The Associated Press reported today that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay would support the repeal of the Wright Amendment, which restricts flights from Love Field in Dallas:
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Wednesday that he would vote for repeal of the Wright Amendment, but that for now he is staying out of the debate on the issue.
[snip]
DeLay, the House’s No. 2 Republican, said he is staying out of the legislative fight for now and believes the issue should be worked out by the Dallas-Fort Worth delegation. But DeLay, who first ran for government office because of his disdain for federal environmental regulations, said he opposes the law on principle.
“I never supported the Wright Amendment,” he said. “I think it interferes with free market principles. If we’re ever going tohave a viable airline industry in this country, we have to go more toward free market principles rather than using government to pick winners and losers.”
Lefty Chronicle columnist Cragg Hines has previously criticized the Wright Amendment. Having House Majority Leader DeLay as an ally may well make his head explode.
The Chronicle was forced to pick up the AP coverage, since its ineffective D.C. bureau rarely nails such stories.
Locally, Tom Kirkendall has been a good source of commentary on the Wright Amendment.
