LI state lawmakers want health, environmental study of increased airport noise
An airliner passes over a house in Floral Park on May 1, 2014, one of the homes in the village in the path of jets landing at Kennedy Airport's runway 22L. Credit: Craig Ruttle
Two Long Island lawmakers want the state to authorize an “environmental and human health” study of the impacts of air traffic at LaGuardia and Kennedy airports, following a “flood of complaints from constituents” about noise.
Sen. James Gaughran (D-Northport) and Assemb. Judy Griffin (D-Rockville Centre) introduced legislation to mandate a state study of metro New York’s major airports. They cited “increased air traffic and changing flight patterns” which have led to “low-flying planes around the clock.”
“The high volume of airplane traffic on Long Island is a tremendous nuisance to Long Islanders, with noise levels far above the average noise threshold,” Gaughran said in a statement.
The problem, “has grown progressively severe and more frequent with recent changes in flight patterns and an overall increase in air traffic at JFK and LaGuardia airports, affecting residents across Nassau and Suffolk counties alike," Gaughran said. "This raises serious questions about potential environmental impacts, effects from noise pollution, and other possible negative impacts.”
“This nuisance has continued unabated for decades,” Griffin said. “Although we will always endure a level of airplane noise, I am hopeful that this study will illustrate that many residents are faced with excessive noise way above the acceptable level.”
It's not the first time state legislators have tried to order such a study at the airports. Former Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens) backed a similar bill last year; it died without reaching the full Senate for a vote.
