Sound economic arguments for proactive airport expansion are submitted in your Jan. 19 editorial “Why O’Hare must grow.” While the City of Chicago stands to gain much from O’Hare expansion, the region’s needs would be better served by a third airport. O’Hare expansion plans do not take into account the vast human costs to everyone living within 15 miles. O’Hare is already crammed into a space that falls short of airport standards, with tens of thousands of people living just over its fences–and a million people affected by its operations. Hundreds of homes and businesses would be displaced.
The capacity of the state’s largest single source of pollution would double. For the good of the entire Chicagoland area, a third airport should be built.
