Airports are cities' big polluters

By David Lawrence

The commercial aviation travel industry has revenues of $300 billion a year worldwide, but in this industry it is profits before people in the air and on the ground. As a result, communities are organizing around the world to fight against destructive, polluting, expanding commercial airports.

The contribution to community pollution is not well-known outside of communities in close proximity to major airports. Los Angeles International Airport, for example, is the second largest industrial smog source in the Los Angeles area, ranking between the pollution of Chevron and ARCO refineries in the city. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is the 5th largest industrial source of smog in the Chicago area, ranking between a steel mill, which is 4th, and a power plant, which is 6th.

One of the more organized struggles against airport pollution in the United States involves the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs, a non-profit coalition of citizen groups and cities near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac).

Members of the commission believe further expansion of Sea-Tac with a third parallel runway makes no sense, costs too much and would do too much damage to the environment and people. They support alternatives to expansion such as high speed rail.

Early this year an overflow crowd attended the Des Moines City Council meeting to express continued opposition to a proposal to construct a five-mile conveyor belt over the Des Moines beach, up through Beach Park to Sea-Tac airport.

The purpose of the conveyor belt would be to haul 18 million cubic yards (27 million tons) of fill for the third runway from Maury Island to the airport. The port's own poll last year showed that residents opposed it by nearly two to one.

A couple of months later a large crowd turned out to the hearing held by the Des Moines council on revising the city's comprehensive plan to permit the gravel conveyor on the waterfront, using parks and green space to reach the site of the Sea-Tac third runway.

The proposal was made by Hank Hopkins, co-owner of Wescot Company. When asked how many opposed the conveyor belt, most of the audience stood.

Hopkins' attorney claimed - to the disbelief of the audience - that the proposed conveyor belt had nothing to do with third runway construction. Those who had attended focus groups sponsored by Westcot the previous year pointed out that the applicant's public relations firm claimed that the belt would reduce the impacts of third runway construction.

Citizens commented that the change was totally contrary to the existing shorelines plan and risked getting dust contaminated with arsenic, lead, and cadmium on parks, wetlands, and greenbelt areas in Des Moines.

South King County wetlands are in danger from the Port's plans to fill in 11 acres of wetlands, which will threaten even more wildlife habitat in the area. Miller Creek, Des Moines Creek, and other wetland areas in south King County are already being degraded.

Water and air pollution and constant jet noise are destroying these precious habitats for fish and wildlife. These communities have sponsored an on-line petition and letter-writing campaign to support federal efforts to enact provisions of the Endangered Species Act.

There is a serious noise problem from Sea-Tac over-flights in at least 15 Highline schools, according to District Superintendent Dr. Joe McGeehan. Consultants have found that insulation and air-conditioning systems will be widely needed in the district's 33 school buildings.

These studies were the first phase of the district's program to deal with noise suffered since the second Sea-Tac runway opened in 1972.

The consultants noted that noise is excessively disruptive if the student incorrectly hears 10 percent or more of the words used in the classroom. Another study projected that eight schools may need to close and 26 others rebuilt in order to provide quiet classrooms.