AOPA Talks Funding, Security With Counties
County governments own and operate a
substantial number of general aviation airports and are represented
on many airport authorities. That's why they called on AOPA on
Saturday to talk about federal funding, a lifeline that provides
important support for airport infrastructure.
"Counties are where we live," said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive
vice president of government affairs.
"That is why it's vital that we ensure airports get the funding
they need to maintain safety and generate revenue. They need to
reject calls by the nation's airlines to create a user fee-funded
air traffic control system as well as calls to eliminate Congress
as the FAA's board of directors."
Cebula (below) spoke at the National Association of Counties'
annual conference in Chicago during a meeting of its transportation
steering committee. The committee is formulating the organization's
position on aviation funding. The association's membership includes
more than 2,000 counties, representing 80 percent of the nation's
population. Much like AOPA, the group maintains an office in
Washington, D.C., to make sure its messages are communicated to the
White House and halls of Congress.
Illustrating the important role Congress plays in FAA oversight,
Cebula pointed out how the White House is proposing to cut nearly
$1 billion from the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) in 2007
compared to the amount established by Congress. Almost all of that
would come from monies earmarked for GA airports. Under the
somewhat arcane funding formulas, when AIP funding drops below $3.2
billion, all "entitlements" for GA airports are eliminated. But
Congress has rejected the cuts in both the House and Senate
versions for FAA's spending.
Next year the debate will be
centered around how the FAA is funded, either with taxes or user
fees. Cebula requested that the group endorse six critical policy
recommendations:
- Congress must remain the FAA's board of directors;
- Taxes and the federal budget process are the right funding
structure for the FAA;
- 25 percent of the FAA's budget should come from the general
fund;
- Robust funding for all airports, including general aviation
airports, is essential;
- The FAA can and should reduce costs;
- The FAA should define its modernization strategy and explain
what it is going to buy and when.
Cebula explained how the airlines, meanwhile, have mounted an
early lobbying effort to change the funding mechanism to favor
their own interests. The airlines and the FAA both claim that FAA
funding is insufficient, but AOPA contends that between the
predicted growth of the aviation trust fund and the historical
general fund contributions to the FAA's budget, there are
sufficient revenues to improve airports and aviation infrastructure
and fund a well-managed, efficient FAA.
Cebula also used the opportunity to talk about airport security,
highlighting the AOPA Airport Watch program. The program calls on
local pilots to be the eyes and ears for suspicious activity.
Through a partnership with the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA), the program has distributed a host of
materials and set up a nationwide toll-free hotline run by the TSA
(866/GA-SECURE).