Here is the latest from Carl Norris who is leading the fight against expanding Georgetown's airport.
GET AROUSED! GET INVOLVED!
Last Thursday, 12/10/15, city staff advised the Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board (GTAB) a grant agreement between the city and Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division (TxDOT AVN) for the approximate $10 Million, 25 components, 90% federal grant, 1514GRGTN, is currently planned for execution by the city in January 2016. This is the immense airport construction project, with an estimated cost of 60% of the entire past $17 million, 36 year history of executed federal funded expansion improvements for the airport, it includes the infamous Fuel Farm, and is to be the irreversible platform for unlimited expansion for future airport aviation operations (more air fleets, heavier, noisier aircraft, more landings and takeoffs on a 24 hour basis, 7 days a week). Given the immense growth of our city and the airport in its very heart, this grant would impact every citizen inside the city limits and territorial jurisdiction.
This immense project is being slipped by without public participation by unaccountable and remote state bureaucrats in Austin by use of a "categorical exclusion" from legitimate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. The "categorical exclusion" means that full construction of this grant along with all cumulative previous airport improvements would have no adverse impacts on our community. Legitimate NEPA review would include preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in which public hearings would be conducted where all adverse impacts to our lives, safety, environment (noise, neighborhood disruptions, children's school environment, religious services,etc.), and property values, mitigation to lessen or eliminate adverse impacts, and practicable alternatives to the proposed project would be examined and evaluated. Remember, FAA's own records for our airport show 29 air crashes, 9 deaths with 4 of those deaths in our neighborhood to date.
If you are concerned and aroused about these adverse impacts and believe in public participation before this agreement is executed you need to take a few minutes before the end of this month and write a letter and/or an email (or both) expressing why you demand the preparation of an EIS prior to execution of this grant agreement. You need to address your communication to Mr. Robert W. Jackson, Environmental Specialist, Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division, 125 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas 78701-2483, Robert.W.Jackson@txdot.gov.
If you do not get aroused, actively involved, inform others, and this tragedy occurs, you will have to include yourself with others also disinterested and apathetic to blame. If you want more information on this issue, contact me. cnorris29@suddenlink.net
This immense project is being slipped by without public participation by unaccountable and remote state bureaucrats in Austin by use of a "categorical exclusion" from legitimate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. The "categorical exclusion" means that full construction of this grant along with all cumulative previous airport improvements would have no adverse impacts on our community. Legitimate NEPA review would include preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in which public hearings would be conducted where all adverse impacts to our lives, safety, environment (noise, neighborhood disruptions, children's school environment, religious services,etc.), and property values, mitigation to lessen or eliminate adverse impacts, and practicable alternatives to the proposed project would be examined and evaluated. Remember, FAA's own records for our airport show 29 air crashes, 9 deaths with 4 of those deaths in our neighborhood to date.
If you are concerned and aroused about these adverse impacts and believe in public participation before this agreement is executed you need to take a few minutes before the end of this month and write a letter and/or an email (or both) expressing why you demand the preparation of an EIS prior to execution of this grant agreement. You need to address your communication to Mr. Robert W. Jackson, Environmental Specialist, Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division, 125 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas 78701-2483, Robert.W.Jackson@txdot.gov.
If you do not get aroused, actively involved, inform others, and this tragedy occurs, you will have to include yourself with others also disinterested and apathetic to blame. If you want more information on this issue, contact me. cnorris29@suddenlink.net
An EA may suffice vice an EIS - it's all a matter of what impact the projected noise map indicates. Where can we find it?
ReplyDeleteAny EA resides with TxDot. Here is a link to the FAQ at Georgetown airport.
Deletehttps://airport.georgetown.org/citizen-faq/
Pay particular attention to the embedded link concerning the FAA response to hotline complaint.