The Air Force might also have to approve the change if there is a potential for the solar facility to interfere with military operations at Edwards Air Force Base and Plant 42, an Air Force aerospace facility next to the Palmdale airport property.
Industry studies indicate that solar collectors, which are made of glare-resistant materials, do not pose a hazard for aircraft because they absorb light rather than reflect it. The FAA has no regulations covering the location and installation of solar panels.
Los Angeles officials began buying land in Palmdale in the early 1970s for a global airport that could handle 100 million passengers a year and accommodate SSTs, the supersonic passenger planes that are no longer in service. The property cost more than $100 million.
The reality, however, has fallen short of the vision. There was no demand for a major jetport in Palmdale. Instead of building it, L.A. airport officials, with the help of Palmdale officials, cobbled together a small regional airport by leasing land from the U.S. Air Force and entering into an agreement to use the runway that serves Plant 42. About eight airlines have come and gone from the airport over the years, the latest being United, which canceled service in December.
Since then, officials have shut the terminal, closed its nearby administration building and decided to surrender Palmdale's FAA certification. Palmdale city officials are now trying to salvage the effort to attract air service.
"A solar farm. That is a far cry from an airport," said Palmdale Mayor James Ledford, who added that Los Angeles World Airports "has never approached us about this."
Officials for the city's airport authority said there have been several preliminary discussions with solar companies and the DWP about using the western portion of the property. Though the airport agency would like to retain the Palmdale property, there is a good argument for selling it, said airport spokesman Mike Molina.
"We would not need all 17,000 acres for an airport," Molina said. "I think LAX only has about 3,500 acres."
Backers of Measure B say it would reduce the city's reliance on fossil fuels, primarily coal, and create as many as 8,000 new jobs. Opponents say it would lead to considerably higher electrical rates and benefit the DWP's employee union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, to the exclusion of other trade unions.
