Airport Capital Development Requirements Top $87 Billion

Approximately $87.4 billion in capital improvements will be needed in the next four years to accommodate the expected growth in air traffic and the new generations of super-sized passenger aircraft.  These findings appeared in the recently-released Airport Capital Development Costs 2007-2011, published by the Airports Council International—North America.

The study identified five categories of development needs:

• Expanding capacity to meet air traffic demand growth;
• Meeting Federal Aviation Administration-recommended design standards to allow aircraft to make the best use of an airport;
• Reconstructing aging airport infrastructure;
• Upgrading facilities to handle new aircraft types; and
• Addressing safety, security, and environmental concerns.

This estimate exceeds the proposed budget approved by the House Budget Committee on March 22 for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which would provide AIP allocations, as follows:

• $3.8 billion in FY 2008,
• $3.9 billion in FY 2009,
• $4.0 billion in FY 2010, and
• $4.1 billion in FY 2011.
  

The administration sought to cut AIP funding to $2.75 billion in FY 2008.

Contact John Sullivan or Gary Mitchell.

Utah Joins Partnership to Curb Emissions of Greenhouse Gases

The State of Utah on Monday entered into a regional initiative to develop and implement strategies to curb greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming.

Utah joins the ranks of Arizona, California, Oregon, New Mexico, Washington, and the Canadian province of British Columbia in the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative, formed in February and announced during the winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C.

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. (R) also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), pledging their states would work together to fight global warming.
Members of the partnership have promised to establish a target for reducing carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping emissions throughout the region, according to the alliance's MOU. The agreement also calls for the partners to develop a load-based, cap-and-trade program to achieve the emissions-reduction goal.

The program would bar importation of electricity generated from high-polluting, coal-fired power plants. Members also are required to participate in a multi-state registry to track and manage greenhouse gas emissions.

At the signing, Gov. Huntsman said, "On this issue, Utah should be on the vanguard as opposed to being a follower. This work cannot be done unilaterally, but rather requires a regional approach with regional solutions."

The alliance is the second regional initiative to combat greenhouse gas emissions. A number of Northeastern states in late 2005 formed the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which seeks to cap emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants. Maryland was the most recent state to join the RGGI group.

Contact Deidra Ciriello.

Congress Considers Changing Definition of Nation’s Waters

Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on Tuesday introduced H.R. 2421, the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007.  

The act would drop the word "navigable" from the 1972 Clean Water Act, and define waters of the United States as anything from prairie potholes to ocean tides.

The legislation is in response to recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions including one last June, where the Court threw out a ruling against developer John Rapanos who was convicted of violating the law by filling wetlands with sand to erect a shopping center. 

The Court was split on which waters are under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.  Four justices said the law was restricted to protecting navigable waters, such as lakes and rivers, and bodies connected to them, while four others argued the law applied to other waterways.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy did not join either side, so lower courts must now decide if the law has been violated on a case-by-case basis.

Oberstar predicted that H.R. 2421, which has 157 cosponsors, will pass the House.  However, a broad coalition of manufacturing, mining and agricultural groups has been assembled to oppose the legislation.

Contact Robert Sullivan.

Labor Group Announces Card-Check Campaign

Working America, a group affiliated with the AFL-CIO, announced Wednesday it is mobilizing a grassroots campaign to pressure U.S. Senate Republicans to support an upcoming debate on the "Employee Free Choice Act."   

The bill, S. 1041, known as the card-check legislation, would require employers to recognize the unionizing efforts of employees who sign cards to form a union. Business groups have opposed the bill, as it would eliminate secret ballot elections and subject workers to intimidation to join unions.    

An AFL-CIO spokeswoman said the group of 1.6 million individuals has already launched canvassing efforts in Oregon, Minnesota, and Ohio to stir up support for the legislation. The state campaigns correspond with lobbying efforts to persuade Republican Senators Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), and George Voinovich (R-Ohio) to support the bill.

The U.S. House easily passed its version of the bill, H.R. 800 on March 1 by a vote of 241-185; the Senate is expected to take up S. 1041 this summer, perhaps as early as next month.

It is unclear whether S. 1041 has enough support to withstand a Republican filibuster.   It should be noted the House version did not garner sufficient votes to overturn a veto threatened by the President.

Contact Robert Sullivan.

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