[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H5719]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      AIRSPACE REDESIGN OVER CONNECTICUT, NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY

  (Mr. HIMES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HIMES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the FAA's redesign 
of the airspace over Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. Plans for 
this redesign have moved forward, certainly in my district, without 
proper and appropriate input from the stakeholders and from my 
constituents affected by this move.
  Planes are being rerouted to fly over southwestern Connecticut upon 
descent into New York's airports, and my constituents have been 
subjected to unnecessary and unprecedented levels of noise in their 
homes and places of business. A day does not go by that I don't hear 
this concern from my constituents.
  Later this week I will be submitting an amendment along with my 
colleagues Congressman Sestak and Congressman Engel during floor 
consideration of H.R. 915, the FAA reauthorization bill. This amendment 
will call simply for a cost-benefit analysis to be performed before the 
redesign proceeds any further.
  The amendment will require the cost-benefit analysis to take into 
account direct costs as well as the indirect costs of alleviating the 
noise that so affects my constituents.
  I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment to the FAA 
reauthorization bill.

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