Aviation Conspiracy: Will Obama Help Aviation Victims?
Bill Mulcahy
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/newsletter504.htm
Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter
#504...........................................................................................Nov.
16, 2008 Past newsletters can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm If you want to get the
newsletter sent to you every week, sign up to AviationWatch. Bill Mulcahy
rock...@prodigy.net
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Quote of the Week: "Tarmac Task Force' was an insult to airline passengers
by the airline industry and the Bush Administration, which stacked the deck
in their favor, giving the industry and its allies 34 out of the 36 votes on
the Task Force. " quote from Kate Hanni, passenger rights activist on phony
task force that was created by Bush Administration to deal with passenger
rights.
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Will Obama Help Aviation Victims?
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As Bill Sees It (Editorial): Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter Going
Bi-Weekly!!! You may have noticed the last couple of months that the
Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter has not been coming out on its usual Sunday
publishing time, that is not because I am any less against the Aviation
Cabal's (the airlines and their political agents and the FAA) but is because
I have become involved with other local political/environmental issues and
video production that is competing for my time. In order to continue
publishing an effective newsletter on aviation pollution I've decided to
publish every two weeks. Although I am no longer living close to JFK Airport
airport I am still being impacted by aviation. Just a few hours ago I looked
up to see the contrails of jet flying high overhead heading for a New York
City metropolitan area airport. It reminded me that even though I now live
75 miles from New York City I am still being impacted by them. Although I am
involved with public access TV production and local environmental issues,
aviation pollution will continue to be my main concern. I am looking forward
to using my expertise in video and the Internet to better fight the aviation
industry, the FAA and politicians who work for them and against the public
health.
Bush Administration "Stacked" Passenger Rights Task Force With Pro-Aviation
Political Hacks!!! That was the charge of Kate Hanni who was not surprised
when they vote for a plan that "that does not address the airlines ability
to hold passengers against their will in a sealed tube on the tarmac for an
indefinite period of time, and contains no requirements that they provide
food, water, sanitary toilets or even temperature control." Good old
President Moronic Polluter. He shows as much sympathy to the flying public
as he does for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. No wonder it was reported
this week that he has the worst approval rating than any president in
history!!! I think the "transition" time for a new president should be
shortened to a week.
Will Obama Select Harry Reid Crony As FAA? While obviously he couldn't do
worse than Bush I have given up a long time ago expecting the democrats to
be much different than Republicans. Already there are stories about how a
crony of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is being considered for the job
of FAA boss. No doubt he will soon be joining other democrat senators, like
"Chuck" Schumer, and be talking about how "aviation is the engine that drive
the economy." Perhaps President Obama will talk about all the "jobs" that
will be created by further expanding aviation and not one word about the
health impacts on Americans. Will he, like other democrats, continue the
effort to keep the EPA from assessing noise health impacts while other
countries are finally starting to do the opposite? We'll soon see.
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Senate Majority Leader Crony To Become FAA Boss? Robert Herbert, an aide to
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, has emerged as a candidate to be
President-elect Barack Obama's pick to run the Federal Aviation
Administration, according to people familiar with the matter. In Washington,
Herbert is director of appropriations and senior policy adviser on
transportation, military and veterans affairs to Reid, and before that had
run Reid's Las Vegas office. In Nevada, Herbert serves as deputy commander
of the Nevada Army National Guard, reporting to commander Frank Gonzales, a
brigadier general. Herbert, 51 years old, was previously director of
aviation at the Nevada Army National Guard, where he oversaw a staff of
roughly 250 and a budget of about $750 million, according to Gonzales. The
Nevada Army National Guard is involved in overseas deployments as well as
domestic missions such as firefighting and search-and-rescue operations.
"The positive part about Bob has always been he's able to work with people
to get things done," said Gonzales, Herbert's commander in Nevada. "More
importantly, he's been really great at delivering results, and that's what
we need." It is early in transition, and it remains unclear who Obama will
ultimately choose to head the agency. Clearly, the selection of Herbert
would be a friendly gesture toward Reid, who will play a key role in pushing
Obama's agenda through Capitol Hill.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/11/10/reid-aide-emerges-as-a-candidate-for-faa/
Study To Examine Effects Of Airport Noise: MONTREAL - Airport noise will be
the focus of a new Montreal study now getting underway. An official with
Montreal's public health department confirmed the department's researchers
are looking at the impact of noise levels on the public health of residents
living in and around Trudeau Airport and under flights paths. Since
September 2006, night flights out of the Dorval airport have been the target
of citizen complaints and protests. Results of the study, however, won't be
available for six months, said Marie Pinard, a health board official.
Residents in several parts of the city, including St. Laurent, Cartierville,
Laval, Town of Mont Royal and Dorval say jet noise is disrupting their sleep
and damaging their health. Last February, night flights were tied to
hypertension and other health problems by British researchers who followed
residents living near Heathrow and three other major airports in Europe.
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=f9c32cdf-a6e2-492e-911d-4b516270da83
Chicago: FAA To Decide On Midway Airport Privatization!!! The Federal
Aviation Administration could decide whether to allow the $2.5 billion plan
to privatize Midway Airport by the end of this year or early next year, an
FAA official said Saturday. Charles Clark Erhard III, manager of the Federal
Aviation Administration's airport compliance division, made his remarks
after a sparsely attended public hearing on the privatization, which was
scheduled to last five hours but ended after 25 minutes. The Chicago City
Council approved the privatization plan Oct. 8. About $1.5 billion from the
deal would be used to pay off Midway Airport debt, fees and other expenses.
State law requires that 90 percent of the $1 billion profit be used to pay
for city infrastructure projects and shore up underfunded city pension
funds, leaving $100 million to be spent at Mayor Daley's discretion.
http://www.suntimes.com/business/1269638,CST-NWS-midway09.article
Head of Flyersrights.org Says Bush Administration "Stacked the Deck,"Calls
Task Force Report "Insult to airline passengers!!! Today's vote by the
'Tarmac Task Force' was an insult to airline passengers by the airline
industry and the Bush Administration, which stacked the deck in their favor,
giving the industry and its allies 34 out of the 36 votes on the Task Force.
Hopefully the incoming Obama Administration can cause meaningful passengers'
rights legislation to be passed, either through Congress or a newly
appointed Department of Transportation. Today's vote approved a model plan
that does not address the airlines ability to hold passengers against their
will in a sealed tube on the tarmac for an indefinite period of time, and
contains no requirements that they provide food, water, sanitary toilets or
even temperature control. "It's tragic to take ten months and thousands of
donated coalition dollars, to work with the best and the brightest from the
commercial aviation industry, and not come up with a way to get people out
of those metal tubes", said Kate Hanni.
###
For further information or to book or interview Kate Hanni, email Mike
Collins Public Relations at mikeco...@cox.net or call us at 202-494-6105
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Important Aviation
News Stories This Week
http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=20176259&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8
Increasing Utilization: Capacity Enhancement Program At
Airport In Public Comment Phase By Bradley Vasoli, The Bulletin
10/24/2008 Area residents with views on the Capacity Enhancement Project at
Philadelphia International Airport can make them known to the agency until
midnight Nov. 10.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has put forth two
runway-design plans for the project, held its last public meeting on the
matter Thursday at Eastwick at the Meadows on Lindbergh Avenue. The plans
are meant to reduce flight delays at the airport, which is the ninth busiest
and sixth most-delayed in the United States.
According to the FAA, either proposal would result in a government purchase
of 72 residential properties and 80 business properties. They would entail
building a 9,100-foot runway as well as between 25 and 35 new gates. What
the FAA calls "Alternative A" would cost roughly $5.2 billion and
"Alternative B," which would add more gates and terminal space, would cost
about $5.4 billion. Construction for either plan is expected to take about
12 years.
Once the federal agency receives its comments via letter or e-mail, it will
respond in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) it expects to publicize
in the fall of 2009. The statement will cover matters such as impact on air
quality and noise levels. A month thereafter it will issue a record of
decision that will indicate whether the airport can proceed with A, B or
neither.
If the city is to begin engineering and construction of the new runways that
winter, it will need to have obtained several permits. FAA regional
spokesman Jim Peters said municipal officials have already begun that
process.
"Everybody is working on getting all of their ducks in a row, so to speak,"
he said.
U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-7th, of Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties,
criticized the way the federal government has proceeded with the project,
calling it "disingenuous at best." He said the capacity enhancement effort
should not have been decoupled from the controversial airspace redesign that
is rerouting a large volume of flights over his district, heightening area
noise levels. If the two projects were linked, he said, the FAA would have
had to undertake more extensive environmental studies.
Mr. Sestak said he believes increased utilization of airports at Harrisburg,
the Lehigh Valley, Atlantic City and elsewhere could preclude the need for
the proposed project in Philadelphia.
"We believe that there are other alternatives," he said. "All we want is a
decent cost-benefit analysis done on alternatives."
Mr. Peters said the FAA doesn't possess the authority to effect such a
change.
"We cannot tell airlines where to operate," he said. "That's a business
decision."
The congressman said litigation against is in the works to stop the Capacity
Enhancement Project on the grounds and that the city agreed to put in place
noise-mitigation measures for projects that increase area decibel levels. No
such measures have gone into effect. He furthermore said he would fight in
Congress to cut off federal funds for the new runways.
Bradley Vasoli can be reached at bva...@thebulletin.us