FAA stalemate holds up grants for JIA

A stalemate over funding for the Federal Aviation Authority is holding up the award of $1.5 million in federal grants for Jacksonville International Airport and also stopped work on about $300,000 of construction at the air traffic control center in Hilliard.

The FAA also furloughed one employee from the Hilliard center until the dispute is resolved.

The partial shutdown of the FAA stems from a failure by Congress to pass a bill continuing the agency’s operating authority, which ended last Friday. FAA furloughed 4,000 employees nationwide without pay and issued dozens of stop-work orders.

The lack of operating authority means airlines cannot collect taxes on ticket that amount to $30 million a day. FAA also cannot award $2.5 billion in airport improvement projects.

The agency says thousands of jobs in the private and public sectors are affected by the lack of a bill authorizing continued operation.

Air traffic controllers and other FAA employees who inspect the safety of planes have continued to be on the job.

According to The Associated Press, neither Democrats nor Republicans have signalled willingness to compromise over sticking points. House Republicans insist on eliminating $16.5 million in grants to air services to 13 rural airports. Democrats say Republicans are trying to impose changes that could make it harder for workers to unionize plane.

Hilliard involves the construction of a new roof the administrative offices and the installation of a "cable leak," according to the FAA.

The agency also issued an order stopping work on a contract of $ 370 million for Jacobs Engineering for architecture, engineering and construction centers, air traffic control in Florida, seven other states, Puerto Rico and Washington DC The agency did not specify what amount, if any, of the $370 million is for the Hilliard air traffic control center.

david.bauerlein@jacksonville.