Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff Though the federal government shutdown continues, the U.S. Department of Transportation granted a reprieve that will allow commercial air service in Del Norte County to continue through November. In a notice Border Coast Regional Airport Authority Director Sean Rosenthal said he received Wednesday morning, the DOT stated that it has secured additional funding to support both the Essential Air Service and Alternative Essential Air Service programs. As a result, air carriers and communities receiving those subsidies must continue to fulfill their obligations “until such time as the Department notifies them otherwise.” According to the notice, carriers who serve rural communities under the Essential Air Service — including Advanced Air, which flies from Crescent City to Oakland and to Southern California — will be able to provide service through Nov. 2. “We are very grateful to the DOT and other entities that worked behind the scenes to secure this funding extension,” Rosenthal told Redwood Voice Community News in an email Wednesday. “We were particularly pleased to see the ‘at-risk’ language from the October 6th language removed from this amended extension as that verbiage had created uncertainty that was not present in prior government shutdowns.” While this provides relief, Rosenthal said the BCRAA is still planning for the possibility that the government shutdown extends beyond Nov. 2. “We will remain in communication with Advanced Air, DOT and our aviation consultant, Volaire, to assess the best options for our community,” he said. EAS Funding Extension Notice FINALDownload The U.S. DOT’s notice on Monday stated that if the government shutdown continued beyond Sunday, the Essential Air Service and Alternative Essential Air Service would end. On Tuesday, Rosenthal told BCRAA members that he was hoping to get more clarity on the order and what it means. The “at-risk language” Rosenthal referred to concerns a statement in the DOT’s original notification stating that carriers continuing to operate beyond Sunday would “do so at their own risk as the Department may not be able to pay the subsidy.” On Tuesday, the airport director said that there was some question about whether the EAS program was just on pause during the shutdown or whether it would have to be completely reauthorized when the shutdown is over. “While this extension provides some relief, BCRAA’s next step is to continue planning for potential issues beyond November 2nd should the shutdown continue,” Rosenthal said. “We will remain in communication with Advanced Air, the DOT and our aviation consultant, Volaire, to assess the best options for our community.” The loss of funding for the Essential Air Service program would have interrupted air service in 175 communities across the country. The Alternative Essential Air Service, a more flexible version of the EAS program, provides the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority with about $400,000 a month for commercial air service. According to Rosenthal, Advanced Air bills the BCRAA, the airport authority pays the airline and is then reimbursed when it shows proof of payment to the DOT. The DOT has 30 days to reimburse the BCRAA, however Rosenthal said Monday that the Airport Authority had yet to receive its payment for August. On Wednesday, Alaska’s News Source reported the DOT had secured $41 million in funding for the EAS program. The additional funding comes after Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowsky spoke with transportation secretary about how important the program was to communities in her state, 65 of which take advantage of the subsidy. For the BCRAA, the Essential Air Service program is no less important. Serving communities in Oregon and California, the Del Norte County Airport is a lifeline should a fire or a tsunami or a landslide shut down local highways, District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard told Redwood Voice in September. “We need another way to get out of this community,” he said. “That airport came in pretty handy in 1964 during the floods when we were cut off. Everybody forgets but those times were not too long ago.”