Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter #476........................................................................April 13,  2008 Past newsletters can be accessed at: http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm  If you want to get the newsletter sent to you every week, sign up to AviationWatch. Bill Mulcahy rockaway@prodigy.net

Quote of the Week: “This plan will further exacerbate the poor air quality facing our region and particularly impact our children and citizens with compromised respiratory and immune systems,” Greenwich (Connecticut) First Selectman Peter Tesei on impact of Airspace Redesign on Fairfield County, Connecticut

Politicians "Starting" To Address Aviation's Toxic Emissions!!!

As Bill Sees It (Editorial):  Finally Politicians Focus On Health Impacts Of Airport Toxic Emissions. When Will The MEDIA Discover It?  As someone who suffers from asthma (which I developed in adulthood) I was heartened to see that the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said that diesel emissions “present the greatest cancer risk in New Jersey” and the communities near Newark Liberty International Airport have the highest asthma-related deaths in the state. While aviation is not the sole cause of these deaths the airports presence with all the traffic is a major contributor. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that increasing the capacity of Newark Airport will increase the numbers of human deaths. While I'm sure the corrupt FAA and federal EPA bureaucrat ghouls blame the people (including the children no doubt)  for living near an airport, apparently there are "some" government officials who do care about Americans dying from aviation pollution. If more of them, and politicians, speak out against the plans to increase aviation pollution, maybe we can start reversing it. How many more American children (and adults) will have to develop asthma, get increased blood pressure, stokes and have heart attacks due to airport expansion until "our" corporate controlled government acts?  FAA Getting Turbulence Over Airline Industry "Customers!!!" Like every victim of FAA corruption and viciousness I was happy to see their own people turn on the airline industry-friendly FAA management. It seems that the increased planes from the FAA's northeast region airspace redesign plan is what really got the ball rolling. Politicians, especially from New Jersey, started to get heat from their constituents and started to turn the heat on the FAA. First, by holding up the appointment of the FAA administrator and then holding hearings on complaints by inspectors about their being coerced into overlooking safety violations!!! One FAA inspector even said his boss hinted at repercussions effecting his "family"' when he made a complaint!!! I only hope that these management creeps will find "their" jobs in jeopardy, not the inspectors who were trying to do an honest job. Having been a fire inspector in New York City for a short time after I was injured on the job, I know how inspectors can be influenced by corrupt bosses. Sometimes justice prevails, as it did in my job when they took my boss out of headquarters in handcuffs. 

Teamster Chief Criticizes American Airlines Uncertified CHINESE Maintenance On Aircraft!!! A "hands-off" Federal Aviation Administration that lets airlines "do whatever they want" is to blame for the recent raft of flights grounded by American and other airlines, International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James Hoffa said Thursday. "Because of a cozy relationship with the airlines, (the FAA) is not pushing these people with safety requirements," Hoffa said during an interview with the Tribune-Review. Yesterday, American Airlines canceled more than 900 flights served by MD-80 aircraft that turned up with faulty wiring. The carrier, the world's largest, had canceled more than 1,000 flights Wednesday and about 430 on Tuesday. The FAA ordered a sweeping check of maintenance records at all airlines a month ago after criticism that fuselage inspections were missed on Southwest Airlines' Boeing 737s. The agency fined Southwest $10.2 million for continuing to operate the aircraft for three years anyway.  "We don't need anybody to die in order to see there's a problem," said the Teamsters chief. Hoffa said the government fuels the problem by allowing airlines to outsource aircraft maintenance overseas. Teamster-member mechanics tell him aircraft often return to service in the United States with dials and flaps reassembled incorrectly. "(United Airlines) does maintenance in Beijing with 2,200 mechanics, and only five of them are FAA-certified," he said. "That, to me, is a threat." The Teamsters chief was in Pittsburgh visiting workplaces to drum up support for presidential candidate Barack Obama, whom the union endorsed Feb. 20. "The Bush administration is basically hands-off, and they send that message to industry all the time," Hoffa said. "That's why we have less bridge inspectors and mine inspectors and food inspectors." http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_561797.html 

Connecticut: Monday, April 14th Meeting On Fairfield County Airspace Redesign Lawsuit To Be This Week!!! The Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning will host a public meeting Monday, April 14, at Greenwich Town Hall to address concerns and answer public questions regarding the Federal Aviation Administration’s proposed flight plan aimed to ease air traffic congestion in the metropolitan New York area and its implications for Fairfield County. The event will also serve as an opportunity to review the status of lawsuits pending against the FAA.The open forum will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.Fairfield County officials have scheduled a regional Town Hall meeting for residents to get an update on efforts to oppose a Federal Aviation Administration airspace redesign project. "It's to raise awareness and certainly hear from our elected officials," said Judy Neville, former first selectwoman of New Canaan and chief operating officer of the Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning. The alliance, made up of officials from Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Darien and other municipalities, last year filed a lawsuit opposing the FAA plan and lobbying Congress and other federal and state authorities to intercede on the municipalities' behalf. The alliance says the FAA did not take into account noise, environmental and safety impacts when it approved the redesign. The FAA also appeared to downplay the increase in air traffic - more than 500 flights, according to the alliance - that will be diverted over Fairfield County, Neville said. "It's significant," she said. "It's a much higher number than we anticipated." The alliance is lobbying for the FAA to look into other alternatives of easing flight congestion and delays that would not require the redesign. Though residents in many municipalities support the alliance, some in Greenwich say the FAA redesign would spare the town from noise and environmental impacts that other areas would suffer. Still, First Selectman Peter Tesei said Greenwich wants to stay in the alliance because withdrawing would put the town in a weak position. "The interests of the region are the interests of Greenwich," he said. "We don't want to be standing alone. Residents may not be concerned about it now, but wait until it's implemented. There may be a different opinion then, and the question becomes, why didn't we stand with our neighbors." Editor's Note: It looks as if some communities are starting to get smart and not falling for the FAA's lies. United action, lawsuits and political pressure are the only thing that will save their quality of life and peace. http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/greenwich/31683.shtml 

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                                                    Important Aviation News Stories This Week

Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said diesel emissions "present the greatest cancer risk in New Jersey" and communities near Newark Liberty International Airport have the highest asthma-related deaths in the state.

She noted the region also is affected by fuel emissions coming from truck exhaust and other emissions that originate at the nearby Port of New York and New Jersey.

Without offering specific plans, Jackson noted there is no clear threshold for determining fuel emissions' impact on health.

"Port emissions will continue to grow — that is the trend we must try to stem," said Jackson, speaking to the New Jersey Clean Air Council on Wednesday.

Jackson made her remarks before an audience of environmentalists, lobbyists and government officials who appeared at the Clean Air Council's public hearing to discuss air quality at ports and airports.

The council, an independent environmental advisory board, invited representatives from the trucking and airline industries to the DEP's Trenton headquarters to address what role they can play in producing cleaner air in North Jersey.

Tim Pohle, general counsel of the Air Transport Association, said his industry is burning 4 percent less fuel than it was in 2000 — despite having a 12 percent increase in passengers. Fuel efficiency has improved 103 percent since 1978, he added.

Newark, JFK and La Guardia airports, as a result, contribute to 4 percent of the air pollutants near the airports — which is lower than the national average of 6 percent, said Pohle, who called the industry's record "enviable."

"We're seeking to enhance our technology — we want a different fuel," he said. "With skyrocketing fuel prices, anything is going to put us in a better position."

Gail Toth, executive director of the New Jersey Motor Truck Association, said her industry is investigating various forms of technology that would "recirculate" exhaust back into trucks. They're also hoping to fully develop a diesel fuel with "ultra-low" levels of sulfur, she said.

Forcing the industry to change, however, could be tough because of rising costs, she said.

"A new tractor-trailer could cost as much as $100,000," Toth said. "Even in the best of times, this is a huge expense."

Environmentalists and transportation advocates, however, argued that the New York area is lagging behind Los Angeles and other regions that have developed strategies for dealing with airport and shipping port pollution.

The New Jersey Coalition Against Aircraft Noise voiced support for capacity limits at Newark Airport, noting that aircraft spend "excessive" time on runways and, ultimately, impact the area's air quality.

"The Port Authority is undertaking numerous initiatives to increase capacity at Newark Airport," said Robert Belzer, president of the coalition. "We believe that increased emissions from these activities need to be identified with appropriate emissions offsets established."

Others, such as Jeff Tittel, director of the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter, said New Jersey must find ways to reduce emissions in the Newark region where pollutants, he says, are 1,800 times above federal and state acceptable levels.

"We have to make sure that we maintain the economy while trying to protect everyone's health," he said.