FAA takes first look at O'Hare expansion plan CHICAGO (AP) =97 The federal government's first formal review of Chicago=20 Mayor Richard M. Daley's plans to expand O'Hare International Airport did=20 not uncover any major obstacles, officials said Thursday. "Although the=20 airport layout plan is not approved yet, so far the FAA sees no unworkable= =20 aspects," said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro. The= =20 76-page review of Daley's $6.6 billion runway layout plan did not address=20 whether the city would achieve its goal of nearly doubling flights by=20 reconfiguring the airfield and adding an eighth runway. Instead, it was a=20 limited, technical review of the proposed runway layout, officials said. An= =20 analysis of other issues will be released next month. The report also did=20 not address whether the plan passes a cost-benefit test, if safety risks=20 can be managed in taxiing hundreds of aircraft a day across active runways,= =20 and how the runway alignment would work with the crowded airspace over the= =20 Chicago region. The city will be required to make corrections and=20 clarifications, most dealing with the placement of navigational and safety= =20 equipment and security issues. The FAA also asked the city to provide more= =20 details on controversial property acquisitions west of the airport's=20 current boundary, in the suburbs of Bensenville and Elk Grove Village.=20 Meanwhile, an Illinois House committee approved a revised version of the=20 legislation needed for the expansion project to go forward. The measure=20 would limit, rather than completely remove, the governor's authority to=20 block expansion, and it would give the city of Chicago "quick take" power=20 to seize land in other cities but only within the airport boundaries. Gov.= =20 Rod Blagojevich said the proposal is still being "fine-tuned" and he was=20 not ready to support the House legislation. *************************************************** 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/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.caribbeanfloral.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************