As the White House prepares for its Dec. 3 Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth, ACI-NA President Greg Principato is urging the Department of Transportation to keep airport infrastructure projects top of mind.
In a letter to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, Principato said that local communities have realized the benefits of the $1.1. billion in Airport Improvement Program funding included in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. By June, the FAA reported that all but $5 million of the $1.1 billion appropriated had been authorized to 323 separate projects throughout the U.S. And there are many more shovel-ready AIP projects that could be completed over the next two years ($3 billion worth, according to the FAA).
Investments in airport infrastructure projects makes sense, not only as a way to create jobs and fuel economic growth, but also to ensure continued safety for the traveling public and continued investment in the future of our national transportation system.