Shuster to Mayors: “You are the builders of the great cities of America”

By Kevin McCarty

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bud Shuster (PA) told the nation’s mayors at the Conference’s 68th Winter Meeting that “I know you were with us as we fought the battle for TEA-21. With your support, I know we are going to be successful with aviation just as we were with highways and transit in TEA-21.”

Shuster called on the mayors to continue their strong support for his efforts to pass his pending aviation legislation, known as AIR-21, during his address January 27th at the opening plenary session. He praised the Conference President Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb for the organization’s “New Agenda for America’s Cities,” noting that one of the key points calls for modernizing the nation’s infrastructure, which includes a call for increased investment in airports. “As mayors, you are the builders of the great cities of America,” Shuster said.

Citing data on air passenger travel, Shuster said, “We have gone from 230 million annually, to 600 million last year, to 660 million this year, and, in the next decade, to over 1 billion passengers.” This is a growth rate of 61 percent, he further explained, that translates into many more aircraft in the air, with the nation’s largest 100 airports projected to handle 30 percent more aircraft.

“We have got to increase our capacity. We have go to modernize out system,” Shuster said. “We are heading toward a crash ... in our skies. We are huddling toward gridlock,” he said.

Shuster said that Congress must shoulder the responsibility for attacking the problem of growing gridlock in the skies. “I started out the year pretty much blaming the airlines for the problem and also blaming the FAA. I have come to the conclusion the real problem is not the airlines, not the FAA, it’s the Congress of the United States. It is Congress’ responsibility to provide the funding and to provide the reform for the air traffic control system,” he said.

He also talked about how Congress has under-funded aviation even though a trust fund is in place and collects revenues from system users. Shuster also said that while “$10 billion goes in, we are spending about $7 billion.” He further explained that in addition to user revenues, the federal government has historically provided general funds in support of the nation’s aviation system. He emphasized that the continued commitment of general fund revenues was also critical.

Mayors were urged to press their Congressional delegations, particularly Senators, to support AIR-21. “I urge all of you to go to your Senators and have them go to their leadership to tell them how important it is to pass AIR-21.”