MUKILTEO - The staunchest
opponent of commercial air service at Everett's Paine Field has
followed through on a promise to fight the plan in court.
The
cities of Mukilteo and Edmonds, along with an activist group and two
individuals, have filed a notice with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in San Francisco that they intend to challenge a federal
decision to allow flights at the airport.
The papers filed with
the court carry no substance in terms of arguments but get the parties'
collective foot in the door for legal action, Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine
said.
A hearing could potentially be scheduled for April, said
Barbara Lichman, an attorney based in Irvine, Calif., who filed the
motion last week for the cities and other appellants.
She said the court usually holds its hearings in San Francisco, Seattle or Pasadena, Calif.
A
Federal Aviation Administration environmental review determined in
December that the 23 flights per day proposed by Allegiant Air and
Horizon Air would not significantly increase noise, traffic or air
pollution in neighborhoods near the airport.
It is unclear if
those flights would decrease demand at Bellingham International Airport,
which is also served by Horizon and Allegiant.
Mukilteo
approached other south Snohomish County cities about joining the suit.
Edmonds city officials have opposed commercial service for several years
now.
Marine said other cities such as Lynnwood and Mountlake
Terrace, which also have opposed flights at Paine Field, weren't able to
develop a response in time for the Feb. 2 deadline to appeal the FAA's
decision.
Also listed on the lawsuit are Save Our Communities, a
Mukilteo-based group that has been fighting commercial service; Michael
Moore of Mukilteo, a member of the activist group; and Victor M. Coupez,
also of Mukilteo.
Despite the names of the other parties on the suit, Mukilteo is going it alone financially, Marine said.
Allegiant
has proposed to start running four flights per week from Paine Field
and increase to 20 over five years. Horizon asked to run 140 commuter
flights per week from the airport. The two proposals combined would
bring an average of 23 flights per day.
Opponents of commercial
service say opening Paine Field to commercial service could eventually
damage nearby neighborhoods with noise and traffic. Supporters say
flights could bring jobs to the county and save valuable time for
travelers.
Meanwhile, Snohomish County, as the owner of the
airport, still must conduct its own environmental study and design and
build a terminal.
The mere filing of the legal action does not
interfere with that work, said Peter Camp, an executive director for the
county in charge of the airport, in a briefing to County Council
members on Monday.
Still, that work will take close to a year, just to get to the point of getting a building permit for a terminal, Camp said.
At
the same time, opponents hope to get a ruling that could potentially
stop work on the project sooner rather than later, Lichman said.
"There's urgency, all right," she said.
While
most county elected officials have said they oppose commercial flights
at Paine Field, they're required to provide space to airlines if they
want to continue receiving money from the federal government for airport
maintenance and other projects.
Story: http://www.thenewstribune.com
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