WASHINGTON – More than 100 small airports nationwide are facing federal budget cuts that could ground commuter flights and strip rural communities of a crucial connection to airline hubs.

The White House budget for the 2005 fiscal year would eliminate aid to 23 airports – including one serving Augusta and Waterville in Maine – and force 82 more to pay part of the costs to continue commuter flights to hub airports. Without the funding, many of the small airports would have to eliminate commuter air service, Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., said Tuesday.

In turn, he said, that could stymie economic development efforts in already cash-strapped areas.

“There seems to be nobody looking out for rural America,” said Peterson, co-chairman of the 130-member Congressional Rural Caucus, who threatened to block legislation if the money is not restored. “We don’t seem to have a defender [who] understands that when a rural area loses air services, it loses a lot of its economic tools to grow.”

The budget would cut funding under the Essential Air Service program to $50 million – down from its current $113 million level, a Transportation Department spokesman said. That would force some remote airports to pay part of the costs of commuter flights to hubs, and others to pick up the entire tab on their own.

The budget offers the following breakdown:

. 49 airports beyond 250 miles from a hub would have to pay 10 percent of commuter flight costs. The Maine airports among them serve Bar Harbor and Presque Isle.

. 33 airports between 100 and 250 miles of a hub would have to pay 25 percent of the costs. The Maine airport among them serves Rockland.

. 23 airports within 100 miles of a hub would not be eligible for any EAS flight aid, but could qualify for a 50 percent federal funding match for bus or other transit.

Transportation Department spokesman Leonardo Alcivar said the budget avoids a “one size fits all” approach for the 105 small and rural airports seeking funding in the face of a growing federal deficit.

The Bush budget “would direct funding to the communities that need it most, and offer more service options,” Alcivar said. “This approach will provide communities with service that is better tailored to their individual needs and at a lower cost.”

Peterson, who helped win a one-year delay in cuts to rural airports last fall, said Rural Caucus members planned to team up with about 50 House lawmakers from western states to fight the budget cuts by threatening to block upcoming bills. He did not commit to blocking any particular bill.