Decision Puts $20 Billion OMP In Doubt

In a major setback for plans to expand Chicago O'Hare Airport, the Illinois appeals court on Thursday prevented the razing of the northeast part of the nearby Village of Bensenville.

As ANN reported, beginning in 2005 the City of Chicago forced some 500 families out of their homes in anticipation of the $20 billion O'Hare Modernization Program. The city wants to bulldoze the empty houses to clear the way for expanding the busy airport, but opponents to that plan -- including current Bensenville residents, who'd prefer not to have to move -- cite the potential for "severe consequences to public health" if those old homes are torn down.

Understandably, village President John Geils called the court decision a victory for residents of his community. "On top of commandeering our neighborhoods, the City of Chicago has been planning to risk the health and safety of Bensenville residents. The city's planned actions are reckless and deplorable, and the Illinois Court of Appeals is right to stop them."

Opponents to the expansion plan note work on the O'Hare expansion has not begun, and funding for the $20 billion project has not been secured. They also say FAA studies show that the expansion will not provide any significant improvement of airline delays at O'Hare; to the contrary, aviation experts say that OMP will instead produce massive delays and increase costs for both consumers and airlines during and after initial construction.

In addition, the airlines, including United Airlines and American Airlines, have called the OMP plan "ill-conceived" and "premature."

"The real story here is that OMP is nothing more than a $20 billion, taxpayer funded slush fund for politicians and their friends," says Geils. "The simple fact is that OMP is a runway to nowhere."

FMI: www.stop-omp.org