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New Jersey Lawmakers Protest Bush Admin. Proposal to Increase Aircraft Noise Over Homes and Businesses in New JerseyBy 2011, 500,000 More People in NJ/NY/PA Region Will Be Exposed to Increased Jet NoiseWednesday, December 21, 2005WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, New Jersey lawmakers reacted to a proposal by the Bush administration that would dramatically increase noise from commercial aircraft in northern New Jersey. It is estimated that 500,000 more residents in the NJ/NY/PA region will be exposed to air noise by the FAA proposal. United States Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Jon S. Corzine (D-NJ) and Representative Robert Menendez (D-NJ) expressed their concerns over the proposal by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "Instead of routing more aircraft off the coast, the Bush administration has decided more planes should fly over New Jersey homes and businesses," said Lautenberg. "This plan should be scrapped and the FAA should go back to the drawing board." "The Bush Administration should be focused on improving the quality of life of the American people, not proposing ideas that undermine it. This latest proposal to route commercial aircraft over cities and towns could affect more than 500,000 people in and around New Jersey. The Bush Administration can do better than this," Corzine said. "At a time when New Jersey residents are subjected to more than their fair share of noise pollution, I am deeply disappointed that the FAA has so quickly dismissed the ocean routing proposal. I urge them to reconsider." "If this is the best the FAA can come up with, they need to go back and try again. The FAA proposals make no attempt to limit noise for hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans, and unfairly hit residents in places like Elizabeth, Sparta, and Paulsboro the hardest," said Representative Menendez. "Improving the efficiency of our airspace is critical for the economy, but it should not and cannot happen on the backs of New Jersey's families." The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today released a series of proposals to re-route aircraft in the NY/NJ/PHI area. The FAA's long sought proposal would result in an additional half a million people being exposed to more noise from aircraft - many of whom do not live anywhere near an airport. Other proposals, including routing more aircraft over the ocean where possible, were not fully explored in the FAA's proposal. In addition, the FAA proposal raises safety concerns by calling for tighter spacing of aircraft. Yet, President Bush has cut hundreds of millions in funding for new air traffic control equipment, and the FAA has not prepared for the impending wave of air traffic controller retirements. The FAA's proposal can be found the following link: www.faa.gov/nynjphl_airspace_redesign
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