Governor, Congressman Want More Info About Process

The GAO, a government watchdog, will study the Federal Aviation Administration's airspace redesign that has triggered legal challenges from lower Fairfield County municipalities.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell and U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, applauded the Government Accountability Office, which said it would analyze the FAA's methodology as well as the noise and environmental effects of the redesign plan, according to the Stamford Advocate.

"Our fight is about many things, but chief among them is the process itself," Rell said in a statement yesterday.

"The FAA failed to even consider or analyze the impact of increased noise on residents and state parks before moving forward with new flight paths."

Shays said more research is needed on the FAA plan before a final decision is made.

"The bottom line is the FAA redesign merits much more scrutiny and I'm glad the GAO is moving forward with this study," Shays said in a statement. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Rell announced last week they had filed suit, on behalf of the state Department of Environmental Protection, to stop the FAA's plan, claiming the agency violated the National Environmental Policy Act.

A suit was also previously filed by the Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning, which includes Stamford, Norwalk, Greenwich, New Canaan, Wilton, Darien, Westport, Weston, Ridgefield and Pound Ridge, N.Y., ANN reported.

The Greenwich Board of Selectmen agreed to commit $34,100 to the group's lobbying effort. The town already had agreed to contribute $30,000 to help pay legal fees.

The FAA approved its plan in September after holding scoping meetings, and a hearing neighborhood concerns in lower Fairfield County.

A controversial part of the plan that is opposed by residents is a plan to shift arrivals for LaGuardia Airport east over Fairfield County, from Westchester County, N.Y. A Stamford study said the plans could increase noise, on average, to 38 to 40 decibels, up from 32 to 33 decibels, as reported in ANN previously.

The redesign plan hopes to save 200,000 hours of delays per year at Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty and Philadelphia airports starting in 2011, according to the FAA.

FMI: www.faa.gov