A noise monitor has been placed at Michael J. Tully Park in New Hyde Park as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s ongoing effort to track noise pollution from low-flying planes in residential areas on Long Island.
The town said in a press release that North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and North Hempstead Council Member Dennis Walsh helped lobby the Port Authority to place the monitor at the park.
It will help fill a gap between two existing noise monitors in Floral Park and East Hills.
“I’m glad the Port Authority agreed to this noise monitor, as it helps identify noise pollution as it actually happens,” DeSena said. “North Hempstead residents deserve a lot better than the seemingly endless stream of flights the FAA has allowed over their homes. This is a step in our fight to stop it.”
This noise monitor follows a joint petition filed by the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead, along with other local and state officials, to request that the FAA investigate alternative flight routes and patterns.
The petition is on behalf of the two towns’ residents who have repeatedly reported issues of low-flying planes, loud air traffic noise, air pollution and other airplane-related disturbances.
The coalition plans to file an official lawsuit against the FAA if it does not respond to its original petition within 90 days.
“While a new noise monitor helps, it’s not nearly enough to satisfy our residents and families,” Walsh said in the release. “The FAA has neglected our town for too long, and we deserve a change immediately.”
According to the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, the FAA must conduct an environmental review or secure a categorical exclusion to continue using the flight path. In July, town officials said neither action took place.
Local elected officials wrote to the FAA to formally request it adhere to the terms of a 2019 agreement that prevented aircraft from flying below 3,000 feet when outside 15 miles of Kennedy Airport. The FAA has not publicly commented on the recent petition or pending lawsuit.
“I’ve been fighting this fight for nearly 15 years and it’s only getting worse,” state Sen. Jack Martins said in July. “I can tell you that the FAA has a long history of ignoring our community’s pleas for assistance. They don’t want to study the issue because they’re afraid of the consequences. They’d rather keep our families at risk and willfully close their eyes to the problem than pursue meaningful solutions.”
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that aircraft traveling lower than 3,000 feet can cause air pollution.
This pollution includes potentially dangerous toxins such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxides, and other trace compounds — especially during take-off and landing.
Studies have shown that communities in and around this flight path have a higher-than-normal rate of asthma, stomach cancer, and prostate cancer, all linked to exposure to aircraft emissions.
Officials reiterated that the Town-Village Aircraft Safety and Noise Abatement Committee, an integral committee that identifies and relays aeronautical issues, has expressed these sentiments numerous times throughout the years.
