Navy Selects County Plan as Preferred El Toro Use

The U.S. Department of the Navy released its review of competing plans for the reuse of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, choosing Orange County’s airport plan as the preferred alternative.

The selection was expected, as a majority on the Board of Supervisors supports an airport and has been chosen to determine the reuse of the base, which decommissioned in July.

The draft environmental review is required before the base can be turned over to the county. Public comments on the report will be considered before the Navy approves a decision conveying the property to the county.

During a House subcommittee hearing Tuesday, Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside) asked Secretary of Transportation Dan Slater to justify why the environmental report was prepared without a review by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA must approve any airport plans prepared by the county.

Slater countered that the FAA has been working closely with the U.S. Department of Defense on the fate of El Toro. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey has pledged to complete a separate environmental review of the county’s latest airport proposal, which was detailed in an environmental report released in December.