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us.Department of ••--y^niAllO^'^! ,^ ^ 

Transportatio n J i ; J-'P.P/.TfH*',-. ' 200 New jersey Avenue, SE 

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Office of fhe Secretory 

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The Honorable Patrick J. Toomey SEP 2 1 2011 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Senator Toomey: 

Thank you for your letter supporting the proposal submitted by the Westmoreland County 

Airport Authority for a grant under the Small Community Air Service Development 

Program (Small Community Program). 

The Small Community Program was established to help smaller communities address air 

service deficiencies, particularly issues related to high airfares and insufficient service. 

Under the statute, the Department may use the funds to make a maximum of 40 grant 

awards each year, although no more than four 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 significant flexibility in how the financial assistance 

may be used. 

On July 1, the Department issued an order requesting that conmiunities interested in 

receiving a grant this year file their applications by August 2. As these grant requests are 

pending before the Department, I am sure you understand that I cannot comment on the 

merits of any particular proposal. I assure you, however, that the Department will give 

full 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-2011-0119 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your 

interest in this program. If I can provide further information or assistance, please feel 

firee to call me. 

Sincerely yours. 

Aloha Ley 

Associate Director 

Small Community Program 
<0XPATRICK J. TOOMEY COMMITTEES: 

PENNSYLVANIA BANKING, HOUSING, AND I 

URBAN AFFAIRS 1 

COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND 1 

/SI-* '... J r>' ^ ^ r*r' ^ TRANSPORTATION \ Bmted States ^tmit 

^ JOINT ECONOMIC COMMITTEE 

WASHINGTON, DC 20510 

July 26, 2011 

Aloha Ley 

Associate Director 

Small Community Air Service Development Program, X-55 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington DC 20590 

Dear Ms. Ley, 

I am pleased to write in support of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority's 

(WCAA) recent request for $200,000 in air-service marketing funding through the Small 

Community Air Service Development Program. 

In 2011 the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pennsylvania added Spuit 

Airlines to its scheduled service, with flights to Fort Lauderdale and Myrtle Beach. In only 5 

short months more than 30,000 passengers have used the airport, exceeding the numbers 

generally seen in an entire year of service. Passengers using the service hail from all parts of 

Pennsylvania, as well as Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, New York and Maryland. It has truly 

become a regional airport, filling a void in service for that area of Peimsylvania. 

Westmoreland County Airport Authority now seeks to enhance this successful new air 

service that has been breaking records and setting new precedents. They are considering the 

addition of new destinations for low-cost, non-stop direct jet service. To support their effort to 

add new cities to the flight roster, WCAA seeks much needed funds throu^ your Small 

Community Air Service Development Program. 

I am in full support of these efforts and ask that you give all due consideration to their 

grant funding request. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions about 

this request. I can be reached at 610-434-1444. 

oomev • 

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Pat Toomey 

U.S. Senator