Authorizing Use of Passenger Facility Charges From One Airport At A Previously Associated Airport

Floor Speech

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Mrs. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, the bill we are considering today is a key step to finalizing the transfer of local control of the Ontario International Airport, a transfer which, after lengthy negotiations, was finally agreed to by all parties last year.

This transfer, Mr. Speaker, is long overdue. Ontario Airport, located in my congressional district, is a major economic driver for the Inland Empire region.

When Los Angeles World Airports began operating Ontario back in 1967, it was with the intention of attracting more airlines and service options to the Inland Empire. Well, circumstances have changed quite a bit since that time.

The Inland Empire isn't just the outskirts of Los Angeles anymore. It is a rapidly growing region, attracting more and more new residents and businesses with a strategic location along a major freight corridor that makes it a hub for manufactured and agricultural goods.

It also provides more convenient air travel options to residents of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties who, otherwise, would have to travel up to 2 or 3 hours to fly out of LAX.

Transferring control of the airport back to Ontario means that the people who are most affected and who most closely understand the needs of the region are the ones who are going to be shaping the airport's future. This transfer is not possible without the legislation we are considering today.

As part of the settlement agreement, $120 million of passenger facility revenue collected at Ontario will be used for FAA-qualified capital projects at LAX. $50 million of that will come from existing passenger facilities fees that are controlled by LAWA, but were collected at Ontario. The remaining $70 million will come from future passenger facility charges collected at Ontario within the next 10 years. These are funds that have always been intended to go to LAWA for projects at LAX.

Congress must now pass this one-time fix that will allow the transfer of funds from one airport authority to another. Otherwise, once control of Ontario Airport shifts to the Ontario International Airport Authority, there will be no mechanism to transfer the funds to LAWA as they have agreed. Without this bill, the agreement cannot move forward, and the FAA cannot approve the agreement and grant the Ontario International Airport Authority a certificate to operate.

Many of us have been calling for local control of Ontario Airport for quite a long time, and this agreement has been years in the making. All parties have agreed to the terms and are ready to move forward. As a frequent flier out of Ontario, I hope Congress does not stand in its way.

I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Calvert, for helping to bring this important bill to the floor, and the rest of the Inland Empire delegation for their support.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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