It is shocking to learn that members of the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune apparently do not read their own news articles. In the lead editorial on July 16, they conclude that any review of the environmental impact of safety, noise and air pollution implications from a shift of 100 military slots at O’Hare International Airport to commercial usage will, in all likelihood, show minimal adverse impact. The editorial also states that such “minimal adverse impact” won’t placate the anti-noise lobby and the politicians who exploit it. The tragedy of their conclusion is that it does not reflect the facts contained in the news articles that appear in their own paper.
For example an article the day before contained two important facts regarding airport safety that mitigate against the editorial board’s conclusion (“U.S. senators in a dogfight over adding O’Hare flights,” News, July 15). First, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman admitted that on any given day the number of flights that land and take off during busy travel hours can exceed the legal limits for such flights.
Second, an Illinois Department of Transportation official pointed out that O’Hare Airport is exceeding its safety capacity for total number of flights by at least 15,000 flights per year based on Chicago’s own numbers. These facts alone indicate the need for an impact study to determine the effect of more flights per year being advocated by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his Senate committee.
Other reasons exist that warrant a current impact study. Environmentalists for years have accused O’Hare of being one of the biggest air polluters in the state. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency continues to refuse to do a detailed study of O’Hare-area air quality. To date the IEPA only measures emissions from land-based machinery and vehicles. It asserts that its budget does not allow for the analysis of pollution levels from the more serious formaldehyde-based and carcinogenic airplane exhaust.
There is also the problem of noise pollution. Park Ridge residents regularly complain about the noise from low-flying, loud Stage 2 and Stage 3 aircraft. Airplane noise is monitored in Park Ridge by three permanently fixed sensors installed by the city of Chicago. The test results are then averaged over a 24-hour period, including the quiet times between flights, yielding unrealistic results. Separate Suburban O’Hare Commission noise monitors regularly record hurtful plane noise levels over 110 decibels in the same locations. Noise test results are regularly manipulated, while planes flying over schools interfere with classroom lectures and student learning.
I cannot agree with the Tribune that in all likelihood any review of safety, air quality and noise at O’Hare Airport will show minimal adverse impact. No one has yet been able to accurately identify how much noise and air pollution we now endure. No one has yet properly assessed either current safety violations or the potential for air disasters from “shoehorning” more and more flights into an airport facility that has reached its capacity.
It’s time to address the legitimate concerns of people who for too long have been regularly dismissed or ignored. Park Ridge continues to pay the price for Chicago’s profits.
