A proposed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill could mean increased business for the aggregates industry, according to the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association.
The bill, proposed by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.,) includes an additional $3.8 billion by fiscal 2022 for the Airport Improvement Program which provides grants for airports to modernize runways, aprons and roads at airports. This would be the first increase in the program in a decade, as funding for AIP was stuck at $3.5 billion per year from FY 2005-2011 and then reduced to $3.35 billion per year from FY 2012-2018.
Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced H.R. 4441, the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act of 2016. The legislation would reauthorize and fundamentally restructure the FAA. The heart of the bill spins off air traffic control from the FAA into a non-profit independent corporation, the “ATC Corporation.” The FAA would maintain its role as the safety regulator.
“Our system is incredibly inefficient, and it will only get worse as passenger levels grow and as the FAA falls further behind in modernizing the system,” said Shuster, who introduced the bill along with Aviation Subcommittee chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) “The AIRR Act is transformational legislation that prepares the U.S. aviation system for the future, helps ensure a modern, safe system that benefits passengers and the economy, and keeps America competitive in a vital industry.”