Last chance to comment on El Toro report

Jasmine Lee

Residents who want to respond to the county’s environmental report on the

proposed El Toro airport have only one day left to comment.

The 39-volume report, released late December, is an analysis of the

potential impacts of building the $2.9-billion airport on the 4,700-acre

closed El Toro military base. The study concludes that an airport would

not disrupt the environment.

While anti-airport forces have criticized the report as a “white wash,”

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa residents have been concerned with a

different aspect of the El Toro study.

Within the document’s thousands of pages are two alternatives that would

expand John Wayne Airport if a second county airport is not built. The

backup plans, labeled alternatives F and G, could mean that the area

around John Wayne would be demolished in order to make room for another

runway and a second terminal.

The possibility of such a drastic expansion has been called “draconian”

by the Newport Beach-based Airport Working Group, which is lobbying for

an El Toro airport.

The group and other El Toro supporters have urged residents to write

responses to the county’s environmental report opposing the alternatives

to expand John Wayne.

The county’s El Toro Master Development Program office has already

received responses from residents, but could face a flood of letters just

before the Tuesday deadline. However, the county office is closed today

in observance of Presidents Day.

“We’re expecting quite a few responses to come in just prior to the

deadline,” said John Christensen, a county spokesman.

County officials will review and respond to the public comments. The

environmental report itself will go before the County Board of

Supervisors this summer for approval.

All public comments must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the county’s

El Toro Master Development Program office, on the second floor of 10

Civic Center Plaza in Santa Ana. The comments should be address to the

attention of Bryan Speegle.

For more information, call the office at (714) 834-3000.