The Chautauqua County Airport, just north of Jamestown. (Image via Google)
MAYVILLE – The Chautauqua County Airport in Jamestown could be in serious jeopardy if congress decides to keep a cut in place that was presented last week in President Donald Trump’s “skinny” budget.
The Administration’s FY2018 budget proposes slashing funds for the Essential Air Service (EAS) Program by $175 million. Senator Chuck Schumer said the EAS program is critical to supporting air service in a number of communities in New York State, including Jamestown.
Schumer also said that the cut, if it stays in place, will impact the ability of the airport to remain operational and will all but eliminate air service, forcing resident to drive hours to the next closest airport.
WRFA talked with Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan during our Community Matters program this week, who said while he’s concerned about the proposed cut, he’s also optimistic the funding will not be eliminated by congress.
Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan
“When you can fly from Pittsburgh for $29 and come to Chautauqua, or come and visit our Comedy Center, our downtown, the PGA Tournament that we host, it’s got a positive impact on our economy,” Horrigan said. “I think Essential Air Service is a good thing and it helps to support our economic development. I would like to see it continue and Sen. Schumer has done a lot to be a champion in this for us. EAS does seem to come up as a budget discussion item, but it always seems to survive so we’ll have to see how Congress deals with that.”
In addition to Sen. Schumer, the EAS program has also received support from Chautauqua County’s representative in the House, Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23).
Hello Mr. Horrigan. I live in a small town in Montana and I hear a lot about the EAS as being critical to the survival of many towns here as well. I don’t happen to agree as I find the EAS program to be an incredibly expensive and inefficient use of taxpayer money. The true cost of the $29 fare that you reference is actually most likely somewhere north of $429. You are correct that the passenger will only have to find 29 bucks in his wallet to board the plane but please don’t forget about the $400 check that the taxpayers will write to the airline to pay for that same seat. As I tell my colleagues here, if flights to such-and-such town are important to us as Montanans then we need to figure out a way to pay for it at the state and local level. It’s not right to grab money from taxpayers in Rhode Island or wherever to pay for my super-cheap-way-below-market fares to go shopping or sight-seeing in a bigger town. I would argue the same holds true for New York, as well. Granted the program is small ($175MM p.a.) I would like to think that as we continue mortgage our future ($20 T in debt and growing), we would stop for a second and define that which is truly essential. I think it helps all involved to state the true and full seat cost when we chat about the “benefits” of the EAS program. It would at least help facilitate a deeper understanding of the actual investment we are making here with the EAS program
I wouldn’t worry too much about this program going way as there are too many political points to be gained through the EAS, an similar programs, Senators like Schumer, Thune, Daines and Heitkamp all behave the same here regardless of party affiliation by continuing to support a “temporary” expenditure that was to expire in the 80’s : as long as they can lock down your votes for this simple clump of corporate welfare (the EAS checks to Cape Air, Southern Express, Great Lakes, or whomever), they will continue to extend it.
Anyway, thanks for hearing the alternative point of view. I traveled through your part of the country on my way to graduate school in Montreal about 10 years ago. It was far more beautiful than I had imagined. Have a great Spring!