Westchester County

The FAA Wants to Change Flight Routes from the County Airport

Help County Executive defeat this plan
by e-mailing the FAA before July 1

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The Federal Aviation Administration is considering a plan to re-route planes taking off from the Westchester County Airport.

The proposal is unacceptable not only because hundreds of thousands of people would be affected by noise, but also because of the significant security risk of planes flying directly over Indian Point.

I have written to the FAA to express my grave concerns about the adequacy and content of its draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). I hope you will contact the FAA as well. Tell the FAA that it needs to do a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement that addresses all of our concerns.

For your comments to be included in the official record, you need to act by July 1.

The following communities would be affected adversely by new noise patterns if this FAA proposal is adopted: Rye Brook, Hawthorne, Pleasantville, Briarcliff, Croton, Ossining, Buchanan, Peekskill, Yonkers, Scarsdale and Hastings-on-Hudson.

Incredibly, it appears that many of the aircraft departing our Airport would be routed directly over the nuclear power plan at Indian Point, a possibility we view as a significant security risk that is not acceptable and must be avoided.

Over the last eight years, we have worked hard to follow a “good neighbor policy” for the airport, which means the county has taken many steps over the last eight years, often working with the FAA and with the airlines, to mitigate aircraft noise around the airport. The FAA proposal would undo much of our work and good.

Here is suggested text for you to adapt for your use:

To the FAA:

I am writing to concur with Westchester County Executive Spano's critique of the FAA proposal to re-route aircraft taking off from the Westchester County Airport. Under this proposal, hundreds of thousands of people in Westchester would be affected by noise. In addition, it is ridiculous to fly aircraft over the Indian Point nuclear reactors. That is a significant security risk.

Westchester County has raised many valid concerns about the FAA proposal. A Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement is needed that will address our many concerns.

(your name, your home town)