1. Stewardship and Oversight of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP)
Federal Aviation
Administration
Stewardship and Oversight of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP)
Prepared for: Biennial Fraud Awareness Conference
Arlington, Virginia Presented by: Elliott Black
Deputy Director Office of Airport Planning and Programming Federal Aviation Administration
Date: Wednesday, July 28, 2010

2. Track Title
“Implication of Fraud on the
Safety of Infrastructure Projects”

3. Overview
Overview of the FAA Office of Airports
Focus on the Airport Improvement Program (AIP)
Relationship between AIP and other FAA programs and functions
How the FAA leverages limited Federal resources to protect the traveling public
Best practices in stewardship and oversight

4. FAA Office of Airports—key program areas
Planning support
Environmental review
Financial assistance programs
Planning, engineering and construction standards
Airport certification program (CFR Part 139)
Compliance with grant assurances
(work from slide)

5. National planning standards and guidance
Planning Support
National planning standards and guidance
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS)
Ensure sponsors are eligible
Identify eligible and justified projects
Work with state aeronautical agencies on state system plans
Support metropolitan system plans
Work with individual airport sponsors to review activity forecasts, draft airport master plans and Airport Layout Plans (ALPs)
(work from slide)

6. Environmental Review
Review proposed development (regardless of funding source) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Ensure proper coordination including public consultation and interagency review
Evaluate ability of proposed actions to secure other environmental permits
(work from slide)

7. Financial Assistance Programs
Airport Improvement Program (AIP)
Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) program
(work from slide)

8. Airport Improvement Program (AIP)

9. Airport Improvement Program (AIP)
Ticket taxes flow into the Airport & Airway Trust Fund.
Congress appropriates funds for the FAA to award grants to eligible airport sponsors.
Requires local match (varies based on airport size).
Strict eligibility rules based on different AIP funding categories, facility types, airport sizes and functions and other criteria. (continued)

10. Airport Improvement Program (AIP) (cont’d)
Strict implementation rules.
Federal procurement regulations.
Grant assurances and obligations.
Use of electronic clearinghouse to maximize electronic funds transfer.

11. Structure of Airport Improvement Program (AIP) FY-2009 ($3
Structure of Airport Improvement Program (AIP) FY-2009 ($3.4 billion in new grants) (excludes ARRA funds)
Capacity-Safety-Security-
Noise (CSSN)
7.9%
Noise
6.1%
Reliever
0.1%
MAP
0.7%
Remaining Discretionary
10.6%
Primary Entitlements
25.1%
State Apportionment
7.9%
Protected Entitlements
18.4%
Cargo Entitlements
3.5%
Nonprimary Entitlements
12.1%
Alaska Supplemental
0.6%
Small Airport Fund
14.9%
The point of including this slide is to highlight the fact that there are different eligibility rules for different categories within AIP – and that often a single grant contains more than one category of funds.
Data Source: Internal FAA data (pending publication of FY-2009 Annual Report to Congress).

12. Program Structure and Administration of the AIP
More than 2,000 annual grants awarded nationwide.
Broad variety of grants and grant recipients:
Size and type of airport organizations.
Variety of relationships with state and local governments.
Range of capabilities and resources of the state aeronautical agencies.
Variability of internal staff resources and expertise.
Variety of project sizes, types and implementation timeframes.
Variability of consultant support.
Tremendous geographic distribution.
Different state laws affecting capital planning and grant administration.

13. Complex system of diverse airports
Airport Type
Number of Airports
% of U.S. Enplanements
Examples
Large Hub (>1.0% of all enplanements) 29
68.0%
JFK, Chicago O’Hare, LAX, DFW, Atlanta, etc.
Medium Hub ( % of all enplanements) 37
20.0%
Anchorage, Kansas City, Cleveland, Reno, etc.
Small Hub ( % of all enplanements) 72
8.0%
Richmond, Des Moines, Akron-Canton, Fresno, etc.
Non-Hub (>10,000 enplanements, but less than 0.05% of all enplanements)
244
3.0%
Nantucket, Charleston, Duluth, Phoenix Mesa, etc.
Non-Primary Commercial Service (>2,500 enplanements and scheduled service)
121
0.1%
Cold Bay (AK), Saranac Lake (NY), Cedar City (UT)
Relievers (>100 based aircraft or 25,000 annual itinerant operations—other criteria apply as well)
269
0.0%
Teterboro, Oakland-Pontiac Van Nuys, etc.
General Aviation
2,560
Akiachak (AK), Allentown Queen City (PA), etc.
NPIAS airports
= 3,332
99.1%
+ Low Activity Landing Areas
16,402
0.9%
= Grand Total
16,732
Key points here will be:
Lots of different types of airports
Different roles in the system
Different infrastructure needs
Acknowledge that we are initiating a review and potential better ways to delineate roles within the GA category.

15. Relationships with State and Local Governments
Airports may be owned and operated by:
States
Counties
Municipalities
Independent authorities
Joint government agencies (e.g., multiple towns or cities)
Channeling Act provisions
Block-grant provisions
(work from slide)

16. State Block Grant Program
Core element is to give states greater control over where to apply AIP State Apportionment funds, in return for taking on greater responsibility for the associated capital planning, grant administration and related legal and administrative requirements.
Limited to ten (10) states.
Nature of partnership between FAA and block-grant states:
Block-grant state takes on Federal responsibilities, including all legal responsibilities.
Careful balance to be achieved in other relationships (i.e., with individual airports and other state agencies).
Federal funds are still Federal funds, even in a block grant.
Additional point to be made orally under the last bullet point:
Can be difficult for state agencies that want to function as agent, and at the same time advocate for the local airports, to objectively and effectively enforce Federal obligations.
For reference, current list of SBGs includes:
Wisconsin
Illinois
Michigan
Missouri
Pennsylvania
Texas
Tennessee
North Carolina
New Hampshire (relatively new)
Georgia (relatively new)

17. State Block Grant Program (cont’d)

18. Stewardship and Oversight
Education, publication and guidance
Internal FAA staff
State aeronautical agencies
Airport sponsors
Planning and engineering consultant communities
Pre-application process
Application and review process
Grant approval process
Risk-based approach to grant administration
Grant closeout

19. Education, Publication and Guidance
Internal FAA staff
State aeronautical agencies
Airport sponsors
Consultant communities
Airport planning
Airport engineering
Construction management
Financial planning and advisory firms
Accounting firms

20. Recent Points of Additional Emphasis to Airports
“Re-familiarize yourself and your staff with all Federal grant requirements.”
“Ensure airport staff and consultant personnel understand the importance of complete, clear and timely documentation.”
“If you are not prepared to be held accountable in every regard, then consider carefully before requesting and accepting Federal funds.”
“AIP certification requires grantees to certify that they will not be giving grants to debarred or suspended parties.”

21. Pre-Application Process
Ensure projects proposed for grants are consistent with established national criteria.
Ensure amounts and types of entitlement funding are accurate for each sponsor.
Ensure budgetary sub-allotments are duly authorized and entered correctly in the agency’s accounting system of record.

23. Application and Review Process
FAA reviews grant applications for completeness and consistency with the established Airports Capital Improvement Plan (ACIP) process.
Ensure FAA does not offer grants to sponsors that have been determined to be noncompliant with grant assurances.
Ensure sponsor risk level is properly established and/or updated before recommendation for funding is initiated.

24. Risk Level Assignment

25. Grant Approval Process
Ensure that grants programmed (for either new or amended grants) do not exceed available funds.
Ensure Grant Offer letter (and any amendments) meet all AIP grant requirements.
Ensure sponsor certifies that it has the legal authority to accept the grant and all associated conditions.
Ensure that only authorized obligations are entered into Delphi.

26. Risk-Based Approach to Grant Administration
Ensure that only sponsors in good standing get access to ECHO, and only after specific authorization.
For non-ECHO payments, ensure that only approved payments are made.
For ECHO payments, ensure that sponsors with repeated drawdown irregularities lose ECHO access.
Ensure any sponsor that is suspended cannot access the ECHO system.
Ensure sponsors submit quarterly performance reports.
Standardized nationwide documentation requirements.

27. Internal Reviews and Evaluations

28. Grant Closeout and Documentation
Ensure final project documentation requirements are fulfilled.
Ensure FAA notifies sponsors of grant closeout.
Ensure grant closeout is entered in both accounting system of record and grant planning system.
Ensure sponsor cannot draw or reimburse funds through ECHO once grant is closed.
Ensure that funds recovery procedures (if applicable) are followed.

29. Audit Requirements
Ensure that sponsors who receive more than $300,000 in Federal funds in a given year satisfy all OMB Circular A-133 audit requirements.
Ensure FAA follows up on any discrepancies found in an audit report.

30. Tools and Metrics for Monitoring Grant Drawdown

31. Tools and Metrics for Monitoring Grant Drawdown

32. Airport Design Standards
Establish and promulgate standards and policies
FAA Advisory Circulars mandatory for all Federally obligated airports:
Planning—e.g., runway length, runway/taxiway separation, Runway Safety Areas (RSAs), Runway Protection Zones (RPZs), Object-Free Areas (OFAs), airspace review process, signage and marking requirements, etc.
Engineering—e.g., pavement design standards, drainage, electrical and lighting requirements, surface treatment (grooving), etc.
Construction—quality control for construction, operational safety during construction, NOTAM process, obstruction lighting, etc.
Maintenance and operations—e.g., snow and ice control, runway surface condition monitoring, rubber removal, preservation of pavement markings, ARFF communications, etc.

33. 14 CFR Part 139 Airport Certification
Periodic inspection of airports (both scheduled and unscheduled surveillance)
Assist airport operator in meeting regulatory requirements
Continuous educational outreach to disseminate best practices in airport management
Inspect certificated airports to:
Ensure compliance with the regulation, including self-inspection and documentation requirements
Ensure FAA design standards are being followed
Check for operational and construction safety
Verify airport emergency response capability

34. Airport Safety Data Program (non-certificated airports)
State aeronautical agencies inspect non-certificated airports—approximately one-third of the public use, non-Part 139 airports annually.
Inspectors document and notify airport owners/ operators of any:
Safety deficiencies
Unsafe conditions
Potential problem areas
FAA trains inspectors through GCR (initial and recurrent training).
GCR also maintains the publicly accessible 5010 database containing all airport master records.

35. Compliance with AIP Grant Assurances
Acceptance of Federal funding obligates airports to comply with an extensive list of grant assurances:
General Federal Requirements
Responsibility and Authority of the Sponsor
Sponsor Fund Availability
Good Title
Preserving Rights and Powers
Consistency with Local Plans
Consideration of Local Interest
Consultation with Users
Public Hearings
Air and Water Quality Standards
Pavement Preventive Maintenance
Terminal Development Prerequisites
Accounting System, Audit, and Record Keeping Requirements
Minimum Wage Rates
Veteran's Preference
Conformity to Plans and Specifications
Construction Inspection and Approval
Planning Projects
Operation and Maintenance
Hazard Removal and Mitigation
Compatible Land Use
Economic Nondiscrimination
Exclusive Rights
Fee and Rental Structure
Airport Revenues
Reports and Inspections
Use by Government Aircraft
Land for Federal Facilities
Airport Layout Plan
Civil Rights
Disposal of Land
Engineering and Design Services
Foreign Market Restrictions
Policies, Standards, and Specifications
Relocation and Real Property Acquisition
Access By Intercity Buses
Disadvantaged Business Enterprises
Hangar Construction
Competitive Access
For complete text of all assurances, see

36. Summary
Complex program requiring unique measures to protect Federal resources.
Extensive education, publication and guidance
Oversight and stewardship measures before, during and after grant award
Risk-based approach to grant management
Corollary means of monitoring performance, efficiency and effectiveness
Program administered in conjunction with other programs to ensure safety of the traveling public

37. Thank you! Questions? Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation
Elliott Black
Deputy Director
Office of Airport Planning and Programming
(202)