Briefly in the news

-- Paul Clinton

Orange County’s planners this week released the final version of their

environmental report for a proposed airport at the closed El Toro Marine

Corps Air Station.

The voluminous four-volume report includes 15 appendixes.

Known as Environmental Impact Report 573, the document has gone

through several permutations. Earlier this year, the county completed

supplements about the air-quality and traffic effects of an airport and

added more details about an alternative that could pave the way for a

smaller facility.

The county now supports an airport that would handle 28.8 million

passengers annually. But strong opposition in South County has caused

several supervisors to say they would like to reduce it to an 18-million

passenger facility.

With the public comment period complete -- more than 8,000 comments

and questions were received -- the Board of Supervisors can now move to

certify the report. The board has scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 4

and a final vote for Sept. 17.