06.05.18

Sen. Cantwell Announces $10M in Grants for Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport Upgrades

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport received a total of $10 million in U.S. Department of Transportation grants to help fund the ongoing runway realignment project at the airport.

“By building more and more capacity at Pullman-Moscow airport, we are making the region more attractive for job creation and boosting economic opportunity for everyone who lives and works in the Palouse,” Senator Cantwell said. “I will continue to work with my Senate colleagues to make smart investments in infrastructure throughout the Northwest, especially in our rural communities.”

The $10 million the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport will receive comes from two separate grants, both provided from the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), a federal Department of Transportation grant program that provides funding for airport development and planning. The first grant, for $6.8 million, will help fund the paving of the airport’s new 7,100 foot runway, which was realigned to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) design standards. The second grant, for $3.2 million, will support the construction of an instrument landing system (ILS) to guide planes as they approach and land. Senator Cantwell has strongly supported the building of an ILS throughout the ongoing project, including highlighting its importance to the airport in meetings with the FAA.

As the former Chair and current top Democrat on the Senate Aviation Subcommittee, Senator Cantwell has been a strong advocate of federal grant money to help fund the runway realignment project at Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, as well as for airport projects throughout the state of Washington. In 2017, she helped secure $5.2 million for Pullman-Moscow to begin the runway realignment project. Since 2014, Senator Cantwell has helped secure more than $41 million in funding for airport improvements in the state. And in March of 2018, she worked with her colleagues to secure a $1 billion increase in funding for the Airport Improvement Grant program, which has provided funding for Pullman-Moscow and many other projects throughout the state.

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