Sen. Says Big Birds Put Airlines At Risk
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand urged U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to move forward immediately and take action to protect New York City airports from bird strikes.
In April, after Gillibrand introduced federal legislation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued its final environmental impact study laying out a combination of lethal and non-lethal methods for reducing the risk of bird strikes at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The 30-day public comment period for the proposal ended earlier this week, which allows the USDA to move forward on adopting the plan.
To cut through bureaucratic redtape, Gillibrand urged Salazar to quickly issue new permits for the removal of geese from the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge which pose a public safety risk at major New York airports once the study is formally accepted.
In addition, Gillibrand also requested the expedited removal of 200 geese at two landfill areas along the Jamaica Bay shoreline, which the Interior Department has done in previous years and already has the existing authority to carry out. Gillibrand introduced federal legislation last month to reduce bird strikes that was adopted into the underlying 2012 Farm Bill that passed the Agriculture Committee.
To help the Interior Department move the process forward, Gillibrand urged the USDA to adopt its comprehensive plan before the end of this month, which would allow the agency to take action during the critical molting period when geese are flightless.
“We cannot afford to sit back and wait for a catastrophe to occur before cutting through bureaucratic red tape between federal agencies,” she said. “Now that the USDA has issued its proposal and the public has had an opportunity to have their voices heard, we cannot and should not wait another day to act while public safety is at risk.”
Since the “Miracle on the Hudson” in 2009-when US Airways Flight 1549 Capt. Sully Sullenberger made a heroic water landing protecting the lives of all 155 passengers and crew onboard shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport due to a bird strike-the problem has not been fully addressed by federal authorities. In April 2012, a Los Angeles bound Delta Airlines flight was forced into an emergency return to Kennedy Airport shortly after takeoff due to bird strike.
According to news reports, La- Guardia and Kennedy airports saw increases in bird strikes of 28 percent and 53 percent, respectively, between 2009 and 2011.
The molting period for Canada geese starts in mid-June and lasts through mid-July. The Department of the Interior currently has the authority through its U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service permits to remove an estimated 200 geese in two landfill areas-Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue in Brooklyn- along the Jamaica Bay shoreline. Gillibrand urged the agency to take action and begin removal as soon as possible.
The final decision on the USDA’s environmental impact study, which examines effective, safe ways to reduce bird strikes, is set to be issued in the coming weeks, leaving a window of approximately 15 days to remove additional geese at Gateway National Park.
Gillibrand urged the Interior Department to work expeditiously with the USDA in issuing permits needed to remove the additional geese during that period once the study is finalized.
The National Park Service, which manages the wildlife refuge, has cited the need for the completion of this study before allowing USDA workers to remove birds from the refuge area.
