Newport leaders expect united front on extension

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT BEACH -- With the Orange County Board of Supervisors now in

their corner, city leaders say they are confident in the support of the

remaining groups needed to sign off on extending flight caps at John

Wayne Airport.

The Airport Working Group and Stop Polluting Our Newport, the two

final signatories to the initial 1985 settlement deal, have both said

they would support the current deal. They, along with the county and

Newport Beach, must approve any extension.

Barbara Lichman, the working group’s executive director, said the

group is bracing for a challenge from either the airlines or the Federal

Aviation Administration.

“They’ve done a good job getting this accomplished,” Lichman said

about the city’s yearlong effort. “When the lawsuit kicks in, that’s

where I take over.”

In a Jan. 7 letter, an influential airline trade group criticized the

extension of flight restrictions set to expire on Dec. 31, 2005.

On Tuesday, the supervisors unanimously approved the Newport

Beach-backed Scenario 1, which would allow the airport to grow to 9.8

million annual passengers, as well as add 85 of the noisiest flights,

four cargo flights and 18 flight gates.

Under the 1985 deal, the airport was capped at 8.4 million passengers

per year, 73 of the noisiest flights and 14 gates. Two cargo flights were

added later.

In a Feb. 13 letter to Newport Beach, the three co-presidents of Stop

Polluting Our Newport said the group supports Scenario 1.

The group “is in full support of your efforts . . . provided such an

extension is limited to that exhibited in Scenario 1 as a worst case

scenario,” the letter said.

Claudia Owen, Andrea Lingle and Sandra Genis, a former Costa Mesa

mayor, all signed the letter.

Jean Watt, a former councilwoman and group president, was one of the

community leaders who crafted the initial settlement agreement.

Watt said the group at the time believed the county would need a

second airport to handle its future air travel demand. Watt said she

still holds that belief.

“Not only did we know we would be back doing this again,” Watt said

about the extension, “we also knew we didn’t have anything in the

agreement to solve the [longer-term] problem.”

The working group’s endorsement wasn’t quite as ringing.

In a Jan. 7 letter, Lichman said the group was disappointed that the

length of the bulk of the extension was only 10 years to 2015.

However, Lichman also said Scenario 1 was the “favored alternative” to

the other options studied.

City leaders said they had no doubts that the two groups would both

sign on to the extension when it is finalized in about three months.

“They are equal partners,” Councilman Dennis O’Neil said. “They need

to sign the agreement. We believe they will.”

* Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

[email protected] .