Environmental Assessment

On September 8 and October 8, 2015, the Cities of Culver City and Inglewood, California, filed original and supplemental comments, respectively, with the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) concerning the adequacy of its Draft Environmental Assessment (“DEA”) for the Southern California Metroplex (“SoCal Metroplex”) Optimization of Airspace and Procedures in the Metroplex (“OAPM”) (“Project”).  The

In what might be a surprising decision in any other Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a ruling in Barnes v. U.S. Dept. of Transportation, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Case No. 10-70718, August 25, 2011, which, while narrow, begins the process of eroding both the Federal Aviation Administration’s (“FAA”) long held position that “aviation activity . . . will increase at the same rate regardless of whether a new runway is built or not,” Barnes, at 16285, and the Federal Court’s traditional deference to it. City of Los Angeles v. FAA, 138 F.3d 806, 807-08, n. 2 (9th Cir. 1998).Continue Reading Ninth Circuit Calls FAA to Task on Environmental Impacts of New Runway

Pittsfield Township, Michigan, through the law firm Chevalier Allen & Lichman, LLP submitted its comments on the draft Environmental Assessment prepared for the proposed lengthening of the main runway at Ann Arbor Municipal Airport.  Although the AIrport is entirely located in Pittsfield Township, the airport is owned by the City of Ann Arbor.  In addition, Chevalier