The Connecticut Post
By Peter Urban
WASHINGTON - Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4, lashed out at the Federal Aviation Administration for what he sees as an arrogant refusal to consider Fairfield County, Conn., families as they reshape air traffic in the Northeast.
"The arrogance I have experienced in working with the FAA to mitigate airline congestion and improve efficiency at some of our nation's most congested airports - like LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark - is palpable," Shays said on the House floor Tuesday night.
In order to reduce the growing number of delayed flights caused by traffic congestion, the FAA has redesigned the landing and takeoff patterns into major airports in the Northeast.
The changes are being implemented in phases starting in Philadelphia and Newark, N.J. Changes to air-traffic patterns at LaGuardia will come in two years and could bring a slew of planes flying over Darien, New Canaan and Stamford at altitudes of 4,000 feet.
Since the plans were unveiled more than a year ago, Shays has spoken out against having LaGuardia traffic that had flown over Long Island Sound shifted north across Fairfield County.
He saw an opportunity Tuesday night to raise the issue again when the House debated a non-controversial bill to temporarily extend FAA funding.
"I am particularly disappointed the FAA has not implemented any noise mitigation strategies in the district I represent, or in many districts throughout the Northeast, despite the wide swath of land over the 4th District
that will be adversely impacted by planes flying as low as 4,000 feet," Shays said.
"I believe if the FAA was required to take quality-of-life concerns into consideration, it would not have decided to implement its preferred Integrated Airspace Alternative," Shays said.
Rather than take that approach, Shays said the FAA could have considered utilizing market- based strategies for air congestion reduction such as encouraging airlines to move flights to off-peak times, implementing slot systems for airports or imposing quotas.
"Time and again, I have shared my concerns and the concerns of my constituents with the FAA, and I have emphasized the fact that the plan brings more planes into the region at the expense of the region's quality of life," he said.
"It seems to many of us there are other solutions that need to be considered before implementing such a radical alternative that negatively affects so many thousands of residents throughout the Northeast."
Shays voiced the same grievance a week ago at a hearing of a House Transportation subcommittee that looked into a Bush administration plan to auction off some airport slots to restrain demand at New York's three major airports.
"I have never dealt in my entire life in Congress with a more arrogant agency," he said. Shays, who testified at the hearing, accused the FAA of using "a flawed process to reach an even more flawed conclusion. "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.
"We should all take a step back here and look at the big picture, and then focus on the less radical alternatives before subjecting millions more to the burden or air noise," he said.
Shays has requested the Government Accountability Office to study alternatives to the FAA plan and expects a report will be issued in August.
He is also working with lawmakers from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to press for a delay in implementing the air traffic changes.
Shays is also organizing a "Community Noise Watch Committee" to keep track of especially offensive airplane noise over Fairfield County.
Meanwhile, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has teamed up with a coalition of towns to pursue a legal challenge to the proposal. Shays is hoping that raising a public debate will get the FAA to rethink their plans.
"This is a big concern to a good part of the residents of the 4th District," he said Wednesday. "We just want a more responsive FAA and a revised plan."
Original Article: http://www.connpost.com/ci_9699355
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