Amendment Threatening O.C. Airport Noise Curbs

After losing in the U.S. Senate, city officials worked feverishly Friday in an 11th-hour bid to block legislation that would strip John Wayne Airport of its tough aircraft noise limits.

Tucked away as an amendment to the federal budget bill, the legislation would impose a less stringent national airport noise policy that would preempt local noise standards. John Wayne officials warned that this could open the way for bigger and noisier jets and night flights that would affect residents in a wide area under the airport’s landing and departure routes.

The proposed national policy passed the Senate Thursday night, 69-31, and immediately became the focus of negotiations between its supporters and critics on the House-Senate budget conference committee.

Newport Beach officials said they are running out of time to block the bill. And a local congressman predicted that there would not be enough votes on the House floor to stop the legislation if it survives House-Senate negotiations.

“All of this (negotiating) must occur within the next few days,” said Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), who is lobbying members of the conference committee to eliminate the Senate amendment.

“At this point, I think it’s an even-money bet,” he said.

“My approach to this is simple: strike the (amendment’s) language,” Cox said. “A compromise that protects Orange County will be acceptable only if all else fails.”

County officials fear that the federal legislation will destroy a 1985 court settlement that ended 15 years of bitter, costly anti-noise litigation between airport neighbors and the county. Under the agreement, the county was allowed to expand the airport but was also ordered to follow what are considered to be the nation’s toughest noise standards. Also, the agreement--which expires in the year 2005--limits the number of passengers who move through the facility to 8.4 million per year.

The proposed compromise supported by Cox and other members of the county’s congressional delegation would exempt from the national noise standards those airports that had such agreements before Oct. 1.

Newport Beach officials said they had been been in constant contact Friday with the city’s lobbyists in Washington and with their legislative representatives. Officials said they will continue to monitor the situation over the next few days.

“Some of us will be wearing beepers over the weekend,” City Manager Robert L. Wynn said.

On a national level, the bill--introduced by Sen. Wendell Ford (R-Ky.)--would preempt local control over noise and access to airports. The legislation has widespread support from the airlines and air cargo carriers, who contend that myriad conflicting regulations at airports makes for difficult scheduling and serious delays.

Barbara Lichman, a Newport Beach resident who has been lobbying against the proposed federal policy, said she is passing out flyers to residents with the names, addresses and fax numbers of all senators and representatives who are members of the budget conference.

But, she said, there is no telling when the issue comes up before the House-Senate budget committee.

“We were told that they were going to start meeting tonight,” Lichman said Friday. “But they could take the night off, or we could come up (for discussion) No. 1, or we could come up No. 255.”

“I’m just going to wait and hope that I get informed as soon as something happens,” she said.