Washington, DC – Congressman Bill Shuster announced today that an extension was included in the Transportation Appropriations Act for the Virtual Primary Airport Program (VPA), which will provide funding for Blair County Airport.  The bill passed the House on Friday. 

“We appreciate everything the Congressman has done for us at the airport,” said Blair County Airport Manger Chuck Pillar.  “We are in the early phases of several projects and this funding will help advance those along.  The Congressman has done a lot for this airport and we appreciate him fighting to get the one-year extension.” 

“As part of the fight, I gathered the names of my colleagues with similar airports in their community and we fought to retain the program,” said Shuster.  “When we made our case they extended it, which gives Blair Airport an extra year to get their numbers up, but fiscal restraints forced a compromise.” 

Without this extension Blair Airport would have received $150,000 when VPA reached its scheduled and well-known completion date.  Shuster gathered 18 signatures from his colleagues and sent a letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the committees with jurisdiction.  They fought to keep the program for one additional year at a funding level of $500,000. 

“We were able to secure the program’s extension for one more year, but the focus needs to remain on getting the numbers back up,” said Shuster.  “If the numbers are not up to the 10,000-threshold next year we will be in the same predicament.  Almost all of the local officials took the time to understand this, but it is important because it is going to take a community-wide effort to get the numbers back above 10,000.  If we don’t the funding will drop to $150,000 next year.”

“Tremendous budget pressures, such as the war and natural disasters, tugged the funding down to $500,000.  The federal government just can’t do everything for everybody.  We need to become more self-reliant.  The new flights to Dulles are helpful and we need to work together to find effective solutions,” said Shuster. 

Shuster fought to get the extension in the bill but when it came to the floor for final passage it included provisions that will hurt Pennsylvania’s transportation funding.  The appropriators overstepped their jurisdiction and Shuster voted no, along with other senior Transportation Committee members, to send a message to leadership and appropriators that they cannot infringe on the committee jurisdictional structure in Congress.