>Scott Garrett Challenges FAA Reauthorization Act of 2011
In 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a change in flight patterns according to the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Metropolitan Redesign Record of Decision, which affects flight patterns of airplanes traveling through LaGuardia, JFK, Newark and Philadelphia airports.
Last Friday, I offered an amendment to H.R. 658, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2011, requiring the FAA to examine alternative proposals for upcoming flight pattern changes of over the New York metropolitan area. Scheduled to be implemented by October 2011, these new flight patterns would cause a great deal of air traffic to be rerouted over many Bergen county and North Jersey towns.
Proponents of the airspace redesign have long maintained that it is necessary to redesign the airspace because a significant portion of the delays in our national airspace derive from the tri-state area. I couldn’t disagree more. The redesign of the airspace would have very little effect on delays but would adversely affect the lives of thousands of people.
My amendment would have prohibited the FAA from continuing with its implementation of the airspace redesign until it had conducted a study on alternatives to reduce delays at the four airports considered in the redesign, including studying whether reducing over scheduling and the use of smaller aircraft by air carriers would have a greater effect on reducing delays than the redesign.
New flight patterns over Northern New Jersey should not be implemented until a thorough study of alternatives is presented to Congress. My amendment would have ensured that every aspect of these new flight patterns was properly examined to protect 5th District towns from hasty decisions by the FAA.
Although my amendment did not pass the House, I will continue the good fight. It’s imperative that the FAA take seriously the concerns of those people on the ground that would be affected by their actions.
Sincerely,
Scott Garrett
