New Hyde Park residents and officials reacted to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s decision to veto a state bill that would require the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to conduct a noise study of two major airports. A main sticking point in the bill was the necessity of the identical legislation put forth by the state of New Jersey.
Rather than wait for New Jersey, the governor is ordering a study be held. New Hyde Park resident Kurt Lanjghar, a proponent of aircraft noise abatement in the community, was pleased, but puzzled.
“He recognized that aircraft noise has been a concern to residents of Queens and Nassau County,” he said. “Who would’ve known the governor could enact something like this and make the Port Authority do this. I wonder what the outcome is going to be.”
Lanjghar, who is also the Town Village Aircraft Noise Abatement Committee community liaison, an appointed position he has held since 1993, feels the main concern is transparency and timely response. “Why did we have to go through the state assembly? Why didn’t we just go through the governor right away?”
New York State passed the bill on June 26, before the 2012-13 legislative session ended. Federal airport improvement grants would have funded the study.
Senators Jack Martins and Kemp Hannon sponsored the bill in the senate, while Assemblyman Ed Ra along with Assemblyman Edward Braunstein pushed it through the assembly.
“I want to thank local officials and community members who worked tirelessly to move this bill forward and, of course, thank the governor for seeing the need and addressing it,” Martins said.
This represented Cuomo’s 248th veto as governor, who said he’s, “directing the Port Authority to conduct noise studies that meet the requirements of Part 150 for LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports and to establish a community roundtable for airport noise and related issues in collaboration with the FAA and other stake holders.”
The Village of New Hyde Park originally drafted a letter to Cuomo to approve the now defunct bill. However, officials feel this avenue may yield better results.
“It appears that it’s a better outcome anyway,” Mayor Robert Lofaro said. “So we’ll see. What Kurt was saying is right. The concern was we may have been successful, but then we have to wait for New Jersey so maybe it’s the best course of action.”
