December 23, 2016

Manchin and More than 30 Senate Colleagues Urge New Administration to Support FAA Contract Tower Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and 33 of his Senate colleagues yesterday called on President-Elect Trump and Vice President-Elect Pence to support the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Contract Tower Program. There are currently 253 airports and surrounding communities in 46 states benefitting from the enhanced safety and improved air traffic control (ATC) services provided by FAA contract towers.

 

The senators wrote, “Not only do these contract towers provide an important safety service, but they do so in a cost-effective fashion as validated in numerous reports by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. This is demonstrated by the fact that FAA contract towers handle approximately 28 percent of all U.S. air traffic control tower operations but account for just 14 percent of FAA’s overall budget allotted to tower operations. Additionally, the contract tower program provides FAA and American taxpayers an annual savings of approximately $200 million.”

 

In the letter, they encourage the new administration to adopt regulatory reform measures to the benefit-cost analysis process used by the FAA in managing this program. These measures were included in both the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and the full Senate-passed FAA reauthorization legislation (H.R. 4441 and S. 2658) earlier this year.

 

Click here to read the full letter.

 

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