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By Jorge Casuso
March 14 -- The City Council Tuesday voted to delay giving
final approval to an ordinance restricting faster, larger jets at
Santa Monica Airport to give federal officials a chance to present
an alternative they say will “greatly enhance safety.”
The council -- which didn’t seem to buy into the federal
Aviation Administration’s (FAA) proposal -- said delaying
the vote until March 25 would give the City firmer ground to fight
a lawsuit threatened by the agency.
Before the meeting, the City will respond to the FAA's March 7
proposal, which calls for installing a concrete arresting system
that slows down aircraft that overshoot the runway, which is adjacent
to homes.
The system would arrest aircraft travelling at 70 knots, compared
to the FAA’s previous proposal, which only handled aircraft
travelling at 40 knots. Federal officials also offered to realign
the position of aircraft taking off so the emissions don't go towards
adjacent homes.
Council members, who in November approved the first reading of
an ordinance that calls for 1,000-foot safety areas at both ends
of the runway, said the FAA proposal falls far short of the safety
measures the City wants to see. ("Council
Bans Faster Planes at Airport," November 28, 2007)
“My first reaction to this letter is that it would make a
wonderful paper airplane,” said Council member Kevin McKeown.
“This letter does not break new ground.
“We’re going to end up in court, and when we end up
in court, I want to win,” McKeown said.
City Attorney Marsha Moutrie advised the council to delay the vote,
giving Kirk Shaffer, FAA associate administrator for airports, the
opportunity to testify in person before the council votes on whether
to approve the ordinance on second reading.
“The City needs time to analyze his proposal, and it needs
the time to respond,” Moutrie said. “It’s likely
that the City will end up in court, and if it does, it’s very
important that the City goes into court with a full record.”
Council members agreed.
“We can get a complete airing of this, and it will help if
and when we go to court,” said Mayor Herb Katz.
Council member Bobby Shriver said the two-week delay would give
federal legislators more time to negotiate with the FAA on behalf
of the City.
“A lot of the power in this situation lies in the hands of
federal officials who have been working on this,” Shriver
said. He added that if the case goes to court, the current ordinance,
which allows for large jets to take off and land at the airport,
would stay in place.
The ordinance the council unanimously approved on first reading
in November bans C and D aircraft with approach speeds faster than
121 knots.
The vote came after fives years of negotiations with the FAA, which
opposes City proposals to shorten the runway and add safety areas
at either end that abide by current federal standards.
City officials and residents who live near the airport worry that
soaring jet traffic -- from 4,829 jet operations in 1994 to 18,100
last year -- is putting neighboring homes, as well as pilots, in
danger.
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