Wednesday, May 06, 2009
A busy day at the John Murtha Airport
At most busy airports around the country, an observer might see three planes taking off within just minutes of each other. But at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, a plane watcher would be hard pressed to see three flights depart for an entire day. The lack of commercial traffic at the airport wouldn’t be a big deal, except for the fact that the airport has been the recipient of $200 million in federal funding, thanks to its local congressman, John Murtha (D-PA). Dubbed the “King of Pork” by critics, Murtha has successfully steered hundreds of millions of dollars to his district, including $800,000 just this year from the stimulus package—to repave a backup runway.
Other federal appropriations for the airport have included $8 million to build a radar system for detecting weather problems more than 100 miles away. The radar is currently unused. In 2006, the Defense Department spent $17.8 million to replace a 7,000-foot-long asphalt runway with a reinforced concrete bed capable of handling larger civilian and military jets—that have never landed.
Taxpayers for Common Sense spokesman Steve Ellis remarked about the airport: “It’s an exercise in spending more money than sense.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Murtha's Earmarks Keep Airport Aloft (by Carol Leonnig, Washington Post)
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