Contact: Dan Hubbard, (202) 783-9360, dhubbard@nbaa.org
Washington, DC, March 18, 2013 – As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) considers a plan for closing nearly 170 air traffic control towers, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is calling on the business aviation community to mobilize online in support for a congressional measure that seeks to keep those facilities open.
The FAA has announced its intent to close the towers in response to budget sequestration, which requires the agency to curtail its operational budget for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) recently offered an amendment that would offset the closures using savings from unobligated FAA research and capital funds provided in prior congressional appropriations bills, so that the facilities can remain open.
The senator’s amendment has been included in a Senate “Continuing Resolution” (“CR”), which would maintain funding for all federal agencies through the end of the government’s fiscal year; Congress is expected to consider the CR this month.
NBAA has e-mail and social media resources available to help industry mobilize in support for the Moran amendment.
For example, NBAA’s “Contact Congress” resource, allows members of the business aviation community to quickly and easily send a direct e-mail message of support for Moran’s amendment to their House and Senate lawmakers. When a user fills out a brief form, the resource provides a prepared e-mail message on the Moran amendment to the user’s House and Senate lawmakers. The prepared message can be edited, if desired. Access NBAA’s Contact Congress resource.
The Contact Congress letter supporting the Moran amendment reads, in part: “These towers are integral to the nation’s aviation system, and because airports with towers provide an economic boost to surrounding communities, it’s especially important to keep as many as possible open during these challenging economic times. I’m concerned the cuts to control towers will compromise the FAA’s ability to support the safest, largest and most efficient aviation system in the world, and will adversely impact jobs and economic activity in small towns and rural communities.”
To build upon the success of the Contact Congress e-mail resource, NBAA recently introduced a way for industry to use a social-media forum – Twitter – as an issue-mobilization tool. Using an approach similar to that for Contact Congress, a user provides basic information, and is then provided the Twitter handles for that user’s three congressional lawmakers. With a mouse-click on each handle, a unique tweet to the elected official is provided, in Twitter’s 140-character format. The tweets can be reviewed, edited if necessary, and sent to the three elected officials within minutes. Access NBAA’s Twitter advocacy resource.
The use of online advocacy resources has proven effective for the business aviation community. Online tools have been integral in the work of NBAA and the industry to grow the House and Senate General Aviation Caucuses, oppose per-flight user fees for general aviation, express opposition to the Transportation Security Administration’s Large Aircraft Security Program, alert congress to the need to preserve the Block Aircraft Registration Request and to send other messages to congress about the industry’s priorities.
The messages generated through NBAA’s Contact Congress and Twitter applications are never sent without an individual’s review and approval. Additionally, NBAA never uses information submitted though the Association’s online advocacy resources for marketing purposes, or shares individuals’ information with other parties.
“NBAA has been working in Washington to advance Senator Moran’s amendment,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “As with past policy developments, we know that having our Members mobilize with our online advocacy tools will greatly strengthen the Association’s efforts to ensure the Moran amendment continues to gather congressional support. We urge our Members to use the Association’s online tools to make our collective voice heard on this important issue.”
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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 9,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.
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