Schatz joins in introducing legislation to improve airport resilience, preparedness

US Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) joined colleagues in introducing legislation aimed at improving the infrastructure at airports to make them more resilient to severe weather and natural disaster events.

“Hawai‘i’s airports are threatened by more frequent and severe storms and sea level rise. The federal government can and should do more to help them better adapt. Our bill will strengthen airport infrastructure, giving them more federal resources to help them face these challenges,” said Senator Schatz.

He joined Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) in introducing the measure.

“This bill would give airports added flexibility to use existing airport improvement funding to prepare for and rebuild following severe weather events. This is particularly important for facilities in states like North Carolina, where we have a lot of experience with hurricanes and flooding. I am pleased to join Senator Schatz in this important effort to ensure our airports have the resources available to recover quickly from severe storm damage,” said Senator Budd.

Senators Schatz and Budd said their bill would expand the eligible uses of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program funds to help protect airports from severe weather and help minimize air travel disruptions.