Fwd: FAA Reauthorization Act | Please Contact Friends and Family "Nationwide" ASAP

[Thomas Sullivan]

Dear Friends,
If you agree that these amendments make sense, please forward this email to your friends and family nationwide with the request that each contact his Congressman and Senator asking that such representative support and vote for all four of the amendments.

Best Regards,
Thomas Sullivan - Quiet Rockland

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Robert Belzer <rabe...@verizon.net>
Date: Wed, May 20, 2009 at 7:25 PM
Subject: FAA Reauthorization Act | Please Contact Friends and Family "Nationwide" ASAP
To:

 

Please consider the below action item from George Loveless--a resident of Delaware County, PA who is fighting the metro area airspace redesign.  Our Congressional representatives have introduced amendments to the FAA's reauthorization that would require the agency to undertake a cost-benefit analysis for the project and Mr. Loveless's action item is targeted to support these amendments.  As you may know, the FAA has refused to undertake this analysis.  Were is taxpayer money going and what are the benefits and impacts?

 

Robert Belzer

President, NJCAAN

www.njcaan.org

 

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The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a FAA Reauthorization Act (five year life).  We know our national transportation infrastructure is in desperate need of upgrade.  In CT, DE, NJ, NY and PA, we also know the FAA northeast airspace redesign is driven by the scheduled airlines and their lobbyists and the plan being implemented is replete with gross errors.  For residents of other parts of the U.S. who are not directly impacted (yet), the next plans of the FAA may adversely and unnecessarily impact your health, safety and quality of life too.  There are ways to co-exist with upgraded transportation infrastructure but they require comprehensive planning.  The FAA is truly a "rogue" agency which Congress must make accountable.

 

In Philadelphia, the effect of airspace redesign has been deminimus (see "Opr Assess Report", attached).  Comparing one year periods before and after implementation, the FAA reports that the use of the new dispersal headings over Delaware County (PA) and Gloucester County (NJ) increased the average release rate from 44 planes per hour to 45 (2 1/4%) - report pg 3, para. 3.  Equally important, the nighttime restriction (no overflights 11pm to 7am) will be lifted shortly - report pg 3, para. 6.  Airspace redesign as presently being implemented will not solve the problems.

 

A group of northeast Congressmen (CT- Himes, NJ - Frelinghuysen, Garrett, Holt, Payne, Rothman, NY - Engle, Hall, PA - Sestak) have proposed amendments to the FAA Reauthorization Act (see "Findings Amendment" and "Cost-Benefit Condition Precedent Amendment" attached).  The applicable section of the Act with these amendments included (bold and italicized) is set forth below.  Congressmen Frelinghuysen and Garrett, individually, also have proposed amendments (see attached).  All four amendments make good sense albeit the House will need to do some "wordsmithing" to fit the amendments into the Act.

 

If you agree that these amendments make sense, please forward this email to your friends and family nationwide with the request that each contact his Congressman asking that such representative support and vote for all four of the amendments.  The email address for each Congressman can be accessed at https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml.  Just ask the friend or family member to reference the amendments to H.R. 915 offered by Mr. Garrett of New Jersey, Mr. Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, and Mr. Sestak of Pennsylvania with Messrs. Engle, Frelinghuysen, Garrett, Hall, Himes, Holt, Payne and Rothman.

 

Hopefully you will agree that these amendments are fully appropriate to enable Congress to carry out its oversight responsibility.  If airspace redesign makes sense as proposed, the FAA should have no difficulty complying with the amendment language before moving forward.  If the FAA does have difficulty, the bad decisions need to corrected before continuing.

 

Time is of the essence.  Amendments to the FAA Reauthorization Act could be voted upon as soon as next Tuesday.  If you have any friends or family that are in Congressman Oberstar's district (MN-08), his support is important as Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  Also, Congressman Costello (IL-12) is key.  He is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation.

 

A broad national email effort is critical.  Once the commercial air carrier lobby becomes aware of these amendments, it is certain they will marshal opposition to them.

 

George Loveless

_______________________________________________________
 
George G. Loveless
11 Rose Valley Road * Media, PA 19063-4217
george....@gmail.com

 

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The text of Section 219 with the Sestak amendments is below.  Each amendment is in bold face and italics.  The Frelinghuysen and Garrett amendments are not included because it is not clear how each will be wordsmithed into the Act. 

SEC. 219. AIRSPACE REDESIGN.

(a) Findings- Congress finds the following:

 

(1) The airspace redesign efforts of the Federal Aviation Administration  is intended to play a critical near-term role in enhancing capacity, reducing delays, transitioning to more flexible routing, and ultimately saving money in fuel costs for airlines and airspace users.

 

(2) The critical importance of airspace redesign efforts is underscored by the fact that they are highlighted in strategic plans of the Administration, including Flight Plan 2009-2013 and the document known as the `NextGen Implementation Plan'.

 

(3) Funding cuts have led to delays and deferrals of critical capacity enhancing airspace redesign efforts.

 

(4) Several new runways planned for the period of fiscal years 2009 to 2012 will not provide estimated capacity benefits without additional funds.

 

(5) Since low altitude aviation operations are incompatible with land uses for homes, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and the like, it will be necessary for (A) a detailed analysis to be undertaken (i) to identify these incompatibilities, and (ii) determine the cost of avoiding or mitigating each occurrence; (B) funding the cost referred to in clause (ii) in advance so that the incompatibilities will not occur; and (C) additional funds to carry out subparagraphs (A) and (B).

 

(b) Authorization of Appropriations- In addition to amounts authorized by section 106(k) of title 49, United States Code, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration $14,500,000 for fiscal year 2009 and $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012 to carry out such airspace redesign initiatives as the Administrator determines appropriate.

 

(c) Additional Amounts- Of the amounts appropriated under section 48101(a) of such title, the Administrator may use $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 to carry out such airspace redesign initiatives as the Administrator determines appropriate.

 

(d) Limitation- Notwithstanding subsections (b) and (c), the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may not continue any redesign of air space under section 40103 of title 49, United States Code, or any other provision of law initiated and not implemented before the date of enactment of this Act, and may not initiate any redesign of airspace under such section or other provision, until the Administrator has completed a detailed cost-benefit analysis of the redesign, made a copy of the analysis available on the Web site of the Administration, and provided to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a copy of the analysis, together with such supplemental information as the respective Committees request. The cost benefit analysis shall include not only direct costs, such as construction, but also indirect and consequential costs, such as relocations and land use incompatibility mitigation and human and environmental impact, and a comparison of the benefit to that which could be achieved with reasonable alternatives.

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