TESTIMONY
Lacey Tauber, Representative from the Offices of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, on the Detrimental Effects of Non-Essential Helicopter Traffic in New York City
1:34:14
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3 min
Tauber testifies that non-essential helicopter flights in NYC generate excessive noise and air pollution that outweigh any convenience benefits.
- The noise levels from helicopters flying at standard altitudes are considered dangerous by the Hearing Health Foundation.
- Noise complaints related to helicopters have risen over 2000% in the last 5 years and doubled in the past year.
- The noise disrupts residents living along flight paths and diminishes enjoyment of parks like Riverside Park, Hudson River Park, Battery Park, and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
- Helicopter operations consume around 20 times more fuel per hour than the average car and are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
- The borough presidents support banning non-essential flights from city heliports until the helicopter industry can operate without disrupting residents' quality of life, posing public health threats, or generating emissions.
Lacey Tauber
1:34:14
Good afternoon, Sarah Farius, and members of the committee.
1:34:17
I'm here today on behalf of Brooklyn Bureau President Antonio Reynoso and Manhattan Bureau President Mark Levine to again express their commitment to ridding our city skies of non essential helicopter travel helicopters are simply not necessary for either tourism or commuting, and their outsized impacts on noise and air pollution far outweigh any entertainment or convenience they may provide.
1:34:38
Even according to the helicopter industry, the noise that they generate flying at 500 or even a 1000 feet over the city, as well within the range considered dangerous by the Hearing Health Foundation.
1:34:49
With thousands of nonessential helicopter trips around NYC every week, it's no wonder that noise complaints have written risen more than 2000% in the last 5 years, and we just heard doubled in the last year.
1:35:00
The noise is disruptive to residents who live along the flight pass.
1:35:04
Manhattan, Brooklyn's Waterfronts, North And Central, Brooklyn along the JFK routes, and the constant exposure can cause health impacts such as stress and anxiety, in addition to quality of life issues.
1:35:14
We appreciate the changes the city has already implemented on the tourism industry, such as reducing the number of tourist flights for stricting flight patterns over the waterways and exploring new technologies.
1:35:24
However, the presence of tourist helicopters along our water friends is extremely disruptive.
1:35:30
Among other issues, the noise negatively impacts the experience for residents and tourists enjoying relaxation in our city's open spaces, especially Riverside Park, Hudson River Park, Battery Park, and Brooklyn Bridge Park where the noise is constant.
1:35:44
The sorry.
1:35:47
New Yorkers have invested 1,000,000,000 of dollars into supporting and improving these parks only to have their enjoyment of them diminished.
1:35:53
Yet, noise pollution is not the only issue, so efforts to curb it only address part of the problem.
1:35:58
Commuter helicopters use approximately 20 times more fuel per hour than the average car depending on the model with thousands of non essential trips every day.
1:36:06
The industry is a major source of air pollution and runs counter to our city's stated goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
1:36:14
We're aware that the issue requires a regional solution.
1:36:17
The borough presidents have joined with their federal colleagues to call on the FAA.
1:36:22
To ban nonessential helicopter travel from NYC's Aerospace, and they support council member brewers resolution.
1:36:31
This would address the concerns that this would just push traffic to New Jersey.
1:36:37
So In the meantime, we must work with the tools at our disposal, both borough president support council member, Russell's intro, which would ban non essential helicopters operating at city hall of ports.
1:36:49
Notably, the concession license agreements that allow helicopter operators to use the city's heliports do not require a cause for termination.
1:36:56
Yet despite repeated calls for EDC to ban nonessential helicopter flights, they instead renewed their agreement with the downtown Manhattan operator last year.
1:37:04
So in conclusion, both borough presidents don't believe their constituents should have to suffer from noise or air pollution for another day just so tourists can view the city from above or commuters can pay exorbitant sums to get to the Hampton's faster until such time as the helicopter industry can sufficiently demonstrate that it can operate in a way that does not disrupt residents' quality of life, does not pose a threat to public health, and does not use fossil fuels that result in carbon emissions, Both were a president supported ban of nonessential flights from our city's hall of ports.
1:37:33
Thank you so much, and thank you for the grace with time.