http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060322-9999-7m22airport.html
New airport talks cover old ground By Jeff Ristine UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER March 22, 2006 A Florida congressman dropped into San Diego, assembled all the major viewpoints in the airport search, heard a two-hour capsule of the fractious debate and left everyone with this advice yesterday: "I encourage you to work together," said U.S. Rep. John L. Mica, chairman of the House aviation subcommittee. "Maybe you can come up with some creative solutions." Maybe. But the Airport Authority, military, political, business and community figures - assembled on neutral ground for the first time in the site-selection project - stuck pretty much to the themes and arguments that have divided various factions in the final months of the process. Business leaders don't want to settle for a congested, single-runway airport as the regional economy grows. The military says joint-use proposals for Miramar, North Island and Camp Pendleton are inherently unsafe. And the airport authority wants a little understanding as it tries to figure out how to meet air-passenger travel demands in 2030. "It's a very polarizing issue in our community," said Xema Jacobson of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. "We have to make sure we can do whatever proposal is on the ballot.">> <But Filner, who favors Imperial County for a regional airport, linked to San Diego by a maglev (magnetic levitation) high-speed train, said afterward that something was gained just by getting "everybody in the same room."> <Major Gen. Michael R. Lehnert, commanding general for seven western Marine Corps installations, said tactical fighters and commercial jets, a scenario being studied for Miramar and North Island, don't mix. "It would be like putting a Greyhound bus and a Formula 1 racer on the same track," Lehnert said. > -------------------- Compare this to what passes for a roundtable discussion over Dabolim/Mopa. Have a committee with Goa's CM, 3 MPs and two bureaucrats. Make it decide whether Goa should have Mopa OR Dabolim. Then have the recommendation reviewed by the PM who would probably consult the Defense Minister and Civil Aviation Minister. And the "PM's" final decision in all probability would be "go ahead with Mopa" as is, where is! What a pathetic national decision making scenario!
