MUKILTEO — For Paine Field to ban passenger service would be a legal longshot at best, according to a new brief prepared for a panel reviewing the future of the airport.
The more muscle an airport operator tries to put into a ban, the harder it is for the ban to navigate the maze of federal laws, concluded the 32-page report by the Denver law firm Kaplan, Kirsch and Rockwell.
Even discouraging commercial flights – as does a 1979 agreement between local communities and the county – is an iffy proposition, the report concluded.
The report was done for the advisory panel of elected officials and business leaders, appointed last year by Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon to review the decades-old agreement. The county owns and operates the airport.
Panel members asked for the study in June to get a better idea of their influence on the issue. The panel is scheduled to discuss the report Wednesday with attorneys from the Denver firm, the groups first meeting in four months.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
