City of Worthington Ohio State Airport Environmental Assessment Evaluation

1.  City of Worthington Ohio State Airport Environmental Assessment Evaluation

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. City of Worthington Independent analysis shows: • OSU’S Draft Environmental Assessment has three major flaws: • It fails to reflect the full noise impact of future operations. • The Compound Annual Growth Rate assumed by OSU’s consultants does not reasonably represent the likely growth scenario of the airport. • The altitude assumptions provided by OSU consultants fail to reflect actual aircraft traffic.

6. City of Worthington Independent analysis shows: 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.

7. City of Worthington Independent analysis shows: 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.

8. City of Worthington Independent analysis shows: • OSU Airport made an undocumented and unsubstantiated assumption that the following will be retired: • 100% of the Citation 3 fleet • 100% of the Canadair 600 fleet • 100% of the Citation 500 fleet • 98% of the Citation 55 B fleet • 100% of the Gulfstream IV fleet • 100% of the Gulfstream V FLEET • 83% OF THE Learjet 25 fleet

9. City of Worthington Independent analysis shows: 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”

10. City of Worthington Independent analysis shows: The altitude assumptions profiled by the OSU consultants fail to reflect the actual climb profiles of departing aircraft.

12. 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

13. The 2004 OSU Airport Master Plan Environmental Categories

14. The 2004 OSU Airport Master Plan Environmental Categories (cont’d)

15. The 2004 OSU Airport Master Plan South Hangar Construction Description: Corporate hangar, row & T Hangars, Issues: Last hangars built in 1985 Wait list >120 individuals and companies Impact: Increased aircraft operations to meet demand and add services to support programs Benefits: Improved service to customers/community Increased based aircraft Increased student employment Increase revenues Funding: Revenue bonds ($8.5M) What is actually being constructed?

16. The 2004 OSU Airport Master Plan 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 community Assist with local economic initiatives Increased student opportunities for employment and research Increase revenues to support academic programs Funding: Public-private partnership What is actually being constructed?

17. Letters of support from Airport neighbors Resolutions of support from four resident associations Airport is included in local economic development initiatives The 2004 OSU Airport Master Plan Community Support

18. Community Opposition As of October 14, 2004 • 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 includes • 5,886 different people logged in 9,208 complaints on air traffic noise in 1 year. • 1,488 people signing petitions • 78 letters of opposition • City of Worthington Resolution favoring an Environmental Impact Statement • The above totals 7,452 contacts plus the resolution

19. 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.

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