By Daniel Baxter

WASHINGTON, DC – May 1, 2009, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced more than $229 million for aviation infrastructure under the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). "This Administration is committed to getting the U.S. economy going again and these grants are a part of making that happen,” said Secretary LaHood. "This grant represents a critical investment in our nation's airport infrastructure that will boost the local economy by providing jobs for the area.”

The following states and territories will receive ARRA aviation grants: Alaska, Alabama, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Northern Mariania Islands, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming. About 3,400 airports designated as part of the national airport system are eligible to receive ARRA funds. The FAA is moving swiftly to work with airport sponsors to ensure eligible projects have completed or nearly completed, design and planning requirements. Under ARRA, the FAA received $1.1 billion to allocate to qualified airports on a discretionary basis. That funding will be distributed based on a project priority system that addresses airport safety and security, infrastructure, runway safety, increased capacity, and mitigation of environmental impacts.