QUEST's views on Ocean Routing:
Ocean routing of aircraft will probably reduce, though by no means eliminate, the noise problem experienced by large numbers of NJ residents and is therefore supported.
A proposal is before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which would route planes operating from the big three airports (Newark, LaGuardia and JFK) so that they fly over the ocean as much as possible. The idea is to shift the noisiest segment of flights over water instead of over land. Planes would takeoff, gain altitude over water, then proceed to their destinations.
Ocean routing is not a panacea. Those living close to airports will still be battered by noise as planes head for open water. And, owing to weather and safety considerations, not every flight will be amenable to the procedure. But ocean routing offers an excellent opportunity to begin to effectively manage noise pollution. It is a critically important first step.
Though the airline industry objects to ocean routing, saying it is too costly and inconvenient, reasonable environmental controls are a necessary cost of business.
No doubt about it – it's cheaper and easier to pollute. When automobile emission standards were introduced, the auto industry objected to them. When the dumping of untreated waste into rivers was restricted, chemical plants cried foul. It is undeniably cheaper for industries to dump smoke into our air, or sludge into our waters – or noise into our ears – but it is not acceptable. Industry spokesmen have told NJ residents to stop their whining and accept the noise -- to "Get used to it." Maybe industrial tycoons could speak to us like this in 1900, but not in 1999.
The only right thing to do is to manage and control noise pollution. Environmental impacts must be considered and managed right alongside all the other business concerns like fuel costs, safety procedures, flight scheduling and profits. And, ocean routing will be an effective tool in controlling aircraft noise pollution.
Summary Recommendations:
The volunteers of QUEST make the following observations and recommendations to the FAA:
QUEST supports a trial of ocean routing and other steps that seek to alleviate aircraft-generated noise in our area and throughout the U.S.
Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU) is the 3rd busiest airport in New Jersey in terms of takeoffs and landings and should be considered along with the others in the airspace redesign. (We have been assured it is.)
Moderate costs and inconveniences associated with ocean routing are a natural part of doing business in an environmentally sound manner, and do not constitute a valid reason to reject the ocean routing proposal.
Aircraft noise is a serious and growing environmental problem. The FAA should change its charter and include noise management as one of its fundamental objectives.