Time for a Rational Approach to Settle the Airport Dispute

When Measure A was drafted and submitted to the citizens of Orange County in 1994, several key factors were articulated. First, that air passenger and cargo demand in Orange County created the necessity for additional airport capacity. Second, that the future demand could not be satisfied by our single facility at John Wayne Airport. Third, that the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station was available as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a public conveyance from the federal government at no cost to Orange County taxpayers for a second airport site.

Measure A contained the provision that Orange County would be served by a dual airport system. The primary reason for both John Wayne and El Toro being operational was very simple: maintain John Wayne at its present level and plan an airport at El Toro that would serve, at most, 14 million to 18 million annual passengers over the next 20 years. That has always been my position, and our support group, Citizens for Jobs & the Economy, has restated that position on numerous occasions.

The fact that the county has felt compelled to study larger facilities necessitated by environmental regulations has not deterred us from steadfast advocacy of the dual airport system as the best and fairest solution for Orange County. Meanwhile, the anti-airport advocates have seized upon the “mega international airport concept” as a scare tactic in their determination to deny this opportunity for the future of Orange County and its long-term economic health.

Now is the time for members of the Local Redevelopment Authority to assume an aggressive leadership posture and clearly articulate what size facility is appropriate for Orange County. Attorneys insisting on excessive, time-consuming analysis have prolonged this process. Certainly, sufficient facts exist to define a realistic project. The citizens of Orange County will support a second airport site once clear articulation occurs and bureaucratic ineptness ends. Hopefully, civil dialogue will begin to occur with responsible South County leadership once realism is established in the planning process. It is long overdue.

There are several reasons why the 20-year ultimate size of an airport at El Toro should be reduced to the 14- to 18-million annual passenger range. The most important consideration is community compatibility and simple fairness. John Wayne is on 500 acres and has homes within half a mile from the end of the runway. El Toro is approximately 5,000 acres surrounded by a 13,000-acre no-home zone under the flight paths. If John Wayne can facilitate 9 million annual passengers, El Toro certainly can grow to 14 million to 18 million annual passengers on a site that is almost 10 times larger than John Wayne.

The combination of El Toro and John Wayne will satisfy a substantial portion of the long-term demand in our region. The dual airports primarily will serve domestic passengers and could accommodate limited international service to Mexico and Canada. A major international airport requires an extraordinary infrastructure and a high concentration of interconnecting flights. That intensity exists at LAX and need not be duplicated at El Toro.

The El Toro airport we advocate clearly will result in less traffic than the proposed anti-airport Millennium Plan. A 14- to 18-million annual passenger airport will also meet all clean air standards. Noise and air pollution are being reduced continually as new aircraft are being designed, built and delivered.

In addition to the sizing and dual airport system for Orange County, several conditions can and should be incorporated in an El Toro airport:

* The same noise and nighttime flight restrictions existing at John Wayne should be imposed on operations at El Toro.

* The airport would be designed so that the gates and aprons could not handle jumbo jets (747s).

* The Local Redevelopment Authority has proposed, and the FAA has agreed, that the runway, which would allow westerly operations over the populated areas of Irvine, should not even be analyzed for potential use.

* The El Toro site should be declared safe by the FAA.

Public safety is paramount. The FAA makes the final determination regarding airport safety. According to an Oct. 30 FAA letter to Supervisor Tom Wilson, the agency is currently developing preliminary departure and arrival procedures to ensure public safety. The letter noted that “We [FAA] have concluded that flights from the existing facility could be safely accommodated.” Therefore, the representations by those opposing the airport regarding El Toro as being unsafe simply misrepresent the facts.

It is time for rational and responsible citizens in Orange County to become involved and assist in contributing positively to solve a critical, long-term air transportation need. The facts clearly demonstrate that we can and should build and operate an airport that is sensitive to community concerns on a site that has been an airport since 1940. El Toro is a 21st century opportunity that we must take advantage of for the future of Orange County.