Posted on 02/18/2005 6:33:19 PM PST by Jomini
A federal judge has told the U.S. Navy it can't build a planned fighter jet airstrip next to a wildlife refuge in eastern North Carolina.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle this afternoon issued a ruling that the Navy broke the law by planning the 30,000-acre site without conducting the thorough environmental review required by federal law.
Boyle said the Navy badly underestimated the harm aircraft takeoffs and landings would pose to giant flocks of migratory birds that inhabit the remote area. And he said it also underestimated the threat of bird strikes to pilots and their multimillion-dollar aircraft.
Boyle, a Republican whom President Reagan appointed to the bench in 1984, forbade the Navy to continue planning, developing or building the $185 million Outlying Landing Field in Washington and Beaufort counties without first conducting a proper environmental review.
Boyle's ruling came after a hearing last month in which eastern North Carolina residents filled the courtroom.
Three environmental groups and Washington and Beaufort counties sued to stop the Navy from building the airstrip next to Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Navy pilots would use the site, about 135 miles east of Raleigh, to practice aircraft carrier landings.
The Navy is expected to appeal Boyle's ruling to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.
Warner, of Virginia.
The Navy decided, for reasons yet unknown, to site the landing field in Washington County, NC. They then spent time and money 'reverse engineering' their foregone conclusion. They did NOT follow legal procedures, they did NOT follow their own guidelines.
Judge Boyle just shot down their justification.
The hell of it is, there are several other sites in the area which offer no problems and no concerns from local citizens, including a damned good airport which (for other reasons) has been shut down and can be had for a fraction of the cost of building this nightmare.
for aero ping list?
Warner, of Virginia.
The Navy decided, for reasons yet unknown, to site the landing field in Washington County, NC. They then spent time and money 'reverse engineering' their foregone conclusion. They did NOT follow legal procedures, they did NOT follow their own guidelines.
Judge Boyle just shot down their justification.
The hell of it is, there are several other sites in the area which offer no problems and no concerns from local citizens, including a damned good airport which (for other reasons) has been shut down and can be had for a fraction of the cost of building this nightmare.
These birds are part of our American heritage. Lets not lose our heritage if we don't have to.
Looks like some admiral wants to go duck hunting.
<< ...birds ... do some damage to windshields too, no? >>
I having had the odd collision with [Up to] 650 Knot birds, let me be the first to assure you that they do have a tendency to make your eyes water a bit.
true - but, ah, our Navy Pilots are part of our heritage also - don't want to loose them either - birds have brought down many a plane
I used to live in Washington county in the little town of Creswell.Where is the airport?Is it near Plymouth?There are also lots of black bears in the area.though I dont expect they would affect flights too much...
This judge is also protecting the Navy. Birds and aircraft are not a good mix.
This is a 'pork' deal for the illegals. They need jobs.
OLF's are used for two reasons. One is so that FCLPs can be conducted without interference from other aircraft operating in and out of the home field. The other key thing in Oceana is noise abatement.
Oceana's current OLF is suffering from suburban encroachment and pilots are required to fly some of the nuttiest landing patterns ever devised to keep from pissing off the neighbors.
Here is what the Navy needs in an OLF. 8,000 ft of runway with a little ramp space. It needs to be away from populated areas so the Navy can fly 24hrs a day. It would be preferable to have no controlled airspace between Oceana and the OLF or a corridor which can be handled by Oceana approach. It needs to be close enough so that aircraft can complete the required number of FCLPs below their max bounce gross weight and still have enough gas to return to Oceana. The current OLF is only 11 miles from Oceana.
During the big BRAC during the 90's the Navy gave up Miramar because the BRAC commission came to the conclusion Oceana was a better field. This is despite the fact that Oceana has worse encroachment issues than Miramar, crappy range space, crappy OLF, and a crappy bombing range. In contrast Miramar has great range space, two OLFs without the noise abatement problems, and great bombing ranges. BRAC made a decision, the Navy has to work with the results.
"they could bulldoze Baltimore, and claim it, be the same bird problem, but AFTER they doze Baltimore they could look for another place ;-)"
LOL. Any other suggestions on places for the Navy to consider?
"Any other suggestions on places for the Navy to consider?"
There are some neighborhoods in Los Angeles county that could be bulldozed for this purpose.
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