Political Quotes

“I wish to say a few words on this subject, and I thank the senior Senator from Arizona for all the work he has put into this. As he has mentioned, we have heard from thousands of residents in the Phoenix area who have been impacted. This language is important because in September of 2014, the FAA instituted new flight path changes for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport without adequately engaging the community and the stakeholders. These flight paths, as Senator McCain said, have greatly impacted residents in the surrounding areas. We have heard from them with concerns about both the noise and the frequency of these flights. Section 5002 of the FAA reauthorization bill would simply approve the FAA's process for instituting new flight paths. The fact that this language is retroactive is especially important because of what we have mentioned. Communities in Phoenix have already been negatively impacted by these recent flight path changes. This language would create a process to review those changes and to require the FAA to consult with airports and to determine steps to mitigate the negative effects, including the consideration of new or alternative flight paths. Going forward, this language would ensure that communities and airports have the opportunity to fully engage with the FAA before these flight paths changes are made. Again, I commend Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson for including this critical language. I hope that it is supported.…”