Representatives Mulligan and Krause Opposed to New O'Hare Runway(s)

June 14, 2001

Rep. Rosemary Mulligan and Rep. Carolyn Krause will testify tomorrow, June 15, before the Senate Aviation Subcommittee Hearing on O'Hare Airport to be held at 9: a.m. at the Dirksen Federal Building.

As state representatives who serve an area that would be most affected by runway expansion at O'Hare International Airport, Mulligan and Krause are restating their long-standing commitment made to Suburban Cook County by all State of Illinois officials against building a new runway(s) at O'Hare Airport.

Mulligan represents parts of Des Plaines and Park Ridge. Krause Represents parts of Arlington Heights, Des Plaines and Mount Prospect.

Mulligan and Krause want to stress to the Congressional Committee that the Governor of the State of Illinois has the sole and exclusive legal authority over the decision as to whether any new runways should be built at O'Hare. Congress currently does not have that authority.

Over a million people live in the suburban O'Hare area. The representatives believe that, thus far, their concerns have not been included in the debate.

Mulligan is concerned that the purpose of the proposed new runway(s) is not merely to alleviate congestion, but to add more flights, otherwise there would not be such a rush to push these proposals through.

"Why are U.S. Senators attempting to have the final say as to what is best for the people of Suburban Cook County?" asks Mulligan. "Noise pollution is the obvious concern with airport expansion. However, increased flights also have an adverse effect on air quality and property values."

In addition to pollution, Krause is concerned about many health issues.

"I am concerned that although there have been impact studies of how this massive change would affect area residents, particularly children, the schools, and outdoor recreation," said Krause. Unfortunately, government has failed to listen to these studies"

"Airport pollution does have an effect on respiratory problems, digestive disorders, blood pressure and other serious health conditions. How will sufferers from these problems cope with this added aggravation to their condition(s)?"

Krause cites information from the web page of Alliance of Residents Concerning O'Hare from a national magazine article. "We once believed that we could dump anything in our waterways and it would be safe. We now believe the same about the sky. The sky is the limit is a fallacy."