Laura Sturza
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) met with U.S.
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta this week and received his support
in resolving the dispute between the city of Burbank and the
Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.
"I told him that I thought a curfew was the linchpin of the resolution
of the airport issue," Schiff said Thursday. "I asked him to work with us
to find a constructive way to resolve the noise concerns and the safety
concerns and the need for modernization."
The city and the airport, during years of litigation, have been unable
to reach an accord on a variety of issues, including noise, safety and
possible airport expansion.
Citizens have been in the fray as well, most recently by approving
Measure A, requiring the airport to adhere to an overnight curfew on
flights. The airport would also have to conform to other operating
restrictions prior to building a new terminal or expanding the old one.
Since 11,000 voters passed the measure in October, the city has
contested its legality, with the next hearing scheduled for Wednesday in
a Los Angeles courtroom.
Congress enacted the Airport Noise and Capacity Act in 1990, which
mandates that only the Federal Aviation Administration can approve
curfews.
Before that approval can come, a Part 161 study -- an in-depth noise
analysis -- must be completed. The Airport Authority began the study in
July 2000 and had initially planned to finish it last year. Airport
officials cited the complexity of the study and changes in the industry
since Sept. 11 as causes for the delay. A new deadline hasn't been set.
If Burbank succeeds in obtaining federal approval, it will be the
first city to do so.
"I think the secretary's role is pivotal, in that without the
[transportation] department and the FAA's help, it will be impossible to
resolve this whether we have Measure A or we don't," Schiff said.
Though the accord must come from the city, the Airport Authority and
the federal government, citizens' agreement is essential, Schiff said.
"This was not an effort to reach a deal," Schiff said. "This was
really a discussion to bring the secretary into the discussion. Any
resolution is going to have to spring from the community."
