Westport News
By Dan Casciato
In the continuing debate over air space reforms in Fairfield County and other tri-state communities, lawmakers and some airline officials Wednesday blasted a proposed experiment seeking changes in airspace management.
A key part of the proposal deals with the government's plan to combat delays by auctioning off some flight slots at the New York area's major airports.
U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays (R-4) and others testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Aviation against the Integrated Airspace Alternative. It also is known as the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) airspace redesign plan.
"The bottom line for me is the FAA is using a flawed process to reach an even more flawed conclusion," said Shays.
"We cannot simply ignore the impacts of air noise on the ground. Subsequent attempts to measure and then mitigate the hugely negative impacts are inevitably inadequate before subjecting millions more to the burden or air noise."
Shays is a critic of the FAA plan and has offered alternative plans to the redesign, according to a press release issued by his aide after the hearing.
In addition, Shays aides have worked with area town officials including Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff in seeking solutions to the problem of noise and pollution.
"I'm pleased with the progress so far," said Joseloff, who also reported that about $10,000 is needed by Westport for its share of a second round of activity by the area towns fighting the FAA. He plans to ask the Board of Finance for a fund transfer in July.
The congressman, who represents a total of 17 cities and towns in Fairfield County, joined with Congressmen Rodney Frelinghuysen, Scott Garret and Elliot Engel in offering an amendment to H.R. 2881, the FAA Reauthorization Act.
It would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the possibility of utilizing market-based strategies for air congestion reduction as an alternative to the FAA Airspace Redesign plan.
The amendment, which is designed to evaluate the FAA's claim that the airspace redesign is the only solution to reduce congestion at these airports, passed the House by voice vote. The study is due to be released Aug. 1.
In addition, the congressman attempted to delay this plan's implementation for a year so that quality of life concerns could be more fully studied by the FAA when he joined Frelinghuysen and Garrett in offering an amendment to the fiscal year 2008 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act.
"Unfortunately, this amendment was defeated by a vote of 65 to 360," said Shays.
By putting slots out for auction, the government theory is that market forces will help restrain the demand for time and space and thus enable the whole system to operate more efficiently.
But the various critics claimed that such as auction would impose additional costs on airlines and make a mess of daily airport operations.
The industry faces a bigger economic challenge than even that posed by the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, according to Edward Faberman, executive director of the Air Carrier Association of America.
Furthermore, Faberman predicted rising fuel costs would mean an additional $99 billion in expenses for the industry over the next 12 months and claimed that it is a bad time for market experiments because it would impose hundreds of millions of dollars in new costs.
New York Sen. Charles Schumer agreed and plans to seek a legislative amendment designed to stop the auction proposal. "Get off this goofy, hare-brained scheme to auction off slots; it won't solve a thing," said Schumer.
However, Shays, Schumer and others said the bill in question has been bogged down for months because of an unrelated squabble and might not come up for a vote for months -- if at all.
Shays added: "I have never dealt in my entire life in Congress with a more arrogant agency than the Federal Aviation Administration."
Transportation Department spokesman, Brian Turmail, after the hearing countered: "Congress has done little for more than year while the problem worsened."
"It is tempting to imagine how much better air travel may have been had some in Congress demonstrated the same enthusiasm 17 months ago for our proposal to improve the nation's aviation systems as they do now in criticizing measures to cut record flight delays.
Original Article: http://www.westport-news.com/ci_9639497
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