Privately owned airports in New Jersey are one step closer to getting protection from condemnation by municipalities after a bill supported by the New Jersey aviation community and AOPA passed the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee on June 19. The measure, S.B.559, now moves to the full senate. “Because 28 of the state’s 43 public-use GA airports are privately owned, this kind of protection is particularly important for New Jersey,” said Joey Colleran, AOPA manager of legislative affairs. “That’s why we’ve spent so much time in Trenton, working with lawmakers to find ways to protect privately owned fields from eminent domain proceedings.” Private airports in the state are threatened by encroaching commercial and residential development, and without legal protection, local governments can seize privately owned airport property and convert it to nonaviation uses.
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