{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-cortez-masto-moran-lead-senators-urge-faa-to-implement-and-improve-airport-contract-tower-program", "Hirono, Cortez Masto, Moran Lead Senators to Urge FAA to Implement and Improve Airport Contract Tower Program", "2018-12-12", "2018", "2018-12", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Mazie Hirono", "H001042", "www.hirono.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 12, 2018\n\t\t\t Hirono, Cortez Masto, Moran Lead Senators Urge FAA to Implement and Improve Airport Contract Tower Program \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWashington, D.C.  In\r\na letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Senator Mazie K. Hirono\r\n(D-Hawaii), joined Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), JerryMoran\r\n(R-Kan.) and 33 colleagues in calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to\r\nimplement Section 152 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThis provision will\r\nprovide contract towers at Lihue Airport, Molokai Airport, Kona International\r\nAirport, and Kalaeloa Airport eligibility to\r\ncompete for FAA Airport Improvement Program grants for small airports which\r\nsupport construction and equipment acquisition projects. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nNot\r\nonly do contract towers provide an important safety service, they do it in a\r\ncost-effective manner, the Senators\r\nwrote.It is Congress's clear intent that tower\r\nconstruction, improvement, and related equipment should be given priority\r\nconsideration when determining which projects should receive grants from the\r\nsmall airport fund. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIn the letter, the\r\nSenators asked for the list of airports that requested and received funding for\r\nair traffic control tower construction, improvements, and related equipment\r\nprojects. They also sought clarification as to why select airports did not\r\nreceive the funding they requested to complete their projects. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe full\r\ntext of the letter is available here\r\nand below:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDear Acting Administrator\r\nElwell:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAs you begin implementing\r\nthe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018, we would\r\nlike to draw your attention to section 152 of that Act. Section 152\r\nauthorizes the FAA to make grants from the small airport fund to an airport\r\nparticipating in the contract tower program for the purpose of constructing or\r\nimproving its air traffic control tower and for the acquisition and\r\ninstallation of related equipment.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe contract tower\r\nprogram has been in place for over 30 years. Currently, there are 256\r\nairports in 46 states that participate in this program and it consistently\r\nreceives high marks for customer service from aviation users (pilots, airlines,\r\nFBOs, flight schools, and corporate flight departments). Without it,\r\npeople living and traveling to small communities and rural areas would be\r\nwithout the important safety benefits that air traffic control provides. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nNot only do contract\r\ntowers provide an important safety service, they do it in a cost-effective\r\nmanner. This is demonstrated by the fact that contract towers handle\r\napproximately 29 percent of all U.S. air traffic control tower operations, but\r\naccount for just 11 percent of FAA's overall budget allotted to such\r\noperations. This means that the contract tower program saves the FAA and\r\ntaxpayers approximately $200 million per year and $2 billion over a decade.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIn addition to the safety\r\nand financial benefits, the contract tower program plays a key role in\r\nconnecting rural communities to the national air transportation system, helping\r\nairports retain and develop commercial air service, and promoting economic\r\ndevelopment and job creation. It also provides significant support for military\r\nreadiness and training as well as for disaster relief, homeland security, and\r\nlaw enforcement operations.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFor all these reasons,\r\nthe contract tower program enjoys widespread support in the Congress. That is\r\nwhy Congress included section 152, as well as other provisions to boost the\r\ncontract tower program, in the FAA Reauthorization Act. It is important\r\nto note that this provision authorizing small airport funds for tower\r\nconstruction and improvement was placed in subsection (d) of section 47116 of\r\nthe United States Code. Subsection (d) is entitled Priority\r\nConsideration for Certain Projects. This provision could have been\r\ninserted in section 47124, but was placed in subsection 47116(d) precisely\r\nbecause Congress desired air traffic control tower construction and improvement\r\nprojects to receive priority consideration for grants from the small airport\r\nfund. It is Congress's clear intent that tower construction,\r\nimprovement, and related equipment should be given priority consideration when\r\ndetermining which projects should receive grants from the small airport\r\nfund. Priority consideration for these projects is fully justified in\r\nlight of the safety, financial, and other benefits that these towers provide to\r\nsmall airports and rural areas.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWe expect FAA to follow\r\ncongressional intent in implementing this important provision that will enhance\r\nair traffic safety at smaller and rural airports throughout the country,\r\nincluding utilizing the benefit/cost ratios for new airport applicants/candidates\r\nthat FAA submitted to Congress in April, 2018.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAdditionally, we request\r\nthat you explain to how the FAA will revise its National Priority Ranking and\r\nrelated order to ensure that funding for air traffic control tower\r\nconstruction, improvements, and related equipment receive the priority intended\r\nin the law. We also ask that, after the end of this fiscal year, you\r\nprovide us with a list of the airports that requested money from the small\r\nairport fund for tower construction, improvement, or related equipment, a list\r\nof those airports that received such funds for that purpose, and a statement\r\nexplaining why airports did not receive such funding even though it was\r\nrequested.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWe appreciate your\r\nattention to this timely matter and look forward to continuing to work with you\r\nin a constructive manner on this important issue. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-cortez-masto-moran-lead-senators-urge-faa-to-implement-and-improve-airport-contract-tower-program"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8510840125381947, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}