A contingent of federal legislators from Oregon are pushing the Comptroller of the United States for changes to the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, so as to give rural airports greater access to federal support.
As it stands, the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 restricted use of the EAS to airports already participating between Sept. 30, 2010 and Sept. 30, 2011. In so doing, argue U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), rural airports and small communities are being left without access to critical support.
“Regular air service allows remote communities to increase economic opportunity and attract visitors and new businesses,” the legislators wrote. “In the case of Klamath Falls, the airport is a crucial asset to the local economy in Klamath Falls, as well as the Air National Guard operating out of Kingsley Field. Across rural Oregon and America, there is high demand from local businesses for commercial air service to provide a necessary link to the nation’s economy, and to increase the community’s economy by adding jobs and bringing in visitors. Some rural airports, like the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport in Klamath Falls, meet many of the criteria for the EAS program, but are denied eligibility simply because they were not receiving subsidies in 2011.”
Comptroller General Eugene Dodaro, head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, is currently conducting a study on the impact of changes to the EAS program since 2010. In the case of the EAS program, it is meant to ensure small communities would continue to receive passenger service from certified air carriers.