Proposed Policy Encouraging Metropolitan Planning Organizations and Airport Operators to Cooperate in Transportation Planning

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. OST-97-2085]

Proposed Policy Encouraging Metropolitan Planning Organizations

and Airport Operators to Cooperate in Transportation Planning

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Proposed policy statement.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation (DOT) is publishing for

comment a proposed policy statement regarding the need for coordination

between aviation and surface transportation planning efforts,

particularly between airport operators and metropolitan planning

organizations, with emphasis on urbanized areas over one million

population as defined by the latest Decennial Census.

There are a number of concerns and issues shared by policy makers

responsible for airport and surface transportation decision making,

including the need to plan for and develop adequate surface

transportation access serving airports. This policy addresses the need

to enhance cooperation across transportation modes. This type of

cooperation is especially important because planning requirements for

the individual transportation modes (highway, transit, rail, and

aviation) are contained in separate statutory authority. The DOT

believes that it is desirable to stimulate and revitalize the

cooperative relationship between airport operators and metropolitan

planning organizations to achieve a thoughtful and carefully

coordinated program of intermodal and multimodal system planning and

development.

This proposed policy is consistent with the statutory policy

provisions guiding the Federal airport improvement program, such as

encouraging the efficient and effective development of intermodal

transportation systems. 49 U.S.C. 47101(a)(5). This proposed policy

also implements the statutory policy directing the Department to

integrate airport improvement planning with intermodal planning. 49

U.S.C. 47101(g), as amended by section 141 of the Federal Aviation

Authorization Act of 1996. Pub. L. No. 104-264, October 9, 1996.

DATES: Comments on this proposal should be received by March 31, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Submit written, signed comments to Docket No. OST-97-2085,

the Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room PL-401, SVC-

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121.30, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590. All comments

received will be available for examination at the above address between

9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal

holidays. Those desiring notification of receipt of comments must

include a self-addressed, stamped envelope or postcard.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Carl Swerdloff, Office of

Economics, Office of the Secretary, at (202) 366-5427, DOT, 400 Seventh

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590; or Mr. Larry Kiernan, Office of

Airport Planning and Programming, FAA, at (202) 267-8784, 800

Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591. Office hours are from

8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal

holidays.

The Proposed Policy Statement

The DOT proposes to adopt a new policy encouraging improved

cooperation between metropolitan planning organizations and airport

operators in devising realistic plans to address transportation issues

and more effectively integrate airport and urban surface transportation

systems.

Proposed Policy Encouraging Metropolitan Planning Organizations and

Airport Operators To Cooperate in Transportation Planning

Introduction

DOT, through this proposed policy encourages metropolitan planning

organizations and airport operators, especially in urbanized areas with

one million population or more, to cooperate and coordinate on a wide

range of transportation issues. This policy will improve cooperation

between airport and metropolitan transportation planning and

development activities. It is the expectation of the United States DOT

that this effort will identify additional opportunities for intermodal

and multimodal cooperation. The policy addresses obstacles to the

effective integration of multimodal issues in metropolitan

transportation planning. These obstacles have developed over time and

are, in part, the unintended result of different statutory requirements

for transportation planning for surface and air modes. While both

surface and air transportation are recognized as having a major

influence on urban development, metropolitan planning organizations

have taken a larger role in surface transportation planning and have

concentrated their expertise and resources on that topic.

DOT recognizes that a thoughtful program of airport planning and

development conducted within the context of the metropolitan planning

framework can greatly enhance the air transportation potential of the

region, with benefits to the region and the nation. DOT wants to ensure

that surface and airport planning are mutually supported by appropriate

expertise.

Several factors must be addressed to encourage participation of

metropolitan planning organizations in the airport planning process.

Adequate staff and budget resources must be available to enable

metropolitan planning organizations to make competent assessments of

the airport planning process, especially in urbanized areas of one

million population and greater. Full-time professional staff with

expertise in air transportation is desirable in transportation planning

agencies, but consultant services may be an acceptable alternative.

Technical guidance is needed to provide the context for metropolitan

planning within the framework of the national airport system and to

describe the techniques available for analyzing specialized technical

issues such as aviation activity forecasting, air transportation demand

analysis, airspace utilization, environmental impact, and ground access

requirements. Airport operators should have major input to the planning

process if it is to be well informed and effective.

General Planning Principles

1. The regional airport system should be planned and operated to

provide the public with the safest and most efficient air

transportation service possible and to ensure adequate capacity to

accommodate current and forecast aviation demand.

2. Airport planning and development within a metropolitan region

should be conducted in cooperation with the metropolitan transportation

planning process to ensure the best use of resources compatible with

land use, general development, and surface transportation plans for the

region.

3. Metropolitan planning organizations should develop and maintain

organizational capacity in aviation planning including forecasting,

demand analysis, environmental impact, ground transportation

requirements, and economic impact.

4. Airport operators should be active and influential participants

in the metropolitan transportation planning process through such

mechanisms as technical advisory committees and metropolitan planning

organization policy boards to ensure maximum consistency between

surface and aviation plans.

5. Local governments and airport operators are encouraged to make

optimal use of existing regional airport and aviation facilities and

capacity in meeting current and future air transportation demand, and

to plan for additional airport and aviation facilities and capacity as,

when and where future transportation demand warrants.

Implementation

The DOT proposes to implement the proposed policy through a variety

of measures to encourage metropolitan planning organizations to become

more involved with aviation issues.

After our highest priority safety and security needs have been met,

DOT will give a high priority to requests for financial aid under the

Airport Improvement Program to enable metropolitan planning

organizations, with special emphasis on urbanized areas of one million

population and greater, to develop, retain, and apply aviation planning

capabilities. DOT will develop and distribute current technical

guidance including a guide for planning metropolitan and regional

aviation systems and a guide for planning surface access to airports.

DOT will consider the extent to which metropolitan planning

organizations have enhanced their capability to analyze aviation issues

as a factor in the review of requests for financial aid under this

policy.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

The proposed policy anticipates that the potential for integrating

metropolitan airport capacity and service with other modes can be

greatly enhanced through thoughtful and well coordinated metropolitan

surface transportation and airport planning. DOT seeks public input on

the following issues in its further consideration of this proposal.

--Will this goal be effectively advanced by this proposal or are

additional measures necessary?

--Are incentives needed to encourage metropolitan planning

organizations to develop aviation planning capability?

--Is additional technical guidance needed?

--Are the financial resources now available adequate to support the

desired level of metropolitan airport planning?

--Are institutional changes necessary to expand the participation of

airport

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operators in the metropolitan transportation system planning process?

If so, what measures are indicated, who should initiate and implement

them, and what policies and procedures should apply to their

implementation?

--What actions can DOT undertake to build upon this initiative to

further enhance cooperation between airport and surface transportation

policy makers?

Comments on these and other aspects of the proposed policy are

welcome.

Issued in Washington, DC on January 21, 1997.

Federico Pena,

Secretary of Transportation.

[FR Doc. 97-2020 Filed 1-27-97; 8:45 am]

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