Learn about the issues - Aeroblue.org

User Fees & FAA Funding

Tell congress to reject User Fees because:

FAA indicates this will reduce revenue available while they plan to spend $5 Billion on new technology.
Timing Confusion: The problem with funding NextGen is one of timing. The FAA should use treasury bills to finance creation of NextGen, just as a home owner uses a mortgage to finance a home investment. The FAA proposal, while thin on facts, seems to indicate up front financing of $500 million per year, but asks for User Fees to enable financing. This needs to be clarified.
Show Us the Savings! The FAA stresses how NextGen will save money, yet they also stress the need for additional revenue. Which is it? How will User Fees affect other parts of the aviation tax structure. Savings created as a result of NextGen Implementation should be used to finance this large investment.
No Blank Checks for the FAA! The FAA has provided very little detail on the cost to implement the NextGen system, and indicate they will raise fees and taxes as necessary to cover expenses.
Fundamental Inequity: It is unfair to shift costs and AIP funds onto small planes and airports, to fund airline capacity and expenses.
FAA Business Model: The FAA must be more responsive to its Aviation customers. The current tax model is based on a percent of fuel and ticket costs. It is appropriate that the FAA should be forced to reduce its costs just as the airlines have done. Fixed User Fees promise ever increasing tax rates as ticket prices fall and aircraft become ever more fuel efficient!

Airports Are Interstate Commerce

Airports need more legal protection because:

All airports are "Ports" that support Interstate and International Commerce critical to our national and local economy.
The Founding Fathers recognized the need for fair and national access to geographic ports without excessive taxes. New York's 3 commercial airports now divert $160 Million per year out of the airport system, yet rank as the most congested and delayed airports.
Airports need the same fundamental legal protection provided under the US Constitution to Rails, Roads, Pipelines, Powerlines, and Waterways, and for all of the same reasons: Safety, and national economic strength.
Legal protection would save hundreds of millions of dollars annually in legal fees and enable implementation of Federal safety regulations and State Airport System Plans.
Congress seeks a self-funding airport system, yet airports are dependent on a steady stream of federal funding for legal protection. Stronger legal protection would encourage private investment and safety infrastructure, and improve federal AIP taxdollars invested in airports.
The FAA only provides funding to 3,400 of the nations 19,857 airports. Legal protection encourages private airport investment!
Protection is critical to support the $5 Billion investment in NextGen ATC system and new Airspace capacity.
Protection is necessary to preserve airports for future use and open land to address community noise concerns.

Reduce delays that increasingly cripple our Air System.
“Airport System” requires integration of State Airport System Plan with MPO and Land-use planning.
Is EMAS Illegal? While EMAS may prevent runway over-runs, this is a disasterous federal investment that diverts scarce funding for longer runways and land acquisision. The traveling public wants safer runways and communities deserve airport buffer zones.
Modernize antiquated airport and FAA technology. The NTSB 'never' finds that runway length is too short, yet every pilot knows that runway length is critical to safety. Midway's airports are nearly half the length of O'Hare's runways and shorter than Lexington, KY and Teterboro, NJ.
Prevent Airport Closures that hurt congestion, community planning and economic growth. It hurts our economy and taxpayers when Chicago can increase congestion by closing Meigs Field while seeking $15 Billion for capacity expansion at O'Hare.
Require longer runways to improve safety and prevent accidents like that at Lexington, KY.
Require NTSB to review Airport Layout Plan to determine factors in accidents.

Improve Airport Community Planning by requiring States to integrate their State Airport System Plan with local zoning.

States that receive AIP and PFC funds should implement Airport Compatible Land-Use programs. It is bad policy to expect the FAA to fund noise remediation while states continue to create new problems. This reinforces local control of land-use, and good planning results in efficient use of federal and state taxes.
“No Schools Near Runways” – Require states to end the practice of building public schools too close to runways, which increases education costs, disrupts learning, and creates unnecessary community tensions.
Improve economic development opportunities. Businesses want to be near airports.
Improve quality of life for fellow citizens exposed to high levels of noise.
Policy protects States Rights and Private Property Rights.