Airport Advisory, Environmental commissions consider working relationship

The Airport Advisory Commission is considering a resolution this week that would establish a working relationship with the Environmental Commission. The change would allow the Environmental Commission to advise the Airport Advisory Commission on airport projects that may have impacts beyond the boundaries of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

According to the resolution the Airport Advisory Commission will consider at its May 10 meeting, the working relationship will allow “the Environmental Commission to provide recommendations, advice, and suggestions on any project with likely environmental impacts beyond the legal boundaries of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport that includes air quality, water quality, light or noise pollution in addition to environmental justice.”

The idea originated with Richard Brimer, who is the District 10 representative on the Environmental Commission. Although he does not represent a district adjacent to the airport, Brimer is a pilot and became interested in the airport when residents raised concerns about its plans to construct a new jet fuel storage facility.

Brimer told the Austin Monitor he contacted the newly elected chair of the Airport Advisory Commission, Wendy Price-Todd, about the idea. He said there is precedent for such an arrangement, such as the special working relationship between the Environmental Commission and the Parks and Recreation Board on certain matters regarding Barton Springs Pool.

“There are some matters that may go outside of the bounds of the airport and impact the city and the residents of the city,” Brimer said. “We’re trying to provide our expertise into things that go outside the airport.”

The resolution states that any and all final decisions would be made by the Aviation Department and the Airport Advisory Commission, a point Brimer emphasized in his interview with the Monitor. “We want to leave (running the airport) to the Aviation Department and the Airport Commission,” he said. “To the extent that it may extend past the boundaries of the airport and impact the residents of Austin outside of those boundaries, we’d like to provide some advice to the other people and say this is our opinion.”

The Environmental Commission recommended the partnership at its May 3 meeting. Price-Todd said that while she could not speak for the rest of the commission ahead of its Wednesday meeting, she and her colleagues are “open to the idea.” If the Airport Advisory Commission passes its own resolution, Brimer said the two sides will collaborate on establishing a formal process.

In September, a nontoxic mud leak from the jet fuel construction site spilled into a wetland on the airport property. The Airport Advisory Commission learned of the leak in February, which raised questions and concerns from the commission’s then-Chair Eugene Sepulveda. The Environmental Commission was briefed on the matter and learned the status of the cleanup at its meeting in April.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license. This story has been changed since publication to reflect the fact that the mud leak occurred on airport property. 

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