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Newsroom
Houston, TX – (August 25, 2009) – Mayor Bill White and the Houston Airport System (HAS) have announced that the City of Houston Department of Aviation has received $8.8 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to install new state-of-the-art equipment at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) that is expected to reduce emissions by up to 60 percent.
The two grants awarded through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) will allow the purchase and installation of new solar panels, heaters and chillers in the airport’s central operating plant which controls the air conditioning and heating in all five airport terminals. These upgrades will replace the outdated gas-powered steam generation system currently used in the facility.
“This meets two of our major goals as we continue to improve our airport system - operating more efficiently, and with significantly reduced emissions,” said Mayor White. “These benefits don’t stop at the end of the runways.”
One of the grants is a $5 million contribution from the FAA’s Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) program, a nationally competitive initiative designed to reduce airport ground emissions at commercial service airports located in regions of the country with higher than normal pollution levels, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The project allows airports to use grants to finance low-emission vehicles, refueling and recharging stations, gate electrification and other airport air quality improvements. Currently the entire Sedan/SUV fleet at HAS is composed of hybrids and more than half of them were purchased with VALE grants.
“We have presented some very unique ideas to the FAA and we’ve already worked closely and successfully with them on eight other green projects,” says Eric Potts interim director of aviation for the city of Houston. Potts also added that, “this project will allow IAH to significantly shrink its environmental footprint and that is good news for all of us.”
To date, only nine airport operators in the U.S. have received VALE grants and the most recent grant to IAH is among the largest ever issued. In order to expedite the project the system will be designed and built to order, beginning in 2010 and is scheduled for completion in 2011.
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The Houston Airport System (HAS) served more than 50 million passengers in 2008, ranking as the 4th largest multi-airport system in the U.S. and the 6th largest airport in the world. Houston's three airports contribute more than $24 billion to the regional economy and are responsible for the employment of 151,000 people. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), now celebrating its 40th Anniversary, is the 8th busiest airport in the nation. William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and Ellington Airport (EFD) together have served the Texas Gulf Coast region for more than 150 years. For more information, visit fly2houston.com and watch "Houston Airports Today" every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. on KTBU My Channel 55.
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