STATEMENT OF ARLENE B. FELDMAN, REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE EASTERN REGION, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION BEFORE THE AVIATION SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE ON AIR TRAFFIC DEPARTURES AT NEWARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, NOVEMBER 4, 1999
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Lipinski, and Members of the Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to appear here this morning to discuss with the Members of this Subcommittee and other interested Members of the Congress the Federal Aviation Administration's ("FAA") air traffic control of departing aircraft at Newark International Airport. I am Arlene Feldman, the Regional Administrator of the FAA for the Eastern Region. With me today is Mr. Franklin Hatfield, the manager of the air traffic division in the Eastern Region.
Almost four years ago to the day, I appeared before this Subcommittee with former Administrator David Hinson when he came before you to discuss the FAA's record of decision of the environmental impact statement on the Expanded East Coast Plan ("EECP") for air traffic management. I am pleased to have the opportunity to update the Subcommittee on recent developments in air traffic management, and in particular, with regard to departures from Newark International Airport ("Newark").
Let me begin with a brief review of the history. In the early 1980's, the FAA saw that it would be impossible for the then existing air traffic routes over the East Coast to handle the growing demand for airline travel. The advent of deregulation in 1978 brought explosive growth in air traffic. The biggest bottleneck in the East Coast system was the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area. Needless to say, the bottlenecks at New York-New Jersey had a ripple effect throughout the entire National air traffic system. The EECP was developed to change the aircraft routes and air traffic procedures in a way that would permit each of the major New York-New Jersey airports to more efficiently handle air traffic. This was a very ambitious plan at that time; one of the most far reaching changes the FAA ever made to the air traffic system.
With the implementation of the EECP we saw dramatic effects in the airspace system — delays were reduced, airlines were able to plan their flights more efficiently and controllers found that the new air traffic procedures let them handle more traffic without compromising safety. However, the EECP also produced unavoidable consequences. These new air traffic routes began to take aircraft over parts of New Jersey, which, until 1987, had not experienced the air traffic associated with these new routes. As a result, communities throughout Northern New Jersey began to experience increases in noise levels they found unacceptable.
Newark International Airport has three runways: one east-west runway (11-29) and two parallel north-south runways, 22 left and right ("22 L/R"). Staten Island is south of the airport and there are communities, such as the City of Elizabeth, which are southwest. Since 1952, aircraft departing runway 22 have turned south to avoid over-flying the city of Elizabeth. Since 1961, departures from Newark off runway 22 L/R have climbed to approximately 500 feet, at which point the aircraft make a left turn, heading 190 degrees. This departure route avoids over-flying the densely populated areas of Elizabeth. This route passes over an industrial area located between the City of Elizabeth and a waterway, known as the Arthur Kill, and then over the northwest corner of Staten Island. As air traffic operations at Newark have increased, residents of New York and New Jersey have been requesting a change to air traffic procedures to reduce noise in their communities.
Pursuant to the Aviation Safety Capacity Expansion Act of 1990, the FAA undertook an environmental impact statement ("EIS") to assess the effects of changes in aircraft flight patterns at altitudes of 3,000 feet above ground level, caused by the implementation of the EECP over New Jersey. After an extensive and lengthy process of study, including opportunities for public comment for approximately 500 days and a public hearing on Staten Island, the FAA took final action on the EIS by issuing a Record of Decision ("ROD") on October 31, 1995. The FAA decided to continue the procedures of the EECP, but adopted a measure to reduce noise for residents of New Jersey. This mitigation measure, called the Solberg Mitigation Proposal, was implemented in April 1996 and continues to be used for departures at Newark.
Even with the adoption of the EECP with the Solberg Mitigation Proposal, we know that citizens in communities in New Jersey and New York continue to experience levels of noise that they find unacceptable. In the Record of Decision, the FAA recognized the complexity of the airspace in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area and the need for a comprehensive solution. When I was here in 1995, I stated that even with the decisions made with the EECP, we in the Eastern Region would continue to work with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ("Port Authority") and the local communities to explore alternatives to reduce noise and revise air traffic procedures and routes. In addition to the Solberg Mitigation Proposal, in the Record of Decision the FAA committed to undertake a follow-on regional study to address the metropolitan New York area.
Let me reiterate that Administrator Garvey and all of us in the Eastern Region are dedicated to working with the Port Authority to find a fair and balanced approach to address the issue of aircraft noise. But let me also state that noise abatement is a shared responsibility. The Port Authority has primary responsibility for abatement actions in the area surrounding Newark airport, whereas our primary role is to assure the safety and efficiency of air traffic operations. In that regard, at the request of the Port Authority, we have taken some measures to test ways to alleviate aircraft noise.
In 1996, based on a request from the Port Authority, a test over a four month period in 1993, and an environmental assessment, the FAA revised the standard instrument departure procedures for runway 22L/R to implement a second turn to the right to a heading of 220 degrees at 2.3 nautical miles.
In 1998, again at the request of the Port Authority, the FAA tested a change in the current standard instrument departure. Working with the Port Authority, we recognized that just south of Newark Airport and the City of Elizabeth, there is a heavy industrial area over which we could direct aircraft. This would require a variation in the heading from 220 degrees to 260 degrees. We conducted a test of the 260-degree heading ("260 test") from March until September 1998, followed by an environmental assessment. At the onset of the preparation of this environmental assessment, a variety of public agencies and other interested parties were notified of the proposed action and alternatives, and comments were requested.
Earlier this week, we released the conclusions of the environmental assessment. As a result of the analyses conducted and continued operational evaluation of the departure routing, it was determined that there was no significant environmental benefit derived from the alternative routing to 260 degrees. We have discontinued the environmental assessment because of the lack of operational benefit that would be derived by modifying the Newark procedure in the current overall configuration of airspace in the region.
At the same time that we began conducting the 260 test, in April 1998, Administrator Garvey announced the National Airspace Redesign project. As the Administrator testified before you last month, the National Airspace Redesign will be part of the FAA's efforts to improve air traffic management. The goals of the redesign project are: to maintain and improve system safety; improve the efficiency of the air traffic management and reduce delays; increase system flexibility and predictability; and seek to reduce adverse environmental effects on communities in and around our Nation's airports. While we expect that the complete redesign will take approximately eight years, we anticipate that tangible benefits are expected in the eastern portion of the United States within five years. The most congested and complicated airspace is what we in the FAA refer to as the Eastern Triangle. This consists of most of the airspace east of the Mississippi River. The redesign project will also include analysis of the enroute air traffic control centers that feed traffic into this area. Because this airspace poses the most challenges, it is the initial focus of our redesign.
The New York/New Jersey Metropolitan Airspace Redesign Project will encompass the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia metropolitan areas and will also include air traffic affecting Connecticut, Delaware and Pennsylvania. There are over 8,000 flights a day into and out of the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, more than any other major metropolitan area in the U.S., accommodating 300,000 passengers and 10,000 tons of cargo. One of our stated goals is to enhance the environment to the degree consistent with safety and efficiency, both with noise abatement and improvements in air quality. Within this context, we intend to fully examine possible revisions to departure patterns at Newark, including an ocean routing concept for day and night traffic, as well as the straight-out departure concept.
As Administrator Garvey told you in her last appearance, in the Eastern Region, we have already begun our community workshops in locations throughout the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area. These workshops are designed to provide a forum for early public involvement prior to any airspace redesign project initiatives. We are eager to solicit public comments and suggestions with respect to airspace redesign initiatives. These workshops are not limited to environmental concerns, but are open to a full range of community ideas. All comments will be compiled and reviewed by the FAA during the redesign process. Once design alternatives have been formulated, we will initiate a formal National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") process. During the NEPA process, we will revisit the communities and hold public meetings or hearings to solicit further environmental concerns and input.
We are sensitive to the concerns of the citizens living in and around Newark International Airport. We will continue to work in partnership with the Port Authority, community leaders and with you, the Members of Congress, to reach a balanced and fair approach to the issues at Newark. Throughout the redesign project, we will look for every opportunity to reduce the affects of unwanted aircraft noise for the citizens of New Jersey and New York. Indeed, as we move forward with our redesign project, we will take intermediate steps, consistent with NEPA, that may develop during the process provided that they will not adversely affect the safe and efficient management of air traffic to Newark, or to the neighboring airports.
