Politics & Government

NY Senate Bill Requires Port Authority to Conduct Noise Study

Senators call on Port Authority to immediately undertake study to "safely and sensibly" address airplane noise.

As warmer weather approaches residents are quickly reminded of a nuisance from above all too familiar to those who live under flight paths of jumbo jets coming in and out of nearby JFK and LaGuardia airports.

The Senate passed a bill this week sponsored by Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City) that will require the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey (PA) to conduct a noise and land use compatibility study as set forth in 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 150, which, Hannon said, provides a mechanism for considering the issue of aircraft noise and developing a plan to address noise issues that give due consideration to residents affected by aircraft around the United States, including major Northeast and Atlantic region airports.

“JFK, LaGuardia and Newark/Liberty airports offer convenient departure points for our residents when they wish to fly,” Hannon said. “Unfortunately, that comes at a price – aircraft noise for those on the ground. Over the years, this has steadily increased as more and more overflights have been squeezed into our airspace.  Although this is primarily an issue under federal jurisdiction, I am calling upon the PA to immediately undertake a noise study and to report those findings to New York and New Jersey, so that we can safely and sensibly address airplane noise over our area.”

The report, which could be available to the public by June 1, 2014, must be submitted to the governors and legislatures of both New York and New Jersey, and would require the PA to hold biennial public hearings in Kings, Queens and Nassau counties in New York and Union and Essex counties in New Jersey.

The legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Jack Martins, who lives in the neighboring village of Mineola, will "ensure" that aircraft noise is given proper consideration by airport operators when they determine which runways and approach paths to use, according to Hannon.

Sen. Martins said jet aircraft noise affects more than just the communities immediately surrounding the airports. "It is also a nuisance to those directly under the flight paths, which are sometimes changed without warning or public input," he said. "This bill protects our families impacted by airplane noise by requiring the Port Authority to conduct studies and hold public hearings and then take steps to fix the problem. While the bill has passed the State Senate, I encourage the public to stay involved to assure its passage in the Assembly and into law."

Assemblyman Ed Ra said the Senate bill is the same bill he introduced last June in the Assembly. "We're dealing with this issue in both houses of the legislature," he said.

Ra, organizations like the Town-Village Aircraft Safety and Noise Abatement Committee (TVASNAC) and local residents, including Len Schaier of Port Washington, who runs a website called www.quietskies.net, have been working with Queens Assemblywoman Michele Titus, who actually introduced her ownbill, to see how they can get one of the bills pushed in the Assembly.

"Hopefully we have a bill that passes and can be signed by the governor," Ra said, adding that the process is sometimes complicated because any legislation having to do with the Port Authority has to be signed into law by the governors of both New York and New Jersey. Ra said he sent the bills to the New Jersey legislature in hopes they will be introduced.

Ra, who said he regularly attends TVASNAC meetings, added, "Hopefully I'll be able to talk to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in the Assembly to see what's going with their bill to see what we can do to unify our efforts," he said.

Schaier told Patch that those fighting the fight are "obviously very happy and very appreciative of the work done by Assemblyman Ed Ra and Senators Jack Martins and Kemp Hannon" but noted there is still more work to be done.

"We now need the State Assembly to pass a bill corresponding to that passed in the Senate and corresponding legislation to pass in the NJ legislature. At the federal [level] we are still trying to get our senators and representatives to convince the FAA to conduct a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement so that we may learn the full impact of the increased aircraft noise and air pollution," he said. "Unfortunately the original Environmental Impact Statement for the Airspace Redesign did not consider the NexGen Program and it is that program that is causing an increased concentration of noise and pollution."

FAA grant funding may be available for conducting the study as well as any noise abatement efforts that may be recommended, according to Hannon.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here