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- Lar g e CommiuiQl\( , I ' ROGt : H KRUC'KENIl E HG Direc t or of Puhll c \ Vo rks KELL Y A NNE TERRY Library Direct or D UANE FE RD I N AND Ptan n ~ t 1g Directo r 305 W , Watson St . Lewistown, Montana 59457 (4 0 6 ) 535 · 1760 Fax (406) 535·3323

Jul y 2,2013 Dennis DeVany Department of Transportation Office of the Secretary Washington, D.C.

Sent via email to: dennis . devanY 0 1 dot . gov; eaS@dot.gov; cc to: Mark Hybner @ baucus.senate.gov; dzrice @ gmail . com Dear Mr . DeVany, P lease consider this our Petition for Reconsideration regarding Order 2013-6- 13. Whereas , Public Law 112-27 , signed into law on August 5,2011 , amended the definition of an "eligible place" for the purpose of receiving Essential Air Service (EAS) . Among other things , the amendment states that to be eligible , a community must have had an average subsidy per passenger of less than $1,000 during the most recent fiscal year . Whereas , Public Law 112

- 95, signed into law on February 1 4, 2012 , further amended the EAS statutes. Among other things, S e c tion 424 amends 49 D . S . C. 41733 by adding the following .

"(2) PROCEDURES TO AVOID TERM I NATION . - - The Secretary shal l establish, by order, procedures by which each community notified of an impending loss of subsidy under paragraph (1) may work directly with an air carrier to ensure that the air carrier is able to submit a proposal to the Secretary to provide essential air service to such community for an amount of compensation that would not exceed the subsidy cap ."(3) A S SISTANCE PROV I DED . -- T he Sec retary shall p r o v ide , b y o r d e r, i n f orm ati o n t o e a c h co mmu nity no tifi e d under paragraph ( 1) regarding-

- "(A )the p r oc e du re s e stabl i she d p u r suant to paragraph ( 2 ); an d " ( B) the max i mum amo u n t o f c omp en sati o n that could b e p r o v ide d u n d e r thi s sub c hap te r to an air carri e r serv i n g such commun i ty that w ou l d c ompl y w i th bas i c ess en ti al air s e rvi c e and the subsidy cap.". W here a s , to the b e s t o f our knowledge , th e S ecretary has no t e s tab lish e d p r o ce du res b y which a communi ty m ay work w i th an air c arrie r t o en sure th at th e ai r c arrie r is able to submit a p r oposal to provid e EA S. T h e ref o r e , we request th at the DOT se t aside Order 2 013

- 6 - 1 3 and allo w s ubsidize d s e rv ice to con ti nu e at al l s e v e n communi tie s u nti l s uch tim e th at th e DOT issues an order es t ab l i s h i ng th e abo v e re f e renc e d p ro c e du res . O n c e the o rde r i s i s sued we re ques t an appropriate am ount o f tim e ( 6 0 day s ) t o re v i e w th e p rocedures es t ablis he d within th e ord er an d s eek c arrie rs t o wo rk w i th dire ctly . A f

te r s u c h tim e has elapsed w e re quest th at the DO T iss u e a n e w RFP for all s e v e n Mo nt an a co mmunitie s. I t is o ur o pin i on that th i s i s the most appropriate way to move forward . Yo urs Tru ly,

L e w i s t o wn C i ty Manager