas is home to one of the Nation's busiest airports, DFW, but we also have 27 other primary airports, 21 designated reliever airports and more than 1600 other small airports that Texans depend upon to get from one place to another. Therefore, I recognize the importance of aviation to my state, the critical role my state plays in the national aviation system and the important of Airport Improvement Program funding in maintaining it.
This bill provides a framework and the necessary tools to responsibly and substantially fund our nation's air infrastructure as we have never done before. For the first time we will guarantee that all receipts and interest in the Air Trust Fund--totaling more than $33 billion--will be spent over the next three years for only aviation purposes. We will enhance air safety, allow local areas to provide for their financial needs, and assist our traffic controllers in watching our skies and protecting the flying public.
The Airport Improvement Program, on which so many of our airports rely, will see an increase of $1.9 billion this year alone. It will increase to as high as $3.4 billion over the next four years. This funding will allow our airports to make necessary improvements to their existing facilities and expand to accommodate the amazing growth that all of our nation's airports have seen in recent years. Additionally, the Military Airport Program, which helps to assist our current and former military airports by providing funds for needed structural improvements, will see a boost from twelve airports to fifteen designated and eligible this year, and 20 designees, thereafter.
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In Texas, we are affected by both national and international air traffic growth. Traffic to Latin America in the next few years is set to exceed capacity and place an even larger burden on neighboring air route systems. This will affect traffic in the Gulf of Mexico, in particular, where traffic is controlled in large part by the air traffic control center in Houston.
In fact, this is one important area where improvements are greatly needed. A large portion of the Gulf of Mexico remains without visual communication on radar, nor sufficient two-way communication, in general. Traffic in much of the gulf is controlled solely by one-way radio communications. The Gulf of Mexico airspace accommodates passenger airlines serving destinations worldwide, cargo and general aviation traffic engaging in air commerce, and heavy helicopter traffic serving the offshore petrochemical industry. It also serves important users such as our armed forces, Coast Guard, Customs Service, and the Drug Enforcement Agency. All aircraft, from large commercial planes, to military aircraft, to helicopters need to have direct two-way communication to protect the safety of all those who fly these skies.
Currently, if a craft hits turbulence due to poor weather and seeks to ascend or descend the pilot must radio in to a controller, who must check the frequency and the surrounding traffic and then dial and pilot back and advise him on altering his position. One-way communication alone simply to reach the controller can take as long as seven minutes, and as long as fifteen minutes total to relay back to the controller. This is unacceptable for a pilot who needs to respond immediately to escape violent turbulence and blindly must change his altitude. This frightening scenario could be all too real and common as air traffic grows.
The FAA Gulf of Mexico Task Force was formed to highlight the problems in the gulf and recommend solutions. More than 100 individuals representing the Federal Aviation Administration, airlines, the military, and others in the industry have come together to address this problem and seek an expeditious and thorough remedy. We can wait no longer to let this safety hazard go unaddressed. This bill gives the FAA the tools to begin to remedy this situation.
This bill is a step in the right direction to provide for our aviation needs, both on the ground and in the sky. By putting our Aviation Trust Fund dollars to work we can help all airports large and small provide for their needs. We can ensure that our skies are safe, our airports are secure and that our controllers have modernized tools to accommodate the growing air traffic demand.
I am pleased that the Senate has decided to pass this important legislation.
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