Program Guidance Letter 08-06a
US. Department
all Transportation
Federal Aviation
Admintstrat'on
Memorandum
subjeL': ACTION: Program Guidance Letter 08-06
Frorn:
Manager, A'iffports Financial Assistance Division,
APP-500
*aDager, , i Playing and Environmental
Division,
Division, APP-400
'Fw PGL Distribution List
Date:
JUL 2 1
Reply to Nancy S. Williams, APP-501.
Attn. of�.
We are issuing this Program Guidance Letter about the public availability of planning
and environmental documents prepared by airport sponsors with Airport Improvement
Program grants.
FAA project management personnel shall confirm that airports, their agents, including
consultants, remove any restrictions that they have placed on access to Internet -posted
documents prepared with AIP funds. FAA offices must also work with airports and
consultants who may have collected personal data required to register for document
access to ensure that all personal data collected in this manner is destroyed completely.
FAA Regional offices and Airports District Offices are encouraged to distribute this PGL
widely to the airport and consultant community.
This guidance applies only to the Internet posting of documents, studies, reports or other
products of AIP-fitnded grants. It does not extend to the sign -In sheets from public
information meetings or bearings, or information collected to allow members to receive
routine mailings on a project since members of the public are not required to provide that
information.
08-06 Public Availability of AIP Funded Documents
SOAR Code: Varies
This Program Guidance supplements Paragraph 310, Allowable Project Costs of FAA
Order 5100-38C, Airport Improvement Program Handbook.
C�
BACKGROUND
Many of the reports, studies and products of ATP grant -funded projects are made
available to the public. Traditionally, these documents were placed at public libraries,
community centers, or at the airport administrative offices to allow the general public to
review them.
With widespread access to the irate et, many airports now post the documents on their
website. This allows greater public access to these documents. We support the
broadened a-vailability and believe that giving the public easier access to airport
documents allows them to better partner with the airports on important airport
development projects.
Recently we have become aware that some documents posted on the Internet can -not be
downloaded or accessed without registering at the website. Some websittes require the
reader's name, address or other personal information.
This is problematic for two reasons. First, the collection of personal data may be
construed by the public as a surveillance tool for the airport, which may intimidate
members of the public, dissuading them from reviewing the document.
Second, The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, prohibits the unnecessary collection of
private data by federal agencies. Since reports, studies, and products of A grant -funded
projects are products of federal programs, the public could be led to believe that FAA
supports the collection of this data. However, FAA does not support collection of such
data.
All planning and environmental documents prepared as part of AIP funded projects must
be made available to the public without restrictions on access. No member of the public
may be required to provide his or her name, address, telephone numbers, e-mail address,
or other information in order to view or download the information. Airports should be
advised that if they, or other agents of the airport, including consultants, post planning
and environmental documents on the Internet, then the documents must be available for
download by the public without restriction or registration. Further, no other entity,
including consultants, may post such documents on their own wc-bsites if those sites
require registration, even if the document is posted elsewhere without registration
requirements.
Keywords: Public Review