Bill Bennett: “I, along with the senior senator from Utah, am introducing today legislation to authorize the Secretary of…”

“I, along with the senior senator from Utah, am introducing today legislation to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to release restrictions on the use of certain property conveyed to the city of St. George, Utah for airport purposes. On October 17, 2008, the City of St. George, UT, and the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, broke ground on the construction of a new replacement airport, which will provide enhanced air service to the over 300,000 residents of southern Utah. The total project will cost $168 million and the start of operations at the replacement airport is scheduled for January 1, 2011. The project is being funded largely through Federal grants covered by a letter of intent from the FAA in the amount of $119 million. The City of St. George is financing its $44 million local share of the replacement airport through the sale of the existing airport property totaling 274 acres to Anderson Development Services Inc. Recently it was discovered that 40 acres of the existing airport site was acquired by the City of St. George under Section 16 of the Federal Airport Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 173; 49 U.S.C. 1115) and can only be used for airport purposes.”