FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about a Federal program that creates jobs, improves communities, and ensures air travel throughout the United States. The Essential Air Service Program was created in the wake of the airline deregulation of the 1970s to ensure the continuation of commercial airline service for smaller communities.

Four airports in Maine participate in the EAS Program: Augusta, Rockland, Bar Harbor, and Presque Isle. The EAS Program supports these communities and creates direct and indirect jobs.

If the EAS Program were discontinued, travelers would lose choices and the economies of these communities would suffer. For residents of northern Maine, the only way to travel by air would be following a 3- to 4-hour car drive.

The Maine Department of Transportation calculates that 1,351 direct and indirect jobs rely on aviation activities at the four Maine EAS airports. In rural areas such as Rockland and Presque Isle, these jobs make a huge difference. Without EAS, these jobs would likely disappear.

Additionally, without EAS, our rural communities would be less able to attract new businesses and residents. A business person may be less likely to locate a new operation in northern Maine if scheduled airline service is more than 3 hours away. It would be simply unfair to pull the rug out from under these rural communities as they try to attract new jobs and businesses.

EAS is a small fraction of the total FAA spending, but it has a large impact on our Nation's rural communities and travelers. I strongly support the Essential Air Service Program and will oppose eliminating this program.

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