U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill.,and Rep. Joe Sestak, D-7, of Edgmont, exchanged comments Monday with experts and officials regarding the controversial Federal Aviation Administration’s Airspace Redesign Project for Philadelphia International Airport. 

The proposal would divert flights over a large portion of Delaware County.
 
Since the Draft Environmental Impact Statement was released in December 2005, Delaware County Council has led a countywide battle to oppose the flight plan, saying it will increase noise pollution, safety risks and lower property values, among other quality of life concerns.

"I believe a thriving airport is important to the economic development of our region," Sestak said. "However, I am committed to requiring the FAA to pursue a measured and sustainable course that fully mitigates any proposal that adversely impacts our district and its citizens."

Right now the airspace redesign will have upward of80 percent of the takeoffs turning right and coming over the county, Sestak added.

"So, it’s understandable why everyone in the community is concerned about it," he said. "Therefore, we need to understand the true impact and make sure that everyone understands it and looks for the full mitigation of the proposal."

After the meeting attended by about 30 people, Costello, chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Aviation, said the Bush administration is recommending $600 million less for FAA programs for the next fiscal year and $900 million less between 2009 and 2012.

Costello said the proposed allocation for the next fiscal year would barely pay for current operations and leave no funding for upgrading from a land-based to a satellite-based air traffic control system, which would allow the FAA to handle more traffic.

FAA Airspace Manager Steve Kelley said the primary reason for the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Metro Airspace Redesign is to reduce flight delays and increase the efficiency of the airspace. Philadelphia is in the top 10 of the most delayed airports.

"We need to need to figure out a way successfully to figure out how to mitigate the impact of what aviation has and keep the aviation industry healthy," Kelley said.

Shirley Loveless, a fellow of the Center for Sustainable Communities at Temple University, cited the lack of a national transportation policy as a major problem, the lack of a national noise policy and the failure to include full costs in analysis.

County Council Chairman Andy Reilly said Monday’s meeting was a "duplication" of one hosted by former Congressman Curt Weldon.

"Many great issues were raised about addressing national transportation policies, but unfortunately not enough was raised specifically on removing the fanning component to the airspace redesign," Reilly said. "Even with today’s meeting, where we are is the same place we were last year. Many of the things that were raised here ..are things we knew about.

"You have to look at the stated purpose of the FAA’s airspace redesign. The whole statedpurpose -- which is really the axle upon which the plan is based upon - is to reduce flight delays. I would submit to you that even their own plan doesn’t accomplish their stated purpose."

He added that an aviation consultant hired by the county found that 84 percent of the delays had nothing to do with airspace redesign and 72 percent were caused by weather.

Though he said he realizes future capacity must be taken into consideration, Reilly also pointed out that the horizontal runways are so close together that they cannot be run at the same time.

Sestak said a public meeting on noise mitigation strategies will be held tentatively April 30 or May 1 at the Holiday Inn in Tinicum.

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