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From: Boutin, Nicole [Nicole.Boutin@legislature.maine.gov] 

Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 9:52 AM 

To: Martin, Michael (OST) 

Subject: Docket # DOT-OST-1997-2784 

September 29, 2010 

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Mr. Dennis De Vany 

Mr. Michael Martin 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Re: Comments for U.S. Department of Transportation 

Docket # DOT-OST-1997-2784 

EAS Airline Contract for the Augusta, Maine State Airport 

Dear Mr. De Vany and Mr. Martin: 

I am providing these comments on behalf on constituents in my legislative district, Maine House District 79 

(Farmingdale, Hallowell and West Gardiner). I have been contacted by residents of District 79 who rely on the 

Maine State Airport in Augusta, Maine for reliable transportation and particularly, for business travel. 

We ask that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recognize that constituents of others than the 

Augusta City Council are served by the Augusta State Airport and the airline chosen by USDOT for the EAS 

contract to serve that airport. The Augusta City Council clearly supported the recommendations of its own 

Airport Committee—but that Committee's advice, to recommend Cape Air over US Air, is at complete odds 

with overwhelming public response to the contrary. 

As a State Representative representing three towns in close proximity with Augusta, I ask that you select to 

continue the service of USAir at the Augusta Airport. 

My constituents have expressed their concerns to me regarding this issue. One concern I have heard repeatedly 

is that the Augusta City Council, despite the Mayor and councilors admitting that the public input was virtually 

all in favor of USAir retaining its service to the state airport, agreed to the recommendation of the Airport 

Committee. It is my understanding that the City Council's recommendation does not reflect the opinion of even 

its own constituency (population 18,440), much less the airport-using community of the surrounding areas 

outside of Augusta. 

Another concern is that the recommendation given by the Airport Committee is poorly supported. The process 

with which they obtained and formed their recommendation at no time asked the Augusta Airport users (aside 

from the pilots and occasional commercial flyers) for input. The public was not invited nor welcome to attend 

the August 11, 2010, presentations of the two carriers competing for the contract in order to ask questions and 

judge for themselves the quality of the proposals. 

Further, I ask that you consider the following which obviously are pushed aside in Federal EAS/air regulations 

to accommodate the likes of Cape Air. Both federal and state government, respectively, should not support or 

actually award a contract to a carrier which: 
• Admits to having no ability to accommodate the handicapped who cannot make it on their own into the 

aircraft 

• Utilizes aircrafts without secure flight decks 

• Utilizes aircrafts with one pilot without any second pilot backup incase of emergency 

• Allows passengers to sit at the controls in the co-pilot's seat during commercial passenger flights 

Thank you for your consideration of these comments. 

Sincerely, 

<^o^Afi^\mJr^ 

Sharon Anglin Treat 

State Representative 

Nicole Boutin— Legislative Aide 

Maine State House Majority Office 

2 State Housi; Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0002 

Phone: 207.287.1430 

Fax: 207.287.8338 

www.housedemocrats.maine.gov