A federal court has dismissed a North Texas environmental group’s lawsuit attempt to block McKinney’s airport expansion.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia granted the city of McKinney’s motion to dismiss the North Texas Conservation Association’s lawsuit over a lack of jurisdiction.
The lawsuit alleged that the Texas Department of Transportation’s environmental assessment that found the airport’s expansion had no significant impact on the environment failed to meet standards set in the National Environmental Policy Act. It was filed in May
The North Texas Conservation Association, or NTCA, said the D.C. appeals court had jurisdiction because it oversees certain cases involving the Federal Aviation Administration, which ordered the Texas Department of Transportation to issue the environmental assessment.
The court disagreed with that assessment, ruling it didn’t have jurisdiction over cases that didn’t involve a direct order from the FAA.
Controversy has dogged the McKinney airport expansion. McKinney voters struck down $200 million in bond funds for expanding the city’s regional airport for commercial use in 2023. The city is still moving forward with the project using other funding, including sales tax dollars.
The NTCA said it will continue to fight the airport’s expansion in a press release shared on social media.
“This is far from a done deal,” the press release said. “NTCA is continuing to investigate this matter to obtain answers to these questions and evaluate potential further actions.”
The city continued with construction of the airport’s expansion despite the controversy, breaking ground in July. The McKinney city council approved about $58 million in construction contracts for the project in May. The city received multiple grants for the expansion, including $14.8 million from TxDOT.
In an interview when the lawsuit was first filed, then-Mayor George Fuller said TxDOT's assessment already addresses the environmental group's concerns. Fuller, who was named in the lawsuit, said the lawsuit is a political stunt by the organization's president, Paul Chabot.
“He, of course, formed that entity for this very purpose to sound legitimate as he lacks the respect and legitimacy in the community to file it in his own name,” he said.
Chabot called Fuller's comment unprofessional and said the mayor is trying to make the issue personal.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
