PRINTER'S NO. 3500
No. 673 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY LENTZ, DONATUCCI, RAYMOND, ADOLPH, CALTAGIRONE,
CIVERA, FRANKEL, JOSEPHS, KULA, LEACH, MICOZZIE, MURT,
SIPTROTH, K. SMITH, WATSON, YOUNGBLOOD AND HORNAMAN,
APRIL 1, 2008
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS,
APRIL 1, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing the Congress of the United States to oppose the
2 New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia metropolitan airspace
3 redesign proposals.
4 WHEREAS, The basic air traffic structure of the New York/New
5 Jersey/Philadelphia metropolitan area airspace was designed and
6 implemented in the 1960s and was last modified in 1987 with the
7 Expanded East Coast Plan (EECP); and
8 WHEREAS, The EECP proved inadequate in addressing the changes
9 in volume and type of aircraft used by the National Airspace
10 System and also caused major noise problems that resulted in a
11 congressional mandate in the Aviation Safety and Capacity
12 Expansion Act of 1990, requiring the Federal Aviation
13 Administration (FAA) to perform an environmental impact study of
14 the EECP and mitigate the noise; and
15 WHEREAS, In the 1995 final environmental impact study, the
16 FAA committed to mitigate noise in a follow-up regional study;
17 and
1 WHEREAS, In 2001, the FAA determined that aircraft noise
2 pollution was the strongest and most widespread concern raised
3 by the public, however, the FAA failed to include the reduction
4 of aircraft noise as a formal goal of its regional redesign
5 project; and
6 WHEREAS, On December 20, 2005, the FAA issued a draft
7 environmental impact statement containing several proposals to
8 redesign the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia metropolitan
9 airspace; and
10 WHEREAS, The airspace redesign involves a 31,000 square mile,
11 five-state area with a population of 29 million residents and 21
12 airports, with particular focus placed on air traffic operations
13 at five major airports, including the Philadelphia International
14 Airport in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
15 WHEREAS, The FAA began implementation of the airspace
16 redesign in December 2007; and
17 WHEREAS, The FAA did not conduct proper environmental reviews
18 or seek proper input from the public and air traffic controllers
19 at Philadelphia International Airport; and
20 WHEREAS, The FAA has shunned additional public hearing
21 requests made by Federal and State legislators representing
22 affected areas; and
23 WHEREAS, Since southeastern Pennsylvania does not have a
24 regional airport authority, it lacks the ability to coordinate
25 airport planning and operations, ensuring underuse of regional
26 airports and the overuse of the Philadelphia International
27 Airport; and
28 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth should not appropriate State money
29 for improvements to the infrastructure of the Philadelphia
30 International Airport until such time as the FAA fully addresses
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1 the safety and environmental impact of the airspace redesign
2 plan and offers a modified plan that incorporates the use of
3 regional airports; and
4 WHEREAS, The New Jersey Coalition Against Aircraft Noise and
5 the Citizens Coalition Against Noise Pollution oppose these
6 proposals, arguing that the interests of the citizens of
7 affected areas have not been considered and that the proposals
8 no longer promote aircraft noise reduction; and
9 WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of the Commonwealth of
10 Pennsylvania to oppose the FAA's proposal to redesign the New
11 York/New Jersey/Philadelphia metropolitan airspace; therefore be
12 it
13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
14 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania call upon the Congress of the
15 United States to immediately suspend the FAA's implementation of
16 the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia metropolitan airspace
17 redesign and hold additional hearings seeking the input of
18 elected officials and concerned citizens; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
20 the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and
21 each member of the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation now
22 serving in the United States Senate and House of
23 Representatives.
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