Point Reyes Light - August 17, 2000
Meeting on jet noise set for Tuesday
County supervisors at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, will evaluate staff recommendations for dealing with noise and other problems from the growing amount of commercial aircraft over Marin.
Environmental coordinator Tim Haddad on Wednesday said he will recommend a work program that involves 14 tasks for county government.
The tasks range from getting federal officials to help the county lobby the Federal Aviation Administration to working with other federal, state, regional, and local governments to minimize negative impacts from aircraft here.
San Francisco International Airport is now proposing to expand its runways on bayfill in order to handle more airplanes. And even without any runway expansion, the amount of air traffic in and out of SFO is expected to increase substantially in the next 10 years, Haddad added.
Haddad last month wrote to the Regional Airport Planning Committee in Oakland about the updated draft of the Regional Airport System Plan (RASP), saying it doesn't:
Describe how air operations will be integrated and coordinated between the existing and possible future airports in the region to maximize the use of the airspace and airport facilities while minimizing the environmental effects.
Discuss "costs to the public and delays for aircraft travelers.
Use independent data on flight projections, existing and predicted delays, noise impacts on communities in the region, nor environmental effects.
Identify which communities will be affected by noise, air quality, and other impacts of air and associated ground transportation. Nor does the draft RASP say which communities are served by the region's airports and which private interests will benefit (e.g. airlines, pilot organizations, airport operators).
Under state environmental law, San Francisco International Airport would have to compensate for any changes to San Francisco Bay through various "mitigation" measures, such as restoring wetlands or rerouting flight paths.
Haddad said 20 or more mitigation sites have been proposed in Marin County alone. The county environmental coordinator noted that county government and its cities could refuse to accept mitigation measures at any of these sites unless local governments are assured there will be no negative impact here from increases in air traffic.
However, he acknowledged, the airport commission could then carry out its mitigation measures on the bayshore of other counties.
Woolsey lobbying FAA Already Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey has secured a commitment from the FAA to monitor air traffic over this county and look for other takeoff and landing routes.
She added that FAA Administrator Jane Garvey "is committed to working with us to define the situation and find a solution." Haddad said Garvey will meet with county officials later this summer.
Various organizations in West Marin - from Bolinas Public Utility District to the Inverness-based West Marin Coalition on Aircraft Noise - have weighed in on the noise issue, as have numerous individuals.
The cost of complaints Some homeowners have publicly complained about commercial aircraft interrupting their sleep at night, but such complaints are a double-edged sword.
Under real estate regulations, sellers are required to disclose any problems that might decrease their home's value. Inverness real estate agent Dan Morse on Wednesday said he has begun noting in sellers' disclosures that there have been complaints about increased airline noise over West Marin.