ACC Legislative News

ACC Meets with President-elect Obama's DOT Transition Team

An e-mail supplement to AirportConsulting, ACC's quarterly magazine
Prepared by T.J. Schulz, ACC Vice President

ACC met with Duane Woerth of the US Department of Transportation transition team today to convey support for $1 billion in airport funding in the economic stimulus bill and immediate passage of a multi-year FAA reauthorization bill.

President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has been meeting with various aviation industry stakeholders as it develops recommendations to forward to the new administration's policy team. Duane Woerth is the former President of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and is co-leading the FAA transition activities with former FAA Administrator Jane Garvey. Representing ACC at the meeting were Board of Directors Chairman Evan Futterman of Futterman Consulting, Inc., ACC President Paula Hochstetler and ACC Vice President T.J. Schulz.

ACC discussed its membership and the unique role that consultants and suppliers have in developing airports. The impacts to ACC members from the recent contraction in airline service and cut backs in airport projects were also relayed. With regard to policy recommendations, ACC polled its members and conveyed the following to the transition team:

Economic Stimulus Bill - Get projects moving by providing $1 billion in funding for airports. Such funding should be distributed among airports of all sizes and should include no requirement for state or local match. Eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) penalty on airport bonds. To prevent driving up construction costs, projects should be initiated but not necessarily completed during FY 2009. Stimulus funding should be eligible for planning, environmental and engineering/design work to fill the pipeline for future construction projects and ensure sustained longer term economic growth.
 
FAA Reauthorization - Along with supporting increased funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and increasing the cap on Passenger Facility Charges (PFC) to at least $7.00, ACC urged that Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) be extended to airport planning, architectural and engineering projects funded through PFCs.

A copy of ACC's complete leave-behind recommendations can be found here.

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