"Airport rules on information access draw fire"

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Airport rules on information access draw fire 
BY WAYNE T. PRICE 
FLORIDA TODAY 


Some people following activities at the Melbourne International Airport
are fuming at a proposal by airport officials to restrict public access
to information. 

"It smacks, in my opinion, as something that's un-American," said Neal
Chancellor, a local representative of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association. "This, obviously, would have a chilling effect on public
input and public oversight." 

Chancellor, who earlier this year arranged to have a copy of the
airport's master plan put in the Melbourne Public Library on Fee Avenue,
is asking the national leadership of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association come out with a vigorous offensive against Melbourne
International's proposal. 

Melbourne International officials, citing security concerns, have
suggested the Transportation Security Administration restrict the number
of documents the public can access and also keep a "clearinghouse" on
those seeking information. 

Melbourne International Executive Director Jim Johnson said the move is
necessary in an age of heightened terrorism threats. 

That argument is unconvincing to some. 

Melbourne Village Mayor Rob Downey said he plans to address the
Melbourne City Council tonight, expressing his concerns about the
proposal. The city of Melbourne owns Melbourne International. Melbourne
Village, a small community just northwest of the airport, often voices
concerns about the airport issues because of its proximity to Melbourne
International. 

Downey's biggest concern is that one item in the airport's master plan
addresses the possibility of reconfiguring a runway so that small
aircraft making their landing approaches would pass directly above the
village. 

How, Downey asked, are village residents supposed to stay informed about
such master-plan details if access to the document is restricted, or if
people feel intimidated asking for it because their name might wind up
in a security clearinghouse? 

"This takes the public out of a very important part of the public
discussion," Downey said. "I think it's a misuse of the Homeland
Security Act." 

The master plan contains details about the airport's plans for the
future, including capital improvements, such as building a multilevel
parking garage, changing runway configurations and its hopes for more
commercial air carriers. It also contains general airport maps and
diagrams. 

Pete Weitzel, coordinator for the Coalition of Journalists for Open
Government, said Melbourne International officials are being extreme in
their bid to restrict information. The coalition has been a critic of
the Transportation Security Administration's efforts to make new
sections of information classified. 

Citizens need access to information to provide their proper role of
watchdog over a government entity's operations, he said. 

"How else are you going to determine whether the officials of the
Melbourne airport are doing their jobs if you don't have access to that
information, if the public can't look at that and see whether they're
their doing their jobs?" Weitzel asked. 

In a proposal to the Transportation Security Administration filed July
13, Steve Zehr, the airport's senior director of airport operations,
suggested "a clearinghouse to vett the background of those individuals
and companies that refuse to provide rationale for requesting
information from an air-carrier airport, and consider treating
additional information about the airport as confidential as is being
done with the airport security programs." 

Such documents might include elements of master plans, airport layout
plans, procedural manuals, certain elements of emergency plans. 

Zehr's comments, approved by Johnson, were filed as the Department of
Transportation and the Department of Homeland Security outline new
controls and guidelines regarding what's considered "sensitive security
information" involving transportation centers such as maritime ports and
airports. 

Only a few of the nation's airports, and two airport groups, weighed in
with comments. But none of their comments went to the level that Zehr
did in proposing what information should be restricted from the public. 

For example, Zehr, in his submission, said "some of these requests are
so comprehensive," that an individual could conclude details of the
airport's security capability by stringing together "non-security"
information. 

"This, coupled with the fact that there is no reason given when making
these requests, and the requestor's history and background is unknown,
makes distribution of information under freedom of information acts
highly risky," Zehr wrote. 

Johnson said, because of Florida's liberal open-records laws, he is
legally obligated to release a considerable amount of information about
the airport to whomever requests it. For some of that information, he
would rather the requests be made directly to the Transportation
Security Administration. The administration could tell the airport
whether or not to approve the information request. 

Chancellor and others said master plans, in particular, are put together
for the public's information. They don't contain detailed information
like structural strength of building materials or specifics on airport
security. 

Milo Zonka, a private pilot and local financial planner, said he has
little doubt the Melbourne International's proposal is directly aimed at
people like him, who are vocal on airport issues and frequently file
Freedom of Information requests and keep a watchful eye on operations. 

Zonka said he still is angry that Johnson questioned his motives for
requesting information earlier this year during an appearance on the
Bill Mick Live radio show WMMB-AM. 

Zonka, who also plans to address Melbourne City Council members tonight,
called Zehr's comments to the Transportation Security Administration
"selfish, foolish and entirely unwarranted." 

"Had not the master plan been a public document," Zonka said, "the
public to this day would not have had any warning of what the airport's
plans were." 

Zonka said the airport's need for security was not in dispute. 

"But even the TSA, created to secure airports and airlines, has long
been crafting these rules and did not consider adding the items
encouraged by Melbourne," Zonka said. "They are off this planet."


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