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THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590 

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September 19, 2013 ~·: :zo 

The Honorable John D. Rockefeller IV 

Chahman, Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

United States Senate 

Washington~ DC 20510 

Dear Mr. Chairman: 

Thank you for your letter supporting the application submitted by the Central West Virginia 

Regional Airport Authority for a grant under the U.S. Department of Transportation'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. Under the statute! the Department may make a maximum of 40 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 of projects that can be funded. 

On June 24, the Department issued an order setting a deadline of July 26 for applications. As 

these grant requests are pending before the Department, I cannot comment on. the merits of any 

particular proposal. I assure you that the Departmen.t will give full and fair consideration to all 

proposals that have been properly filed. 

As is our standard practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and this response in Docket 

DOT~OST-2013-0120 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this progran1. 

Sincerely, 
rtAIUW!A OOXH:t CAUfORNrA 

Ml:ttrtf£01"1-,ftt.ml:D>t 

The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

Dear Secretary Foxx, 

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COMMIITEE: ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, 

ANO TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, DC 20510-6145 

WE!l srm: http://commerce.senate,gov 

August 16, 2013 

The Federal government has made a strong commitment to 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 Development Program 

(SCASDP) has played a key role in this effort by helping communities secure and promote air 

service throughout the country since its inception in 2000. 

The Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority has submitted an application for a 

SCASDP grant to develop new air service fr·om Yeager Airport that would serve Florida markets 

such as Orlando. Although Yeager Airport used to have service to Orlando provided by Airtran, it 

was eliminated when the air carrier merged With Southwest Airlines. Since then, passenger traffic in 

this market has fallen and fares to Florida markets from Yeager Airport have risen significantly. 

Reestablishing air service from Yeager Airport to 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 of a SCASDP grant, and those funds were instrumental in making air service between 

Charleston and Houston, TX a reality. Yeager Airport is one of the best managed airports in the 

country and has a proven 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 a top 

priority for the region. I believe Yeager's past success with the SCASDP program makes them an 

ideal candidate for additional funding. 

Thank you for your consideration and support on behalf of West Virginia. 

Sincerely, 

~ ~n D.\ockefell