BostonHerald.com
Saturday, August 18, 2001

FAA denies high bar in Hanscom bid
by Greg Gatlin

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration has denied that it will hold
an airline seeking to fly out of Hanscom Field in Bedford to stricter
environmental reviews than normally required of airlines seeking to launch
service from other airports.

In a letter responding to concerns of U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano
(D-Somerville), FAA administrator Jane Garvey said the administration will
follow established practices in reviewing Boston-Maine Airways' request to
fly out of Hanscom.

Capuano had told Garvey in a June 28 letter that he believed the FAA would
require Boston-Maine Airways to undergo a significant ``Environmental
Assessment'' - a standard not normally required for an airline launching
turbo-prop service.

A July 12 internal Massachusetts Port Authority memo said that airlines are
being advised that they will need to complete a lengthy and costly
Environmental Assessment as a pre-condition of operating out of Hanscom.
Those assessments could cost $100,000 and take six months to complete, the
memo said.

Capuano had called such requirements unprecedented for turbo-prop operators,
and said they would create an ``unlevel and unfair situation'' at Hanscom.

Costly environmental assessments would deter airlines from launching service
at the suburban airport, and would favor residents who live near Hanscom
over those that live around Logan Airline, Capuano wrote.

But yesterday, Garvey said ``despite recent press reports to the contrary''
the FAA has not determined that an Environmental Assessment is necessary
with respect to Boston-Maine's request to launch eight to 14 takeoffs and
landings out of Hanscom. The letter said Boston-Maine is seeking a
certificate to operate, and is undergoing a less stringent environmental
review.

``This tells me the FAA is not going to raise the bar at Hanscom,'' Capuano
said. ``I like that obviously.''

Garvey also wrote that there is a need for a ``broader environmental
review'' of the effects of proposed airline expansion at Hanscom Field,
which is surrounded by many historical sites.

Massport says it's already planning to conduct an environmental review.
``We've asked (Massport) to go beyond what they're doing,'' an FAA
spokeswoman said.


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