Thursday, Jul 21 2011 3:27PM
A rural airport in Ely, California, may have to shut down if a subsidy it relies on for much of its operational costs is capped, the paper states.
Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a new version of a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that would cap a subsidy offered to many rural airports.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, the proposed Transportation Department's Essential Air Service subsidy caps could lead to the closing of White Pine County Airport (WPCA) in Ely. The reduction would save the federal government $4 million annually.
While the subsidy was put in place to help rural airports, the paper states WPCA may have to close, as most of its funding for operations would be taken away.
James Adams, a manager with Ely's Great Lakes Airlines station, told the Sun the airport is the only practical means of transportation for many rural residents in the state, as there are no bus, train or other public transportation services within miles of the town.
Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has publicly stated he will fight the subsidy reduction. One of Reid's representatives told the paper a reduction in money for rural Nevada airports could cripple economic development and hamper people's ability to reach necessary services.
"This is nothing less than an assault by Washington Republicans on already undeserved rural communities ... towns like Ely have been hit particularly hard by the recession and are depending on their regional airports to get their economy back on track and create jobs," said Zac Petkanas, a spokesman for Reid.