San Jose airport eyes expansion, but climate concerns loom
Mallory Moench Jan. 14, 2020 Updated: Jan. 14, 2020 4 a.m.
As Silicon Valley booms, demand for air travel into and out of San Jose is surging. On Tuesday, the City Council will vote to take another step toward enacting a plan that could add six gates, build up to 11,000 more parking spots and rearrange taxiways to be more efficient at Mineta San Jose International Airport to meet the expected growth.
It’s a huge undertaking. And it directly conflicts with another goal of the city and state: slashing climate pollution.
The expansion plan creates a “significant unavoidable impact” on the environment that could result in carbon emissions equivalent to putting more than 28,000 cars on the road, according to the plan, which only counts on-the-ground pollution because airplane flights — which account for a huge chunk of emissions for most people who fly — are federally regulated.
City officials say…