Governor Vetoes Helicopter Noise Bill as Complaints Rise “Exponentially”

By on December 16, 2022 3:40 pm in Environment, Government, Health, News, Noise
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Please click on “Read full story” below and scroll down for an important update.

Gothamist reports — and thanks to reader Andrew Porter for alerting us to this — that Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would have banned all “non-essential” helicopter flights from the heliport located in a state park on the west side of Manhattan. She justified the veto on the premise that control of the use of airspace is exclusively within federal, not state, jurisdiction. This comes as Bloomberg reports that helicopter noise complaints “are up exponentially, from 3,332 in 2019 to 25,916 last year, according to city 311 call center data compiled by Bloomberg.”

The organization Stop the Chop NY/NJ remains committed to seeking a solution to the helicopter noise problem through whatever governmental or legal means may be available.

Update:State Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon gives us a link to a National Park Service document concerning a proposed “air tour voluntary agreement” that would govern air tours, by helicopter or otherwise. over the Statue of Liberty and Governors Island national monuments, specifying “where tours can fly, altitudes, flight direction, and reporting requirements.” The document linked above has further links to the proposed agreement and other information, and a link to submit comments. The deadline for comments is 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on December 30, 2022. Comments will only be accepted if submitted through the NPS website.

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  • Just Saying

    Let’s not forget she like to fly to manhattan using that heliport. No self-interest at all.

  • http://www.stopthechopnynj.org StopTheChop

    Dear Brooklyn Heights blog,
    The version of the Stop the Chop bill vetoed by the Governor was not a bill to ban nonessential helicopters from West 30th Street Heliport. It was a bill amending the General Obligation Law to allow New Yorkers and the New York Attorney General to Sue sightseeing helicopter companies not based at NYC heliports. This novel, nuisance cause of action for aircraft noise was vetoed as being in violation of the 1990 federal law ANCA, FAA regulations and case law generally stating that aircraft noise regulation is under the federal government’s jurisdiction.

    The “summary” of the bill was never edited to reflect the version of the bill on the Governor’s desk. For any questions, see http://www.stopthechopnynj.org and email us via our website.