city of worthington ohio state airport environmental assessment evaluation

City of Worthington

Ohio State Airport Environmental Assessment Evaluation

Why is expansion needed?

OSU teaching mission does not mandate expansion for teaching students. OSU has no plans to train jet pilots.

The OSU Service mission can be met without expansion.

The airport’s full mission statement can also be met without runway expansion.

See handout on OSU’s Missions

FAA Definition: Environmental Assessment (EA)

• “Concise public document for which a federal agency is responsible that serves to:”

• Briefly provide sufficient evidence and analysis.

• Normally for actions which are not likely to result in impacts.

• Airport sponsor and consultants normally prepare the EA.

• FAA decision may be either a FONSI or EIS.

FAA Definition: Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS)• A detailed document which provides sufficient evidence and analysis.

• Normally for actions which are likely to result in impacts.

• MOU is developed between the FAA and airport

• Sponsor to properly implement the EIS.

City of Worthington Independent analysis shows:

OSU’S Draft Environmental Assessment has three major flaws:

1. It fails to reflect the full noise impact of future operations.

2.The Compound Annual Growth Rate assumed by OSU’s consultants does not reasonably represent the likely growth scenario of the airport.

3.The altitude assumptions provided by OSU consultants fail to reflect actual aircraft traffic.


OSU’S Draft Environmental Assessment fails to reflect the full noise impact of future operations in the following ways:

Predicting retirement of current serviceable and noisy aircraft.

Failing to show any use of several noisy OSU Airport based aircraft.

Exaggerating the actual climb profiles of aircraft by failing to consider Air Traffic Control restrictions

Significantly underestimating future growth predictions.

OSU Airport based jet aircraft omitted from the forecast operations include: a) Beechjet 400 b) 525 Cessna Jet c) Citation 2 d) Falcon 50 e) Falcon 200 f) Hawker Siddeley 800 e) Learjet 31 These are noisy jet aircraft whose operation must be included in the noise model. Failure to include these aircraft understates the noise impact.


OSU Airport made an undocumented and unsubstantiated assumption that the following will be retired:

a) 100% of the Citation 3 fleetb) 100% of the Canadair 600 fleetc) 100% of the Citation 500 fleetd) 98% of the Citation 55 B fleete) 100% of the Gulfstream IV fleetf) 100% of the Gulfstream V FLEETg) 83% OF THE Learjet 25 fleet


The Compound Annual Growth Rate assumed by OSU’s consultants does not reasonably represent the likely growth scenario of the Airport Operations.


FAA requires “worst case scenario” OSU Projection: 2.2% Based on current and projected operations,

Worthington projects up to 10% in “worst case scenario”

The altitude assumptions profiled by the OSU consultants fail to reflect the actual climb profiles of departing aircraft.


Average Daily Number of Noise Events with an Lmax Greater than: Site

65 dB 70 dB 75 dB 80 dB 85 dB 5 21 6 1 0 0 6 45 33 24 15 5 7 34 18 7 3 1 8 22 12 4 1 0 9 13 3 0 0 0 10 35 17 5 1 0 11 20 10 2 0 0 12 19 12 2 0 0 13 16 5 2 0 0 14 10 3 0 0 0 15 21 7 2 0 0

Number of Aircraft Noise Events(for Measurement Period: February 17-25, 2004)

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

Total events: 451 Worthington Events: 229

Environmental CategoriesEnvironmental Factor Impact With Development Mitigation and/or Permit Requirements

Noise No Impact None required

Land Use and Zoning No Impact None required

Social Impacts No Impact None required

Socioeconomic Impacts No Impact None required

Air Quality No Impact None required

Water Quality Minor Impacts Required permits to be obtainedBest management practices

during construction

Section 4(f) Resources No Impact None required

Historic, Archeological,Architectural and Cultural

No Impact None required

Biotic Communities Minor impacts to species that utilize forested areas and to aquatic

biota in stream/ditches

None required

Threatened and Endangered Species No Impact None required

The 2004 OSU Airport Master Plan

Environmental Categories (cont’d)Wetland Resources No Impact None required

Floodplains No Impact None required

Coastal Zones No Impact None required

Coastal Barriers No Impact None required

Wild and Scenic Rivers No Impact None required

Prime and Unique Farmland No Impact None required

Energy Supply and Natural Resources

No significant Impact None required

Light Emissions No Impact None required

Solid Waste No significant Impact None required

Construction Short-term increase in noise and air pollution and

construction traffic

Compliance with FAA Advisory Circular 150/5370-10; Soil Erosion Control Permit;

NPDES Permit

Hazardous Waste No Impact None required


South Hangar ConstructionDescription: Corporate hangar, row & T Hangars,

Issues: Last hangars built in 1985Wait list >120 individuals and companies

Impact: Increased aircraft operations to meet demand and add services to support programs

Benefits: Improved service to customers/communityIncreased based aircraftIncreased student employmentIncrease revenues

Funding: Revenue bonds ($8.5M)


What is actually being constructed?

North Hangar Construction (10+ years)Description: Aviation research facilities/Corporate offices/hangars

Issue: Restricted growth potential of south side

Impact: Increased aircraft operations

Benefits: Attract R&D firms to communityAssist with local economic initiativesIncreased student opportunities for employmentand researchIncrease revenues to support academic programs

Funding: Public-private partnership


What is actually being constructed?

Community Support• Letters of support from Airport neighbors• Resolutions of support from four resident

associations• Airport is included in local economic

development initiatives


•The City of Worthington has received 4 letters of support for airport expansion and 4 supportive hits on the Worthington Noise Complaint web site

•Opposition includes5,886 different people logged in 9,208 complaints on air traffic noise in 1 year.1,488 people signing petitions78 letters of oppositionCity of Worthington Resolution favoring an Environmental Impact Statement

The above totals 7,452 contacts plus the resolution

Community OppositionAs of October 14, 2004

FAA Handbook Requirements

43. REQUIREMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT. All proposed actions which are not categorically excluded require an environmental assessment prepared by the airport sponsor. An environmental assessment is defined in CEQ 1508.9 and further elaborated on in 1501.3 and 1501.4. The completion of an environmental assessment shall normally precede the FAA's decision to prepare an environmental impact statement since the environmental assessment is a document used by the FAA to determine whether potential impacts appear to be significant. There are proposals, however, which normally require the preparation of an environmental impact statement per paragraph 2l or on which the FAA and the sponsor agree initially that impacts will be significant. In these cases, the FAA and sponsor agree initially that impacts will be significant. In these cases, the FAA and sponsor may determine that the scoping process should not await completion of the environmental assessment. For these proposals, the sponsor's preparation of the environmental assessment shall be done concurrently with scoping, as allowed in CEQ 1501.7(b)(3). If tiering is involved, sponsors should consult Chapter 10 and request special advice from the FAA prior to preparing an environmental assessment.

The City of Worthington requests that MORPC pass a resolution to encourage the preparation of a Part 150 and full Environmental Impact Study.

City of WorthingtonRequest

city of worthington ohio state airport environmental assessment evaluation

Documents