FAA rule change will lead to more noise pollution for Queens and Nassau County....

Lawmakers: FAA Rule Change Would Trigger Greater Air, Noise Pollution

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Local officials warn noise from airplanes over Queens could get worse if the federal government goes forward with a rule change.

As WCBS 880′s Alex Silverman reported, complaints about airplane noise are nothing new in Queens.

“You can’t hear yourself think because every time it stops, it starts again,” one resident said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is planning to change its rules so it can change flight plans without any environmental review.

The rule change will lead to more noise pollution for Queens and Nassau County, Rep. Steve Israel said.

“This is a bad rule for our quality of life, it’s a bad rule for our environment, it’s a bad rule for people who live in the vicinity of New York’s airports,” Israel said.

The congressman also relabeled the FAA “The Federal Arrogant Administration.”

“I have no problems with airplanes flying over my house, but at a reasonable height at a reasonable time of the day,” resident John Kelly told Silverman.

“The people of Queens do not deserve to be steamrolled by the FAA,” Rep. Grace Meng said.

The lawmakers have written a letter to the FAA asking the John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports are excluded from the new rules.

The public has two weeks left to comment on the impending rule change.

Queens residents can send comments through Sept. 30 by logging onto http://www.regulations.gov. They can also fax comments to the FAA at 202-493-2251 or mail them to: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue S.E., Washington, D.C. 20590-0001.