U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the-Secretary 

of Transpor:talion 

The Honorable Scott Tipton 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Congressman Tipton: 

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JUL 5 2012 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

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Thank you for your letter supporting the proposal submitted by Montrose Airport for a grant 

under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development 

Program. 

The Small Community Air Service Deveiopment 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 am placing a copy of your letter and this response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2012-0069 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely yours, 

-~~ Aloha Ley 

Associate Director 

Small Community Program 
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June II, 2012 

Associate Director Aloha Ley . . • 

US J)epartment of Transpohation 

Department's Docket Operations and Media Management Division, Room PL-40 I, 

Department ofTranspOiiation, 400 7'h Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20590. 

RE: Small Community Air Service Development Grant 

Dear Director Ley, 

.. . . .. . I airi .pleased to write this letter on behalf of the Montrose Airport. The airport is working to secure 

federal support through the Small Community Air Service Development Grant. 

Montrose Airport is a non-towered public airport located in Southwest, Colorado, which provides 

critical access to some of Colorado's most scenic areas as well as ski resorts. Montrose is highly 

dependent on the tourism industry. Due to the down tum in the economy and increased airfares, 

visitors to the region have declined. This reduction has had considerable consequences on local 

economies and businesses. 

The airport's proposal seeks to expand the number of non-stop destinations that provide service to 

Montrose. This will provide access to other key west coast markets and strengthen the regions ability 

to execute on its economic diversification efforts. Increased tourism could attract new businesses, 

boost local economies and existing businesses, and assist with ensuring the continued longevity of an 

important airport in this rellJO~e region of Colorado. 

r recognize the significant budget challenges faced by the Department of Transportation. However, I 

would encourage you to keep in mind the significant contribution tor local and state economies that 

the Montrose Airport provides. 

Sincerely, 

Scott Tipton 

Member of Congress 

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