PA must become a less noisy neighbor

Having one of America’s busiest airports in the heart of Queens does have its advantages. It has made our community the gateway to business executives, tourists, and foreign travelers visiting the Big Apple.
The airport itself is also an invaluable part of our city’s economic engine - directly employing thousands of baggage handlers, air traffic controllers, and security officers while also spurring job growth at area hotels and restaurants.
Despite all of the positives, having an airport in our community’s backyard presents many challenges - especially for those who live in close proximity to it and are exposed to the excessive noise of its air traffic everyday.
The constant, loud rumble of jet planes swooping low above our rooftops as they fly in and out of an airport functioning at maximum capacity is more than a daily annoyance or inconvenience for my constituents living in Woodside, Astoria, East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. It is a potential hazard to their health.
The World Health Organization found that airport noise has been linked to cardiovascular disease. And, the Federal Interagency Committee on Aviation Noise, in its September 2000 report, concluded that, “Research on the effects of aircraft noise on children’s learning suggests that aircraft noise can interfere with learning in the following areas - reading, motivation, language and speech acquisition, and memory. The strongest findings to date are in the area of reading, where more than 20 studies have shown that children in noise impact zones are negatively affected by aircraft.”
The facts are clear; airport noise can severely impact the health and well-being of individuals, particularly our children. Both the Federal Aviation Administration, which is responsible for the safety of our nation’s aviation system, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates LaGuardia, know this is the case.
That is why the Federal Aviation Authority established the “part 150 program” - a voluntary process during which an airport authority evaluates which residentially developed areas are most exposed to airport noise and develops a plan to mitigate the noise. If an airport authority participates in the part 150 program, it will receive federal grant funding through the FAA’s Air Improvement Program to soundproof residencies and places of worship.
Despite having these resources at its disposal and the overwhelming evidence that airport noise is dangerous, the Port Authority has not conducted a part 150 study or performed noise mitigation efforts for homes in the neighborhoods surrounding LaGuardia, or its other airports - JFK, Newark, Teterboro and Stewart Airports.
Last week, the House Committee on Transportation’s Aviation Subcommittee conducted a hearing, at my request, on airport noise. There, I reminded Port Authority officials of the results of a study I commissioned three years ago, which concluded that some residents living near LaGuardia were exposed to noise levels nearly four times greater - with some levels deemed “incompatible” with residential living by the Federal Aviation Administration - than those experienced by residents not living within close proximity to an airport. It also found that residents affected were exposed to excessive air traffic noise during nighttime hours between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. - the very time they are trying to sleep.
My colleagues on the Transportation Committee also questioned Port Authority officials for ignoring the Vision 100 - Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, which was enacted into law in 2003, and which directed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to begin a Part 150 study and residential soundproofing.
Only 17 of the top 50 busiest airports have not submitted a Part 150 study to the federal government, and three of these 17 airports - LaGuardia, JFK and Newark - are operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The Port Authority can no longer continue to neglect this issue. If it does, I will work with the Chairman of the Transportation Committee, Rep. James Oberstar, to require the Port Authority to soundproof our communities in upcoming legislation in Congress.
The time has come for the Port Authority to start acting like a good neighbor in Queens.