BRIA N P . BILBRA Y 334 8 RAVftUR N HOU9 i OFFIC E BuiLDiN G WABHHNaTQN . D C 2051 5 (202 ) 226-060 8 FA X (202 ) 225-260 8 DISTWC T OFFICE : 40 2 SnvEN s AVE. . '10 7 SOLAN A BEACH , C A S207 B (8B«}3CO~11S O FA X (e6« ) 360-075 0 

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h ^tuU B lOaBliingtan , S d 20515-053 0 AN D GOVERNMEN T REFOR M coMMrrrE E O N SCIENC E AN D TECHNOLOG Y COMMITTE E O N VETERANS ' AFPAIH S HOUS E REPOBUCA N POLIC Y COMMTTTE E IMMIOflATJO N REFOR M CAUCUS . CHAIRMA N Octobe r 5,201 0 Th e Honorabl e Ra

y L^oo d :^, Secretar y o f Transportatio n ; U.S . Dqjartmcnt

of Transportatio n 4G 0 7t h Street , S,W . Washington D.C . 2059 0 - Dea r Secretar y LaHood : — I t i s m y pleasure to expres s m

y suppor t fo r th e Count y o f Sa n Diego' s F

Y 201 0 Small Communit y Air Servic e Development

grant submissio n requestin g $500,00 0 i n federa l fundin g to encourag e increase d acces s t o th e national ai r transportatio n syste mfromth e McClellan

Paloma r Airpor t (Airport ) i

n Carlsbad , California . Th e McCIellan-Paloma

r Airpor t ha s experience d areductio n i n airline s offerin g flights i n an d ou t o f th e Airpor

t an d ha s see n adramati c declin e i n passengers . Wit h limite d flight s available , passenger s i

n th e are amus t

op t t o us e other , larger

airport s i n th e regio n i n order t o acces s the nationa l air transportatio n system . Thi s issu e i s imow n a s "passenger

leakage" . Passenger leakag e t o alternate airport s i n Sa n Dieg o (Lindberg h Field) , Orang e Count y an d Lo s Angele s add s t o freeway congestio n o n alread y overcrowde d Souther

n Californi aroads . Th e Count y o f Sa n Dieg o recentl y iiinde d astudy regardin g th e passenge r leakag e issue . Th e findings o f

th e study demonstrate tha

t th e Sa n Dieg o Nort

h Count y are agenerate s atota

l o f almos t 3. 3 millio n passenger

trip s i n an d ou t o f th e regio n pe r

year , yet th e Airpor

t retain s les s tha n two-percen

t o f thos e passenger

trips . Thi s finding reveal s there i s a n unmet deman d fo

r ai r servic e i n an d ou t o f th e Airpor

t an d th e resident s an d businesse s i n th e communit y woul d benefi t fi:omreceivin g aSmal l Communit y Air Servic e Development

grant . I f Small Communit

y Air Servic e Development

grant funding i s received , th e Airpor t wil l utiliz e gran t award s to assis t

wit h th e goal o f

encouragin g airlm e carrier s tha t d o no t currentl y offe

r flight s ou t o f th e Airpor

t t o enter int o th e Nort

h Count y marke t an d begi n offerin g servic e ou t o f McClellan-Palomar . Loca

l funding contributions , includin g waivin g terminal ren t an d landin g fee s a t th e Airpor

t fo r ane w carrie r

fo r anegotiate d perio d o f

time , hav e als o bee n allocate d to accompan y an y gran t awar d funding receive d an

d offe r additiona l incentive s t o ne w airlin e carrier s to begi n offerin g servic e ou t o f Carlsbad . -._ . J- ;

PBlNTEDO^RECVCLtDPAPE "SI(M(ii()l.^-(l2 5

Th e Airpor

t ha s already receive d som

e preliminar

y interes t fromon e airlin e to ente

r int o th e Nort h Count y market ; aSmal l Communit y Ai r Servic e Developmen t

grant t o provid e thi s start u p suppor t woul d help encourag e airlin e interest . Than k yo u fo r your consideratio n o f

th e proposa

l bein g submitte d b y th e Count y o f Sa n Diego' s McClellan-Paloma

r Airpor t an d you r encouragement

o f Small Communit

y Ai r Servic e Developmen

t grant funding fo

r thi s important

project . Sincerdy , 

# / f Bria n P . Bilbra

y Membe r o f Congres s