A small veil of protection for Will County residents offered by U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Morris, in 2005 was stripped away last week by U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Chicago.

Public Law 109-183 of the 2006 Defense Authorization, better known as the Weller Amendment, was repealed Wednesday, Dec. 12.

The Weller Amendment essentially would have given local control of the proposed Peotone airport, to Will County leaders.

"An airport built in Will County should be operated by and responsible to the citizens of Will County," Weller said, as he attached his amendment to the 2006 defense bill at its eleventh hour.

Mirroring Weller’s action, Jackson attached language into this year’s Defense Authorization legislation that repealed Weller’s amendment.

At the time the amendment became law, Jackson said Weller's proposal would stop the Federal Aviation Administration from approving plans for the Abraham Lincoln National Airport unless Will County appointees controlled a majority of any airport governing authority.

Jackson said Weller’s legislation would essentially kill the airport and scare away the airport's current developer, LCOR and SNC/Lavalin.

But Jackson took care of it last week with the bill that was passed by the House, the Senate and now awaits President Bush’s signature. If it is signed, ALNAC will not need FAA authorization to become an airport authority to govern an airport outside Jackson’s congressional jurisdiction. The only community near the proposed airport, which would be situated wholly in Will County, is University Park. A portion of that community lies in Cook County. Only a portion of it is in Jackson’s 2nd Congressional District.

Will County leaders have been critical of ALNAC, because it is largely controlled by communities in the northwest suburbs - Bensenville and Elk Grove Village — communities that have long opposed O’Hare expansion.

The text of Jackson’s repeal states, "Section 1048 amends the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) for Fiscal Year 2006 to repeal the requirement for a certification to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission, Illinois."

Jackson has claimed the Weller Amendment violated process, precedent, and the U.S. Constitution.

"It was a reactionary, retrograde and rotten provision, concocted by airport opponents to sabotage the airport project," Jackson said. Of the Weller Amendment, Jackson proclaimed, "It was designed as a roadblock but now it is road kill - and I pronounce it dead and disposed of!"

Jackson called on Gov. Blagojevich to direct state officials to submit ALNAC’s most recent layout plan to the FAA and to continue buying land for the airport.

"Now is the time to commit to the Abraham Lincoln National Airport - and the millions of dollars in private investment and the 15,000 jobs it will bring," Jackson concluded.

Jackson’s remarks referenced the FAA’s rejection early this year, of two sets of competing airport layout plans. The agency insisted that state officials choose one preferred layout plan. While the state says it is still working on reconciling the two competing plans, there is little to indicate that a compromise can be worked out.

There is now an operating airport - Bult Field — in the midst of the state’s proposed project. The state was unable to buy Bult Field which has recently undergone more than $25 million in improvements.

Only half of the land needed for the state airport has been purchased, with the remainder in the hand of unwilling sellers.

It isn’t clear what federal legislation can do for the Peotone airport, since the latest hold up is not at the federal level, or within the FAA. The state has not submitted a single plan.

Weller condemned Jackson’s power-grab.

"It’s only fair that the people most impacted by this project have the greatest say in its direction," Weller said in a prepared statement.

He accused Jackson of "taking a ‘my way or the highway’ approach to this project to further his personal political aspirations."

But, Jackson was not Weller’s only focus of blame. He had plenty of disdain for state officials.

"Inaction by the governor and state legislature on the issue of the airport authority left Will County vulnerable," he said. "Political pressure from Mr. Jackson has somehow paralyzed the governor, who has failed to submit the layout plan from his own transportation department to the FAA for approval.

"His failure to set up an airport authority board could end up costing the taxpayers of Will County dearly," Weller said.