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STAT E O F HAWAI' f OFFIC E O F HAWAIIA N AFFAIR S 71 1 KAPI'OLAN I BOULEVARD , SUIT E 50 0 HONOLULU , HAWAI' I 9681 3 Januar y 14 , 201 1 HRD l 1/552 3 Denni s DeVany Essential Ai r

Servic e Chie f

U S DO T EA S an d Domesti c Analysi s Div . 1200 Ne w Jerse y Av e S E W86-47 1 Washingto n D.C . 2059 0 email : Dennis.DeVany@dot.go v Re : Essentia l Ai r

Servic e Proposa l fo r

Kalaupap aPeninsula , Islan d o f MolokaM , Stat e o f Hawai' i Aloh ae Mr . DeVany : Th e Offic e o f

Hawaiia n Affair s (OHA ) understand s Kalaupap ai s arural communit y currentl y under

consideratio n fo

r th e Essential Ai r

Servic e (EAS ) program . OH A support s thi s initiativ e becaus e Kalaupapa' s geographi c boundarie s rende r conventional trave l there virtuall y impossibl e an d ai r

trave l unaffordable . W e urg e you r favorabl e consideration . Kalaupap ai s a

n idea l candidat e fo

r th e EA S program , aprogra mput int o plac e t

o guarante e tha

t smal l communitie s serve d b y certificate d ai r

carrier s befor

e deregulatio n maintai n aminimal leve l of

schedule d ai r

service . Th e Departmen t of Transportatio n (DOT ) currentl y subsidize s commuter

airline s to serv e approximatel y 140 lural communitie s acros s th e counli y tha t otherwis e woul d no t

receiv e any schedule d ai r service . Th e sheer

cliff

- an d ocean-locke d peninsul acommunit

y a t Kalaupap ai s deservin g o f lower airfare s b y acarrie r tha t ha s goo d financia l standin g and aprove n trac k record operatin g commercial service s i n Hawai'i . Kalaupap ai s i

n Hawaiia n term s a"wah

i pana, " aplac e o f

grea t significance , an

d foreve r shal l pla y a n importan t

rol e for generation s of

descendent s of

th e 8,00 0 Lepros y patient s forced int o seclusio n ther e fro

m186 6 unti l 1969 . Ther e ar e but afe w remainin g patient s residin g there still ; however , th e nee d for economical and reliabl e trave l exist s toda y an d wil l continu e i

n perpetuit y fo r th e many wh o wil l visi t

t o hono r and respec t

thei r ancestors ' live s and fina

l restin g places . Th e work s o f

Sain t Damien d e Veuste r

i s als o immortalize d there .Denni s DeVany

Essential Ai r

Servic e Chie f

U S DO T Januar y 14,201 1 Pag e 2 of 2 OH A i s obligate d to wor

k toward s th e bettermen t

o f nativ e Hawaiian s an

d Hawaiians , and to serv e th e need s and interest s o f awid e an d divers e beneficiar y group . OH

A mus t als o ensur e tha t othe r agencie s uphol d thei r

constitutionally , statutoril y an d judiciall y mandate d obligation s t o th e nativ e Hawaiia n an d Hawaiia n people . Sectio n 10-3(4) , Hawai i Revise d Statute s (HRS) , state s acore purpos e o f OH A shall be : (4 ) Assessin g th e policie s an d practice s o f othe r agencie s impactin g o n nativ e Hawaiian s an d Hawaiians , an d conductin g advocac y effort s fo r nativ e Hawaiian s an d Hawaiian s (italic s supplied) . Sectio n 10-1(b) , HRS , state s that : (b ) I t shal l b e th e dut

y an d responsibility o f

al l stat e department s an d instrumentalitie s o f

stat e government

providin g service s an d program s which affect nativ e Hawaiian s an d Hawaiian s t o activel y wor k toward th e goal s o f

thi s chapte r an d to cooperat e wit

h an d assis t

wherever possibl e th e office o f

Hawaiia n affairs . I L 1979 , c J 96 , p t

o f Sectio n 2 ] (italic s supplied) . Give n tha t amajorit y o f Kalaupapa' s patient s and thei r descendant s hav e bee

n Nativ e Hawaiian s and Hawaiians , OHA take s specia l interes t i n advocatin g fo

r favorabl e passag e o

f Kalaupap aa s abenefacto r of th e EA S program' s goals . We appreciat e thi s opportunity to expres s our support . Shoul d yo

u hav e an y questions , pleas e contac t

Complianc e Specialis t

Jerom e Yasuhar aa

t (808 ) 594-012 9 o r

b y emai l a

t jeromey@oha.org .

' O wa u ih o no , m

e kaha'aha'a . Cly/d e W . Namu' o Chie f Executiv e Office

r CWN.jk y