Communities
for a Responsible Mather Airport (CRMA)
October 31, 2005
Bureau of Customs and Border Protection
Office of Regulations and Rulings
Regulations Branch
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NM (Mint Annex)
Washington, DC 20229
RE: Docket
Number: DHS-2005-0057
To Whom It May Concern:
Communities for a Responsible Mather Airport
(CRMA) is an organization of residents from multiple communities in Sacramento
and El Dorado Counties unified in our concern regarding the impact of Mather
Airport cargo operations on our communities.
We write today because CRMA is against the
expansion of Mather Airport cargo operations and the increased noise pollution,
increased commercial traffic on county roadways and increased air pollution
that will result from increased cargo activity at Mather.
CRMA supports representatives from the County of
El Dorado and the Cities of Elk Grove and Folsom in their opposition of Docket
Number DHS-2005-0057, which would establish a new Port of Entry at Sacramento,
California and realign port limits of the Port of Entry at San Francisco,
California.
Docket Number
DHS-2005-0057 is not limited to federal financial assistance for customs
services to “port of entry” status at Sacramento International Airport (SMF);
its designation affects all airports in the area, including Mather Airport.
Formerly a military airbase, Mather Airport was reactivated as a civilian
airport in 1995. Over local objections, Sacramento County has relocated much of
the air cargo operation from Sacramento International Airport to the Mather
facility
As we try to gain relief from these
sleep-awakening flights, the resounding message from Sacramento County has been
that they believe the financial gain from these flights is greater than the
impact of waking up hundreds of residents each and every night. Adding custom
services to Mather would “open the door” for additional overflight noise
impacts currently impacting our communities and until such a time that this
issue is remedied, we can not
support the introduction of custom services. The establishment of the Port of
Entry in Sacramento has the ability to further deteriorate the economic growth
of our communities.
Please record this opposition letter for Docket
Number DHS-2005-0057.
Sincerely,
Communities for a Responsible Mather Airport
cc: Folsom
City Council
Elk
Grove City Council
El Dorado County Board of
Supervisors