Jan 4, 2008
Alliance battling FAA flight pattern changes launches new Web site
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The Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning (AfSAP) has announced the launch of its campaign Web site, sensibleairspace.org. The Web site will serve as a central location for the AfSAP campaign to educate affected constituents about the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) flight path redesign plan.
The FAA plan threatens to cause safety and environmental concerns to numerous densely populated regions of Connecticut and New York, according to a release from the group.
“One of our goals in forming this alliance was to provide an education tool for our many concerned constituents so that they may inform themselves on this current threat to their communities and become involved in meaningful ways,” said Rudy Marconi, AfSAP chairman and first selectman of the town of Ridgefield. “Sensibleairspace.org is a Web site where constituents can receive updates on the campaign’s current events, as well as contact their congressional leaders on behalf of their communities that will be negatively affected by the FAA redesign plan.”
“I am very pleased with the content and quality of the information available on the Web site. Residents should take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about the facts and our progress on this very critical issue, and what they can do to make a difference,” said Judy Neville, AfSAP chief operating officer.
AfSAP represents the chief elected officials and residents of 14 cities and towns: the towns of Bridgewater, Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, New Milford, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport and Wilton and the cities of Danbury, Norwalk and Stamford in Connecticut, as well as the town of Pound Ridge in New York, all of whom have come together to oppose the FAA’s airspace redesign proposal.
The alliance opposes the redesign plan because their communities will be adversely affected by the FAA’s proposal to reroute numerous flights over their communities, as well as create a new holding pattern at very low altitudes, according to the group. The FAA’s plan will have unacceptable health, safety, environmental, noise, and quality-of-life impacts on the region represented by the alliance, it said.
Currently, the AfSAP and the State of Connecticut, led by Gov. M. Jodi Rell and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, have joined in opposition to the redesign plan. Both AfSAP and the State of Connecticut have filed suits against the FAA. Both suits are intended to halt the new FAA flight path plan, which would allow an increased number of large aircraft, at unacceptably lower altitudes, to fly over a large region of southwestern Connecticut causing considerable damage to the environment, according to the group.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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