Through The Fence Issues
The Boulder Daily Camera article outlining the Federal Aviation Administration regulations on "through the fence" operations does not fully define how serious the issue is.
On the one hand, the FAA is concerned about airport security. Balancing against the "911" problem is the requirement that owners must be paid just compensation for property rights they lose. A "through the fence" agreement is generally issued as such a property right.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which has provided the Boulder airport with about $2.5 million over the past five years, has long had concerns about the use of through-the-fence agreements at municipal airports. In 2009, the administration decided that all such agreements should be eliminated, due to safety concerns.
Facing backlash from pilots, the agency created interim rules that require airports with through-the-fence agreements to develop an airport access plan that details how the airport will meet standards for control of the airport, safety of operations, self-sustainability and nondiscriminatory airport rates. It also prohibited new through-the-fence agreements at federally funded airports.
