U.S. Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) recently introduced the Keeping Our Commitment to Essential Air Service (EAS) Act aimed at stopping the Trump Administration’s $175 million proposed annual budget cut to air service.
The cut is equal to half of EAS’s annual funding.
Current Congressional appropriations for EAS expire Sept. 30. Under the budget proposal, EAS would also lose amounts funded by overflight fees. The act would extend funding through 2022
EAS serves more than 170 small community airports nationwide.
The bill is cosponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Brian Schatz (D-HI).
Both Alaska and Hawaii have communities that rely heavily on air travel.
“Aviation is absolutely essential to reaching the many remote communities across Alaska’s vast, geographically diverse territory,” Sullivan said. “Essential Air Service provides the only means of transportation for residents in more than 60 Alaska communities—more than one-third of the communities served nationwide. There are no roads or highways connecting these Americans to the rest of the country—just an airstrip. We must work to maintain this strong and safe aviation network which supports jobs and economic opportunities for Americans living in rural areas.”
Rural Hawaiian communities depend on EAS for medical care and to support jobs, Hirono said.