Newhouse Provision Safeguarding Moses Lake Radar Facility Approved in Bipartisan FAA Reauthorization

Statement

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Port of Moses Lake Commission President Kent Jones released the following statements today after the House approved H.R. 302, FAA Reauthorization Act, a bipartisan, five-year bill to reauthorize the programs of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Included in the FAA Reauthorization Act is Rep. Newhouse's military exemption language that prohibits FAA from realigning or consolidating any facilities where military operations comprised 40 percent or more of the total annual Terminal Radar Approach Control systems' activity in 2015.

"The current 804 realignment or consolidation process for FAA facilities would have a serious impact on Grant County International Airport and Moses Lake, and this bipartisan FAA reauthorization legislation rightly amends that process," said Rep. Newhouse. "I am pleased that my military operations exemption will help preserve military readiness as well as important economic benefits for Grant County."

Port of Moses Lake Commission President Kent Jones: "Congressman Newhouse has been a strong and consistent advocate for the Port of Moses Lake. His work to ensure the preservation of the radar facility at the Grant County International Airport is critical -- that facility allows us to accommodate the diverse needs of our commercial and military users, and it allows us to continue to grow the economy in central Washington."

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