Not so, Rockefeller's office immediately countered. The Just in Time news release apparently was based on a misreading of a letter to a constituent in which he talked about West Virginia s need for better air service. But, as his spokesperson made clear when reporters asked about the release, Rockefeller has never taken a position on where a regional airport should be located or even whether it should be built. The group s goof, of course, was greeted with delight by officials at Charleston s Yeager Airport, who oppose construction of a new airport. Upgrade Yeager instead, they argue.
Any new airport is certain to be a white elephant, they predict.
If the Just In Time group hasn t apologized to Rockefeller, it certainly needs to do so. There s no excuse for the group s mistake. But, that said, the flap over the bogus release has usefully focused some public attention on the fact that Rockefeller continues to sit on the sidelines as the all-important airport debate unfolds. Yet Rockefeller insists the airport issue is a state and local affair in which he has no role. Never mind that any new airport would be built largely with federal money.