Report slights Palmdale regional airport - again

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report has gone into circulation for a 180-day public review period. It outlines the findings of a five-year effort to map out LAX expansion in preparation for growth in air traffic demand on the area.

Estimates show up to 157 million air passengers per year traveling in and out of the region by 2020. Currently, 67 million passengers fly in or out of LAX each year.

While the report doesn't call for adding a runway at LAX - an idea that's been staunchly opposed by many communities surrounding the busy airport - it does call for expansion of the airport itself.

Those expansion plans come as no surprise. The Los Angeles World Airports board of commissioners, which oversees operations at several airports in the region, have long stated their intentions to go ahead with expansion.

But, airport commissioners have also said the LAX master plan would take a regional approach, calling for expansion and greater usage of outlying airports, such as the one in Palmdale.

However, opponents of LAX expansion who read the report don't believe it does call for a regional approach, leaving airports like the one in Palmdale out of the loop.

"Los Angeles City is again keeping the door shut on providing air service to the Antelope Valley," said Michael D. Antonovich, Los Angeles County 5th District supervisor.

Antonovich, who represents north Los Angeles County, likened LAWA's repeated promises to develop the facility in Palmdale to a smoke screen.

"The earlier promises by LAWA which were made to the city of Palmdale apparently were made to sideline unified efforts to bring air service to the Valley," he said. "These promises have proven to be empty promises."

The report prompted Antonovich to suggest that Palmdale use legal means to buy the airport property away from LAWA and develop the airport itself.

"Los Angeles County needs a regional transportation system, and it cannot use Palmdale. Palmdale should use eminent domain to build an airport," he said.

LAWA commissioners have been vocal about bringing airlines to Palmdale.

The group has gone as far as approving funding to hire a firm to market the airport in Palmdale to airlines.

That move was counter-productive to the report, because the report offers no hint that LAWA plans to divert air traffic to Palmdale, said a spokeswoman for Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter.

Galanter, who represents constituents who have complained about noise and air pollution and traffic created by LAX, has been a strong supporter of making Palmdale Airport viable again.

"This is the same plan that they have been pushing for the last two years," said Niki Tennant, Galanter's spokeswoman. "This still crams 89 million annual passengers into the same 3,500 acres at LAX. This still focuses on building out LAX rather than moving flights and cargo to Ontario and Palmdale. This is still an LAX plan and is not a plan for our other airports. The only thing regional about this plan is the type on the page."

A coalition of more than 100 cities and agencies issued a resolution calling for LAX to operate within its existing facilities and for air traffic to be funneled to outlying airports.

The resolution, issued to the Los Angeles City Council, is endorsed by L.A. County and cities surrounding the airport including Santa Monica, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Torrance and West Hollywood.

Absent from the resolution is the city of Palmdale. That's because Palmdale city officials do not oppose LAX expansion.

"I think for that facility, these are all needed improvements," Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said. "The growth is going to occur down there."

While Ledford didn't disagree with the report, he cited projections by the Southern California Association of Governments that show Palmdale supporting up to 7 million passengers by 2020.

Ledford said plans to improve terminals at Palmdale and improve infrastructure around the airport will go ahead.

"I don't need to see gridlock before we need to think about reacting," Ledford said. "I think we're working within parameters that are realistic."

Ledford said he believes the airport will become viable in time.

"The airlines really are the key here," Ledford said. "If we can get a carrier to come out to the facility, I think our viability moves up. Lawa is in a very good position to divert carriers to operate at Palmdale in exchange for gate space at LAX."

He added, "I think without LAWA, your chances of development of an airport diminishes."

Tennant, Galanter's spokeswoman, said she believes LAWA has used old census data in forming their report.

"We believe that they have been working with old census data and when the new figures come out for the San Fernando Valley, the Inland Empire and the Antelope Valley that they will be more than enough catchment area to develop Palmdale," she said.

Instead of adding a runway, LAWA plans to lengthen its existing runways to accommodate larger aircraft now being built.

"They're planning on spending $12 billion to lengthen the runways and expand the runways at LAX when we could land anything that flies today or tomorrow at Palmdale," she said.