First of all, we would like to correct a continuing stream of misinformation repeated by people determined to perpetuate an extremely divisive myth.  WAAM is not trying to move the airport.  We want to solve an overbearing problem, not waste time rehashing yesterday's news.

Our population is growing daily; newcomers and old-timers alike must be able to have access to reliable information about the ongoing effort to deal with the noise and pollution of a busy airport in the middle of our community. The value of the Airport Exploratory Study (AES) is that it gives the people of Martin County verifiable facts about the various options available to begin solving the problems of the ongoing rapid growth in jet traffic.  The AES documentation gives all the reasons why moving the airport is virtually impossible; given the cost, environmental factors and proximity to populated areas.  The AES indicates that closing the airport has little support in the community and therefore is also an unrealistic option.  Eliminating these choices allows us to move on to the examination of downsizing.   

There are ten possible actions that could be taken to downsize the airport, as presented in the Study by aviation attorney Peter Kirsch and his team of consultants.  Our Board of County Commissioners will determine which of these actions are to be taken in order to halt the malignant growth of this airport in the middle of our community.  This must be a front burner, priority issue for our Commissioners and County staff.

WAAM does not have the full force of national aviation lobbyists and their enforcement arm, the FAA, behind us.  However, we are a large and growing group of citizen volunteers who wouldn't be here today if this very real threat to our quality of life had not been allowed to escalate. Did anyone think of our neighborhoods or the children at the YMCA when Runway 12/30 was extended?  We now suffer from an explosion in jet traffic and the long-term effects of cancer causing air pollution.  Doing nothing about the problem is neither reasonable nor an option the people will accept.

Downsizing is a compromise measure.  The County Commissioners must consider the impact on the health and well being of the communities under the flight paths as well as the impact on the bottom line of the aviation businesses.  Ethically and morally, profit margins cannot be placed above the welfare of the community and the environment. 

         WAAM  Board of Directors

The FAA has a proposal pending that would remove current weight restrictions from most U.S. airports (This would allow aircraft heavier than 105,000 lbs. to land at Martin County Airport.).  WAAM has joined with many other organizations and local governments in formally voicing our opposition to this proposed change. 
A letter to the FAA opposing the proposal, from a research scientist at UCLA, states in part:

Weight restrictions based on runway engineering conditions should be strictly enforced for safety reasons at the airport and in neighboring communities.  It is not only a hazard from the standpoint of physical size, but also from the standpoint of the pollution generated by larger aircraft.  The California Air Resources Board and the faculty in environmental sciences from UCLA and USC found that ultrafine particle emissions from aircraft was not only measurable but also that it contributes to the degradation of air quality in the surrounding community.
Ultrafine particles have been shown to  be highly toxic to the human body.  Scientists in atmospheric sciences  are now  proposing  a  major study of particulate matter  associated with  idling,  landing  and  takeoff of  jet-fuel  based aircraft.  The larger the  aircraft, the  more  noxious.  Please be forewarned  that  any  aircraft  that      exceed runway capacity  are  most certainly going to diminish air quality as well.

You know this is true if you've ever been downwind of the airport on a busy day and smelled the fumes, or wiped black, oily, sooty film off of your patio furniture, boat, or car, for example. Remember, this toxic combination is coating your lungs too.  What will the future bring if we don't join together to stop the growth of air traffic at this airport?      We need immediate action from the County Commissioners:  (1) A committed beginning to the  downsizing process,  and (2) continued vocal opposition to the FAA proposal  to lift weight limits, which would only bring further devastation to many in our community.
             L. Pine