=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2002/09= /20/MN216209.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, September 20, 2002 (SF Chronicle) Bush speeds up transportation project reviews/SFO hopes runway expansion wi= ll be put on list of vital work Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau Washington -- President Bush ordered on Thursday faster environmental reviews for big transportation projects deemed vital to the nation's economy -- providing San Francisco International Airport officials hope that their ambitious runway expansion plan could get off the ground quicker. Environmentalists ripped Bush's order, calling it an effort to short- circuit important studies of major transportation projects like the airport's plan to fill in hundreds of acres of the bay. While not citing any specific projects, the administration said the existing review process, which can stretch out for years, was delaying important work and hindering a "strong American economy." The White House also said the president's order placing the Department of Transportation in charge of such studies wouldn't compromise environmental quality, an assertion the environmentalists scoffed at. "Too many transportation projects become mired for too long in the compl= ex web of clearances required by federal and state law," Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta said in a letter to key members of Congress and the nation's governors. "This initiative is intended to make our transportation investments more efficient, helping to ease congestion and reduce pollution." The order also created a Cabinet-level task force to review the list of priority projects every few months and make sure the decision-making process is moving along expeditiously. San Francisco has spent about $70 million over the past four years on the federal and state environmental review process, which is still in its early stages. The airport proposes to lengthen its four runways and rebuild them farther apart. It's expected that the first draft of the voluminous study of the plans won't be complete until the middle of next year at the earliest. After that, there is more time set aside for public comments, another round of study and votes and rulings by about 40 local, state and federal authorities that would have to approve the runway project. Under voter-approved Proposition D, San Francisco's electorate would also have to OK the plan because it probably would involve filling more than 100 acres of the bay. The most extensive of the options still under review calls for filling about 1,000 acres of the bay. After all that, lawsuits are possible, claiming that the environmental review process was inadequate or mistaken in its conclusions. On average, Mineta's office said, it takes 10 years for an airport proje= ct to go from planning to opening. Highways take 13 years. Airport spokesman Mike McCarron said Thursday that the airport staff had just learned of Bush's order and had no idea whether San Francisco's project would be included on the list of vital projects. He also wouldn't criticize the environmental impact report process. "I don't think it's been overly onerous," said McCarron. "It's been very detailed. " But David Lewis of Save the Bay, a group that opposes the runway project, said, "I'm concerned the runways will be included under the president's order. It would be a huge mistake, but I'm not surprised." Lewis said that all too often "streamlining" and "expedited" had become Bush administration buzzwords for cutting environmental protections. "This suggests the potential for short-circuiting, and that's a bad thing," he added. "The (environmental report) process has prevented a lot of damage over the years by disclosing alternatives that are better." Bush didn't set specific timetables for expedited reviews, leaving that = to Mineta, who first must identify the key projects. San Francisco's airport project, along with the O'Hare International Airport expansion in Chicago, would seem prime candidates because their congestion causes significant delays for passengers and cargo in two key metropolitan areas. Bush's order came as advocates of major transportation projects were testifying before a House subcommittee about renewing the federal highway and transit construction program. Contractors, state highway administrators, construction union leaders, truckers and transit advocates called for streamlining the environmental review process. "We need to do more projects, without reducing our environmental stewardship," said William Fay, president of the American Highway Users Alliance. E-mail Edward Epstein at eepstein@sfchronicle.com.=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 SF Chronicle