Rogan Pushes FAA for Airport Ruling

In a letter sent Friday to Federal Aviation Administrator Jane Garvey, Rep. James E. Rogan (R-Glendale) asked the FAA to formally decide whether easterly takeoffs should be banned at Burbank Airport, as proposed in a draft agreement for a new terminal.

Rogan’s request came in response to a letter from Garvey, made public this week, saying the draft agreement should be amended to remove the ban.

“We want a clear definition from them,” said Jeffrey Solsby, a spokesman for Rogan. “The timing of this letter, combined with its absence of clarity, left open a door.”

Rogan, who opposes easterly takeoffs for safety reasons, said in his letter that Garvey’s remarks “may jeopardize a local solution” and requested an official FAA ruling on the matter by Jan. 15.

After years of dispute, the city of Burbank and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority reached a tentative deal in August to build a new, $300-million terminal. The plan includes the controversial prohibition on easterly takeoffs, toward the Verdugo Mountains.

The city of Los Angeles has threatened to sue the airport if the takeoff ban is approved, arguing that North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, and Studio City would suffer as roaring planes are diverted to the west.

In a letter to the editor published Jan. 2 in The Times Valley Edition, Garvey said the agreement should be revised to reflect their concerns.

“Everyone with a significant interest in the outcome must be at the table,” Garvey wrote. “Issues that affect parties who were not included in the discussion--such as the proposed ban on eastbound takeoffs--should be removed voluntarily from the framework.”