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H.C.R. 2

             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.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 2-9-07 8:57 AM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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