A Boston Herald editorial
Thursday, November 20, 2003

At long last, runway benefits in sight

The decision by Superior Court Judge Margot Botsford permitting Logan Airport to build a new limited-use runway was a home run for the Massachusetts Port Authority.

Court decisions don't usually dismiss arguments of a litigant as ``picky, picky,'' but Judge Botsford's readers likely will surmise that phrase was running through her brain as she mowed down the objections of runway opponents.

Her recognition of the noise-reduction benefits of the runway was particularly gratifying, since opponents usually ignored this point when they weren't claiming the contrary.

The number of people living near Logan subject to the loudest noise (greater than 70 or 75 decibels) should diminish. This result ought not be surprising since planes may land and take off via the new runway only over water.

The city of Chelsea argued that its poor and minority residents would be unfairly overrepresented in the number of people experiencing an increase in somewhat less severe noise (60 or 65 decibels). But the judge noted that the wind-speed conditions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration for use of the new runway (not Massport's idea, but conditions the agency accepts) should mean an actual reduction in Chelsea residents subject to this much noise. And federal ``environmental justice'' policy wisely does not force municipality-by-municipality consideration of impacts on minorities and the poor.

Just as judges shouldn't try to be legislators, they shouldn't try to be executives or administrators either. Judge Botsford recognizes this and wisely refused to force state authorities to require things just because runway opponents thought they were good ideas. Nobody can force an airline to fly out of Hanscom Field in Bedford, for example.

A complex set of conditions has been laid down by state and federal authorities to permit the runway to proceed. Among these are Logan's commitment to develop a plan - not necessarily to impose, but just to plan for - ``peak period pricing'' for landing fees, to encourage more off-peak flights, and a commitment to limit emissions of smog-forming pollution from airport operations, which may be difficult now that the FAA is opposing burdens for that reason on a financially weak industry.

None of these, whatever their impact, will have the discreet and potent effect of this new runway of reducing delays by some 30 percent.

After a three-decade battle, shovels will break ground in the spring and the first plane should take off on Runway 14/32 by 2006. Passengers and pilots alike will cheer.

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