News File Photo Alpena County Regional Airport is seen in this News file photo.

ALPENA — The U.S.Senate is preparing to vote on important funding that could impact commercial air service in Alpena.

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing, Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act last week and in it, there is full funding for Essential Air Service Airports (EAS), such as Alpena, that helps them maintain quality air service.

Alpena County utilizes its EAS funding to contract with SkyWest Airlines for commercial air travel.

The bipartisan bill protects full funding for the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which helps small and rural communities remain connected to the National Airspace System. It also contains language that prevents President Trump’s administration from cutting, renegotiating, or otherwise altering an existing EAS airport contract unless it is requested by the community it serves.

The provision helps defend Michigan communities from being targeted by the Trump Administration’s promise to cut $308 million from the EAS program.

Michigan has nine communities eligible for the Essential Air Service program — Alpena, Escanaba, Hancock/Houghton, Iron Mountain/Kingsford, Ironwood, Manistee/Ludington, Muskegon, Pellston, and Sault Ste. Marie. All of those communities could be greatly impacted if there were significant cuts to the EAS program.

Alpena County Commissioner John Kozlowski said the county and airport heavily rely on the EAS allocation, which covers the cost of the contract with SkyWest. He said a cut in funding could force SkyWest to make some difficult decisions on how it operates in Alpena.

“For where we are, having quality air service is critical because without it, people would have to drive three to five hours just to catch a flight,” Kozlowski said. “I’m not sure how a cut to EAS would impact us or SkyWest, but maybe our schedule gets reduced. SkyWest would be forced to make decisions on what it can and can’t do and that isn’t ideal.”

The appropriation bill is not a done deal yet. The Senate will soon vote on it and if it passes, it will need to be approved by the House, which is currently considering similar appropriations. When and if the House and Senate agree on the spending bill, it would then be sent to Trump for his signature.

U.S. Senator Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Twp., said the airport in Alpena is critical for people to connect with the rest of the world and for future growth in Northeast Michigan. He also said he would continue to push back on proposed cuts to the EAS program.

“The Essential Air Service program provides Alpena County Regional Airport with the resources it needs to connect its community to Detroit and, from there, destinations all over the world,” Peters said in a statement to The News. “That’s why I fought for this key provision that protects our airports from proposed EAS funding cuts by the Trump administration, and further prevents efforts to make any changes to current service contracts without approval from the community at hand. Airports are critically important economic hubs for rural communities across Michigan, and I’ll always push back against efforts that impact the safe and reliable air service that my constituents depend on. I look forward to working in a bipartisan way to get this provision passed into law.”

A message was left with Congressman Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, seeking comment on his position on the EAS funding.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.