The Department of Transportation says the federal sequestration could have a financial impact on some airports throughtout Missouri.

Multi-modal Operations Director Michelle Teel with the Department of Transportation says federal sequestration could financially affect some regional airports in Missouri that would cause them to lose federal funding. She says some airports that are expected to become affected are Branson Private Airport, Columbia Regional Airport, Jefferson City, and Joplin Regional Airports.

Teel says Jefferson City Memorial Airport and Joplin will most likely have their federal funding end on October 1. Teel says this changes the different airports that are eligible to participate under two categories in the statutes of funding.

She says under the statutes for airport funding, there is a 500-thousand dollar a year cap, which is for air traffic control that receives no federal funds; the other is another 500-thousand dollar a year cap that is through the Federal Cost Share program.

There is about 5-million dollars per year that is collected in aviation trust fund money; through jet fuel and aviation fuel taxes. Teel says out of the 5-million dollars a year, most of that goes to what she calls, “capital type projects,” such as runways and taxiways.

Teel says it will be the air traffic control towers at the airports, in particular that will get hit the hardest with lack of federal funding. “They are now going to have their federal funds sequestered and they won’t have federal funds for their traffic control towers,” she said.

 

AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports. (1:01)