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Congresswoman Grace Meng just lately introduced a brand new push to cut back extreme plane noise in northeast Queens.
In a letter to Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Government Director Rick Cotton, Meng mentioned that the LaGuardia Airport Draft Noise Compatibility Program launched by the company to fight plane noise doesn’t go far sufficient for Queens residents who’ve been negatively impacted for too lengthy.
The Port Authority proposed a multiyear plan to mitigate the noise in communities that stay close to the airports, with a number of noise discount suggestions that will likely be despatched to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for remaining consideration in early 2022.
The founding member and co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus known as for “further suggestions” to considerably cut back the noise over Queens and the encircling area.
“Airplane noise air pollution shouldn’t be merely an annoyance or inconvenience for a lot of of my constituents. Whereas it actually does have an effect on their property values and luxury, excessive ranges of noise air pollution have direct results on their well being as effectively. Information and research carried out over many years affirm that noise air pollution is a public well being drawback,” Meng mentioned in her letter.
One of many suggestions put forth by the Port Authority included modifying departure procedures like NTHNS and GLDMAN, which each depart from Runway 13 at LaGuardia Airport and fly south over a big space of Flushing. The company’s answer includes having airplanes fly south before they presently accomplish that that there’s much less of a probability of flying over populated areas like Flushing.
“I’m involved that the implementation of measures associated to Runway 13 would take as much as three years. Being throughout the contours of DNL 65, it’s unacceptable to count on Flushing residents to endure these noise ranges for any longer, as present airplane noise publicity is negatively impacting their well being and wellbeing. Whereas I applaud the enhancements to the group that these abatement measures would make in Flushing, I ask that you simply contemplate expediting their growth course of,” the lawmaker mentioned.
Within the letter, Meng requested that the next be included within the remaining model of the Port Authority’s report: Elevated flight disbursal using a mixture of flight procedures; Noise Abatement Departure Process 1 (NADP1) on Runway 13; lowered utilization of Runway 13 departures; nighttime optimized profile descent procedures; enlargement of the sound insulation of eligible residential items to incorporate residences exterior of the DNL 65 contours; embody communities uncovered to noise ranges beneath DNL 65 within the scope of the research; and Air Visitors Controller noise sensitivity coaching and administration oversight.
“Plane noise continues to adversely influence the residents of Queens together with my constituents they usually want reduction,” mentioned Congresswoman Meng. “This persistent noise air pollution isn’t just an annoyance or inconvenience. It has direct results on their well being, harms high quality of life and impacts property values. Many constituents additionally report stress and bother sleeping. We’d like extra options to be addressed and I urge the Port Authority to incorporate further suggestions on this report, specifically the solutions I specify in my letter. I look ahead to receiving a swift response.”
In August, Meng reintroduced the Quiet Communities Act, a invoice that might require the Environmental Safety Company (EPA) to take over efforts to mitigate plane noise. This might reopen the company’s Workplace of Noise Abatement and Management which beforehand oversaw the nation’s noise management actions till it was defunded by the Reagan Administration in 1981.
With further reporting by Jenna Bagcal.
