Columnist Jeff German: Admiring Rep. Berkley’s effort to keep the FAA flying right, but wonders where her wingman is

Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006 | 8:12 a.m.

Jeff German's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Sun. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4067.

She has a tendency to shoot from the lip, but when it comes to fighting for the little guy, there may be no one better in Nevada's congressional delegation than Rep. Shelley Berkley.

The Las Vegas Democrat has been the only member of the delegation in the trenches fighting the federal plan to add a new flight path from McCarran International Airport over such heavily populated communities as Summerlin and The Lakes.

And Friday morning, with help primarily from city officials opposed to the plan, Berkley's efforts paid off when the Federal Aviation Administration announced that it was extending the public comment period for the proposal until March 14.

Minutes after the announcement, Berkley sent out a release praising the FAA for giving the residents most affected by the plan (about 500,000 of them) two more months to voice their concerns.

A few minutes later she was on the phone with me cautioning that residents still face an uphill battle.

The FAA, which appears determined to implement the plan to relieve air traffic at the nation's sixth busiest airport, did not commit to holding more public hearings. And it did not address a request by Berkley and the city for a public demonstration to show how noisy the new flight path would be for residents.

"Whether this is ultimately going to change the outcome of the FAA's decision, I don't know," Berkley said. "But they understand that this has been a public relations disaster that was handled horribly.

"I think they are doing everything in their ability to compensate for the initial mistakes they made."

The news, of course, went over well with City Councilman Steve Wolfson, who represents a large portion of the people affected by the FAA proposal.

"That's excellent," Wolfson said after I read him the FAA release. "We're going to ask for more public meetings so we can be more fully informed about the facts."

Wolfson had nothing but praise for Berkley's efforts in the fight.

So did Greg Toussaint, a Lakes resident who is leading a grassroots campaign against the new flight path.

"She's been very, very helpful," Toussaint said.

Berkley, now in her fourth term on Capitol Hill, is a natural to take the lead here. She sits on the House Aviation Subcommittee, which oversees the FAA, giving her regular access to top FAA officials.

Still, Toussaint and others are wondering where the rest of the Nevada delegation has been in this two-month battle.

Why have Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign and Reps. Jim Gibbons and Jon Porter all taken a pass?

"We pay our elected officials to represent us," Toussaint said. "Sitting on the fence may be convenient, but it's not what I call leadership."

Late Friday, Porter seemed to be looking for a way to enter the fray.

He issued a news release promising to sit down and discuss the FAA proposal with city and county officials.

But the fact that the entire delegation hasn't dirtied its hands in the trenches isn't a good sign for an eventual victory for the residents.

A united delegation, especially with Reid, the highest ranking Democrat in the Senate, would give the combatants considerably more clout with the FAA.

Even Berkley, who probably doesn't mind being out front in such a popular fight, recognizes that she could use more help.

"I think this would be a good time for my colleagues in the delegation to step up to the plate and support our constituents," she said.