SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

1999 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 568
Expressing the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in support of the retention of the 1,250-mile perimeter rule and slot rule at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 1999
Agreed to by the Senate, February 18, 1999

WHEREAS, the air transportation needs of the metropolitan Washington region are addressed through a finely balanced, comprehensive regional airport plan; and

WHEREAS, under that plan, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport each perform a separate and unique function in that regional airport plan; and

WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport functions as the local and regional airport, serving cities within a 1,250-mile radius; and

WHEREAS, Washington Dulles International Airport serves as the national and international airport; and

WHEREAS, significant local decisions about airport investment and development plans have been based on this locally and federally endorsed balance of traffic; and

WHEREAS, the allocation of roles to each airport under the plan has stimulated the growth and development of Washington Dulles International Airport; and

WHEREAS, the development of Washington Dulles International Airport has improved the quality of regional, domestic, and international air transportation for all citizens of the region; and

WHEREAS, the improvement in air transportation alternatives has brought to local passengers the benefits of increased competition in the form of competitive fares and a broad array of new service options between these two airports; and

WHEREAS, the region has benefited from investments by many new firms in Northern Virginia that have located to this area because of the presence of a major international airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, and the strength and continued viability of competitive air service offerings at both Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport; and

WHEREAS, the increased business activity has produced substantial economic benefits for the region; and

WHEREAS, a linchpin of this balanced regional air transportation system is the rule at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport limiting flights to 1,250 miles from the airport; and

WHEREAS, as one of only four high-density airports in the country, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is subject to a "slot rule" reservation system which limits the total number of flights per hour to sixty; and

WHEREAS, changes to the perimeter rule would threaten air service to smaller communities within the perimeter that now enjoy convenient access to Northern Virginia by air; and

WHEREAS, the perimeter rule and the slot rule were enacted as Section 6012 of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986; and

WHEREAS, legislation is being considered in the Congress of the United States that would provide for exemptions from the perimeter rule and slot rule; and

WHEREAS, any change in the current perimeter rule and slot rule would threaten the benefits now enjoyed by citizens of the region as a result of the balance of services among the regional airports, as well as threaten the existing noise mitigation policy that is provided with the slot rule; and

WHEREAS, maintaining the perimeter rule and the slot rule is critical to the continued effectiveness of the balanced regional air transportation plan; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the retention of the 1,250-mile perimeter rule and slot rule at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport be supported and that any relaxation of, exemption from, or amendment to Section 6012 of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986 or the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto be opposed; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit copies of this resolution to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President of the United States Senate, United States Senator John McCain, and the members of the Congressional Delegation of Virginia in order that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.