H.C.R. 2 Enrolled

1

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION SUPPORTING
2 AIRPORT SURVEILLANCE RADAR
3 ACQUISITION
4 2007 GENERAL SESSION
5 STATE OF UTAH
6 Chief Sponsor: Stephen E. Sandstrom
7 Senate Sponsor: Curtis S. Bramble
8
9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor expresses support for
12 acquiring a second airport surveillance radar facility for the Salt Lake International
13 Airport and full radar coverage for the general aviation airports of Salt Lake Airport II,
14 Provo Airport, and Spanish Fork Airport.
15 Highlighted Provisions:
16 This resolution:
17 . expresses support for acquiring ASR-11 (automated surveillance radar) to provide
18 radar redundancy for the Salt Lake International Airport;
19 . supports full radar coverage for Salt Lake Airport II in West Jordan, the Provo
20 Airport, and the Spanish Fork Airport; and
21 . requests that Utah's Congressional Delegation seek the appropriation of funds in the
22 2008 Federal Aviation Administration's Facilities and Equipment budget needed to
23 acquire ASR-11, as well as to finalize site selection and to acquire property to the
24 extent needed for the installation of the system.
25 Special Clauses:
26 None
27
28 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
29 WHEREAS, Salt Lake City International Airport (SLCIA) is one of the nation's primary

30 hub airports, is the second largest hub airport for Delta Air Lines and processed over 455,000
31 aircraft operations during 2005 making it the 18th busiest airport in the world, and conservative
32 forecasts project operations to grow to over 634,000 operations by 2025;
33 WHEREAS, the Provo Airport is the second busiest airport in Utah with over 175,000
34 operations a year and was recently designated as the primary reliever to SLCIA by major
35 commercial airlines including Delta, Frontier, and Southwest, a designation that significantly
36 increases the demand on Provo Airport;
37 WHEREAS, the Salt Lake City Terminal/TRACON (terminal radar approach control)
38 facility has responsibility for coordinating the safe and efficient movement of aircraft within
39 the regional airspace but experiences important limitations in the regulation of aircraft using
40 the Provo Airport and airports in surrounding communities;
41 WHEREAS, coordinating air traffic activity within the region is complicated
42 significantly because the mountainous terrain along the Wasatch Front creates a sizeable radar
43 shadow which prevents air traffic controllers from seeing aircraft below 8,000 feet, above
44 ground level, in Utah Valley, while aircraft operating below 500 feet, above ground level, at the
45 Salt Lake City Airport II cannot be seen;
46 WHEREAS, aircraft arriving or departing the Provo Airport and surrounding airports
47 regularly interact with commercial aircraft using SLCIA; when aircraft operating at these
48 airports request entry into SLCIA airspace, air traffic controllers are not able to determine the
49 precise location of the aircraft due to lack of radar coverage; the slower speeds of these aircraft
50 combined with airspace congestion can present safety concerns for commercial airline
51 operations as well as for general aviation;
52 WHEREAS, the lack of ASR-11 (automated surveillance radar) at Provo Airport causes
53 significant delays to take-off and landing operations during poor weather conditions, resulting
54 in a real and significant threat to air safety;
55 WHEREAS, there is no backup radar equipment to provide continuous radar coverage
56 to the surface when existing radar becomes inoperable, and the volume of activity generated by
57 the Delta Air Line hub is closely linked to the efficiency of the entire national air transportation

58 system;
59 WHEREAS, ASR-11 would provide essential redundancy to assure that adequate safety
60 is maintained at all times; and
61 WHEREAS, the radar shadow and the limitations it creates can be corrected by
62 installing a second ASR-11 facility that would be fully integrated with the existing radar at
63 SLCIA and would be optimally located at the Point of the Mountain, providing major safety
64 and efficiency benefits to all of the airports previously mentioned:
65 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
66 Governor concurring therein, support the critical need to acquire ASR-11 (automated
67 surveillance radar) to provide radar redundancy for the Salt Lake City International Airport,
68 and to achieve full radar coverage for Provo Airport and other general aviation airports.
69 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor request that
70 Utah's Congressional Delegation seek the appropriation of funds in the 2008 FAA Facilities
71 and Equipment budget needed to acquire ASR-11, as well as to finalize site selection and to
72 acquire property to the extent needed for the installation of the system.
73 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the city of
74 Provo, the Provo Airport, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Air Lines, Southwest Air Lines, and to the
75 members of Utah's congressional delegation.