Page 51 - Planning and Design of Airports

The Natur e of Civil Aviation and Airports 29

6. Provision for terminal facility development in non-revenue
producing public areas
7. The requirement that the FAA develop a National Airport
System Plan (NASP)
To be eligible for federal aid, airport ownership was required to
be vested in a public agency and the airport must be included in the
NASP. This plan was reviewed and revised as necessary to keep it
current. It was prepared by the FAA and submitted to Congress by
the Secretary of Transportation. The plan specified, in terms of gen-
eral location and type of development, the projects considered neces-
sary to provide a system of public airports adequate to anticipate and
meet the needs of civil aeronautics. These projects included all types
of airport development eligible for federal aid under the act and were
not limited to any classes or categories of public airports. The plan
was based on projected needs over 5- and 10-year periods.
Because of the mounting public concern for the enhancement of
the environment, the act specifically stated that authorized projects
provide for the protection and enhancement of the natural resources
and the quality of the environment of the nation. The Secretary of
Transportation was required to consult with the Secretary of the Inte-
rior and the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare regarding the
effect of certain projects on natural resources and whether “all possi-
ble steps have been taken to minimize such adverse effects.” The Act
required that airport sponsors provide the “opportunity for public
hearings for the purpose of considering the social, economic, and
environmental effect on any project involving the location of an air-
port, the location of a runway, and a runway extension.” In addition,
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-190),
supported by a Presidential Executive Order (11514, March 5, 1970),
required the preparation of detailed environmental impact state-
ments for all major airport development actions significantly affect-
ing the quality of the environment. The environmental impact state-
ment was required to include the probable impact of the proposed
project on both the human and natural environment, including impact
on ecological systems such as wildlife, fish, and marine life, and any
probable adverse environmental effects which could not be avoided
if the project was implemented. The Act also stipulated that no airport
project involving “airport location, a major runway extension, or run-
way location” could be approved for federal funding unless the gov-
ernor of the state in which the project was located certified to the
Secretary of Transportation that there was reasonable assurance that
the project would comply with applicable air and water quality
standards. Finally the project had to be consistent with the plans of
other agencies for development of the area, and the airport sponsor
had to assure the government that adequate housing was available
for any displaced people. The Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement