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This page published on IvanpahValley.com November 22, 2007.
Air transport
issues today and tomorrow - worldwide and in Southern Nevada.
By Robert L. Candiotti
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Last August, aviation activists set up camp at London's Heathrow airport to protest the proposed airport expansion
there. Photo by Anthony Devlin/PA.
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In August, 2007,
"green campaigners" protested the high amount of the aviation industry's carbon emissions, and especially the
British government's push to expand London's Heathrow Airport.
The protests were not entirely peaceful. There
were injuries and arrests. The position taken by the protesters, and the force exerted by the police, were controversial.
If nothing else, the news today - November 22, 2007 - reveals the controversy regarding the addition of a third runway at
Heathrow continues possibly even more intensely than during the summer.
The Guardian reports that Britain's
transport secretary, Ruth Kelly, stated giving up on the runway expansion plans would have no impact on the environment
because air travel will continue to grow at 5% per year, and any flights that are not able to come to Heathrow "will
simply move elsewhere. All it will do is shift capacity over the Channel," she said. This would make Heathrow "uncompetitive,"
she opined.
On the other hand, a British citizen in the Heathrow region, Serge Lourie, said expanding
the airport will be "devastating" for the area. It would destroy the quality of life for a lot of people,"
Lourie said. Reportedly, about 700 homes, one church and eight grade II listed buildings would need to be torn down for a
third runway at Heathrow.
Additionally today, The Guardian also reports a British government member, John McDonnell
MP, whose constituency includes the airport area, called the airport expansion plans an "absolute betrayal" that
will inspire "the biggest environmental backlash in not just this country but the whole of Western Europe."
 Airport
expansion at Heathrow is clearly a controversial issue. Studying the conflicting opinions there can provide an understanding
of what could possibly arise with the proposal for a supplemental airport in Southern Nevada, Ivanpah Valley Airport.
Ivanpah Airport's validity and credibility can be established and maintained with a sincere adherence
to greenhouse gas mitigation in every conceivable way. Photograph: PA.
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Though it is the position of this website that the proposed supplemental Ivanpah Valley Airport
will definitely be needed for the retention of economic health and vibrancy in the region, it only makes sense to
anticipate there will be controversy and discussion regarding the project. It is the nature of the times. Some people
are bound to wonder if a new airport near Las Vegas is really needed. If approved, Ivanpah Valley Airport will
become a huge constuction project that will dramatically transform the Clark County, Nevada/San Bernardino County, California border
area.
Just a few days ago, on November 17, 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) - which earlier
this year was awarded jointly with Al Gore the Nobel peace prize - released the fourth and final volume of its "Climate
Change 2007."
The essence of the report is: Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are causing a change in the world's
climate system, with an increase of GHG emissions due to human activities increasing 70% between 1970 and 2004 alone.
Yet
- and this is directly related to this website and Ivanpah Valley Airport - the "Mitigation of Climate Change" portion
of the report says the air transport industry is most definitely here to stay. Today's world economy, and the demands
of the traveling public, create a situation in which air travel "is growing 5% annually - a faster
rate of growth than any other travel mode." Today's world cannot exist without airplanes and air transport
- for people and for cargo.
Still, jet aircraft are constantly becoming more fuel efficient. In fact, according
to the IPCC report, "Passenger jet aircraft produced today are 70% more fuel efficient than the equivalent aircraft
produced 40 years ago and continued improvement is expected. A 20% improvement over 1997 aircraft efficiency is likely
by 2015 and possibly 40 to 50% improvement is anticipated by 2050."
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 A new international
airport way out here?
Heading north to the California/Nevada border
on Interstate 15, descending into the flat area of Ivanpah Valley, the isolated gambling/shopping town of
Primm, Nevada, is straight ahead. Beyond Primm is the vast acreage being set aside for Ivanpah
Valley Airport. North of the acreage is the tiny town of Jean, seen in the distance on the left. (For
more information about Jean, go to the From Nevada Landing to Futuristic Jets Landing page of this website). North
of Jean, over the hills in the picture, is Las Vegas. Almost every aspect of the IPCC's "Climate
Change 2007" report regarding transport as it involves greenhouse gas emissions - road vehicles, railroads,
airplanes - pertains to the future acceptability and success of Ivanpah Valley Airport. Descending into the
valley should also entail ascending into the future. More than any other airport in recent history, Ivanpah Valley
Airport needs to be designed with the far future and long-term sustainability in mind. Certainly, it is a benefit for
Ivanpah Valley Airport that there is virtually nothing to tear down, only to build up, with the most advanced and inspired
"green" technologies. Photo courtesy Stan Shebs.
It is interesting that at a time when a brand
new international airport in Southern Nevada appears to be necessary, the issues of climate change and global warming are
becoming some of the top priorities of humanity. The airport is needed, but it will also create, in various ways, greenhouse
gas emissions. How can these be kept to a minimum? Sobering realities are linked to exhilarating challenges. Ivanpah
Valley Airport, as it proceeds through its Environmental Impact Statement steps, is bound to become a more and more riveting
topic.
If Ivanpah Valley Airport is eventually approved and built, it will be host to the world's most
advanced commercial aircraft at one of the world's greenest airport facilities. It is not an exaggeration to say
the airport will need to be designed with the year 2050 in mind. What aircraft will be landing at Ivanpah Airport then? One
can lean back and imagine.
Within the airline industry, from here on out, there will continue to be driving
efforts toward improving fuel efficiency for aircraft, enhancing the aerodynamic qualities of aircraft, reducing the airplanes'
weight through lightweight materials. According to the IPCC's 2007 report, the creation of biofuel for airplanes
is remotely possible "if biofuels can be developed to meet the demanding specifications of the aviation industry."
Over the past 40 years, there have only been two new airports built
in the United States - Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver International. Therefore, as the Environmental Impact Statement for Ivanpah
Valley Airport proceeds, the project becomes more and more intriguing.
The EIS for Ivanpah Valley Airport is progressing:
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Bureau of Land Management are jointly overseeing an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the environmental issues surrounding the construction of the proposed Ivanpah Valley
Airport. Shown below is the current point of completion of the EIS (see We are here) that is aimed
to be completed toward the end of 2010.
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