### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590



### The Honorable Roger F. Wicker United States Senate Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Wicker: August 26,2013

Thank you for your letter supporting the proposal submitted by the Meridian Regional Airport for a grant under the U.S. Department ofTransportation'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 of40 grant awards each year, although no more than four 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 ofprojects that can be funded.
On June 24, the Department issued an order requesting that communities interested in receiving a grant this year file their applications by July 26. As these grant requests are pending before the Department, I cannot comment on the merits ofany particular proposal. I assure you that the Department will give fuii and fair consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed.
As is ourcstandard practice, I am placing a copy ofyour letter and this response in Docket DOT-OST-2013-0120 as a contact outside the record ofthis matter. I appreciate your interestin this program.

# ~((~ Anthony R. 

### Foxx' ROGER F. WICKER tdlSI!ISSII'f'l ARMEO sef!itrCES tlANI<ING. HOUSI!'(G,I\Nili.JllllAN AffAlfl.S COMMERCE;. SCIENCE AN01AAUSPORTATION VETERANS' AffAIRS 

# 1ln1trd**~tattJJ ~enate:** 

The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary U.S. DepartmentofTransporation 1200 New Y<lrsey Avenue, SE Washlngtou, D.C. 20590-0001 ·

Dear Anthony, WASHINGTON,**DC~0510**
August 5, 2013 Slllltftl$ OIJIHEH SEIU.TfiOFfl!:t:"OIJilll!t(G 'WASRNGTOII. DC !D'l10 11011 1z.t-G2n

I would like to e:<.p:ress my support for Meridian Regional Airport's application for a Small Community Air Servis;eDcvcJopmc!lt (SCASD) granl
After decades ofservice, Delta Airlines ceased their operations at several dties in my home slate ofMississippi !a..<n September. A new crurler, Silver Airways, cll.l'rently is serving three ofthe$e a1tports Without any code-sharing OtfreqUent fi'ye\ prograll\SUpport.
The Meridian Regional Airportjoined with tbe Hattiesburg-Laurel Airport and the Greenville Mid-Delta Aitport to fon:n a conS<)rti.um to apply for the 2013 Connnunity 

### Air Service Development gr1111t. A $l20,QOO grant from the Department ofTransportalion would allow these airpods to expand marketing and promo Ljon oftheir new local air service. Access to local air transpOrtation**i~** importruxt to the ecouomic developmettt and growth ofeach ofthcse cities. A SCASD grMt would provide much needed funding to support each ofthese regional airports and increase familiarity ofthe new carrierand tlight avaUability.
I hope that you will give Meridian Regional Airport's application every coosideration. Should additional infonnation be required from my office> please contactJennifer Schmidt ofmy staffat (228) 604-2383.
With best wishes, Iam

. ·

# ~· Si.ncerely 

### yoU:S•

., · .

RFW/js CC: Ms. Brooke Chapman**?.0.-l~S fk-.MS~**  (66<)09-1002 P..O.SOx3tfl**t..,..w.l$~~~ (I~)**  M<-101 0 

### .

# ~ ger F. Wicl<.er

501**EAoTCtl/ll'tStUif,Sumt3.~ J><-.M!llll~OI**  I"'IJ5i;...(&44 -412 C®•'fkOVuRoN>.**S~.ma** J. G<Jwo..,, MS 3M/

(llfl

... ·>Sd)**:n\I.'P.:..~STM~.t:t~** SUtrE ns PMCACOOU.M5**;t>~** 12211 1s:l·s-<OO