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Massachusetts Port Authority Executive Director and CEO Virginia Buckingham today asked congressional leaders to add a decision deadline in the federal approval process necessary for runway projects. At a hearing held by the Aviation Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on delays in runway construction, Buckingham urged Congress to create an environmental review process that is clear and includes a definitive timeframe to force regulators to make a decision by a certain date. Currently, the final step in the federal review process is open ended, making runway permitting and construction an ordeal that can take more than ten years.

"In her testimony Buckingham praised Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for recognizing that environmental reviews need to be streamlined, and for working to improve the process. But it seems to me, the first step of streamlining any process is to make sure it ends."

"It is not fair to leave passengers, airport operators and concerned residents in limbo. As it stands today, the process allows for continual study and no conclusion," she added. "Buckingham called for a public process that protects the environment and addresses community concerns, but is not vulnerable to delays that drag the permitting process on for years, or decades, without resolution."

Buckingham also recommended the designation of New England's airports as a single system, allowing for further cooperation on new initiatives that rationalize growth in air travel and prevent airport congestion at Logan and other facilities. This designation would allow the region's airports to further their already extensive efforts to responsibly spread the burden and benefits of aviation.

New England's governors support such a concept, and have adopted a joint resolution asking Congress for a designation that would permit more flexible and intelligent decisions about traffic distribution," Buckingham stated.

Regionalization efforts in New England have already paid off and today eight out of 10 new passengers are choosing a regional airport instead of Logan. Due to comprehensive regional planning, passenger growth at Logan has slowed to under 2 percent over the last two years and the number of flights has declined by almost 6 percent since 1998.

In addition to seeking more flexibility in building a strong regional aviation network, Massport's chief executive also requested more leniency and leeway in implementing innovative environmental policies, such as Massport's recent Air Quality Initiative.

"We think that this is a path-breaking environmental initiative that promises environmental relief for those affected by operations at our airports," Buckingham said. The initiative caps emissions at Logan at 1999 levels and eliminates 5,800 tons of NOx from the air by 2015. Some in the aviation industry have raised concerns about the program. Buckingham pointed out that to accommodate the needs of passenger growth equal attention must be devoted to minimizing the impacts that growth has on local communities."

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