BOLTON – United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) has expressed his disappointment to an amendment that would eliminate funding for smaller Mississippi airports including Greenville, Hattiesburg-Laurel, and Meridian. Thompson wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in opposition to an amendment filled by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), to repeal the Essential Air Service (ESA) program in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill.
A repeal of the ESA program would eliminate federal funding for air service for Mississippi’s smaller airports.
“A reduction or elimination of funding will have grave effects on the local airports and the communities they serve”, Thompson wrote in his letter to Reid. “In 2010, 7,100 commercial passengers flew from Mid-Delta Regional Airport. Without Mid-Delta Regional, these passengers would face an onerous three hour drive to either Memphis, Tennessee or Jackson, Mississippi. EAS facilities also serve as major economic engines for their communities.”
Thompson said not only do these airports ensure access to other economic centers of the country, but they also employ dozens of workers.
“These are good paying, quality jobs in communities that have faced tough times during this economic downturn,” he said.
The ESA is a Department of Transportation program that subsidizes air carrier service to small and, in some cases, isolated communities.
The EAS program provides subsidies to air carriers for providing service between selected small communities and hub airports. The program was originally established in 1978 as part of airline deregulation to ensure a minimum level of air service to smaller communities that might otherwise lose service because of economic factors.
“While I certainly understand the need to reign in government spending, I must adamantly object to doing so at the expense of our country’s rural communities,” Thompson wrote. “We should take a more comprehensive approach to dealing with the fiscal obligations associated with our nation’s air transportation needs. I humbly ask that you do all that you can to defeat this amendment and protect rural America.”
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