Council Votes Against Joining Air Space Alliance

By John Voket

Despite a Board of Selectmen’s recommendation, the Legislative Council voted 7-4 this week against joining a consortium of communities filing legal action against federal aviation authorities in hopes of blocking changes to commercial air routing. The consortium, the Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning (AFSAP), currently includes more than a dozen other towns and the State of Connecticut.

It will fight the Federal Aviation Administration’s proposed changes to major aircraft flight patterns that litigants contend would greatly increase aircraft traffic and noise, compromising safety and quality of life across the region.

Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi, who chairs the AFSAP, originally came to Newtown January 7 to brief selectmen on efforts to overturn FAA plans to reroute between 150 and 600 commercial airline flight a day over southwestern Connecticut. The neighboring official estimated Newtown’s total buy-in to help fund legal defense and a Washington, D.C., lobby would ultimately require about $70,000.

Selectmen voted 2-1 to join the group with First Selectman Joe Borst opposing, but the funding required approval by the council. This week, its members were briefed by Weston First Selectman Woody Bliss, whose town has joined the suit.

During his presentation, Mr Bliss told council members that the FAA has been quite evasive about providing computer models and other information that might clarify specifics about its proposal. He said the FAA will be required to produce the report for a congressional oversight panel by July 31, and that the report should become available for public review by the end of August.

It appeared from council deliberation following Mr Bliss’s presentation that some members who may have leaned toward supporting Newtown joining the AFSAP were swayed to wait until at least the information in the FAA report was made public.

Several council members, including Po Murray, said they hoped US Representative Chris Murphy would become more involved in the issue on behalf of his Newtown constituents. During his talk, Mr Bliss said while Representative Chris Shays, who represents many of the lower Fairfield County towns that could be affected, has been critical of the proposal, Mr Murphy has yet to weigh in on the matter.

After being contacted by The Bee Thursday, Congressman Murphy responded, pointing out that he worked with Congressman Shays to pass an amendment in 2007 to commission a government study, due to be completed in July 2008, to explore the options available to reduce air traffic noise over southern Connecticut.

“This issue is much more acute over southern Fairfield County, but I am going to continue to work with my affected towns and Congressman Shays to come up with an alternative to the current flight plan,” Rep Murphy said.

During his presentation, Mr Bliss said that while it is unclear what the long-term outcomes may be if the consortium loses the suit, he was insistent that the federal agency should be made to consider every option before routing more air traffic over Connecticut towns.

“If we don’t act now to stop it, once it’s enacted, we’re never going to be able to change it,” he said, adding that a growing number of commercial pilots and even some air traffic controllers are lending their voices to the opposition.

Mr Bliss said many other states and cities are watching the Connecticut and Westchester County developments because the FAA proposal will likely become a template for moving and expanding takeoff and landing patterns across the nation.

“We are the guinea pigs,” Mr Bliss said of the local proposal.

So far, the Weston official said, the FAA has spent $53 million in taxpayer dollars to develop their proposal, although the agency has made little information about it available.

He added that the proposal would not only shift the bulk of approach patterns for New York airports over Newtown and southern Fairfield County communities, it is also expected to lower the vertical clearance between commercial flights. While Mr Bliss could not speak to concerns about public safety in regard to the matter, he pointed out that Connecticut is suing the FAA over the plan due to its anticipated environmental detriments.

“It’s definitely an environmental concern and will have a quality of life impact, Mr Bliss added.

Councilman Joe DiCandido, who has questioned the proposal for some time, said based on the trajectory of incoming flight, particularly to LaGuardia Airport, commercial traffic would still be between 14,000 and 19,000 feet as incoming aircraft passed over Newtown.

Mr Bliss countered that Mr DiCandido’s assertions were not consistent with data supplied to the consortium. But Mr DiCandido said the council was sorely lacking for the kind of solid information required for him to support the appropriation to join the AFSAP suit.

The councilman persisted that no matter what, the FAA’s proposal affects Newtown substantially less that lower Fairfield County and Westchester towns.

Councilman Jeff Capeci agreed.

“It seems premature until we know there’s going to be a [local] impact,” he said.

Councilman John Aurelia suggested forming a subcommittee to begin studying the information that is available until the federal study commissioned for the Government Accounting Office is made public in August.

Council Vice Chairman Francis Pennarola said, however, that the town may never see the level of data required to form a clear-cut opinion.

“If we’re going to vote on this at all, we should vote for it now,” he said. Chairman Will Rodgers agreed.

“The cost is minimal, and the possibility of a negative outcome is sufficient for me to be in favor of challenging this federal agency,” he said.

After a voice vote was attempted, a roll call determined that only Mr Rodgers, Mr Pennarola, Patricia Llodra, and Jan Brooks favored the appropriation and the measure died with seven other council members voting No.