Opinion ID: 768702
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Record of Decision

Text: 6 The FAA's Record of Decision properly includes the findings required by the relevant federal statutes and regulations, and it concludes with a formal FAA Approval and Order. But the document also provides a detailed 125-page account of the process by which the FAA reviewed and ultimately approved the W-1W project. After recounting the history of Lambert airport and briefly summarizing the development process, the Record of Decision sets out the purpose and need for the Lambert expansion to provide the primary foundation for the identification of reasonable alternatives and the evaluation of the impacts of the development. The articulated purposes of the expansion project are (1) to effectively and safely accommodate projected levels of aviation activity at an acceptable level of delay by increasing airfield capacity, improving visual flight rules capacity, allowing dual independent simultaneous arrivals in bad weather conditions, and decreasing delays; (2) to enhance the National Airspace System by increasing capacity and reducing delays; (3) to maintain Lambert's importance to the economic vitality of the St. Louis region; and (4) to facilitate an airline hub at St. Louis. 7 The Record of Decision next explains how the FAA selected and analyzed alternatives to the proposed action, noting that the FAA does not control or direct the actions and decisions of St. Louis relative to planning, but has authority to withhold. funding for and federal approval of the project based upon its own independent review. Here, the FAA explored alternatives that ranged from No Action, to investing in a high-speed rail line, to constructing a new airport at another location. The Record of Decision concludes that the No Action alternative would not achieve the purposes and needs of the proposed expansion and indeed would be less desirable than Alternative W-1W from the standpoint of certain environmental impacts such as air emissions. Building a new airport elsewhere or a high-speed rail line likewise would not achieve the project's purposes and needs. 8 The Record of Decision then turns to the task of selecting which runway expansion alternatives were appropriate for detailed environmental and operational evaluation in the FEIS. For this task, the FAA employed a three-tiered evaluation process based upon the aforementioned statement of purpose and need. The Record of Decision explains the three-tiered analysis (discussed in Part III.A. of this opinion) and briefly explains how this analysis resulted in detailed consideration of two expansion alternatives, S-1 and W-1W, and the No Action alternative, X-1. 9 The Record of Decision then summarizes the FAA's detailed consideration of alternatives W-1W and S-1, which proposed a new parallel runway to the south of the airport terminal and existing runways. Both alternatives would achieve substantial annual cost savings, though S-1 would cost more to build. S-1 would be superior [to W-1W] from an [airport] operational standpoint, but the FAA concluded that S-1's more severe environmental and socio-economic impacts tilt the balance in favor of W-1W. S-1 would require the relocation of 9,725 people; W-1W only 5,680 people (concentrated in the City of Bridgeton). S-1 would force the relocation of 210 businesses; W-1W only 75. S-1 would directly affect fifty-seven acres of parkland; W-1W only twenty-six acres. After carefully weighing these many factors, the FAA decided to approve the operationally less desirable W-1W because the agency agreed with St. Louis it was the least impacting alternative overall. 10 Next, the Record of Decision summarizes the twenty-two distinct impacts associated with implementing the W-1W runway project, and their planned mitigation. This section discusses the expansion's impacts on noise levels, air emissions, water quality, historical and archaeologically significant properties, parks, wetlands, in addition to various social impacts. Mitigation measures adopted include sound insulation or sales assistance for homeowners adversely affected by increased noise; relocation assistance to residents who must move; collection and recycling of aircraft deicing fluids to prevent runoff into local waterways; and identification of land suitable for replacing parks and wetlands affected by the project. St. Louis has primary responsibility for these mitigation efforts, but the FAA will oversee their implementation. 11 Finally, the Record of Decision contains lengthy summaries of the FAA's efforts to keep the public apprised of and involved in the process; the agency's work with other federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Air Force and Navy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Highway Administration; and the involvement of state and local agencies and concerned private organizations such as the Air Line Pilots Association and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. The Record of Decision summarizes and responds to concerns and criticisms raised in the many public comments. In the section entitled Environmental Issues Raised about the FEIS, the FAA responds to criticisms leveled at the agency's environmental analysis. This section also contains an extensive discussion of the noise impacts, the mitigation program, and specific complaints.