Posted on 02/23/2004 5:15:40 AM PST by JustPiper
Saying the review process is seriously flawed, U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald and U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde are calling for an investigation into the way Chicago and the Federal Aviation Administration are proceeding with the O'Hare Modernization Plan.
In a letter released Sunday, the two Illinois legislators asked U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General Kenneth Mead to investigate several points, including:
• Whether there's enough available airspace to accommodate the airport expansion.
• Whether all of the city's and the FAA's relevant documents have been shared with interested parties.
• Whether the FAA should evaluate the financial viability of the plan before approving the city's Airport Layout Plan application, given that federal funding for the project has not yet been approved.
• Whether the FAA should require the city to present its master plan before approving the airport layout plan.
• Whether the O'Hare expansion plan conforms to a 1984 FAA decision suggesting a new South suburban airport is preferable to O'Hare expansion.
The letter was distributed Sunday during a meeting hosted by Fitzgerald at Fenton High School in Bensenville. Nearly 1,000 people attended the gathering, which was more like a pep rally for anti-expansionists.
Fitzgerald received a couple of standing ovations for his efforts to stop expansion. The audience also rose to its feet and cheered for several other anti-expansion politicians in the audience, including Hyde, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson and Bensenville Village President John Geils.
Johnson said O'Hare's expansion is not a "done deal" yet and encouraged everyone to keep up the fight.
"We're going to win this!" he shouted with a speech that riled up the crowd, including dozens of people wearing red "Stop O'Hare Expansion" T-shirts.
The city is proposing to build new runways, taxiways, roads and terminals at O'Hare to modernize the airport and increase flights by 25 percent. City officials say it will improve the area's economy, make the airport more efficient and generate more jobs and tax dollars.
But consultants hired by the villages of Bensenville and Elk Grove Village presented reports Sunday that picked apart the city's plan, saying the proposed expansion would make O'Hare more dangerous, expensive and congested. Ultimately, they believe it would hurt the local economy rather than help it.
Fitzgerald focused on the financial aspect, repeatedly saying there is no way the city will be able to fund this $15 billion project.
"How are they going to finance $15 billion? Is it going to fall like manna from heaven? Who in this room would buy United (Airlines)-backed bonds?" Fitzgerald said. "Mark my words. They're going to have a hard time coming up with the money."
The city shouldn't rely on the federal government to pay for the expansion, since giving that much money to O'Hare would severely limit the amount if could give to other airports nationwide, Fitzgerald said. The city can't give taxpayers the bill, and the bankrupt airlines can't be expected to help much. Fitzgerald said United has defaulted on its loans to pay for Terminal 1, which it built 20 years ago.
Fitzgerald and Hyde both favor building a new South suburban airport rather than expanding O'Hare.
O'Hare: Senator says city can't finance $15 billion
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