Ensuring that Everyone is Ready for the Digital TV Transition Deadline
Op-Ed
Ensuring that Everyone is Ready for the Digital TV Transition Deadline
Dear Friends,
Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced its intention to set an hourly limit on the number of flights going into and out of Newark Liberty International Airport. After the terrible delays of last summer, which are still occurring today, the FAA proposed this cap to reduce the problem.
Last year, Newark was often operating over 100 flights per hour. The new rules would cap the number of flights at a maximum of 83. This cap will supposedly allow more flights to leave on time, and will leave fewer air travelers stranded.
Unfortunately, the FAA has only allowed 14 days for public comment. The final day to submit comments will be on April 1. However, I sent a letter to Bobby Sturgell, the Acting Administrator of the FAA, asking that the public comment period be extended to April 16. I have included the text of that letter at the bottom of this e-mail.
Although the official comment period will end after April 1, I strongly encourage you to submit your comments regardless. Although they may or may not appear in the formal record, every voice the FAA hears is an important one.
There are three ways to submit comments to the FAA:
* The fastest way is through an online form, by clicking this link: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic.
* Alternatively, you can fax comments to (202) 493-225.
* Or mail them to this address:
Docket Operations,
U.S. Department of Transportation
M-30, Room W12-140
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.,
Washington, DC 20590-0001
The FAA needs to keep thinking of ways to reduce flight delays, beyond the flawed airspace redesign proposal that they are pushing forward. As you may know, I have come out strongly against this redesign, which could route up to 200 flights over Rockland County every day. And I have been opposing the airspace redesign every opportunity I find.
I want to assure you that I will continue to work on your behalf to reduce flight delays, while at the same time avoiding the type of misguided proposals that the FAA is trying to force on all of us.
Sincerely,
Eliot L. Engel
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
Bobby Sturgell
Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
800 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20591
Dear Acting Administrator Sturgell:
I am writing to express my concern that the FAA has instituted such an extremely limited time frame to accept public comments on the proposed operating limitations at Newark Liberty International Airport.
As you know, the FAA has proposed capping flight operations to 83 per hour during peak periods at Newark Liberty. This would be a significant reduction from last year, when the airport was typically handling up to 95 operations per hour.
The details regarding the submission of public comment on the flight cap proposal were published in the Federal Register on March 18, 2008. The FAA stated that the deadline for comment would be April 1, 2008. Although I appreciate that the FAA is investigating methods of reducing flight delays, it would be helpful for the public to be able to comment on such proposals for more than 14 days.
When the FAA proposed the NY/NJ/PHL Airspace Redesign, there was not nearly enough time or opportunity for people affected by the proposal to send comments or questions to the FAA. And as we saw, there was a loud outcry when they were not able to petition their government in time. The public must be allowed to take the time to research FAA proposals and craft a response.
If successful, the flight cap at Newark has the potential to eliminate the need for the remaining phases of the Airspace Redesign. Under this Redesign, residents of Rockland County, which I represent, will have to suffer up to 200 overflights each day. However, if the cap on Newark operations is implemented correctly, the Redesign would be redundant, and hundreds of thousands of Rocklanders will be able to continue to live peacefully.
I request that the FAA extends the time period for public comment to 30 days, keeping it open until April 16. I look forward to your favorable response.
Sincerely,
Eliot L. Engel
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