Rodney Frelinghuysen: “For well over 15 years, I've been an advocate of reducing aircraft noise over northern New Jersey. I have attended…”

“For well over 15 years, I've been an advocate of reducing aircraft noise over northern New Jersey. I have attended dozens of public hearings, had meetings with FAA officials, responded to thousands of letters from constituents whose lives have been negatively affected by the existing air traffic patterns and related noise. I have been more than a proponent of a design of air space over New York and New Jersey metropolitan area, the first such redesign conducted by the FAA, but I have actually been working on funding for this design plan. And let me say, I respect Mr. Oberstar. I respect all of the big guns that are out against this amendment. But the issue is, and Mr. Oberstar mentioned it, is that the FAA has always been dismissive of aircraft noise concerns. We're not trying to say that we shouldn't be concerned about airline safety and too much congestion, and we don't want to do damage to our airline industry, but for those in the flight patterns now, what they propose negatively affects our constituents in northern New Jersey. Quite honestly, the FAA, if you will pardon the expression, has been blowing us off for a long time. They've been dismissive. So this amendment is all about sending a wake-up call to Administrator Blakely.”