Faa Reauthorization Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my bipartisan amendment to address the deeply flawed North Shore Helicopter Route, which is impacting communities throughout Long Island, especially my constituents on the North Fork.

The FAA's North Shore Helicopter Route, which was made mandatory through an FAA bureaucratic edict in 2010, represents everything that is wrong with our unaccountable Federal bureaucracy. It lacks fairness, transparency, and common sense. It is not a bright idea to mandate aircraft traffic bound for the tip of an island to make its transition over land when multiple all-water routes which mitigate the noise impact are available.

In addition to being ill-conceived and misguided, what makes this FAA mandate so extremely unfair is that it shifts the majority of air traffic in the area over Long Island's North Fork, which does not have a busy airport or helicopter pad, and, thus, doesn't get any of the economic benefit that the air traffic brings to neighboring communities on the South Fork that have an active seasonal airport.

To close these loopholes and address this unfairness, I offer this critical amendment that will force the FAA to reassess the North Shore Helicopter Route and work on replacing it with a true all-water route over the Atlantic Ocean.

This amendment also requires the FAA to hold public hearings on the North Shore Helicopter Route in the communities impacted by this flawed route and open up a public comment period so the people who live with aircraft noise season after season can have a voice.

The FAA has, for years, ignored my constituents and the law since long before I was even in Congress. By continuing to extend the North Shore Helicopter Route through emergency authority, the FAA has been waiving the requirements in the Administrative Procedure Act and other Federal laws and regulations that require public comment and the consultation of the impacted local governments before any major regulatory decisions are made.

I represent a district that is almost completely surrounded by water, so it is common sense that aircraft departing New York City bound for airports on the East End of Long Island can reduce noise by following true all-water routes.

My amendment also requires the FAA to enforce its own rules regarding altitude restrictions for the aircraft following this flawed route. This is not just an issue in my district, but also impacts residents who are impacted by noise in Nassau County and Queens. That is why I have partnered with my Democratic colleagues, Representatives Grace Meng and Tom Suozzi, on this amendment.

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Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Chairman, first off, with respect to my colleague on the other side of the aisle, it is very important for my constituents to have a voice.

What is important to note here is that this route was extended by the FAA, put in the Federal Register, in the middle of a weekend. No one told me. No one told any of the local governments. There was no public hearing. There were no public comments accepted. Actually, the FAA, in this case, went out of their way to ensure that my constituents had zero voice whatsoever. That is under the current Federal law.

Mr. Chairman, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster), the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

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Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for his support of this amendment, for doing everything in his power to ensure that my constituents have a voice, that they are heard, that they are represented, that they are able to provide their public comments, that they are allowed to have a hearing with the FAA. It really is very much appreciated by the residents of my district.

And to my colleagues, Congresswoman Grace Meng, Congressman Suozzi, for everyone on the other side of the aisle who is showing leadership in supporting this effort, it is much appreciated, understanding that this was literally jammed through, in the Federal Register, without all sorts of not just courtesies provided, but worse, actually muzzling the voice of the people that they couldn't even share any--any--of their comments whatsoever.

Summer after summer, the quality of life of East End residents has suffered due to the persistent issue of this noise. The FAA and Department of Transportation have sole jurisdiction over the aircraft routes that have impacted these communities, but from the route's planning to its continued use, they have flat out ignored the residents directly affected. I am urging all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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