THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON DC 20590 

The Honorable Amy Klobuchar 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Senator Klobuchar: 

July 17, 2012 

Thank you for your letter supporting the proposal submitted by the Rochester International 

Airport for a grant under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service 

Development Program. 

The Small Community Air Service Development Program was established to help smaller 

communities address air service deficiencies, particularly issues related to high airfares or 

insufficient service. Under the statute, the Department may make a maximum of 40 grant 

awards each year, although no more than 4 awards may be to communities in the same State. 

In order to provide communities with latitude in developing solutions to their air service 

deficiencies, the statute provides flexibility in the types of projects that can be funded. 

On May 15, the Department issued an order requesting that communities interested in receiving a 

grant this year file their applications by June 11. ·As these grant requests are pending before the 

Department, I cannot comment on the merits of any particular proposal. I assure you that the 

Department will give full and fair consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed. 

As is our normal practice, I run placing a y, f your letter and this response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2012-0069 as a conta outs' e t record of this matter. I appr ··ate your interest in 

this program. 
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The Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary of Transportation 

U.S. Department ofTransportation 

400 i 11 Street, S. W. 

Washington D.C. 20590 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

W.<\SIW·JGTON, DC :0510 

June 20,2012 

I write to express my support for Rochester Intcmational Airport's grant application for a 

Small Community Air Service Development grant in the amount of $500,000 from the U.S. 

Department of Transportation under Docket DOT-OST-2012-0069. The funds will be combined 

with $200,000 of local non-airport funding from the city of Rochester and used to recruit new air 

services that are critically needed in the area. 

[n the last three years, one third of the airline service at the Rochester International 

Airport in Rochester, Minnesota has been lost, affecting a critical hub for commerce and 

healthcare services in the region. Both the headquarters for the Mayo Clinic and a major facility 

for rBM are located in the Rochester area, along with other dynamic and growing businesses. 

Quality air service is needed by both these organizations as well as the rest of Rochester's 

business community to serve their customers and compete globally. 

This grant will help maintain a much needed resource in the Rochester area by attracting 

additional air services that will serve the needs of Minnesotans and support a growing regional 

economy. With the support of the Small Community Air Service Development grant the 

Rochester International Aitpoh will continue to provide critical air services to Rochester and the 

·surrounding area. 

For the reasons above, I encourage your strongest consideration of Rochester 

International Airport's grant proposal. If you have any questions or need additional infonnation, 

please contact Greg Bohrer in my Minnesota office at (612)727-5220 or by email at . 

Greg_ Bohrer@klobuchar.scnate.gov. 

Sincerely, 

(\~ \L\~A<Jv\ AmyKl<S~ 

United States Senator