From the South Bend Tribune:
Airport officials across Indiana hope a new study of their economic impact will give them leverage as they try to persuade state lawmakers to help fund their operations.
The new study found the state's 69 tax-funded airports account for nearly 70,000 jobs and more than $14 billion in spending, The Indianapolis Star reported.
The findings come at a crucial time for airports. Starting this year, the federal government has reduced the portion of airport capital projects that are paid for with federal money to 90 percent from 95 percent.
That means the amount airports and state government pay for projects will double.
"As we go into a budget year, we want to make sure the Legislature understands the importance of airports," said Bart Giesler, executive director of the Aviation Association of Indiana, which co-sponsored the study with Conexus Indiana.
The state gives airports about $1.2 million for capital projects each year, but while that's a relatively low number, it helps bring in federal money, Giesler said. The state gets about $70 million in federal money for federal projects annually.
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http://www.southbendtribune.com/business/sbt-airports-hope-study-delivers-state-money-20121120,0,5416203.story
