Pact on Kennedy Airport noise stalls

A proposed three-way agreement between an airport noise-abatement committee representing residents affected by Kennedy Airport jet traffic, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Port Authority appears to have stalled.

Kendall Lampkin, executive director of the Town-Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee, said Tuesday the letter of agreement "got bogged down in some legal quagmire" when attorneys for those two agencies got involved.

He gave news of the snag to residents Monday night at a meeting of the committee in Garden City. More than 100 people attended, expecting to hear airport and government officials address residents' noise complaints. But officials with the FAA and Port Authority didn't show.

Tuesday, spokesmen for the two agencies wouldn't say specifically why.

Since November, as part of a noise-reduction program, the FAA has monitored airplane altitudes as they approach landing on Runway 22L. The airport's runway usage statistics show air traffic controllers used Runway 22L for 800 more overnight landings from September through December than during the same period in 2010.

The proposed agreement was important, Lampkin said, because it was an attempt to put into words the position of residents who live under the jets' flight paths, and to get a commitment from the FAA and Port Authority to work cooperatively to address complaints.

"The finger-pointing is not fair to residents that live underneath these flight paths," Lampkin said.

The only difference between Monday's committee meeting and the three previous monthly meetings -- which Lampkin said FAA and Port Authority officials did attend -- was that Monday night's meeting was in Garden City. The committee usually meets in Lawrence but was moved to accommodate an anticipated larger crowd, he said.

Tuesday, the FAA said in a statement that its employees have regularly attended the noise-abatement committee meetings and expect to come to future sessions "when we have adequate time to prepare" and are certain the right FAA personnel are available.

The Port Authority, in a statement, said it monitors noise complaints stemming from Kennedy's operations and "continues to work with the FAA and our other aviation partners on implementing noise abatement solutions where possible."

Lampkin said he received an email Friday from Carmine Gallo, the FAA's Eastern Region administrator, stating that he had other commitments and could not attend, and neither would FAA staff members.

Last-minute efforts from Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's office to nudge FAA officials were unsuccessful, Lampkin said.

A spokesman for McCarthy (D-Mineola) said the office contacted the FAA, but aviation officials said they weren't coming.McCarthy said it's important for "government agencies that serve the public to take part in community meetings, both to listen to people's concerns and to report what steps they're taking to address them."