Critics assail plan to revamp LAX LOS ANGELES (AP) =97 Mayor James Hahn's $10 billion plan to reconfigure Los= =20 Angeles International Airport would do little to achieve the goal of=20 protecting travelers from the most common terrorist attacks, according a=20 RAND report. RAND examined Hahn's proposal against a range of potential=20 terrorist scenarios from luggage bombs detonated in crowds to grenades=20 launched at aircraft and the think tank concluded Wednesday that the new=20 configuration would do little to improve security. "The RAND analysis=20 indicates that nothing in the master plan's proposed reconfiguration would= =20 prevent future attacks of these types or provide adequate protections=20 against a deadly small portable bomb or any of a number of other attacks=20 commonly used in a congested environment like LAX," Rep. Jane Harman,=20 D-Redondo Beach, wrote in a letter to Hahn. Harmon requested the RAND study. A Hahn spokesman criticized Harman for=20 requesting the report without consulting the mayor or utilizing information= =20 from his office. "Mayor Hahn's very disappointed that Rep. Harman would=20 order up a preliminary report that doesn't have the benefit of more than=20 8,000 pages of technical analysis that's going to be available early this=20 summer," Deputy Mayor Troy Edwards said. Hahn unveiled the $10 billion=20 proposal last July. It proposes razing all parking structures in the=20 central airport area and creating a ground transportation center two miles= =20 away, where passengers would be transported to and from the concourse. The= =20 plan also includes changes to terminals and runways. "My No. 1 goal was to= =20 make it a safer airport," Hahn said at the time. The RAND report said=20 having people congregate offsite could simply shift potential targets to=20 the shuttles or parking area. The only aspect of the plan that could=20 improve security is its limit of 78 million passengers at LAX, possibly=20 reducing its prominence, the report said. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.cso.gov.tt TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************