New York, NY – April 7, 2017 – The bipartisan Quiet Skies Caucus, and its entire New York delegation, sent a letter today pressing Congress to fund two important provisions in the Fiscal Year 2018 government funding bill that would help reduce airplane and helicopter noise near our nation’s busiest airports, including New York City airports JFK and LaGuardia.
The caucus requested the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development “provide funding for health studies on the impact of airplane and helicopter noise on communities and that you include report language directing the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct an expedited review of their noise standards.”
This effort was led by Quiet Skies Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Tom Suozzi (NY-03) and had strong support from Quiet Skies Caucus founding members Congressman Joe Crowley (NY-14), Congressman Gregory Meeks (NY-05) and Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06), as well as Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), and Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (NY-04).
“This is a battle people throughout our region have been waging for too long,” said Rep. Suozzi. “This issue affects all of us – Republicans and Democrats – so Congress has a responsibility to listen to these people and do the right thing to ensure that noise levels are going down and that people are getting the help they need. I will continue to lead this fight until folks in our region can live in peace and quiet. I wish to thank the other members of the New York delegation for their continued and tireless work on this important matter.”
“The toll aircraft noise pollution takes on communities surrounding our airports is not just a toll on their quality of life. It adds stress to their lives, affects their ability to sleep and can hinder student learning,” said Rep. Crowley, Chairman of the Democratic Caucus. “We have an obligation to determine the true impact on their health, to review our current noise standards and to work on real solutions for New Yorkers that for too long have had to endure this perennial disruption. I’m proud to join my colleagues in the Quiet Skies Caucus in the effort to make sure the resources are available for Congress to act.”
“Communities throughout New York and the nation continue to be negatively impacted by aircraft noise and many of our constituents remain concerned about the effect it has on their health and quality of life,” said Rep. Meng. “Developing data on the impact of noise and air pollution is a key to mitigating excessive airplane noise and creating a healthier environment. As a founding member and past Co-Chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus, I have spearheaded numerous initiatives to combat aircraft noise and I’m proud to support this latest effort to secure health studies and a review of noise standards. It is critical that our request be approved.”
“This Congress must craft an effective solution to alleviate the noise-related stress endured by millions of people across this country,” said Rep. Jeffries. “The fact that we've been able to work in a bipartisan manner on this issue is a strong step in the right direction, but we must continue to fight the good fight until we have a legislative remedy that makes a difference.”
“Excessive airplane noise is a serious public health and quality of life concern for many of my constituents, and it will continue to get worse until our federal government does something about it,” said Rep. Rice. “We are urging our colleagues to take action now by providing the resources we need to assess the effects of aviation noise and directing the FAA to conduct an expedited review of noise standards. We know these are steps we need to take, and we cannot allow this problem to be ignored any longer while our constituents suffer the consequences.”
“We have yet to realize the full impacts of airport noise on our daily lives, but the Quiet Skies Caucus letter is a step in the right direction, and I thank the Chairs and Co-chairs of our caucus for their leadership,” Rep. Meeks said. “I remain dedicated to finding common sense solutions that address the needs of my constituents and I look forward to collaborating with my fellow Caucus Members on this important issue.”