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FAA approves Jackson Hole airport plans JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration has approved a terminal expansion and multi-level parking garage at Jackson Hole Airport. But the agency has decided against a new radar system and a proposal to decrease airplane noise over Grand Teton National Park. The proposals were outlined in an environmental assessment presented to the FAA by the Jackson Hole Airport Board. "At least they're through the environmental review now," Airport Director George Larson said. "There are some other things we're still going to challenge because we don't believe (the FAA) decided correctly. So it's progress, but it's not all the progress the board had hoped for." The environmental assessment was drafted to guide long-term growth at the airport. The document included plans for longer runway safety areas, which the FAA considered separately and approved earlier this year. According to Larson, the 10,000-square-foot terminal expansion would create more room for gates, but it is uncertain when the project will be able to begin. "Just from a cashflow standpoint, I think we're at least three years away," he said. The plan calls for building an off-site parking lot for rental car companies and making all the existing parking at the airport available to the public. If an off-site option is not viable, he said, the airport may opt to expand parking at the airport. That might include a two-level garage north of the existing parking lot. As for the radar, the FAA said the system's cost outweighs its benefit. Larson said the board will continue to press its case that the radar system would be beneficial in the mountainous area. The proposal to reduce noise from air traffic would have banned many small jets. The FAA asked the board to show that the cost of such a restriction would be worth the benefit. Larson said it is unlikely that could be done successfully. "Around the country, there have been several airports that have tried to do one, and not one has been approved (by the FAA) to date," he said. But Larson said the board might have the leverage to enact such regulations because it is legally committed to park officials to try to reduce airport noise. "It's tied up with the bureaucracy of two federal agencies that don't agree," he said. On projects other than the runway, Grand Teton Superintendent Jack Neckels said the FAA has not consulted park officials. Neckels said he expects park officials will continue to review specific airport plans as they are proposed. "Our position is we still want to be involved in the review of the plans and the specifications for new development," he said. Park officials prefer development that has the least visual effect on the park, he said. Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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