TESTIMONY
Jennifer Sun, Executive Vice President of Planning at the New York City Economic Development Corporation on Sustainable Transportation, Freight Distribution, and Quality of Life Improvements at City Heliports
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11 min
Jennifer Sun testifies about the NYC Economic Development Corporation's initiatives to transition the city's heliports to support electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and sustainable maritime freight distribution.
- NYC EDC is pursuing cleaner aviation technology like eVTOL aircraft as an alternative to traditional helicopters
- It is working to optimize waterfront assets like heliports for sustainable freight distribution via the city's waterways
- The Downtown Manhattan Heliport will aim to become the first heliport ready for eVTOL aircraft while incorporating maritime freight
- NYC EDC is leveraging concession agreements to incentivize industry adoption of cleaner and quieter technologies
- It is addressing community concerns over helicopter noise through flight caps, routing, and reduced tour hours
- The new Downtown Manhattan Heliport operator RFP requires eVTOL upgrades, micro-distribution, reduced tour hours, and emissions reporting
Jennifer Sun
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Good morning.
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Chair Farias, a member of the Economic Development Committee, name is Jennifer Sun, and I serve as the Executive Vice President of Planning for the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
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I'm joined by my colleagues, Raquel Agate, Senior Vice President in our Government And Community Relations department and Anton Fredericksen, Director of Aviation as well as Carlene McLaughlin and Mark Page from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
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We appreciate the opportunity to testify about our work to reimagine our teleports with a focus on sustainability and innovation.
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As you know, EDC is charged with creating a vibrant and inclusive and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers, which includes, but is not limited to promoting economic development and stewardship of the city's waterfront assets.
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As one part of EDC's waterfront management on behalf of the city, We are responsible for the management of both city owned teleports, the East 34th Street, Halleport, and the downtown Manhattan Hellam Pelliport, which we call DMH.
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At both heliports, EDC acts as a contract administrator for the concession agreements between the city and the teleport operators.
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Aligned with our commitment to combat climate change and reduce transportation emissions, We are actively pursuing initiatives to advance cleaner aviation technology and optimize sustainable freight distribution.
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For our aviation sector, this entails building the infrastructure to support electric alternatives to traditional helicopters.
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While for freight distribution, It involves transitioning goods from trucks to the city's waterways and sustainable microfreight.
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There is significant potential at our waterfront assets particularly the heliports to creatively address sustainability challenges, enhance efficiency, and promote economic growth.
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This past November, we announced our vision for a 1st of its kind hub for sustainable transportation and deliveries at DMH.
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In connection with this announcement, we piloted demonstration flights of multiple electric vehicle takeoff and landing EV toll aircraft in an urban environment, a world first.
0:11:06
As we looked the future of sustainable transportation and infrastructure.
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We are readding our heli ports for EV toll aircraft.
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Which have the benefit of being an efficient, sustainable and quieter alternative to traditional helicopters.
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Under this plan, DMH will aim to become the 1st teleport in the world with the infrastructure to support electric flight while also incorporating last mile maritime free distribution and delivering major quality of life improvements for New Yorkers.
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The innovation being introduced at DMH is emblematic of how EDC in the city are activating infrastructure assets to support our current and future transportation needs.
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Both DMH and the East 34th Street, teleports are ready critical NYC facilities used by a wide range of entities and for a broad array of purposes, including hospitals for organ transplants News outlets were reporting the New York City police and fire departments responding to emergency calls and other critical city operations as well as chartered private and tour flights.
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As the largest US city and the US capital international business, our city operated heliports are essential to maintaining corporate competitiveness, ensuring life sustaining and emergency operations and maintaining our tourism sector.
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The heliports are also significant drivers of economic activity providing a total economic impact of 78,000,000 in the city and employing approximately 175 workers.
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As we envision the future role of our health reports in supporting the city's goals, it remains crucial to uphold their essential economic and logistical functions.
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Both heliports within EDC's purview, the East 34th Street heliport and DMH are public use heliports.
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A federal aviation administration designation.
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That means a whole port is available for use by the general, public, without a requirement for prior approval of the owner or operator.
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Public use facilities operate as the refueling stations for helicopters traversing throughout the northeast and Tri State area.
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As public use facilities, we cannot turn a helicopter away.
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Including a helicopter that takes off outside New York City and wants to land at one of our heliports even if there is no prior approval.
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As you know, primary responsibility for the regulation of US Aviation And Air Transportation, including the establishment of a National Aviation Noise Policy, and ultimate oversight of local airport noise and access restrictions is vested in the FAA.
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As a result, the city and EDC have limited ability to regulate traffic, access, and noise in New York City airspace.
0:14:04
Where the city does have the ability to influence the industry is through our concession agreements with our operators where we can incentivize the industry rate to adopt cleaner and quieter technologies and promote diverse uses at the Heliport.
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At both Heliport's EDC as a contract administrator for the concession agreements between the city and the Heliport operators.
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Day to day manage of Helipore operations is handled by Atlantic Aviation at Eastern 34th Street and Saker Aviation Services at the DMH.
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The concession agreements set forth the terms and conditions under which each facility operates, including the hours of operation, maximum annual, flight volumes, insurance levels, and reporting requirements, including air quality monitoring and route compliance.
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The East 34th Street, Haleport serves a broad range of uses and is a base of operations for emergency services essential Oregon transport to nearby hospitals chartered in private flights, city operations, and media.
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The downtown Manhattan heliport by design is the only heliport that permits tour flights.
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It also serves chartered and private flights, NYP, and other emergency services.
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DMH is also the only teleport in York City that can accommodate presidential flights by Marine 1.
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And its supporting aircraft.
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While the teleports offer important services for city hospitals, businesses and emergency personnel, We recognize that community members have quality of life concerns regarding helicopter noise, and we are committed to leveraging our position in this space to address these concerns.
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We have and continue to work collaboratively with the FAA and industry to enjoy address noise challenges.
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As part of this collaboration, we have negotiated flight caps and established overwater tour routes with the FAA that fly at even higher altitudes than typically possible in a highly complex airspace like New York City to mitigate noise.
0:16:13
We have also worked in partnership with the council and key stakeholders to improve transparency and address community concerns.
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We take our asset management responsibility very seriously, and we are committed to working with the council to address noise impacts from helicopter operations and data reporting on helicopter flights.
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To this end, EDC monitors public complaints related to all helicopter flights over New York City, not just flights to and from the 2 EDC managed teleports.
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Under our process, after a number of a member of the public lodges a complaint through the city's 311 portal.
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This data is transmitted to EDC and the DMA operator for review.
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The 311 data undergoes 2 rounds of analysis.
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First, by our DMH operator, and then by an independent third party consultant with expertise in analyzing flight paths.
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Once both rounds of an as are complete, EDC compiles monthly reports that are transmitted to the city council, elected officials, and relevant community boards.
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We are committed to responding individually to each complaint received and welcome the opportunity to work with counsel on how best to present the data in our monthly reports.
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More recently, we have furthered our commitment to addressing quality of life concerns beyond Joyce's noise complaints the requirements and recommendations laid out in our ongoing procurement for a new DMH operating contract.
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The updated request for proposals or RFP we released in November 2023 explicitly seeks proposals for an operator to advance a transition to EV toll aircraft and operations, diversify revenue streams, and reduce helicopter to our operating hours.
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Moreover, a key requirement of the RFP is to create and operate a micro distribution center as part of the city's marine highway network that decreases the city's reliance on trucks.
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More specifically, the RFP requires upgrades to the DMH teleport to make it ready for EVTOL aircraft as soon as they are authorized for use by the FAA.
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And incentivize EV toll use when feasible.
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Reduction of tour hours by 30% with the new tour hours changing to 10 AM to 5 PM, as well as cutting Saturday operational hours, the construction and operation of a micro distribution facility.
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An operating plan and schedule for DMH to facilitate inbound freight deliveries by water.
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This will integrate DMH into the City's wider marine highway network, which will help push deliveries onto the waterways and reduce diesel truck trips.
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Getting polluting and traffic causing trucks off the roads and greeting the city.
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Improved data collection and reporting on all flight activity in addition to 311 complaints.
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Plans to further reduce takeoffs and landings of non EV tow tour and cop corporate and or personal chartered flights.
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Introduction of greenhouse gas emissions reporting MWBE participation goal of 30% for site development and construction work, and standing up a workforce training program that improves access to available career pathways in aviation, maritime, transportation, logistics, and other relevant sectors.
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We are currently evaluating the DMH submit the DMH RFP submissions and hope to select an operator for the Downtown Manhattan, California by this fall.
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We are very excited for the changes to come to DMH by incorporating significant steps to improve operations at the Heliport lessened activities related to noise complaints, and continued to improve low and 0 emission, energy efficient transportation beyond helicopters, we hope to support sustainable aviation and transportation operations citywide.
0:20:20
We're currently viewing all the bills that are being heard today with our colleagues at the law department and look forward to continuing to work with the council.
0:20:29
Including updating you on the DMH RFP and continuing to refine and improve our helicopter data reporting.
0:20:36
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today, and we are happy to answer any questions you may have.
0:20:42
Thank you.