As
Bill
Sees It: (Editorial):
Rural New Yorkers Starting To React To 4th Major Airport Scheme: It's
interesting to watch this drama unfold as some people in upstate New York State
are starting to realize they are being used by New York City and New Jersey to
"relieve" themselves of heavily night-operating air cargo traffic by
sending it to Stewart Airport, located near Newburg in upstate New York. I found this Ulster County
Press cartoon by Neseman this week which illustrates this 
awakening. Unfortunately,
as always, the most of the upstate New York media and local chambers of commerce
are hailing this environmental atrocity as greatest thing to ever happen to
beautiful, quiet upstate New York!!! No doubt they are dreaming of a new
source of revenue. Even Democrat politicians like
Rep. Maurice Hinchey , who likes to portray himself as an environmentalist, met
with the Port Authority in Washington to plan this air cargo terminal. No
doubt Hinchey and the Port Authority waited until after he was safety reelected
before they made the announcement about the Steward air cargo terminal.
Hopefully, the many environmental groups
(at least the
ones that already haven't been co-opted by the
Port Authority and the politicians) upstate will form a
coalition to fight this latest assault on the public and demand that all
laws and environmental regulations are strictly followed. PBS
Nova Does Excellent Show On SwissAir Flt.111 Crash Investigation: I
didn't get to watch all of the 
N.Y.
Port "Authority" And Upstate Congressman "On The Same Page" For Air
Cargo Airport: Washington – Congressman Maurice Hinchey invited
officials of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to his Washington, DC
office to talk about the agency’s plans to take over Stewart Airport at
Newburgh. And the lawmaker came away from the session saying they were on
the same page. Hinchey said while the airport will grow with new jobs and
increased economic development, it must be balanced growth. “We have to make
sure that it is developed in a way that is going to be consistent with the
general needs of the area, that it will be environmentally sound and that the
impact of the airport will be minimal on people in the general area,” he said.
“We want to make sure that the airport conforms with the needs of the
communities that are adjacent to Stewart and that it is run in a way that is
consistent with the needs of those communities.” On concern to Hinchey is
surface transportation to the airport. The Drury Lane entrance and the
I-84/Thruway direct connection projects are both under way. He is also anxious
to advance a rail link to the airport. 
The
European Commission will cap emissions from both domestic and international
airlines at 2004–2006 levels: As of 2012, all flights into and out of
the EU will be covered by the EU’s 
Deicing
Additives Found Toxic To Fish!!! WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- U.S.
scientists have found aircraft deicing chemicals are toxic to aquatic life
forms. The U.S. Geological Survey has been examining toxicity of a variety of
formulations used to remove or prevent dangerous ice buildup on aircraft. The
study confirmed proprietary additives are responsible for the observed toxicity.
The USGS scientists compared nine different formulations of deicers and
found neither the primary ingredients -- ethylene glycol and propylene glycol --
nor the known additives accounted for all observed toxicity. Additives are
included to improve a formulation's effectiveness. Those that are proprietary
have compositions known only to the manufacturer. Although research conducted in
the 1990's revealed the toxicity of proprietary additives, the new study
compared numerous deicers and anti-icers and confirmed most still have toxic
additives that have not been publicly identified. "This study suggests that
some deicers ... currently in use are safer for the environment than the deicers
used in the 1990's," said Steve Corsi, lead author of the USGS study.
"But the toxicity profiles of anti-icers -- products that prevent ice and
snow buildup -- have not changed significantly." 
Massachusetts,
Logan Airport "Citizen's Committee" Refuses To Hear Impacted Community
Representatives!!! CAMBRIDGE - A committee advising MassPort last night
approved changes in Logan Airport flight paths that proponents say will help
quiet the sky above the South Shore. In a sometimes tense meeting, the Logan
Citizens Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives from 29 communities
affected by the airport, approved a variety of changes to current landing and
departure procedures. The changes still require approval from the Federal
Aviation Administration. ‘‘This is an important step for the
communities,’’ said Flavio Leo, manager of aviation planning for MassPort,
the state agency that operates Logan Airport. Marshfield and Duxbury have
not had representatives on the advisory committee recently, despite efforts to
involve those towns. Last night, the Scituate Board of Selectmen sent town
planner Laura Harbottle to the meeting. The committee was following strict
parliamentary procedure and Harbottle, as a nonmember, was not allowed to speak.
After the meeting, she said ‘‘it’s obvious Scituate is going to be
affected and I was amazed they didn’t even let me speak,’’ Harbottle
said. Editor's Note: Of course not. The whole purpose of the meeting is to dump
new flights on Scituate and other communities. 
Pennsylvania:
Frozen Airplane Waste Missile Used As Example
Of Aviation Dangers: Pointing out an incident on Jan. 18 when an airplane's frozen
waste crashed through the roof of a Ridley Township house, Delaware County
Councilman Jack Whelan told the township commissioners last week that the
accident illustrates the safety concerns involving planes flying over populated
communities before they reach an altitude of 3,000 feet. Whelan said Penny
Meyers and her 4-year old daughter were standing just outside the master bedroom
of their Donna Avenue home when the ice came through the roof. The residents
could have been severely injured if they had been in the bedroom. Both suffered
minor scratches from flying ice. Whelan pledged the continued support of county
council, in conjunction with the township commissioners and other officials from
neighboring municipalities, to convince the FAA not to change the airspace
redesign for planes taking off from Philadelphia Airport that now sends them
over the Delaware River until they reach an altitude of 3,000 feet before they
can make a turn so another plane can be cleared for take-off. 
JetBlue
Made Her Sick!!! 
England:
Prince Charles Cancels Ski Trip To Reduce His Pollution Footprint: LONDON, England (AP) -- Prince Charles has canceled a traditional
skiing holiday in a bid to reduce his carbon footprint, his office said Saturday
-- a day after campaigners and a government minister criticized his decision to
fly to New York to collect an award for work on environmental issues.
Environment
Secretary David Miliband expressed reservations Friday about the heir to the
British throne traveling to the United States for the ceremony, while advocacy
groups urged the prince to use a video link instead. Prince Charles' Clarence
House office said the prince had decided last year to cancel a regular skiing
holiday to Switzerland as part of an effort to reduce the number of flights he
takes. Details of the prince's carbon footprint are scheduled to be published
along with his annual office accounts later this year. The document will set out
targets for the reduction of carbon emissions by his office and household. Plane
Stupid, a climate change group, and Britain's Green Party complained Friday that
Prince Charles would be accompanied to the U.S. by an entourage of around 20
people, increasing the cost in carbon emission terms of the trip. Editor's
Note: If he really cared about the environment his majesty should be out
demonstrating with the communities that will be hit with Heathrow Airport's
third runway noise impacts. The plan to create a fourth major airport that could relieve crowding and delays in the metropolitan region will take a leap forward today, officials of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said yesterday.
The Port Authority plans to acquire a 93-year lease on Stewart International Airport, a sleepy and underused airport 60 miles north of New York City, for $78.5 million and begin expanding it starting in the fall, said Anthony R. Coscia, the agency’s chairman.
With the expected approval of the agency’s board today, the acquisition could help solve a problem that has bedeviled aviation officials for almost 50 years: where to send some of the travelers and cargo that are starting to overwhelm Kennedy International, La Guardia and Newark Liberty International Airports.
“The region clearly needs additional capacity for air travel,” Mr. Coscia said. “It’s undeniable. This is intended to remedy exactly that problem.”
The agency has already budgeted $150 million for improvements to Stewart that could include additional parking and the construction of an international passenger terminal, he said.
A converted Air Force base whose commercial use has never met its potential, Stewart is bigger than Newark’s airport, with 2,400 acres and a 11,818-foot runway. Two low-fare airlines, JetBlue Airways and AirTran Airways, began offering flights recently from Stewart, in New Windsor, N.Y. Three other carriers operate limited service from there.
Passenger traffic at Stewart increased 33 percent last month, compared with December 2005, and it could triple this year to about 900,000 passengers, said Tanya Vanasse, general manager for marketing at Stewart. Although Stewart is a small cousin to the region’s three main airports, which together handled more than 100 million passengers last year, that is expected to change.
Mr. Coscia said that by drawing more of the travelers who live north and west of New York City, Stewart could serve more than three million passengers a year within five or six years. Most of that traffic would be diverted from the three big airports, he said, which had been projected to reach capacity by 2020 without considering any expansion at Stewart.
Some of the cargo that arrives at those other airports and some of the private aircraft that now clog the short runways at Teterboro Airport in northern New Jersey could also go to Stewart, Mr. Coscia said.
The plan to acquire Stewart reflects a significant shift in Port Authority politics. The Pataki administration was unenthusiastic about the plan, despite Mr. Coscia’s persistent push to take control of Stewart and link it to New York City’s crowded transportation system.
But now the plan has the support of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, as well as New Jersey’s governor, Jon S. Corzine, said Anthony E. Shorris, whom Mr. Spitzer appointed to be executive director of the Port Authority.
“We’re viewing this as a major milestone,” Mr. Shorris said. “My sense is when you have very strong support from two governors on this — now, two governors on this — you’ll see a concerted effort to make it happen.”
Making it happen will require legislative change in Trenton because the Port Authority’s bi-state charter limits its operations to a zone that extends 25 miles in all directions from the Statue of Liberty. In 1967, lawmakers in Albany passed a bill allowing the authority to have one airport outside that zone in each state. But New Jersey never passed its own version of that legislation.
Richard J. Codey, the president of the New Jersey State Senate, said that getting matching legislation to Governor Corzine’s desk should not be a problem.
“I’d have no problem sponsoring it,” Mr. Codey said. “I would think there should be a majority of support for it because it’s time. We just don’t have any more room at Newark or Teterboro.”
Mr. Spitzer signaled a break in the impasse this month in his State of the State speech in Albany.
In a statement released yesterday, Mr. Spitzer said: “We will continue to make major investments at J.F.K., Newark and La Guardia, but eventually we are simply going to run out of room. Stewart International Airport will provide much-needed relief for our three major airports, greatly reduce delays and help us prepare for inevitable population and passenger growth.”
Before Stewart was settled on, several alternatives in the region were studied, including Long Island Islip MacArthur Airport and Westchester County Airport.
The current leaseholder at Stewart, National Express Group, a British company, put the lease up for sale last year. National Express, which paid $35 million for the lease from the New York State Department of Transportation in 2000, wanted to sell it by the end of 2006.
But without the support of the Pataki administration, Mr. Coscia could not seal a deal and feared that the agency might miss a rare chance. Port Authority officials managed to persuade National Express to wait on the sale by offering a higher price than did other bidders that investment bankers had lined up.
“We felt the need to take advantage of this opportunity,” Mr. Coscia said. The agency had an advantage over other potential buyers, he said, in that “when we invest money we don’t have to get a return in the same 12 months.”
He said the Port Authority probably could break even on the proposed lease purchase without making any changes in operations at Stewart.
There remains opposition to the plan. Maureen Radl, a resident of Cragsmoor a chairwoman of Ulsterites Fight Overflight Noise, a group opposed to a major expansion of Stewart, said most elected officials now support the Port Authority plan but many nearby residents did not.
“We’re especially concerned about its development as a cargo hub,” Ms. Radl said, adding that cargo planes are generally older and noisier than passenger jets and frequently take off and land at night and early in the morning.