Home reading 2012 II PUBLICATION

SECTION: Editorial; Pg. 26; Zone: N

DATELINE: Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Tribune printed an editorial about the expansion of O’Hare International Airport, its supporters and opponents. The editorial supports the expansion of the airport by adding a third runway.

The editorial reported that a group of the area’s leading urged people to look at the «big picture», which is revenue from international commercial air traffic – a «burgeoning, multibillion-dollar business». Siding in favor of airport expansion and using a sports metaphor, the editorial emphasizes that Chicago, like Atlanta and Denver, has what it takes to play in the big time. The writer warned that Chicagoans who vote against the expansion will ruin a good deal.

The editorial referred to findings in «The Future of O’Hare», a report commissioned by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

The editorial quoted from the commission’s report stating that O’Hare,The editorial also referred to projections from the Booz Allen & Hamilton consulting firm, which predicted that the Chicago area would forfeit a $10 billion economic impact and 110,000 new jobs if O’Hare does not expand to accommodate international traffic. In addition, the Committee wants construction of the third runway to begin immediately, and that has angered opponents.

According to the editorial, opponents of the expansion strenuously object to the Committee’s recommendation to begin construction immediately and are fed up with jet noise and doubtful of claims that newer jets are quieter. The editorial said that residents, local officials (including the mayor of Bensenville, the president of the Illinois Senate and the House minority leader) and a coalition of democrats and republicans (including Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Governor George Ryan) want new air traffic to go to Peotone Airport.

The editorial criticized the Civic Committee for not working out a politi-cal compromise, but acknowledged that the Committee recommends that Peo-tone serve as a point-to-point airport and O’Hare expand as a domestic and in-ternational hub. And that, according to the editorial, sounds suspiciously like mutual back-scratching. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and the Clinton admin-istration could free up the red-tape for Peotone as long as the state expanded O’Hare, which would increase noise abatement and soundproofing of homes, and «economically energize neighboring suburbs».

The article concluded by stating that the stalemate must end, and pro-posed a city-state airport authority whose job would be to oversee airport operations and enlist political clout for O’Hare, which the writer termed Chicago’s number one enterprise.

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 443