THE SECRETARY Of TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, DC 20590 

The Honorable, Bill Flores 

U.S House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Congressman Flores: 

September 2014 

.::, : ... ,·..,; 

Thank you for your letter supporting the appUeat.ion submitted by Texas A&M University 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 and 

ins,ufficient service. Under the statute, the Depl:ntment may make a maximum of 40 grant 

awards each year, although no .more than four may be to communities in the same Stale. To 

provide communities with latitude in developing solutions to their air service defic.iencies,. the 

statute provides flexibility in the types of air service devel.opment projects that can be funded. 

On June 30~ the Department issued an order setting a deadline of July 31 for applications. As 

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

particular proposaL I assure you, however~ thm the Department will give full and fair 

consideration to all proposals that have been pmperly filetL 

As. is oUr standard practice, 1 am placing a copy of your letter and this !'espouse in Docket 

DOT-OST-2014-0 113 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sh~ 

I } 

I 

Anthony R. Foxx 
BILL FLORES 

MEMBER OF CONGRESS 

17TH DISTRICT, TEXAS 

ASSISTANT WHIP 

1030 LONGWORTH HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 

WASHINGTON, DC 205J5 

PHONe: (202) 225-61 05 

FAX: (202)225-0350 

<!Congress of tbc Wntteb ~tatts 

1!)otme of l\epresentatibes 

~la5fJfngton, J)(lt 20515-4317 

http:IJFiores.House.gov 

The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary of Transportation 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

July 30, 2014 

COMMITTEE ON THE BUDGET 

COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES 

SUBCOMMtTTEE ON 

F.NEflGY ANO MINERAL RESOURCES 

SuacoMMrrTEE oN 

FISHERIES, WiLDLIFE, OCEANS AND 

INSLILAR AFFAIRS 

COMM!TTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS 

CHAIRMAN, 5t.J6COMMITIEE ON 

ECONOMIC OPPoRTUNITY 

RE: Application of Texas A&M University for Participation in the Small Community Air Service 

Development Program: Docket OST-2014-0113 

Dear Secretary Foxx: 

As the Representative for the 17th Congressional District of Texas, I am pleased to write this letter in 

support of Texas A&M University's application for funding under the United States Departm~nt of 

Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development Program. Texas A&M University is the 

owner of Easterwood Airport in College Station, Texas, and its application represents the combined 

interests and objectives of the Research Valley Air Service Partnership, a public/private partnership 

formed to improve air service at Easterwood Airport 

In demonstration of the shared commitment to tllis initiative, the requested $525,000 grant from the 

Department of Transportation will be combined with $175,000 in cash funding and $50,000 of in-kind 

funding from the Partnership to develop and implement the Easterwood Air Service Action Plan. The 

Bryan/College Station area served by Easterwood Airport has grown by an estimated 34 percent since 

2000, according to the United States Census Bureau. The need to maintain and continue this growth is 

a primary reason for the community's focus on improving local air service. This initiative is also vital 

to the many economic development efforts that are cutTently underway in the Research Valley. 

I strongly support.Texas A&M University's application and the community's dedicated initiative to 

improve air service in my district. Thank you for your full consideration of this application. 

Bill Flores 

Member of Congress, TX-17 

CC: Ms. Brooke Chapman, Associate Director 

Small Community Air Service Development Program, United States Department of Transportation 

WACO 

400 AusTIN AVENUE, SuiTE 302 

WACO: TX 76701 

PHONE: {254) 732-0748 

BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION 

3000 BR.IARCREST DRIVF-, SUITE 406 

BRYAN,.TX 77802 

PHONE! (979) 703-4037 

FAx: (979) 703-8845 

AUSTIN/PFLUGERVILLE 

14205 BURNET ROAD, SUIT~ 230 

AUSTIN, TX 78728 

PHONE: {512) 373-3378 

FAx:{512)373-3511