New York Airports to Get Noise Study

Jack M. Martins

November 15, 2013

Senator Martins, the bill sponsor, thanks residents for their diligence on airplane noise issue

Residents of Nassau County have long been outspoken about noise generated from low-flying airplanes and now it appears that their voices have risen above the airplane noise. 

This past legislative session, Senator Jack M. Martins, who helped to lead the charge against airplane noise, co-sponsored a bill in the Senate that would require the Port Authority to conduct a “Part 150” noise study. The bill passed both houses of the State Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support. After the bill reached Governor Cuomo’s desk, the Governor, in vetoing the bill, announced that he would instead direct the Port Authority to conduct noise studies that meet the Part 150 requirements for both LaGuardia and JFK airports.

Senator Martins and Senator Kemp Hannon, who co-sponsored the bill in the New York State Senate, worked with members of the Town-Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee (TVASNAC) and community advocates to craft the bill to require the Port Authority to conduct a noise study to address airplane noise affecting so many of our Long Island communities.

Just last month, Senator Martins and Village of Floral Park Mayor Tom Tweedy and Trustee Mary Grace Tomecki held a forum to discuss airplane noise with representatives from the Port Authority.

“We sent a message to the Governor that we were not going to turn a deaf ear to airplane noise and he got that message. I want to thank local officials and community members who worked tirelessly to move this bill forward and, of course, thank the Governor for seeing the need and addressing it,” Senator Martins said.