|
 N.Y.
Post Story Exposes Unjust JFK Airport Plane Routing And Increased
Congestion
According to the Nov. 18th 2001 N.Y. Post story "Residents of
the area that was showered with crash debris and flaming jet fuel
say the tragedy was an accident waiting to happen. They believe airline
demands to ease congestion have resulted in the use of flight paths
that put airline schedules and profit above the safety of the neighborhoods
below." Read the story at: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/34539.htm.
The Post quoted Dr. Frans Verhagen, President of Sane Aviation For
Everyone, who said a "tragedy like this (the Rockaway Crash)
was bound to happen on account of the increased flight operations
in high density airports."
|
 S.A.F.E.'s
President and U.S. Citizen's Aviation Watch's Letters On The Bailout
And Aviation Responsibility
Recent letters by Dr. Frans Verhagen, President of
S.A.F.E., Inc. and U.S. Citizen's Aviation Watch opposing taxpayer
bailout of the airlines without airline industry environmental accountability. |
 S.A.F.E.
Press Release On Rockaway Crash
We regret the loss of human life both of those inside the
airplane and of those on the ground at Belle Harbor and sympathize
with the grieving families. http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/pressrelease.htm
|
 S.A.F.E.
V.P. Greene Asks For "Bubble Bill" Support
This Bill directs the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
to measure air pollution from JFK and LaGuardia Airports and to
seek ways to reduce this pollution. Believe it or not for years
it has been stopped by the New York State Senate. The Bill introduced
by William Scarborough in the Assembly passed each year for the
last three years. The Senate Bill was again introduced by Serphin
Maltese has been help up in the Senate Environmental Conservation
Committee headed by Carl Marcellino of Oyster Bay.
Read more about it at: http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/bubblebill.htm
|
  SAFE,
Inc. Vice President Allan Greene Vents Frustration Over Concorde
Return
In a July 31, 2001 New York Daily News story, SAFE, Inc. V.P. Allan
Greene vented his frustration over the lack of local opposition
to planned return of the Concorde over JFK Airport neighborhoods.
SAFE, Inc. opposes even the acceptance of even ONE of these dangerous,
highly noise and air polluting planes, even if we do not have the
broad support that was shown in the 1970's (see photo at right)
when communities rallied against the possibility of hundreds of
these planes flying over our communities.
Read the Daily News story at: http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/algreenestory.htm |
While Chicago
Resident's Homes Get Millions Of Federal Dollars For Noise Proofing,
New York City Residents Get NOTHING!!!
This chart above shows the amount of money that Chicago area residents
get to protect their families from airport noise. However, New York
City residents, who according to a Natural Resources Defense Council
study, have the HIGHEST number of aircraft noise-impacted people
near any U.S. airports, get nothing!!! Not one cent is spent on
residential home soundproofing. Why are New York City politicians
ignoring the health impacts of aviation on New Yorkers and allowing
New York City not to be in the FAA Part 150 Program which would
soundproof homes? Is New York City residents health less important
than the people in other cities? Why is the local news media ignoring
this clear case of anti-New York discrimination?
|
 S.A.F.E.
Gets A $10,000 Grant To Study Noise! Thanks to the efforts
of New York City Councilwoman Julia Harrison, Sane Aviation For Everyone
now has the equipment to prove that the FAA is lying about the noise
level that impacts Queens residents. They have acquired a Larson Davis
sound level meter, model 824 http://www.larsondavis.com/r_d.html
. What makes this device better than S.A.F.E.'s old equipment is that
it can determine the Day Night Level (DNL) average that the FAA uses.
Every community should lobby their local politicians (or others) to
get money to buy equipment so they can do their own noise monitoring.
This is one of best ways to fight FAA/airport operator lies and distortions
on aircraft noise!!! The FAA's computer model excludes other community
noise sources in its noise map "estimates" in order to give
a minimized, distorted picture of community noise. |
S.A.F.E.'s Dr. Allan Greene
Demands Full E.I.S. On JFK Airport 11 Billion Dollar Expansion
Dr.
Allan Greene, SAFE, Inc.'s Vice President Government Affairs, wrote
to Rep. Anthony Weiner requesting his help with getting a proper
Environmental Impact Study for the 11 BILLION Dollar expansion of
JFK Airport. This expansion is expected to double JFK's air traffic
by 2010. Incredibly, (or not so if you know how the FAA, airlines
and airport operators are allowed to circumvent environmental law)
the Port Authority of NY/NJ submitted a "FONSI" (Finding
Of No Significant Impact). Will Weiner, who signed the AIR 21 Bill
which allowed the increase of flights at LaGuardia and JFK Airport,
do anything about it? Read Al Greene's letter at: http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/agreenletter.gif
|
Dr. Willy Passchier's Article On Noise Exposure And Public
Health
 The
Netherland's Dr. Passchier's presentation at the recent 16th Annual
Airport Noise Symposium at Berkeley was based on an article she wrote
on Noise Exposure and Public Health. This article was printed in the
March 2000 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 108,
Supplement 1. We have uploaded it and it can be found at: http://www.hvinet.com/rockaway2/passchierarticle.pdf
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) |
THE BIG LIE
"The Congress declares that it is the policy of the United
States to promote an environment for all Americans free from noise
that jeopardizes their health or welfare."
- Noise Control Act of 1972.
|
New York City Rally Against
Aircraft Noise
Held in Flushing Meadow Park, Queens at the
Unisphere. Sponsored by The Bowne Park Civic Assn., S.A.F.E. Inc.,
The League For The Hard Of Hearing, Queens Civic Congress and other
Queens organizations fighting for aviation sanity and fairness for
the people of Queens and New York City. For more pictures click
on N.Y.C.
Rally
|
Airport Health Impacts Ignored
And Hidden By Governments, Exposed By Citizens!
A Science
Daily report says that Cornell University researchers have found
that airport noise can "seriously" affect the health of
children. The Federal Interagency Committee on Aviation Noise has
also recently posted reports on the effects of aircraft noise on
children's learning (you need an Arcobat Reader). FICAN reports
that "Research on the effects of aircraft noise on children’s
learning suggests that aircraft noise can interfere with learning
in the following areas: reading, motivation, language and speech
acquisition, and memory. The strongest findings to date are in the
area of reading, where more than 20 studies have shown that children
in noise impact zones are negatively affected by aircraft. The Cornell
study reports "higher blood pressure and boosted levels of
stress hormones" in children heavily impacted by aircraft noise.
Two other papers done by a Washington State Group (RCAA) and a British
(HACAN) group give supporting evidence of airport health impacts
which FICAN ignores.
|
SAFE, Inc. Wants To Sue The
Aviation/Government Cabal
April 8, 1999 story about SAFE, Inc. efforts to get a lawsuit against
the continued assault on our community by the aviation industry.
The whole story can be
found at the Aviation
Conspiracy Newsletter website.
SAFE, Inc. feels that
the whole problem of unrestricted airport expansion and pollution
is a NATIONAL problem and should be fought as such.
|
Removing Aircraft Noise Protection
from Americans - in a recent story (see
story) in League For The Hard of Hearing's "Rehabilatation's
Quarterly, by noted anti-noise activist, Dr. Arline Bronzaft, revealed
circumstances surrounding the Reagan Administration's "defunding"
(continued by the Clinton/Gore Administration) of the EPA's Office
of Noise Abatement and Control (ONAC), and how this small action
has stopped ALL federal enforcement of laws and research. Since
the elimination of funding for this office, the EPA has REFUSED
to enforce federal laws regarding noise pollution, thus giving the
airline industry and other noise polluters free rein to harm American's
health by expanding airports and operations. This industry/government
tyranny then got a law passed called the "Airport
Noise And Capacity Act of 1990" which overrides local"community
noise concerns" to the higher good of the mysterious "national
air transportation systems." This law has been used time and
again by the federal government to stop local governments from protecting
their citizens from unrestrained airport growth, especially nighttime
operations.
|
 Airport
Pollution Finally Gets Monitored!
While the Port Authority of NY/NJ writes "memorandums"
trying to stop any monitoring of airport pollution, S.A.F.E. Inc.,
along with the Rosedale Civic Association, is now testing the air
and noise pollution near JFK Airport. Pictured here (read
story) with Halsey J.H.S. students are S.A.F.E. president, Dr.
Frans Verhagen and monitor device developer, David Greenburg of
Analytics, Inc. The device is called ACCESS (A Computerized Community-based
Environmental Sampling System). The device was purchased with money
from a $15,000 Hudson River Foundation grant and monitors noise,
air and many other pollutants, including radiation!
|
Port Authority Fights Air Pollution
Monitoring Bill!
Asthma deaths have doubled in fifteen years in New York City yet
this "public" agency wants to stop a N.Y. State "Bubble
Bill", monitoring airport pollution, from being enacted. Read
the PA objection and S.A.F.E. comments on it. (see 2/20/98 PA "Memoradum
of Opposition"). Typical of the Port Authority bosses avoiding
responsibility for their actions, the memorandum was signed by the
Port Authority's General Counsel.
|
 S.A.F.E.
president, Dr. Frans Verhagen, and vice president, Jim English,
are interviewed in a N.Y.
Newsday 2/15/98 Article on how New York airports contribute
to the increasing asthma problem. The New York Daily News also did
a series on asthma starting on 2/22/98 with a map
(108K) showing high concentrations of asthma in N.Y. City, by
neighborhood (chart
198K) and a graph showing a DOUBLING (chart
75K) of N.Y. City asthma deaths over 15 years! One story
in the Daily News series revealed that not only was jet exhaust
a contributer to the asthma death toll, but also the stress of noise
is also a causative factor in asthma development. The Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC)
recently listed (list
50K) the U.S. airports with the largest number of neighbors
impacted by noise and ozone (list
26K) pollution. The truth about the murderous, health impacts
of airports on cities is finally coming out, despite all the airline
industry/government efforts to stop it!
|
| New York City Nighttime curfews on helicopter noise
was unheld by U.S. Court of Appeals according to a 2/19/1998
story in the New York Law Journal . Responding to the fact that
60 percent of the complaints of New Yorkers are about noise, New York's
Mayor Giuliani launches a "Quality of Life" campaign against noise.
In a 3/6/98 Queens Chronicle article he says "there is nothing that
can realistically be done" (read
story) about JFK and LaGuardia Airport's noise. So much for the
mayor's concern with airport health impacts. |
| 2/7/98 FAA Flipflops AGAIN
on the New Jersey part of the Expanded East Coast Plan, after a Staten
Island congressman threatens to "hold hearings" on their political
cave-in to "protected" communities. The NEW date for the New Jersey
" rerouting "test" is March 15th. Read N.Y.
Times Story on it. |
Politics And Money
Heat Up Search For New Airport Commission Board Member
LaGuardia Airport News Conference (1/6/98)- Sane Aviation For Everyone,
New York City Councilmen Noach Dear and Alphonse Stabile called
for justice in the FAA's routing of planes in the New York City
Metropolitan Area. Read the text of the New
York Daily News story.
|
 FAA
Reverses Decision on Newark Airport Route Change
The FAA is apparently throwing out the Expanded East Coast Plan
to once again show that the only thing that determines who gets
planes routed over them is the political clout of well-heeled communities.
In New Jersey, it is these communities who fought the change in
the FAA's unjust routing policies at Newark Airport (see the12/31/97
N.Y.
Times Story on it). Some communities in Staten Island are getting
unbelieveably high levels of health damaging noise. Killing the
EECP means the FAA intends to put the INCREASING Newark Airport
noise impacts on the politically weak communities in New Jersey
and Staten Island which will now receive an even greater concentration
of noise.
|
The Aircraft Noise "Conspiracy
of Silence"- S.A.F.E.'s V.P . (In Charge Of Communications)
Bill Mulcahy's Letter
to the Editor of the New York Post on why aircraft noise, the
worst N.Y. City noise source, is being left out of recent efforts
focusing on reducing New York City noise "quality of life" impacts.
Is there a "conspiracy of silence" when it comes to aircraft noise?
|
ANTI-AIRCRAFT
NOISE ORGANIZATIONS - and individuals fighting for environmental
justice on aviation, environmental and safety issues.
|
FAA'S BLUEPRINT FOR COMMUNITY
DESTRUCTION - The
Airport Noise Compatibility Plan (the Part 150 Program)This
is a plan which mandates noise impact maps be drawn yet says noise
monitors are "not necessary" and labels COMMUNITIES heavily impacted
by noise as being "non-compatible" with the airport! As phony and
corrupt as this federal program is, New Yorkers are still losing
out on millions of federal noise abatement dollars because our three
airports are NOT part of this program. Could it be that the Port
Authority doesn't want any oversight or scrutiny of their noise
monitoring analysis which is too phony, racist and corrupt even
for the FAA? Although not part of the Part 150 Program, the Port
Authority actually DID create a noise contour (see
JFK map 165K) showing "non-compatible" communities that were
once so foolish as to trust politicians and allow a airport to built
near them.
|
S.A.F.E.'s
Statement To The House Science Committee on the Federal Aviation
Administration's (FAA) lack of using "sustainable, equitable and
accountable" methodology in their analysis and routing decisions.
Dr. Frans Verhagen, President
of S.A.F.E., Inc. exposes the FAA's vicious "reducing the number
of people affected" for airport expansion. At JFK Airport this is
done by concentrating noise impacts on the poor and powerless.
|
Banning Night Flights In the
United States!
 At
the October 1997 S.A.F.E. meeting there was an agreement that the
United States should follow the
OTHER countries lead in the effort to totally ban night flights
at United States airports, most of which are located near residential
areas. We will be embarking on a campaign to get the help of larger,
established environmental groups (Natural Resouces Defense Council,
etc.) with this issue and the previously ignored aircraft noise
issue in general. We are encouraged that the
New York City Council has recently taken a strong position on
noise pollution, but wonder why they have LEFT OUT airplane noise!
|
 THE
FAA Empire Strikes Back with nighttime noise...at the Rockaway Beach,
New York City, community!
This New York City community is the only JFK Airport residential
area to have been specially selected
by the Federal Aviation Administration to get late night overflights.
This late-night noise assault against Rockaway Beach has been compared
with use of noise
as a weapon by our government in the Waco, Texas seige. The
EPA has REFUSED
to meet with the Rockaway Beach Civic Association which wanted
to present evidence of FAA lies and corruption in FAA aircraft routing
and environmental analysis.
|
 "Flying
Off Course" is a recent publication of the Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC) on the health
impacts of U.S. Airports. It shows
for the first time that airports rank as a top polluter of American
cities.Check out their web site at http://www.nrdc.org
or call 1212 727-1773 to order book.
|
| Picture of S.A.F.E leaders.
[ click for larger image ]
 |
"REAL
Dangerous Skies" a book by Rodney Strich on FAA corruption.
Call 1-800-247-7389.
|
The Dangerous JFK Runway 22 Right.
Check out JFK
Runway 22 Right a VERY dangerous runway at JFK
Airport that the FAA and NTSB refuses to close. It may be significant
that this was the runway that the ill-fated TWA Flight 800 departed
from.
|
SAFE in the NEWS 11/6/97
Queens
Gazette Article
|
Citizens
Aviation Watch (USCAW) the NATIONAL coalition of
anti aircraft noise organizations and activists finally has a its
own web page.
We are also meeting online with Microsoft Netmeeting (on ils4) at
11PM (Eastern Standard Time) S.A.F.E. is working with USCAW to organize
communities impacted by aircraft noise into a ONLINE NETWORK of
activists to fight these health damaging, illegal and airline industry-influenced
policies of the FAA.
|
JFK Birdstrike Danger Exposed
On CBS's "Public Eye"
The FAA took another hit on their incompetent "protection" of the
public when it was shown that they leave plane protection from birds
to "airport operators." NTSB's Don Golia said he feels that birdstrikes
should get the same importance by the FAA as "terrorism." For years,
S.A.F.E. and Friends of Rockaway have been trying (see letter page
1 & page
2), unsuccessfully, to get the FAA and Port Authority of NY/NJ
to close Runway
22R which they extented out to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Preserve
BIRD NESTING AREA! The FAA/Port Authority have DOUBLED
traffic on this dangerous (TWA Flt. 800 departed from it) runway
in the last ten years.
|
Check out a "sometimes" humorous
look at the airport and noise issues. 
|
S.A.F.E. WANTS TO SUE!!! and/or join others in
getting the federal government to protect the health and rights of
citizens who have had the environmental impacts of airports dumped
on them. We are currently looking to expand our scope to deal nationally
and INTERNATIONALLY with the aircraft noise issue. WE NEED LAWYERS
or a big environmental group who will, for starters, help us sue the
FAA and Port Authority of NY/NJ to make them obey environmental laws.
The Clinton Administration's EPA has continued to ignore the pleas
from American citizens assaulted by aircraft noise. The Clinton Administration
wants even MORE planes and noise for beleaguered communities near
airports. When it comes to increasing noise, air and water pollution,
the skies are apparently the limit for the Clinton Administration
and their airline industry pals.
|
| TEACHING SUSTAINABLE
AVIATION
Sustainable Aviation
Power Points
Sustainable
Aviation USA
Sustainable
Aviation in the USA in word outline
Resources List
|
Expansion of General Aviation Airports Such As Teterboro
SAFE, Inc. is strongly opposed to lifting the weight restrictions
on aircraft for general aviation airports because it automatically leads
to more plane operations with more noise and air pollution under less
safe and secure conditions. Unlike commercial flights, general aviation
flights are not under the purview of the Transportation Security Administration.
Moreover, why should large numbers of people be inconvenienced or damaged
for the convenience of a few businessmen, corporate lawyers or wealthy
individuals?
For an indepth story of Teterboro, read George
James's article in the New York Times of November 2, the Port Authority's
position and the Rothman letter to which not all New York and New Jersey
members of Congress have signed on. Please, use the write feature on
the How to Help page to thank your representative
if s/he has signed the letter or urge him/her to sign it. See the provided
sample letter on that page.
The FAA Reauthorization Bill of 2003
For first time in the citizen aviation movement Friends of the Earth,
the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund, The Natural Resources
Defense Fund and the World Wildlife Fund joined us in opposition to
this conference report (link) that would
move environmental review from the US EPA to the White House Council
on Environmental Quality.
Elisa B. Hinken from Lawrence writes an excellent response in the Queens
Tribune which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. [ read
PDF ]
Reintroduction of the Bubble Bill in the New York State Legislature
For the fifth time SAFE, Inc. is introducing this bill which has been
passed for four times in the Assembly and died four times in the Republican
Senate.
The Intermodalism Visitors Center at the former TWA Terminal
Walk-through of the former TWA Terminal with the assistant director
of Aviation of the Port Authority and a retired architect employee and
study of its architectural drawings to determine space requirements
for the SAFE, Inc. proposed Visitors Center.
Air monitoring
This program uses a tripod-mounted PaxAnalytics monitor and its dedicated
laptop that was acquired by the Rosedale Civic Association and SAFE, Inc.
under a $20,000 grant from the Hudson River Foundation. There is a need
for funding of the insurance costs for the operation of the system and
the regular calibration of the system. See above story where the system
was used as part of a New York State Regents Earth Science program and
consider the donate button to keep the program
in full operation.
 SAFE,
Inc. has been very active in air quality monitoring. It was the organization
that was instrumental in pushing the Borough President in Queens County
to establish an Air Monitoring Task Force in 1999. For four years SAFE,
Inc. had the Democratic State Assembly adopt a Bubble Bill which for four
years died in the Republican Senate. The Bill would allocate $1 million
to determine the best methodology of measuring the air quality around
the Queens Airports by considering the air around the airport a bubble
that spreads out in a radius of a couple of miles.
For more information please contact Tom O'Neil (oneil58@attglobal.net).
Legislative watch
 This
program tracks the federal, state and local aviation and transportation
legislation and evaluates them in terms of the principles of sustainability,
equity and accountability. As regards the federal aviation issues, SAFE,
Inc. works closely with US Citizens Aviation Watch, the AReCO’s
Aviation Watch listserv and others. We work towards making the aviation
dimension part of other environmental lobbying activities, such as those
that deal with global warming, “healthy forest”, “national
parks” etc. Unfortunately, the national organization has not been
able to establish a full-time lobbyist for that purpose. Touching the
donate button may help in redressing this
situation. On the New York State and City level, SAFE, Inc. is working
towards raising the aviation issues as part of the lobbying activities
of air quality, noise reduction, quality of life, open government, social
justice and peace groups.
For more information please contact Dr. Allan Greene (718-848-1800).
The Metro NY Air Space Redesign Program
 As
part of the National Air Redesign (NAR) the FAA is engaged in redesigning
the air space in the metro New York area that includes Philadelphia air
space. Its avowed objectives are the increase safety and efficiency with
total disregard of the noise impacts. SAFE, Inc. is engaged with the New
Jersey Coalition Against Aircraft Noise and the tri-state Aviation Noise
Abatement Group to have noise mitigation objectives be part of any redesign.
Of course, the main effect of this government program will be more air
travel in our already very crowded airspace. See Events
for updates.
For more information please contact Dr. Arlene Bronzhaft (albtor@aol.com).
NACEX (No Air Cargo Expansion)
SAFE, Inc. has taken leadership on the local, national and international
level to raise the issue of the projected tripling of air cargo by 2021
and the need for a moratorium for as long as the industry supports the
socially and ecologically unacceptable policies, programs and projects
of the corporate globalization process. Further information and progress
of this campaign can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Noaircargoexpansion/
Noise monitoring
This program was started in 2002 when SAFE, Inc. was able to buy an $8,000
noise monitor. It is being used by our noise specialist as part of official
studies and is available for hire by both individuals and groups.
For more information please contact jgoodman11023@netzero.net.
Scuttling the Shuttle
This program uses any imaginative and funny way to bring home the truth
that for short haul distances (within radius of some 400 miles) shuttles
are to be the exception rather than  the
rule. It is part of the citizens’ aviation movement’s main
thrust of an intermodal or integrated transportation system as the long
term solution for reducing aircraft emissions and noise, particularly
by the introduction of high speed trains.
For more information please contact John Fazio (grandpafazio@hotmail.com).
Visitors Center at TWA terminal
 SAFE,
Inc. is working with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Congressman
Weiner and others to have the greater part of the space of the former
TWA terminal be used as a visitors’ center on intermodalism and
conferences on transportation. The Center would have the five modes of
transportation present their histories and their contributions to a future
integrated transportation system.
For more information, including an electronic copy of the proposal, please
contact Dr. Frans C. Verhagen (gaia1@rcn.com).
Watch the events section for updates.
Aviation Matters
This is SAFE, Inc.’s outreach program consisting of a TV series
and a column in at least one community newspaper. Presently, there are
a dozen one-hour TV programs of which four are call-in shows; every week
Queens Public TV shows two of them.
 The
Aviation Matters column now regularly appears in the largest and oldest
community newspaper in Queens, i.e. the Queens Chronicle.
For more information please contact Dr. Frans C. Verhagen (gaia1@rcn.com).
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