& 

# 00"^~-o5T-i^^n-6>s^> ^

U.S.Departmen t . / ^^^^"E^^ . , Assistan t SecTM.a, V 120 0 Ne w Jerse y Avenue . S E O f Transportatio n ^Lr/^. i i v > Offic e o f th e Secretary, . ^ ^, ^ ^ ^ MA R 2 I 201 ^ o f Transportatio n . .; : il-.: ! .' ° - ^ '- " 5 ^

Pedr o F . Bare z Clavell , MHSA , FACH E Chie f Operatin g Office r Hospita l Episcopa l Sa

n Luca s Ponc e P.O . Bo x 33681 0 Ponce , PR00733-681 0 Dea r Mr . Barez : Than k yo u fo r you r Marc h 1 lette r

regardin g assistanc e t o th e Mercedit aAirport unde r th e Essentia l Ai r

Service (EAS ) program . A s yo u probabl y know , Ponc e ha s formall y appeale dth e U.S . Departmen t

o f Transportation' s decisio n t o rel y o n JetBlue' s subsidy-fre e servic e t o th e mainlan dan dno t

t o rene w Cap e Air' s EA S contract . W e ar e currentl y evaluatin g th e merit s o f th e community' s appeal . A s i s norma l practice , w e ar e placin g acop y o f you r lette r an dthis respons e i

n th e Docket , whic h i s availabl e fo r publi c viewin g a t

www.reaulations.go v b y enterin g DOT-OST-1999-659 2 i n th e searc h field. I f I ca n provid e furthe r

informatio n o r

assistance , pleas e feel fre e t o cal l me .

/^^SuSa n L . KuHan d f j Assistan t

Secretary for Aviatio n an dInternationa l Affair s

### WMttt t 

# O S I 0- 1 l()3()S-()6 6 HOSfnJU . EPISCOPAL-PONC E 

# SA N LUCA S Ave . Til o Castro , Niim . 917 , P C Bo x 336810 , Ponce , P

R00733-68J 0 March 1,201 1 Honorabl e Ra y LaHoo d Secretar y o f Transportatio n UnitedState s Department

o f Transportatio n Re : Terminatio n o f EA S Progra m 120 0 New Jersey Ave . S E i n Mercedit aAirpor t Ponce , Washington , D C 2059 0 Puert o Ric o Dea r Miste r LaHood : I a mwritin g thes e fe

w word s to let

yo u kno w m y concer n about th e terminatio n o f

th e subsid

y give n t o th e Mercedit aAirpor

t i n th e Cit y o f Ponc e throug h th e Essential Air Servic e Progra

m (EAS) . A s atrader

i n th e sout

h are ao f th e islan dthes e will affect directl y to th e econom

y o f th e entir e zone . Th e Airpor t help s u s a s a n a

dho c airport,i3u t

al^o hetes^th^ Joipis mi

i are ao f th e Island . Mercedit ai s th e fastes' t wa' y t o cpnrteci^wit

h Pu e i n th e south , east , an

dcentra l Puerto Rico* s capita

l Sa n Juan . I t i s als o essentia

l tha t schedul e ai r

service , includin g bot

h passenge r

an dcargo , between Ponc e an dSa n Jua n continue . Puert o Ric o ha s auniqu e geographi c characteristic s an dcultural tie s t o th e Caribbea n an dLati n America . Th e continuit

y o f international air

service s fromal l th e serviceabl e point s i n th e island i s essentia l t o th e cultural an deconomi c growt h o f th e region . The terminatio n o f the subsid

y woul dimpl

y th e dismissa

l o f th e airpor

t employee s increasin g unemployment percentag e i

n Puert o Rico . A s a n employe

r an dcitize n o f

th e sout h regio n o f

Puerto Rico , I urg e that

MerceditaAirpor

t continu e i n th e EA S platform . Sincere l Lcdo . Pedr

o F . Bare z Clavell , MHSA , FACH E Chief Operatin g Office

r 787-844-208 0 pbarezfa).sanlucasDr.co

m c Bra dWoods , Regiona

l Directo r Victor L . Vassallo , Representativ e o f Ponc e - Jayuy a 

# SA N LUCA S C«r* Q * ERMrfmt

a8vi Lie n tasMM Qmnl H Epkoeyiti t k« ^