Interior Applauds Federal Aviation Administration for Support to Airports in U.S. Territories and the Freely Associated States

WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, Douglas W. Domenech applauds U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for providing $54,859,950 in fiscal year 2020 funding under the Airport Improvement Program to bolster airport safety, security, and infrastructure at airports in the U.S. territories and the freely associated states. The funding provided for the insular areas is included in announcements made by the Trump Administration that the FAA is awarding more than $1.2 billion in airport safety and infrastructure grants to airports in all 50 states, the territories and the freely associated states.

“Interior applauds FAA’s support for the airports in the insular areas,” said Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, Douglas W. Domenech. “The Trump Administration understands that safe and secure airport facilities are vital not only for the physical safety of passengers and security readiness, but also for facilitating economic development in our territories as well as in the freely associated states.”

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine E. Chao has made several announcements this year (9/1/2020) (7/28/2020) (6/30/2020) (4/30/2020) (2/19/2020) regarding regular and supplemental funding made available under the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for fiscal year 2020 that amounts to $32,710,507 for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and $22,149,443 to the freely associated states, which are the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

This announcement regarding AIP funding is in addition to $85 million provided by the FAA in CARES Act funding and nearly $9 million provided by the Federal Transit Administration in 2020 to the insular areas. See the summary tables on the OIA website for CARES Act funding provided to the insular areas through the Office of Insular Affairs and other federal partners.

For a map showing the airports that are supported by FAA’s AIP funds, visit the FAA website at: https://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/2020_aip_grants/map/. For complete information on the AIP program and related funding announcements from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2020, visit https://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/2020_aip_grants/.

The Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, @ASIIADomenech, and the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) carry out the Secretary of the Interior’s responsibilities for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, OIA administers and oversees federal assistance under the Compacts of Free Association to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Follow and “like” OIA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/InsularAffairs.

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