Airport History

The Morning News published last month an Associated Press article that painted a very distorted picture of the new regional airport being built in Northwest Arkansas. I would like to offer an historical perspective that should demonstrate that this project is not a partisan political issue.

For 26 years, I had the privilege of representing the people of Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District as a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives. Throughout that period there were several efforts to build a new airport. Earlier efforts failed primarily for a variety of local reasons.

But the Federal Aviation Administration has long recognized the need for a new airport in Northwest Arkansas. The existing airport, Drake Field in Fayetteville, is surrounded by mountains, a highway, railroad tracks and the White River. It is plagued by fog problems, and anyone who flies in or out of Drake Field in a regular basis can attest to the problem of canceled flights.

The recent effort to build a new airport began in 1990, and I am proud of the role I was able to play in getting this project started. Before retiring from the House in January 1993,1 had the privilege of serving as the ranking Republican member of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee. In September 1 990. I was the host for a field hearing in Springdale that was attended by 14 members of the committee.

Northwest Arkansas was at that time, and still is, one of the fastest growing regions of the country. The purpose of the hearing was to hear testimony from business and government leaders from throughout Northwest Arkansas about the need for improvements to the region's transportation system. The committee heard compelling testimony from several people, including the late Sam s Walton founder of Wal-Mart Stores, Don Tyson, then board chairman of Tyson Foods; and J.B. Hunt, then board chairman of J.B. Hunt Transport.

As a result of the clearly demonstrated aviation needs, a planning grant for the regional airport project was announced in November 1990 by then-Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner who would go on to become White House chief of staff for President Bush. The project has enjoyed the continued support of U.S. Sens. Dale Bumpers and David Pryor, both Democrats, as well as my successor, Congressman Tim Hutchinson, a fellow Republican. As you can clearly see, a new regional airport for Northwest Arkansas is not a partisan political issue.

The AP article correctly pointed out that the Walton and Tyson families have been supportive of the regional airport project. Their support for a new airport also dates back more than 25 years. The article then made an unfounded leap, connecting the two families' support of the airport to their past support of President Clinton and the federal funding for the new airport. First, the article failed to mention that the Tyson' recent support for Republican presidential candidates has been widely reported in the press. Second, the FAA's support for a new airport in Northwest Arkansas goes back at least to the early 1970s when a young college professor named Bill Clinton was trying unsuccessfully to take my seat in Congress.

It should be noted that all of the federal funding for this project comes from the Aviation Trust Fund, which is paid for by users of the aviation system, not the general treasury.

The simple fact is that a new airport in Northwest Arkansas is a much needed project. It has never been a partisan political issue.

John Paul Hammerschmidt, Ret.
U.S. House of Representatives