All should be in agreement about JWA agreement

Much has been made of the newly inked extension of flight

restrictions at John Wayne Airport until 2015, which became a done

deal on New Year’s Eve when city leaders announced they had received

the blessings of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Some bemoan the expansion that was allowed, namely a jump from

8.4-million passengers a year to 10.5 million, an increase in the

number of noisy flights from 73 to 85 and the increase in open gates

at the airport from 14 to 20.

It sounds like a lot of concessions, and in many ways, it is.

But in truth, Newport Beach residents really have a lot of

thanking to do, namely to the city staff and City Atty. Bob Burnham.

And here’s why.

Burnham, city council members -- especially Norma Glover, Gary

Proctor and Dennis O’Neil -- and many others, have worked night and

day to craft a settlement that would be to the liking of all parties,

the city, the county, Stop Polluting Our Newport, the Airport Working

Group and the FAA, all the original signatories on the landmark

agreement of 1985.

About two years ago, when the push to extend the curfews and

flight caps beyond the 2005 deadline began, there were several things

sitting in Newport’s way.

First and foremost was the ugly and contentious battle to build an

airport at the closed El Toro Marine base and South County’s threats

to thwart any JWA settlement extension, however hollow those threats

were.

There was also great skepticism that the FAA or the airlines would

not challenge the JWA restrictions, the toughest in the United

States, especially in light of the 1990 Airport Noise and Capacity

Act that was passed five years after the initial landmark JWA

agreement.

That 1990 law put up tough guidelines for communities trying to

curb airport noise and expansion and gave greater powers to the FAA

and airlines.

Finally, there were the resources and diplomacy needed to bring

together such a consensus. Newport leaders had for years devoted most

of that energy to El Toro. A tactical decision had to be made to

shift that course and devote the energy to John Wayne.

It was, and thank goodness for that.

Sure, that move has brought consternation from many in the pro-El

Toro camp, and maybe they are right that more could have been done to

put up a united front against South County and push for the opening

of El Toro as an airport.

But first and foremost, Newport leaders needed to worry about

their own back yard. They should really be credited for seeing how

the political winds were blowing and acting quick to make the

extensions happen.

Proof of their foresight came last March, when Measure W passed

and rezoned the airport as a park, pro-airport supervisor Cynthia

Coad was ousted by anti-airport challenger Chris Norby, and the Navy

announced it would parcel off the land and sell it to the highest

bidder.

El Toro was a dream no longer. And thanks to the aforementioned

city leaders, it didn’t matter so much for John Wayne, as the wheels

were already spinning fast on extension of the flight caps and

curfews.

With this FAA agreement now securely in place, residents and city

leaders can rest assured that they have the best deal possible.

Still, there is no time like the present to look for other options to

meet the sure-to-be-expanding aviation needs of Orange County for

2015 and beyond.