Landfill expansion threatens Utah airport

West Desert Airpark in Fairfield has a flight school (West Desert Flight); an aircraft dealer that is also the only light aircraft manufacturer in Utah (Rocky Mountain Kitplanes); an AOPA network flying club (West Desert Aviators); and an important role serving aircraft that would otherwise add to the traffic at other airports in the region, all of which are already at capacity.

Fairfield had just 160 residents as of the 2020 census, but the business of trash keeps local taxes low: The Intermountain Regional Landfill has produced revenue prodigiously, with nearly $1 million in landfill fees expected for 2026. Another nearby facility, North Pointe Construction and Demolition Landfill, provides an additional $80,000 in annual revenue, and that facility has grown beyond its permit limits. The town has an obvious incentive to expand landfill capacity, though any westward growth of the Intermountain Regional Landfill would encroach on operations at the privately owned, public-use airport.

Existing federal regulations and guidelines could limit the town's ability to fatten its cash cow while the airport exists. FAA Advisory Circular 150/5200-33C, Hazardous Wildlife Attractants on or near Airports, states that federal law "prohibits the construction or establishment of a new municipal landfill within 6 miles of certain public-use airports." This appears to prevent the town from expanding the landfill without closing the airport.

A 2020 Utah Airport Economic Impact Study calculated $3.6 million in annual activity generated by the local airport, and $120,000 in state and local tax revenue. Despite this, the town government has moved aggressively to curtail airport operations, first by changing local ordinances to restrict aeronautical activities, and more recently by rejecting the airport's application to renew its local business license despite having continually approved it for the past 23 years. AOPA Northwest Mountain Regional Manager Brad Schuster wrote to town officials February 3, asking the town to reconsider that rejection and halt the pattern of "regulatory drifting," in which new land use standards are created and applied retroactively to exclude established uses.

An attorney responded on the town's behalf, questioning whether "AOPA has any standing in this matter."

A hearing was held February 10 on the airport's business license appeal, and a decision is expected by February 24.

Schuster noted that while privately owned airports lack many of the protections that come with federal grants, they are nonetheless a vital part of the system. AOPA has always fought to preserve and protect airports that serve the public without regard to ownership.

"Any pilot can help protect their airport, whether by volunteering for our Airport Support Network, showing up at local government meetings, or simply letting us know when there's trouble brewing," Schuster said. "More often than not, local pilots are the first to know."