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

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### September 19, 2013**~·:** 

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The Honorable John D. Rockefeller IV Chahman, Committee on Commerce,

Science, and Transportation United States Senate**Washington~** 

### DC 20510 DearMr. Chairman: Thankyou for your letter supporting the application submitted bythe Central WestVirginia Regional AirportAuthority for agrant undertheU.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. Underthe statute! the Department may make amaximum 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. OnJune 24, the Department issued an order setting a deadline ofJuly 26 for applications. As these grantrequests are pending before the Department, Icannot comment on. the merits ofany particularproposal. I assure you that the Departmen.twill give full and fair consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed. As is our standard 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 interest in 

### this progran1. Sincerely,rtAIUW!A OOXH:tCAUfORNrA Ml:ttrtf£01"1-,ftt.ml:D>t

The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary U.S. DepartmentofTransportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, D.C. 20590 Dear Secretary Foxx, 

# itfd COMMIITEE: ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, ANO TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, DC 20510-6145 WE!l srm: http://commerce.senate,gov August 16, 2013

The Federal governmenthas made a strong commitmentto making certain air service continues to reach small and rural communities since deregulation in 1978 because air service is critical for their economic development. The Small Community Air Service DevelopmentProgram (SCASDP) has played a key role in this effort by helping communities secure and promote air service throughoutthe country since its inception in 2000. The Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority has submitted an application for a SCASDP grantto develop new air service fr·om Yeager Airport that would serve Florida markets such as Orlando. Although YeagerAirport used to have service to Orlando provided by Airtran, it was eliminated when the air carriermerged With Southwest Airlines. Since then, passenger traffic in this markethas fallen and fares to Florida markets from YeagerAirport have risen significantly. Reestablishing air service from YeagerAirportto Florida would address these troubling trends. I strongly m·ge you to carefully consider the Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority's SCASDP grant application. As you may recall, Yeager Airport was one ofthe first recipients ofa SCASDP grant, and those funds were instrumental in making air service between Charleston and Houston, TX a reality. Yeager Airport is one ofthe bestmanaged airports in the country and has aproven track record in attracting new air service. The airport has strong community support for restoring direct access to the state's top leisure destination and is atop priority for the region. I believe Yeager's past success with the SCASDP program makes them an ideal candidate for additional funding. Thankyou for your consideration and support on behalfofWest Virginia. Sincerely,

# ~**~n** D.\ockefell