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Meng Concerned About FAA Flight Plan

June 16, 2016

Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) will oppose a Federal Aviation Administration initiative that would include a plan for Newark Airport to use another runway for incoming flights if it results in more airplane noise for Queens, she announced last Thursday.

“I am dismayed at the possibility of more aircraft noise over Queens,” the congresswoman said in a prepared statement. “In 2012, new flight patterns over Queens slapped increased airplane noise over our borough, a move that continues to ruin quality of life for Queens residents.”

Meng wrote a letter about her stance to the FAA. It was signed by Reps. Joe Crowley (D-Bronx, Queens), Steve Israel (D-Suffolk, Nassau, Queens), Gregory Meeks (D-Queens, Nassau) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn, Queens). All of them are members of the Quiet Skies Caucus in Congress.

According to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, airplane noise exposure can result in an increased risk for being hospitalized due to cardiovascular disease for older people.

“We will not accept any new noise and we’ll do everything in our power — legislative and otherwise — to fight this plan should it negatively impact our borough,” Meng added. “The FAA must immediately clarify whether this new plan for Newark Airport will cause any new aircraft noise over Queens.”