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About SAFE, Inc. [
Mission | Member Organizations
]
Mission Statement
SAFE, Inc. is a coalition of citizens' groups and individuals in the
greater Metro New York region. It was established on July 7, 1994 in Bayside,
Queens and incorporated a year later as a non profit educational corporation
under New York State law. SAFE, Inc. is also a founding member of the
Citizens Aviation Watch, USA, Inc. (www.us-caw.org)
and is a member of the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation,
which has consultative status at the Committee for Aviation Environmental
Protection (CAEP) at the International Civil Aviation Organization. SAFE,
Inc. is trying to have ICSA also acquire consultative status with the
UN Economic and Social Council and other related UN agencies, particularly
those that are located at the UN Headquarters. Since April 2002 SAFE,
Inc.’s president, environmental sociologist Dr.
Frans C. Verhagen, is also president of the national organization.
The purpose of SAFE, Inc. is to work towards aviation policies, programs
and projects that are based upon the principles of sustainability, equity
and accountability.
Thus, SAFE's objectives include but are not limited to the following:
A) SUSTAINABLE OR ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE AVIATION:
- work towards maintaining the High Density Rule at the metro New York
airports and the amending of AIR 21 (The Aviation Investment and Reform
Act of March 2000) which means halting of the quantitative growth of
airports by a decrease in departures and arrivals and promoting the
qualitative growth of airports by better noise abatement measures, reduction
of environmental impacts, etc;
- reduce or scuttle shuttles on the Eastern Seaboard by promoting stronger
 intermodal
transportation policies in the region, particularly the use of high-speed
trains such as Amtrak’s ACELA, by promoting advanced telecommunications
technologies for business communications, by raising local taxes on
shuttle fares and other means;
- curb air cargo expansion in favor of rail transportation and greater
reliance on local economies for goods and services;
- ENFORCE A CURFEW ON ALL COMMERCIAL AND GENERAL AVIATION FLIGHTS AND
NOT ONLY SCHEDULED ONES BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 10:00 PM AND 7:00 AM, EXCEPT
IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS;
- prevent the re-introduction of the Concorde or other supersonic flights
from JFK International;
- reduce aircraft noise and pollution by reducing unnecessary plane
travel through an integrated/intermodal transportation system with a
high-speed train network in high mobility corridors; by pushing for
stage four aircraft and by fining non-compliant airlines, with the understanding
that 2% of the proceeds will go to the Queens
County Community Aviation Fund;
- initiate impact studies of aircraft noise on property values, health
of human and other life to be performed by independent agencies chosen
by equal representation from the Port Authority and the affected communities;
- work towards the refunding of the EPA Office of Noise Abatement and
Control (ONAC) as proposed in the Toricelli Bill (S951) and the Lowey
Bill(HR536) of the Quiet Communities Act;
- work towards the passing of the NY State Bubble Bill that has been
introduced four times--Senate 1420 and Assembly 2260–so that the
quantity and composition of the air pollution on and around the airports
are at least known;
- function as an environmental watchdog and citizen research organization
that would represent the values of the Queens public without undue pressures
of politicians and airlines' bottom lines and that would be partly financially
supported by the Queens
County Community Aviation Fund.
- work for the SAFE, Inc.-initiated proposed establishment of a
 Visitors
Center on Intermodal Transportation at the TWA terminal landmark at
JFK which invites the five modes of transportation to tell their histories
and to indicate their strengths for an integrated transportation system
in the future. Details of this project are available at the website.
- other
B) EQUITABLE AVIATION:
- more equitably distribute aircraft noise and pollution throughout
the Queens, Nassau and other metro counties, including New Jersey counties;
- establish a legal protocol for the payment of compensation by way
of tax reductions or other means to residents of communities directly
affected by aircraft noise and pollution;
- be made part of an equitable process of aviation decision-making both
on the local, state and particularly the federal level;
- have 1% of the PFCs (Passenger Facility Charges) flow into the coffers
of the Queens County Community Aviation Fund;
- other
C) ACCOUNTABLE AVIATION:
- fight for meaningful representation of the affected communities in
the various advisory councils on county, city and regional and national
aviation policy making bodies;
- establish an ongoing noise monitoring and evaluation system by an
independent agency composed of an equal number of members of the Port
Authority and of the affected communities;
- have free access to daily Operations Logs and other information sources
without having to use Freedom of Information requests and pay its high
costs;
- force accountability to the public on the part the Port Authority
of NY and NJ, local politicians and the FAA by suing them if NEPA or
SEQR laws are violated or flimsically implemented;
- reconstitute The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in favor
of greater control in aviation by local elected authorities' control
without going so far as to have a private airport authority such as
the British Airport Authority take over the management of the local
airports;
- other
SAFE, Inc. invites every citizens' group and individual that is in agreement
with the above principles of sustainability, equity, accountability and
most of its associated objectives to become part of its coalition. Based
upon the above objectives, SAFE, Inc.’s work is divided into a dozen
committees which are described on its website. Annual membership fees
are $25 for organizations and $10 for individuals.
"We are made wise not by
recollections of the past,
but our responsibility to the future."
(George Bernard Shaw)
[ Top | Mission
| Member Organizations ]
Member Organizations of SAFE,
INC.
11 /11/2003
- Asian-Americans For Equality, Flushing
- Bayside Ave Estates Civic, Bayside
- Bayswater Civic Association, Bayswater
- Briarwood Civic Organization, Briarwood
- Browne Park Civic Association, Bayside
- CEMAC( Citizens for Enforcement of McArthur Airport Control, Farmingdale
- Coalition for Public Health and Safety, Teterboro, New Jersey
- Earth and Peace Education Associates International (EPE), Rego Park
- Democratic Club of Flushing, Flushing
- Helicopter Noise Coalition of New York City, Manhattan
- Holly Civic Association, Flushing
- Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc., Manhattan
- Juniper Park Civic, Middle Village
- Kew Garden Hills Civic, Kew Gardens
- Kissena Park Civic Association, Flushing
- New Hamilton Beach Civic Association, Howard Beach
- Ormonde Civic Association, Valley Stream
- Our Lady of Fatima Church, Jackson Heights
- Queens Green Party, Rego Park
- Rockaway Beach Civic Association, Rockaway
- Rosedale Civic Association, Rosedale
- Runway 22 Coalition, Newark, New Jersey
- Siloam Korean Reformed Church, Flushing
- West Cunningham Park Civic, Hollis
- Other
[ Top | Mission
| Member Organizations ]
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SAFE, Inc.'s
three major principles for the aviation/transportation industry,
ecological sustainability, social and environmental justice and
accountability, are related to the integrated system of social and
ecological values as the Earth Charter mentioned on the home page.
SAFE, Inc. has officially endorsed
the Earth Charter and takes it as its value base. |
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