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Secretary Mineta has recently forwarded identical letters regarding
the Loran decision process to several members of Congress, and
this link shows
his letter to Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chairman
of the House Judiciary Committee. The Department of Transportation
(DOT) sent a similar letter to the National Boating Federation
(NBF) in response to NBF Loran support, as shown on this
link. I am pleased to report that Congressional Loran support
is strong and bipartisan during this FY2005 budget period, and
we fully expect that support to continue.
Over the last several years, the DOT has continually maintained
that the Loran decision was to be based on the outcome of the
recent technical and economic evaluations, and if Loran met those
criteria, it would be endorsed as part of the Nation's long-term
radionavigation mix. In this context, I note several key issues
addressed by Secretary Mineta in his Congressional letter. First,
the recent technical and benefit-cost Loran studies were "key
to making an informed and unbiased decision." Second, he confirms
that both technical and benefit-cost studies were positive. Lastly,
Secretary Mineta assures Congress that "a decision will be made
soon" on Loran.
Since the DOT has now acknowledged that eLoran meets the necessary
requirements for inclusion in the US long-term radionavigation
mix, I am looking forward to a positive Loran policy statement
in the near term.
Respectfully,
G. Linn Roth, Ph.D., FRIN
President
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