PICKENS COUNTY — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced on Nov. 22 that the Department of Transportation will award $2.2 million in airport infrastructure grants to two airports in the state of South Carolina.
With this announcement, the current administration has invested $10.8 billion in more than 2,000 American airports across the United States for safety and infrastructure improvements since January 2017.
“The robust economy is enabling more passengers to travel by air so this administration is investing billions of dollars in America’s airports which will address safer airport operations, fewer airport delays, and greater ease of travel for air travelers,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.
On Friday, Chao announced Oconee County Regional Airport has been awarded $1.2 million to fund the expansion of an aircraft parking area and Pickens County Airport landed $1 million to fund the acquisition of land for development of a general aviation hangar.
Officials said the two Upstate grants were part of a $485 million federal investment in America’s airports.
The administration not only supports infrastructure through funding – it is making it possible to deliver these much-needed improvements more quickly, they said.
“The Department is working hard to streamline the approval process, cut unnecessary red tape and reduce unnecessary, duplicate regulations that do not contribute to safety,” they said. “These investments and reforms are especially timely because the U.S. economy is robust, growing by 2.8 percent in the first half of 2019. Employers have added more than 6 million jobs since January 2017. The unemployment rate is still a remarkable 3.6 percent—the lowest in 50 years.”
Officials say aviation is an important part of that growth.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. civil aviation supports more than 5 percent of U.S. gross domestic product; $1.6 trillion in economic activity; and nearly 11 million jobs.
