04/27/2004 08:11 AM House CRA

SJR 14-FAA FLIGHT SERVICE STATIONS                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MORGAN announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
SENATE JOINT  RESOLUTION NO. 14, Requesting  the Federal Aviation                                                               
Administration  to  fully  staff   and  maintain  flight  service                                                               
stations in Alaska.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Number 0105                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DONALD  OLSON, Alaska State  Legislature, sponsor  of SJR
, paraphrased  from the  following sponsor  statement [original                                                               
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     SJR 14 is a resolution  requesting the Federal Aviation                                                                    
     Administration to  fully staff and maintain  its flight                                                                    
     service stations in Alaska.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Alaska   is   a  vast   state   that   relies  on   air                                                                    
     transportation   for   much   of   its   commerce   and                                                                    
     connectivity.   A substantial portion  of the  State of                                                                    
     Alaska  does  not  have   the  road  infrastructure  to                                                                    
     facilitate the  transport of  freight and  the movement                                                                    
     of people.  Furthermore,  coastal and river communities                                                                    
     in  Western, Central,  and Northern  Alaska lose  their                                                                    
     marine  transportation alternative  during the  5 to  8                                                                    
     months  of winter  ice conditions.   These  communities                                                                    
     then  are solely  dependent on  air transportation  for                                                                    
     travel, goods and emergency  services for a substantial                                                                    
     part of the year.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Furthermore, there  is a large number  of Alaskans that                                                                    
     own and fly airplanes.   Indeed, Alaska has the highest                                                                    
     percentage of general aviation users  per capita in the                                                                    
     United States.   General Aviation  users depend  on FAA                                                                    
     flight  service  stations  to  inform  them  of  runway                                                                    
     closures and conflicting runway traffic.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     FAA  flight  service  stations are  essential  for  the                                                                    
     continued  safety and  dependability of  Alaska's vital                                                                    
     air  transportation  network.     Both  commercial  and                                                                    
     private  pilots are  totally reliant  on the  expertise                                                                    
     and competence of FAA's flight  service personnel.  The                                                                    
     state of  Alaska has over  180 airports that  depend on                                                                    
     flight  service stations  for  weather updates,  runway                                                                    
     conditions, and assistance with safe air travel.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     I respectfully  urge your support for  this resolution,                                                                    
     helping to ensure the safety of air travel in Alaska.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MORGAN, upon determining there were no questions and no                                                                   
one wishing to testify, announced that public testimony was                                                                     
closed.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Number 0364                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WOLF moved to report  SJR 14 out of committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
There  being no  objection, SJR  14 was  reported from  the House                                                               
Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee.