Contract Control Towers Targeted For Cuts
The following information was released by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association:
By Dan Namowitz
AOPA has learned from several sources that that the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is pressuring the FAA to eliminate funding for contract control towers serving GA-only airports under across-the-board cuts to federal agencies to be included in President Obamas Fiscal 2013 budget request.
If adopted, the OMB recommendation would eliminate roughly half of the 248 contract towers now operatingthis move is viewed as a repercussion of the failure of a Congressional supercommittee to agree on a compromise deficit cutting plan last month.
Sources said that the preliminary OMB proposalwhich reportedly remains a subject of internal debate within the Obama administrationwould preserve funding for contract (non-federal) control towers at airports with scheduled airline service, or with 10,000 military operations a year.
On Friday, AOPA was drafting a letter to the House and Senate members of the GA Caucus, urging them to oppose any effort to shut down control towers at GA airports.
The American Association of Airport Executives, which created the U.S. Contract Tower Association, warned of devastating effects of the cuts.
The federal government's budget constraints should not impact such a critical aviation safety initiative like the FAA contract tower program, it said.
AOPA will closely follow developments on the reported OMB proposal and report on it to members as developments require.
Copyright 2011 States News Service
