— from the Office of Congressman Rick Larsen —
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Washington state airports will receive more than $310 million in critical COVID-19 relief funding provided under the CARES Act. The CARES Act, which the president signed into law on March 27, included $10 billion in federal grants to support commercial and general aviation airports across the United States.
“Aviation means jobs in Washington state. In Northwest Washington, airports are critical economic drivers that connect Washingtonians and local businesses to communities and markets across the country and the world,” said Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), chair of the House Aviation Subcommittee. “This emergency grant funding will help ensure airports across the state can continue to maintain operations and support the aviation workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The CARES Act was a necessary next step to protect Washingtonians’ health, safety and economic security, but it will not be the last. I will continue to work with local officials and Washington state’s congressional delegation to fight for critical COVID-19 relief.”
“This $10 billion in emergency resources will help fund the continued operations of our nation’s airports during this crisis and save workers’ jobs,” said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
Airports in Washington state will receive $310,329,000 in grant funding, including:
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: $192.133 million
- Bellingham International Airport: $5.015 million
- Port of Friday Harbor: $1.055 million
- Orcas Island Airport: $1.041 million
- Paine Field: $157,000
- Arlington Municipal Airport: $69,000
- Skagit Regional Airport: $69,000
- Lopez Island Airport: $30,000
- Port of Anacortes: $30,000
- Friday Harbor Sea Plane Base: $20,000
Washington state is home to 138 public airports. According to Airports Council International – North America, commercial airports in Washington state employ 269,000 workers and generate more than $37 billion in annual economic activity.
For a list of CARES Act airport grants, click here.
For a map of airports in Washington state receiving CARES Act airport grants, click here.
For a list of frequently asked questions about CARES Act airport grants, click here.
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As I understand it (based on the CARES Act FAQ) the primary purpose of the grant is to continue support for airport operations. $1M seems pretty generous for the Orcas airport (a good thing). However, the FAQ also states that the funds can be used for “new airport development on the airport”. I do hope that if funds are used for that purpose they’ll be used in a way which reflects the _whole_ of the Orcas community’s preferences vis-a-vis development at the airport.
I am afraid that the CARES act is chock a block with many “back doors” to development minded institutions. I can only second, in even stronger terms, the sentiments of Mr Gibbs on this.
Watch out for unintended consequences because they have gained a full head of steam and are about to break down the door.
Interesting breakdown of which airports get what monies. What or who decides how much, and how shall the money be spent? Are there restrictions on which projects it can be used for, or strings attached to the monies so that certain things must happen? if so, what are they?
The 10 pages of FAQs give a great deal of information on how these monies can be used, and how they can’t.
I’m still puzzled why the Port needs any additional money for the airport due to Covid-19. There’s little or no traffic. How much revenue would regular traffic have brought, anyway?
The major portion of the award (1M) is based on 2018 enplanements, which exceeded the FAA threshold of 10,000, which results in the 1M. That level was not exceeded in 2019, which means ORS goes back to $150,000/yr.