Chair of House Aviation Panel to Discuss Airport

Unhappy over the FAA’s failure to take a hand in settling the city of Burbank’s long-running feud with Burbank Airport, Rep. James Rogan announced Wednesday he and the chairman of the congressional aviation subcommittee will meet with local officials in April.

The move to bring Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. (R-Tenn.) to discuss issues surrounding Burbank Airport comes nearly a week after FAA Administrator Jane Garvey refused to rule on a request by Rogan, a Republican who represents Burbank. Rogan had asked Garvey whether the Burbank Airport Authority could bypass a federal law requiring FAA approval to impose mandatory noise restrictions on aircraft traffic.

Garvey made a highly publicized appearance in Burbank last August when she pledged to work with local officials to bring an end to the bickering over aircraft noise.

But since her visit there have been few public pronouncements from Garvey or from FAA official Marie Therese Dominguez, who was selected by the agency as its point person on Burbank Airport.

“I am concerned that federal inaction further jeopardizes public safety and the quality of life of local residents,” Rogan said in a statement Wednesday. “To address these needs, and work toward finding an equitable solution, I have invited Chairman Duncan to Burbank to listen to all concerns.”

Rogan, who gained national prominence as one of the House managers in the presidential impeachment trial, is a relative newcomer to the airport fight, having spoken publicly on the issue for the first time last August.

Since October, however, he has pressed Garvey repeatedly for her position on claims that there is exception to the Federal Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990. The act mandates a series of long and expensive steps to impose mandatory noise restrictions.

Burbank Airport currently maintains a voluntary curfew on flights between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. In October, the airport authority approved a measure to initiate a so-called Part 161 study, which is required by the act before the FAA can approve a mandatory curfew.

For years, the airport’s governing board--the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority-- has been locked in a contentious political and court fight with the Burbank government and residents protesting aircraft noise.

Since the early 1990s, the debate has spilled over into the authority’s attempts to build a 19-gate terminal, which anti-noise forces have fought, contending it will increase noise.

The airport authority in turn says it is trying to comply with the FAA’s urgings to replace the current terminal because it does not meet modern safety standards.

Airport officials insist that they have never been opposed to a curfew or other noise cap and that they have explored how such limits could be implemented, but will not violate federal law by acting unilaterally.

“The most important thing here is bringing all the parties together to find a solution,” said Rogan press secretary Jeff Solesby. “We had hoped that Garvey’s initial response would have done that. We’re still hoping to work with her.”

Despite the parade of public officials who have come to Burbank pledging to bring peace, with no success, those knowledgeable about the airport issue praised Rogan’s decision to involve Duncan, whose committee oversees the FAA.

“He is a very powerful man and we have a lot of respect for him,” Burbank City Manager Bud Ovrom said of Duncan. “We would take any overtures he made very seriously.”

“Mr. Duncan is a well-known congressional figure in aviation matters,” added Burbank Airport spokesman Victor Gill. “The fact that Burbank Airport issues are rising to that level of attention is good for ultimately finding answers to the problems in our terminal project.”