No-fly zone? Cuts could force closure of airports in Florence, Columbia

Aug. 6, 2012

Aug. 04--FLORENCE, S.C. -- The Florence Regional Airport, along with 105 other airports nationwide, could close if automatic spending cuts, known as sequestration, take effect next January, according to a report issued by a Washington think tank this week.

In Scott Lilly's report published by the Center for American Progress, he uses the $15 billion Federal Aviation Administration budget to illustrate how the Budget Control Act approved by Congress last year will impact the agency.

The BCA created the bi-partisan super-committee that failed to come up with $1.5 trillion in cuts or trigger sequestration -- automatic cuts of $1.2 trillion divided between defense and other programs over 10 years.

"The Federal Aviation Administration will have to slash its budget by about $1.35 billion, under across-the-board spending cuts known as 'sequestration,'" Lilly, a policy analyst with the Center for American Progress, writes. "And under the terms of the 2011 law dictating the cuts, FAA officials will be unable to shield air traffic control [or any other FAA-funded service] from cuts. To minimize disruption at major airports, therefore, FAA officials will likely be forced to cut air traffic service at airports where they would have the least impact on the traveling public -- the smaller airports."

Lilly analyzed FAA reports and found that to meet the 8 to 10 percent across-the-board cut, the FAA would have to furlough more than 2,000 air traffic controllers, which he then surmised would come from airports with fewer than 600,000 boardings a year.

Florence reported 68,169 enplanements and Columbia had 487,474 in 2011.

Eddie Gunn, the Florence airport's executive director, said he is unaware of this scenario becoming a possibility.

"We have not been made aware officially or unofficially about this matter," Gunn said. "Obviously, this would be a severe blow to the Pee Dee if the ATC tower in Florence were to close."

A severe blow that would have a ripple effect through the area.

"I don't believe it is anyone's intent to close airports, yet that could be the effect if the automatic triggers take place," Rep. James Clyburn, D-SC, said in an email. "Florence and Columbia cannot afford to lose their airports that are essential to business and personal travelers. The ripple effects on the local economies would be disastrous."

The Office of Management and Budget does not confirm Lilly's report, but acting director Jeffrey Zients did note in testimony this week before the House Armed Services Committee that, "The Federal Aviation Administration, which ensures that air travel is safe, would face significant cuts in operations."

Zients continued that since one-fourth of the fiscal year will have elapsed by Jan. 2, spending cuts would be higher than the 8 to 10 percent. "As prescribed by the BCA, these cuts would indiscriminately impact all programs without regard to priorities or function, expect for programs that Congress exempted in law."

One such exemption is military personnel, but that's not good enough for vocal sequestration critic Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, citing the defense would still need to cut $600 billion through 10 years

"Well how can a soldier go to war without any equipment?" Graham told Fox News on Wednesday. "This is a strong, dumb thing we're doing and by the way, my party has their fingerprints all over it. It was the Republican leadership that agreed with the concept that if the super-committee failed, let's have the decimating of the defense department as one of the consequences."

Graham, along with other members in the Senate and House, approved the Sequestration Transparency Act in July that requires the Obama administration to send Congress a report on the impact sequestration would have.

Spokesman Kevin Bishop said Graham's office has not been notified what the FAA plans to do if sequestration goes through.

Congress and the president have five months left to enact a balanced budget deficit reduction plan or suffer the drastic consequences.

"The president remains confident that Congress will act to avoid the sequestration through a balanced deficit reduction package -- the very task the BCA charged Congress with accomplishing," Zients said.

Copyright 2012 - Florence Morning News, S.C.