I J S Deoartmen t Assistan t Secretar y120 0 Ne wjerse yAvenu e S E U.S . Uepanmen i Washington . D C 2059 0 Of Transportatio n |yy\ p 1 g 2OI I Offic e o f th e Secretar y o f Transportatio n _

"L i ^'"^i ^ Th e Honorabl e Waldemar River aTorre s _ _: ri-T i Estad o Libr e Asociad o d e Puert o Ric o 'J-^ c': . Municipi o Autonom o d e Villalb a^ Oficin ade l Alcald e Apartad o 150 6 Villalba, Puert o Ric o 0076 6 Dea r Mayo r Rivera : Than k yo u fo r you r Marc h 1 lette r

regardin g assistanc e t o th e Mercedit aAirpor t unde r th e Essentia l Ai r

Servic e (EAS ) program . A s yo u probabl y know . Ponc e ha s formall y appeale dth e U.S . Departmen t

o f Transportation' s decisio n t o rel y o n JetBlue' s subsidy-fre e servic e t o th e mainlan dan dno t

t o rene w Cap e Air' s EA S contract . W e ar e currentl y evaluatin g th e merit s o f th e community' s appeal . A s i s norma l practice , w e ar e placin g acop y o f you r lette r an dthis respons e i n th e Docket , whic h i s availabl e fo r publi c viewin g a

t www.regulations.go v b y enterin g DOT-OST-1999-659 2 i n th e searc h field. I f I ca n provid e furthe r

informatio n o r

assistance , pleas e fee l fre e t o cal l me . Sincerel y yours ,

Susan L . Kurlan d Assistan t Secretary for Aviatio n an dInternationa l Affair sSIO- I l()3!()-0() 7 ESTAD O UBR E ASOCIAD O 1M B PUERT O RIC O MUNICIPI O AVF6NOM O D B VILLALB A WICIN A DE

L ALCALDE APARTAD O 15 M VILLALBA , PUERT O RIC O OtTC i TELEFm O 7I7-U7.53 M FAX7a7-S47-152t

March 1" . 201 1 HON.RAYLAHOO D SBCKETAR Y o r

TKANSPOKTATIO N Uniie dStai n Depaftmeo t

o f Tratt^MxtMkt

t 120 0 New Jene y Ave . S E Washington . D C 2059 0 RE ; EA S Ptttgru n Nbmdlt i AiQKH

t Dear'M A Sfeoretary : • 7 . ; Greeting s fromthi s server

andfromth e Peopl e o f

Villalba . The Municipalit

y o f Villalb ai s on e o f

th e citie s fromth e sout

h part o f th e islan dthat

becaus e o f

it' s proximit

y t o the Municipalit

y of Poocc^ i t woul dbenefi t

directl y o f

an y economi c developmen t initiativ e tha

t serve s th e wholeregion . . . , .., . .; . . ,, , Th e MerceditaAirpor

t (Mercedita ) i s on e exampl e ct f a n economi c devdopmeo t projec t tha t ha s adirec t positiv e impact

i n th e Municipalit

y pfVillalbtt . Mercedit ai s locate db thp.ci ^ o f Ponc e andcuirpntlycaten t th e resident s o

f th e sout h an deas t

part of Pueit o Ric o tha

t hav e asignificant

impac t o n th e econom

y o f th e region . Thi s airpor

t i s under th e auspice s o f

th e Essential Ai r

Servic e ftogram(EAS ) an dserve s a s a n imematkna l ai r servic e i n a

n inqiortant

serviceabl e poin t

o f interes t i n th e island . Mercedit aals o serve s a s a n adho c airpor

t for th e island' s mai

n ai r transportatio n hub , th e Lui s Muno z Marii i Aiipoi t <LMM) , locate dmore tha n 2 0 mile s t o th e north . The importanc e fp r th e peopl e o f

Villalb at o hav e tbe.i^tiniiqu s servic e for hMmatUma

l fight s i n Merceditai s monumental . . , . . , ....; . •: , . A s Mayo r o f th e Municipalit

y o f Villalba , I urg e that

Mercedit aAirpor

t ca n b e take n int o furthe

r ccHisideratio

n to remain a s a

n EA S platform . . Sincerelly ,

HON . WALDBMA RRIVBR A TOMB S MAYO B

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