Renowned physicist and Rocky Mountain Institute co-founder Amory Lovins and others who are concerned about Pitkin County’s direction on local airport redevelopment have started a nonprofit with the goal of exploring alternate ideas and sharing them with the community.
The nonprofit is called Aspen Fly Right, and a website has been created (aspenflyright.org). The group began running full-page advertisements in Aspen’s daily newspapers late last week and plans to do so on a regular basis. The ads will explore different topics each week, Lovins said Saturday.
Lovins, of Old Snowmass, has been critical of the county’s process with regard to airport planning. In early 2019, the county embarked on a community initiative known as the ASE Vision process that initially involved more than 160 people serving on five committees tasked with studying various aspects of airport redevelopment and providing input in an effort to reach consensus.
By the end of that year, participation on some of the committees waned, with a vocal minority complaining the process was being steered toward outcomes desired by county officials and their paid consultants.
“The ASE Vision process suffered serious participant attrition, defection and dissent. Of course, some people may have dropped out for personal reasons unrelated to their views of the process. However, it preceded the pandemic, and substantial evidence suggests that much of the attrition was due to dissatisfaction,” Lovins writes in a Dec. 14 letter called “ASE Vision: The Rest of the Story.” It’s posted on the group’s website.
“In short, nearly 160 citizens signed up; almost 100 left (many dissatisfied); 63 stayed; 53 concurred; and that one-third of the original volunteers was represented as robust consensus,” the letter continues. “… Many citizens expressed concern that their choices were being constrained or unduly influenced by restricted framings, faulty and missing information, and pressure to endorse premature airside decisions.
“Simply put, many citizens felt that the process’s design was flawed, not as advertised, and not based on adequately broad and independent information. A concerning additional factor is that many also felt that the process wasn’t neutral and disinterested: The promise of neutrality didn’t match their experience,” the letter states.
The most controversial aspect of the county’s plan involves airside changes, not a proposed redevelopment of the terminal building, which many county critics acknowledge is outdated. Generally, the top concerns revolve around a proposed runway widening — recommended through a 2020 vote by the ASE Vision’s overarching committee — that would allow larger commercial and private aircraft with greater wingspans to use the airport. They fear it will lead to more overcrowding, pollution, noise and other harmful effects in a community already reeling from the weight of too many residents and visitors.
Officials, including County Manager Jon Peacock and Deputy County Manager Rich Englehart, have long maintained that the process leading to recommendations contained within the so-called Common Ground report adopted by the main ASE Vision committee has been above board and representative of community consensus. While the vast majority of the report was accepted by Pitkin County commissioners, they created a caveat on the runway item that leaves the matter open to future debate.
The county embarked upon the redevelopment process on the stated notion that the CRJ-700 aircraft utilized by commercial airlines serving the local market will be phased out within the next several years, necessitating the need for a new generation of jets that can fly into Aspen. Lovins, and Aspen Fly Right, contend that’s not the case.
“Some basic misconceptions are rife in our community,” the nonprofit’s ad reads. “To be clear: Existing commercial planes are not retiring anytime soon. There’s no rush to replace them with bigger ones. The Federal Aviation Administration is not forcing ASE to let in heavier planes with up to 118-foot wingspans rather than the current 95-foot limit. None of those scary claims is true. We have ample time to figure this thing out.”
In April, Lovins penned a lengthy letter to county officials that raised numerous questions about airport redevelopment goals and motives. The county provided an official response to many of his concerns, but in certain cases stated that some of his assumptions were incorrect.
Later, a few members of the newly created Airport Advisory Board, which began meeting early this year, said they wanted to invite Lovins to a board meeting for further discussion. Though the overall board has adopted a policy of accepting outside opinions on airport redevelopment issues, Lovins has yet to receive an invitation to one of the board’s monthly meetings.
Lovins said Saturday that the county’s inadequate response to his questions led to the formation of Aspen Fly Right.
“We felt a duty to stimulate an independent, objective, accurate, inclusive, respectful and constructive conversation,” he said. “We are simply an independent group of citizens with strong expert advice, wanting better decisions and a better public process.”