The Non-Stimulus Stimulus, Part 4,376

We've already seen how stimulus money has been used on such worthy causes as unnecessary construction projects, bridges to nowhere, and lobster traps.  But it won't stop there.

Unfortunately, I suspect we'll need to get used to stories like this:

If pigs could fly, they would probably take off and land at John Murtha-Johnstown Cambria County Airport in Pennsylvania.

Two hours east of Pittsburgh, it averages just 20 passengers a day. But its namesake, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a powerful and controversial member of the House Appropriations Committee, has steered some $150 million to the airport over the years. That includes $30 million for never-used capability to handle huge military aircraft and store gear for rapid deployment.

The airport also received $800,000 in stimulus funds.

It's far from the only one. An IBD analysis found that $154 million in stimulus funds is going to low-traffic rural airports that already get subsidies and tax breaks — and whose net economic benefit is a matter of considerable debate.

The Obama administration touts airport infrastructure spending as a way to right the economy.

Robert Poole, director of transportation policy at the libertarian Reason Public Policy Foundation, says small airports are "unlikely" to do much to stimulate economic development.

"This is more of what Congress loves to do: Take money that for the most part is paid for by air travelers at busy airports and ship it off to tiny areas with hardly any airline service," Poole said.

The stimulus package provides an extra $1.1 billion for the Airport Improvement Program. The AIP, which got $3.5 billion this year through the normal budget process, funds projects such as the construction and repair of runways, terminals and safety facilities.

Thus far, 271 airports have received stimulus money. Fifty-five are rural airports that have fewer than 100,000 passengers annually. Such airports are exempt from the federal segment tax, a $3.60 levy on tickets per flight segment. On top of the $154 million from the stimulus, they'll get about $82 million in AIP funds in 2008 and 2009.

Of the stimulus money, $36.6 million will go to 11 "nonprimary commercial service" airports that serve 2,500 to 10,000 passengers a year.

Cedar City Regional Airport in southwest Utah is deemed rural and nonprimary. It serves Cedar City, population about 27,700, with two daily flights to Salt Lake City.

Over the last two years, an average of 23 passengers a day used the airport. It received more than $1 million of AIP funds in 2008 to build a taxiway and is now getting $4.5 million in stimulus funds to revamp its runway.

*sigh*

There's my two cents.