A transportation funding proposal by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., would propel greater federal assistance on local airport improvement projects.
Among numerous measures in her 2015 federal transportation and housing bill, Murray has included a provision that would increase the federal investment for infrastructure projects funded through the Airport Improvement Program at the Walla Walla Regional Airport.
Under the current program for Airport Improvement projects, the federal government pays 90 percent, and the airport supplies 10 percent. Under Murray’s provision, the airport would be eligible to receive a greater percentage of federal investment because it serves communities in both Washington and Oregon, which benefits from the same federal investment rate, 93.75 percent, as Idaho.
The proposal in the Murray-penned bill would be for Walla Walla to receive the average between Walla Walla’s rate and Idaho’s, which would put it at 91.875 percent.
