[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3006]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE PROGRAM

  Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, I strongly oppose a provision 
included in the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety 
Improvement Act that would eliminate the Essential Air Service Program 
at those airports boarding 10 passengers or less per day. Essential Air 
Service, EAS, truly is essential to the communities of Alliance, 
Chadron and McCook in my home State of Nebraska being impacted by this 
provision. In all, there are 40 rural airports in several States across 
the country which would no longer be a part of the EAS Program if this 
provision is included in any piece of legislation signed into law.
  The adoption of this amendment to the FAA bill is bad for Nebraska 
and bad for rural America. The communities and surrounding areas being 
served by these airports use them as economic development tools and 
rely on having commercial air service in order to stay connected to our 
Nation's transportation network. The many Nebraskans who have contacted 
me about this attempt to cut off EAS funding for their rural airports 
have expressed great concern about how losing EAS support would be 
devastating to their communities' ability to attract employers and 
create jobs. During a time when our country is starting to see glimpses 
of economic recovery, cutting off EAS support for these airports is not 
the answer.
  As a supporter of the EAS Program and someone who always considers 
the impact any legislation will have on rural Nebraska, I once again 
express my opposition to this provision and will work to see that it is 
not included in any final legislation authorizing our Nation's aviation 
programs.

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