PREPARED STATEMENTS Daniel, Hon. W. C. (Dan), a U.S. Representative from the State of Page 197 243 199 Frenzen, Donald, Arlington, Va__ 252 Hollans, Irby N., Jr., Virginia State Chamber of Commerce_ 250 Johnson, Hugh B., Arlington, Va.... 163 Quesada, E. R., former director, Federal Aviation Agency. 8 Smith, Frank Kingston, president, National Aviation Trades Association, 151 Smith, Verlin W., Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.. 239 202 LETTERS Bryan, Albert V., Jr., to H. Hammond Snyder, Robinson Export-Import 253 City of Chicago, Department of Aviation, to Arven H. Saunders, director, 28 164 Control Data Corp., to Robert McNeil, executive assistant to Senator 161 Court House Realty to Senator Spong, May 23, 1969 162 Craig, Peter S., Office of the Secretary of Transportation, to_Ross I. Newmann, Esq., hearing examiner, Civil Aeronautics Board, February 29, 1968. 177 Dregge, John W., Civil Aeronautics Board, to Hon. Joel T. Broyhill, a Hyams, David J., to Senator Spong, May 26, 1969. Joyner, Mr. and Mrs. William B., to Senator Spong, May 19, 1969-- Stirewalt, Edward N., Reston Business and Professional Association, to 201 Swicegood, Dewey W., to Jack Lewis, May 23, 1969– 164 Zorack, J. L., Air Transport Association of America, to Senator Spong, 185 TABLES Airline improvements since 1965. 186 Comparison of domestic air traffic growth by length of passenger journey- Washington area air carrier passengers, percent of total by airportWashington/Baltimore area airports passenger forecast, fiscal years 1964-80- Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area forecast of traffic growth... Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area growth rates in enplaned passenger traffic___ MATERIAL SUPPLIED Page Air facilities planning in Metropolitan Washington___ 71 111 Legislative history of the authorization and appropriations for the construction of Dulles International Airport. 156 MAPS AND CHARTS Area distribution, airports as percent of total air carrier passengers- Existing land use of Dulles International Airport_ Washington National Airport area. UTILIZATION AND FUTURE OF MAJOR AIRPORTS IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 1969 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND COMMERCE OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 9:30 a.m., pursuant to call, in room 6226, New Senate Office Building, Senator Joseph D. Tydings (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Tydings and Spong. Also present: John T. McEvoy, staff director; James S. Medill, minority counsel; Terence T. Finn, counsel; and Edith B. Moore, assistant chief clerk. The CHAIRMAN. We will convene the Subcommittee on Business and Commerce of the District of Columbia Committee. We begin today a set of hearings on the utilization and the future of major airports in the National Capital region. The hearings are designed to explore five major aspects of aviation policy in those parts of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia which together form the Washington community. The subcommittee will consider: First, the regional nature of the three airports Friendship, Washington National, and Dulles-must be treated as a system. They are interdependent. Each is part of a whole. Policies affecting one affect the other two. None of the three should be considered in isolation. Nor should two be treated at the expense of one. The three airports must be complementary, not competitive. Second. What is the future role of Washington National? Should it be closed down as some people advocate, or should it be maintained at its present level of activity or substantially enlarged? My own feeling is that this airport serves our community well but that any effort to increase its capacity would throw the system out of balance. Dulles and Friendship are now underused and should receive a major share of the projected air traffic increases. Let me add here that Friendship International Airport, as well as Dulles, is part of the regional air system. The CAB has certified it as an airport of service to the Washington area. It is a fine airport, with a potential to expand considerably, unlike National. Unlike Dulles, Friendship now has a traffic generating capacity of its own. There are a million people in the Washington region, throughout Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties who use Friendship and find its service and location highly desirable. It is my hope that these hearings will illustrate, in proper perspective, of course, Friendship's role in the National Capital region. I might say at this time both Senator Spong and I are members of the Commerce Committee. I have been in touch with Senator Magnuson, the chairman of the Commerce Committee. I have advised him of the nature of these hearings and that I am conducting them not only in my capacity as chairman of the District of Columbia but also as a member of the Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Aviation. I intend to make a report to Senator Magnuson and the Commerce Committee as, of course, will Senator Spong on the conduct and the results of these hearings. Third. The hearings will also consider the problems of access to the three airports. In particular, the subcommittee wants to explore in some detail the advantages and disadvantages of providing rapid rail transit to and from the airports. I believe that only by such provision can airport access problems of the future be resolved. Fourth. The subcommittee hopes to explore the environmental impact of three major jetports on a community. What does it mean to have Dulles, Friendship, and Washington National within one region? What does it mean in terms of noise, air pollution, land values, land use, urban planning, land travel, traffic, and the like? Fifth. Finally, these hearings should bring to light the means by which decisions are reached-or not reached-for the regional air policies we now have. Within the system, how are questions of policy decided upon and implemented? Within the next 18 months vast changes will be taking place in the region within aviation. Decisions are now being taken, plans drawn up, and funds allocated which will affect the National Capital's regional air system for years to come. The Boeing 747 "Jumbo Jet" carrying 450 passengers has already been test flown. This plane dwarfs in capacity the largest commercial plane we now have. The FAA is presently evaluating a report which calls for the complete redoing of Washington National. The Department of Transportation has contracted for a study on how best to use existing railroad track between downtown Washington and Friendship International. The Department of Transportation also has requested, in its fiscal year 1970 budget funds, to purchase actual operational hardware for use on these tracks. There is talk of the need to expand Dulles' capacity to handle baggage, as well as the need to either acquire more or reject entirely the use of the mobile lounges. And Friendship has a plan on the books to enlarge both terminal and airfield facilities. So there is much activity now taking place. It is the function and duty of Congress, through this subcommittee, to examine the aviation situation, or "crisis," if one prefers the term, facing the Washington region today and tomorrow. Before any irreversible policy decisions are reached either by inaction, simple bureaucratic momentum, or administrative initiativeCongress should review the options open to us. What alternatives are available? Which direction should we go? It is proper that we answer these questions now. I hope that through these hearings the agencies and groups that appear before us are made |