U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

OCT Z 9 2014 

Jerald L. Ostdiek 

Douglas, Kelly, Ostdiek, and Ossian, P.C. 

105 East 16th Street 

P.O. Box 419 

Scottsbluff, NE 69363-0419 

Dear Mr. Ostdiek: 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE 

Washington DC 20590 

Thank you for your letters of June 4 and June 11 regarding Scottsbluff and the mileage 

calculations that the Essential Air Service (EAS) program measures from communities in the 

program to the nearest large- or medium-hub airport. You state that you believe Scottsbluff is 

farther away from the nearest hub, Denver International Airport (DEN) than 210 miles, and, 

therefore, do not believe Scottsbluff should be subject to the $200 subsidy per passenger cap 

applicable to EAS communities located within 210 driving miles of the nearest hub airport. You 

ask that the mileage from Scottsbluff to DEN be calculated using a more commonly traveled 

route rather than the shortest distance along the "rural route" between Scottsbluff and Denver. 

You believe that this rural route running through Fort Morgan, Colorado, does not have cell 

service for large areas of the route, has signage along the road indicating that during the winter 

months snow plows will not run during evening hours, and that there are no gas stations for 

approximately 70 miles. You also request that the U.S. Department of Transportation 

(Department) designate the route via Cheyenne, Wyoming, which totals greater than 210 miles 

as the designated route between Scottsbluff and Denver. 

Consistent with longstanding practice, the Department calculates the shortest driving distance 

between an EAS community and a large or medium hub airport from the center of the EAS 

community to the entrance of the nearest large or medium hub airport. In most cases, it is clear 

whether a certain community is located within or beyond 210 miles of the nearest large or 

medium hub, but in situations where it is very close to 210 miles depending on the mapping 

program used, the EAS Program office contacts the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 

located within the Department, to make an official determination of the shortest distance between 

a community and the hub airport at issue. For example, in 2009, FHWA assisted the EAS 

program in resolving a distance calculation from Alamogordo/Holloman Air Force Base, New 

Mexico, to Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ). 

In order to resolve this issue for Scottsbluffs shortest distance to DEN, FHWA calculated the 

distance between Scottsbluff and DEN using NHPN roads (National Highway Planning 
Page 2 

Jerald L. Ostdiek 

Network) roads. That distance was calculated as 195 miles, within the 210 mileage criterion set 

by Congress in 1990 for communities that must not exceed $200 per passenger subsidy cap. 

The mapped route is as follows: 

• AvenueBtoHwyWto21stst. 

• 5 Rocks Rd to County Rt. 21 

• Nebraska Rt. 71 to Colorado 14 to Colorado 52 

• I-76 to toll road 470 

• Exit 28A towards Airport and Pena Rd. 

Although this route follows the "rural route" as you described as being undesirable and that only 

an estimated 5% of travelers use, it is consistent with program practice in measuring the distance 

from an EAS community to the nearest large or medium hub airport. 

We look forward to continue working with Scottsbluff and the Western Nebraska Regional 

Airport in the future. 

Sincerely, 

Kevin Schlemmer 

Chief, Essential Air Service and 

Domestic Analysis Division 

cc: Darwin Skelton, Western Nebraska Regional Airport