STATE OF ILLINOIS
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS 62706
Secretary Ray LaHood
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20590
January 3, 2012
Dear Secretary LaHood,
General aviation plays a critical role in our economy and I write to you today to ask that you join me in recognizing its vital importance to the economies and communities across the nation.
The State of Illinois has a significant interest in the continued vitality of general aviation because we are home to 112 airports which serve 27,000 pilots and 10,578 aircraft. In addition, it contributes $6 billion to Illinois’ economy which makes it the seventh highest in the nation. In this time of high unemployment, it also accounted for 3,102 full-time jobs and 1,145 part-time jobs. Many communities in Illinois depend heavily on general aviation and community airports for the continued flow of commerce, visitors to our state, and perhaps most importantly, response to emergencies and natural disasters.
For all states, general aviation aircraft and the airports they utilize represent a critical link to emergency services, economic opportunity and many other important resources and services. In this time of economic uncertainty, we both agree that maintaining our nation’s financial security must remain a priority. As you work to create long term stability for our nation’s financial future, I ask that you also consider policies that are supportive of our nation’s general aviation community.
Sincerely,
Pat Quinn Governor