Pro-airport group, Cox plan talks on El Toro

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- Rep. Chris Cox (R-Newport Beach) plans to talk

with the Airport Working Group next week about proposing federal

legislation that would give the planned El Toro airport the same curfew

as John Wayne enjoys.

“This is a very constructive step and it’s something that is just as

important for Newport as for South County,” said Cox. “It makes good

sense.”

By curbing the working hours for the proposed airport to between 7 a.m.

and 10 p.m., the Airport Working Group hopes to gain more support in

South County for converting the former Marine base into an international

airport.

Two weeks ago, Cox also announced he would vote for the Safe and

Healthy Communities Initiative. The measure, which will be on the March

ballot, would give voters a say on airports, jails and landfills proposed

in residential neighborhoods.

At that time, Cox also suggested that he would be interested in

establishing some form of flight restrictions on the proposed El Toro

airport.

To do so, however, Cox and the working group will have to work around

an existing law. About five years ago, Congress passed a law that

stripped local communities of the authority to control airport noise,

said Cox, who added he “strongly disagrees” with that piece of

legislation.

There was concern that if communities could propose stringent noise

restrictions on airports around the nation, “they would take control over

airspace,” said Tom Naughton, president of the Airport Working Group.

“It was done with no hearing in either the House or the Senate. The

language was added at the last minute to a conference report just before

it went to the floor,” said Cox, adding that the stipulation was buried

in the middle of this enormous piece of legislation.

A meeting between Cox and working group officials has yet to be set,

but Naughton stressed the urgency in getting it done.

“We need to make that step so that when it comes to the point of

mitigating the activity around El Toro, then the paths are clear to do

that,” he said.

El Toro activist Tom Edwards said he supports placing restrictions on

El Toro at the appropriate time, which he believes will be after the

airport is up and operating.

In fact, he said he plans to discuss the issue at the El Toro Citizens

Advisory Commission meeting next week, includng the possibility of

sending a letter to Cox in support of the idea.

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