Long Island, NY - July 13, 2017 - On Tuesday, Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Long Island, Queens), in his capacity as Co-Chair of the bipartisan Quiet Skies Caucus, convened a very productive meeting with representatives from the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) that resulted in the FAA outlining significant action to help local residents struggling with airplane and helicopter noise.
Quiet Skies Co-Chair Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D – District of Columbia) and Vice-Chair Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) were also in attendance.
“I’m happy to report that communicating at a high level with the FAA resulted in them outlining concrete actions to address this issue. Folks living in Northeast Queens and Nassau County have been suffering for far too long. I’m hopeful these actions will move us in the right direction toward giving our residents the relief they desperately need,” said Congressman Suozzi.
Congressman Suozzi and the other caucus members voiced the concerns of residents to the FAA. The FAA confirmed the following steps:
- Studying the systemic dispersal of flight patterns to try and alleviate noise levels
- Conducting several noise initiatives and health surveys to better understand the effects of airplane and helicopter noise levels on residents
- Creating a central FAA repository where all resident complaints will be stored and organized via the internet
- Providing enhanced community outreach
Earlier this year, Congressman Suozzi testified in front of the House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee about the unacceptable levels of plane and helicopter noise, and the adverse health effects it may be causing local residents. He also met with the FAA shortly after taking office in January and has held meetings with constituents.