AIRPORT GETS OK TO GROW\Foes to fight Burbank Airport expansion OK.Byline: Lee Condon Daily News Staff Writer The Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control announced its approval of Burbank Airport expansion Monday, prompting angry Burbank leaders to consider legal action. Burbank city officials, who have opposed the project because of additional auto traffic and aircraft noise, plan to meet in closed session tonight to discuss possible options, including an appeal in federal court. The expansion ruling, made by FAA Western-Pacific Regional Administrator William C. Withycombe, paves the way for the purchase of 140 acres and the construction of a 19-gate, 465,000-square-foot terminal. The $355 million project would nearly triple the size of the existing 1930s-era terminal. "This is a big step forward in the process of leading to a new and safer terminal," said Carl Raggio, president of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority and an appointee APPOINTEE. A person who is appointed or selected for a particular purpose; as the appointee under a power, is the person who is to receive the benefit of the trust or power. from Glendale. Burbank City Manager Robert 'Bud' Ovrom said the city has just two months to appeal the FAA's decision. "It puts a gun to our head," he said. "During the 60 days we'll have to look at it and decide if we are going to take legal action," Ovrom said. Specifically, the FAA approved the environmental impact statement for the expanded terminal, a process Burbank Airport began six years ago. The decision came down three months into a six-month cooling-off period An interval of time during which no action of a specific type can be taken by either side in a dispute. An automatic delay in certain jurisdictions, apart from ordinary court delays, between the time when Divorce papers are filed and the divorce hearing takes place. , which had been started as a way to end all the bickering bick·er intr.v. bick·ered, bick·er·ing, bick·ers 1. To engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel; squabble. See Synonyms at argue. 2. about the terminal expansion. Under the terms of the cooling-off period, the Airport Authority agreed not to move forward with the expansion between December and June. "It gives them the green light to proceed with land acquisition. To have this inserted into the middle of (the standstill standstill /stand·still/ (stand´stil?) cessation of activity, as of the heart (cardiac s.) or chest (respiratory s.) . stand·still n. Complete cessation of activity or progress. ) is disruptive disruptive /dis·rup·tive/ (-tiv) 1. bursting apart; rending. 2. causing confusion or disorder. ," Ovrom said. "We only have (60) days to react in the middle of the cooling-off period." FAA officials familiar with the project could not be reached for comment Monday, but the FAA has been on record in support of moving the current terminal because it is 400 feet closer to airport runways than allowed by modern FAA standards. In approving the environmental impact statement, the FAA has made the project eligible for federal funding, said Victor Gill, a spokesman for the Airport Authority. The FAA found that there would be no new or additional environmental impacts, including noise and emissions, if the terminal is expanded, he said. Both the city of Burbank and U.S. Rep. Howard Berman Howard Lawrence "Howie" Berman (born April 15 1941) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1983, representing the 28th District of California (map). , D-Mission Hills, formally had asked FAA officials to delay making a decision on expansion plans until after the cooling-off period ends in the middle of June. "Obviously we would have wanted the whole six months that we asked for," said Tom Waldman, a spokesman for Berman. "We did get them to extend it a bit. The FAA rarely gives this kind of extension." Burbank City Attorney Joe Fletcher Fletcher may refer to one of the following: Ideas and companies
The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority was created by the three cities The Three Cities is a collective description of the three fortified cities of Cospicua, Vittoriosa, and Senglea on the Island of Malta, which are enclosed by the massive line of fortification created by the Knights of St John, the Cottonera Lines. in 1978. The authority is run by nine commissioners, three appointed by the city councils from each city. While the Glendale and Pasadena commissioners support moving the terminal and expanding the number of gates, Burbank officials have balked balk v. balked, balk·ing, balks v.intr. 1. To stop short and refuse to go on: The horse balked at the jump. 2. at expansion plans. Residents who live near the airport are concerned about the possible increase in late-night jet noise, aircraft emissions and auto traffic. Burbank Councilman Ted McConkey who opposed the expansion plans, said the players involved in the airport should try to get the mediation mediation, in law, type of intervention in which the disputing parties accept the offer of a third party to recommend a solution for their controversy. Mediation has long been a part of international law, frequently involving the use of an international commission, process completed before the deadline to appeal the FAA decision. "We will see if the mediation bears any fruit. If it doesn't we'll file the appropriate appeal," McConkey said. "This puts additional pressure for everyone involved in the mediation process." |
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