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BURLEY, Idaho (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration will do an aeronautic study after an Idaho company increased the size of its exhaust stacks and pilots from a nearby airport raised safety concerns.
Steve Engebrecht of the FAA said the study will take about 45 days to complete. The pilots have "a valid concern," he told The Times-News in a story published Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1ROD7NQ ).
Jack Hunsaker, president of the Burley Airport Users Association, said the new stacks put in by Gem State Processing could interfere with some approaches and departures.
"We want to know if the city approved the installation, and if so, why; and if the installation was not approved, why is the city allowing it to take place," Hunsaker said.
City Administrator Mark Mitton said Burley, nearby Heyburn and Minidoka County didn't know about the company's plans.
The company replaced temporary stacks with permanent exhaust stacks as part of a planned expansion, general manager Bill Schow said. The new stacks are 10 feet taller and have larger diameters.
"They are probably more noticeable," Schow said.
He said the company tried to notify Mitton but he was out of the office when Schow made a trip to the city.
The FAA advised the company not to fill out a particular form concerning the exhaust stacks because the future of the airport is unclear, Schow said. But the agency later asked that the form be completed, and the company did so promptly, he said.
The city wants to replace the airport, but that could still be a decade away even if it's approved.
Meanwhile, Hunsaker said the city isn't curtailing development in the area and isn't doing enough maintenance at the airport.
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Information from: The Times-News, http://www.magicvalley.com
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