"Congressman tries to limit Illinois Governor's runway power"

Friday, June 8, 2001

Lipinski tries to limit Ryan's runway power
By Jennifer Loven
The Associated Press


WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. William Lipinski moved Thursday to strip Gov. George
Ryan of his power to stop new runways at O'Hare International Airport.

The Southwest Side congressman said there is no other way to break Illinois
political leaders' stalemate over airport congestion.

Lipinski, a Chicago Democrat, is an ally of Mayor Richard M. Daley, who
wants to add runways at O'Hare to ease air traffic delays. The major
airlines also advocate that approach to solving the region's air capacity
crunch that is causing a ripple effect of travel headaches around the
nation.

Ryan wants to build a new one-runway airfield in Peotone, about 40 miles
south of the city. Many south suburban leaders support his plan, as do some
in communities surrounding O'Hare that do not more noise and traffic.

The two sides have not been able to reach a compromise, leaving the problem
unaddressed.

So Lipinski introduced legislation that would remove Ryan's ability to rule
on city runway proposals before they are forwarded for final federal
approval. It would also apply to other states where governors have the
ability to stop airport construction.

An aide to Lipinski said a preliminary review of state laws showed only the
Maryland governor has the same veto power as Ryan. But in 18 states, federal
transportation funds for projects such as runways must first pass through
the state, meaning officials could block such construction merely by
withholding money, Lipinski's chief of staff Colleen Corr said.

Lipinski sees a third airport as a threat to Midway Airport in his district,
but said he believes the future viability of O'Hare and the nation's
aviation system depends on O'Hare's expansion.

A recent Federal Aviation Administration report said O'Hare is already
third-worst in the nation for delays and predicted flights would grow there
by 18 percent over the next decade while capacity increases just 6 percent.

"Gov. Ryan is politically hamstrung in what he can do regarding additional
runways at O'Hare," Lipinski said Thursday as he introduced the bill. "Gov.
Ryan has offered to review plans for new runways, but local politics, I
believe, prevent him from even seriously considering new runways at O'Hare."

Lipinski's bill is similar to part of a proposal by Iowa Sens. Tom Harkin, a
Democrat, and Charles Grassley, a Republican. However, Lipinski would not
direct the federal government to go forward with new runways, as they would
also do.

Harkin and Grassley say they plan to attach their plan to a must-pass
federal spending bill later this summer if local leaders have not moved
forward by then.

Ryan spokesman Dennis Culloton said the governor opposes taking control away
from local decision makers.

"We've never been in favor of that on this or any other issue," Culloton
said.

He said Ryan is willing to look at whatever proposal a city task force comes
up with.

Though Daley suggested that allowing all governors to have similar veto
power to Ryan's would "shut down the airport transportation system in the
country," he called Lipinski's effort "very controversial" and said he had
known nothing of it before Thursday.

But Daley acknowledged the issue is catching Washington's attention as
several airports face similar problems.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Lipinski's effort could put new pressure on
local leaders to reach agreement. Durbin supports a third airport, though he
has not said where it should be, and believes O'Hare's runways should at
least be laid out so they are safer and able to accommodate traffic
increases.

Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, an opponent of O'Hare expansion, said Lipinski's bill
unfairly lays all the blame for the stalemate at Ryan's feet.

"I think it's very possible that Congress will pass something that pre-empts
state laws," the Illinois Republican said. "But such a law will do nothing
to add capacity at O'Hare."

Some of the suburban neighbors of O'Hare worry the Lipinski proposal would
circumvent environmental laws protecting them noise and expansion.

"He is trying to take any say from the elected officials in Illinois," said
Joseph Karaganis, an attorney representing several O'Hare suburbs. "The
congressman seems to be in a rush to judgment."

Lipinski said the legislation was crafted to keep in place any environmental
reviews of airport expansion or runway construction.

"We did not touch one single environmental law," Lipinski said. "There is
nothing that could be construed as gutting one environmental law."

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