FAA focusing on Southland's airports

Editorial Focus: A new FAA grant will be used to study a proposed network of rail lines to serve Southern California airports, including Palmdale. In the meantime, the FAA is questioning the legality of the latest Burbank Airport agreement.

As Valley Press Business Editor Don Jergler reported last Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration has joined a growing list of groups pushing to establish a viable passenger airport in Palmdale and other outlying regions.

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is examining using passenger rail to link Palmdale Regional Airport with Los Angeles International and other regional airports in Southern California, thanks to a $2 million grant from the FAA.

The FAA grant, given to SCAG, provides funds to study establishing a rail link among Palmdale, LAX, Van Nuys, Los Angeles Union Station and possibly the Inland Empire, said Rich Macias, the manager of aviation of environmental planning for SCAG.

Earlier this year, Palmdale was designated as a priority stop on the proposed 680-mile bullet train route that could take passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in about two hours.

In another FAA airport-related development, it was reported last week that the agency has expressed serious concerns in regard to a plan to build a new 14-gate terminal at Burbank Airport.

This latest stumbling block is expected to further delay the longrunning attempt to expand airport facilities at Burbank.

FAA Chief Counsel Nicholas G. Garaufis warned Burbank Airport Authority President Carl Meseck in a Sept. 23 letter that federal officials were concerned that the agreement and the transfer of 130 acres by Lockheed Martin to the airport for the new terminal would not comply with federal law.

Burbank Superior Court Judge Carl J. West cast more doubt on the agreement when he ordered the airport to pay Lockheed $8.5 million in legal fees and delayed the land transfer from Sept. 23 until Nov. 2.

The judge said he wanted a more complete briefing from the city of Burbank and the airport on how the agreement would comply with state law.

In other words, there are questions as to whether the airport agreement complies with U.S. and California law.

These questions may cause more serious delays for the proposed three-phase, $300-million construction plan.

Additional criticism has come from the Air Transport Association, a powerful airline trade group that opposes a provision that would close the terminal from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. to limit noise pollution.

Three congressmen have also joined in the chorus of protesters against the airport expansion plan.

Whether the new problems faced by proponents of Burbank Airport expansion will hasten development of Palmdale Airport is anybody's guess.

But, according to a report released nearly two years ago by SCAG, the number of airline passengers in the region will double by 2020 to 158 million passengers per year.

Most of those passengers will have to be accommodated somewhere besides LAX. Development of Palmdale Airport must be given a much higher priority than it has had in the past.