Thousand Oaks, CA— Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) announced that through the end of the fiscal year, the contract tower at Oxnard airport and the FAA staffed tower at Camarillo airport will be protected from sequester spending cuts and job furloughs, and remain open. Today’s announcement comes after Brownley’s efforts to provide the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding flexibility to keep these contract towers open.
“The Camarillo and Oxnard contact towers are critical to aviation safety in Ventura County,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “Today’s announcement shows that our country is the strongest when Congress works together in a bi-partisan manner to solve our nation’s problems. As Ventura County continues to feel the effects of sequestration, I remain committed to finding solutions that will protect our families and keep our communities safe.”
“I am pleased that the FAA has made the decision to keep our control towers open as they are critical components of our aviation system that provide coordination and an additional level of safety for our communities,” said Todd McNamee, Director of Airports for Ventura County. “On behalf of the County of Ventura, I wish to thank Congresswoman Brownley and her talented staff for their support and efforts that resulted in this FAA decision. I am very impressed with the level of support her office provided as we worked together on this issue.”
Earlier this year, the FAA announced that both towers would close due to sequestration. However, Julia Brownley stepped in and personally urged FAA Administrator Huerta to keep the towers open through a letter she authored on March 14. Brownley also worked with colleagues across the aisle in a letter urging U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to act swiftly in applying funds to contract towers across the country.
Brownley supported the Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013, a bi-partisan bill that passed and provided FAA the funding flexibility to keep 149 low activity contract towers open, including towers at the Camarillo and Oxnard airports. This action will prevent furlough cuts for the remainder of fiscal year 2013.
Link to the Brownley letter to the Federal Aviation Administration: LINK.
Link to the Brownley letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation: LINK.
Issues: 113th Congress, Jobs, Economy, and Small Business, Local Issues, Transportation and Infrastructure