Kelly, Gallego Press FAA on Flawed Phoenix Flight Path Plan

Read in ABC15: Arizona senators join the FAA flight path fight

Senators warn proposed changes would expose tens of thousands of additional Phoenix-area residents to additional noise pollution, break past commitments to communities, and repeat mistakes of a decade-long legal battle with the City of Phoenix

Today, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) raised serious concerns with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s proposed Phoenix Area Modernization Project and Draft Environmental Assessment. In a letter to Administrator Bryan Bedford, the senators urged the FAA to publish a revised assessment that addresses issues identified by impacted communities.

The proposed project would update flight procedures for ten Valley airports, including Phoenix Sky Harbor and Mesa Gateway. If implemented, the proposed flight-path changes would expose more than 86,000 additional people in the Phoenix area to reportable noise increases, with over 65,000 residents facing increases of 5 decibels or more, despite less disruptive alternatives being available. The City of Phoenix, the City of Mesa, the Mesa Gateway Airport Authority, and countless community stakeholders have reached out directly to share concerns directly with the FAA.

"While we share the goals of ensuring a safe and efficient airspace in the Phoenix area, we are concerned that the FAA's proposed flight procedure changes will have significant adverse effects for neighborhoods, communities, and airports across the Phoenix area," the senators wrote.

The senators pointed to a nearly decade-long legal fight sparked by similar FAA flight path changes in 2014, which ultimately required the agency to redesign westbound flight paths out of Sky Harbor and eroded community trust in the process.

"Regrettably, rather than learn the lessons from this experience, the FAA's proposed Phoenix Area Modernization Project fails to address long-standing concerns raised by key regional stakeholders, ignores requirements of the 2017 Court of Appeals ruling in Phoenix v. Huerta, and exposes an additional 86,384 people in North Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Chandler to new and unnecessary noise pollution," the senators continued.

"We urge the FAA to go further and commit to making meaningful changes to the Phoenix Area Modernization Project to address the serious concerns raised by impacted communities prior to finalizing or implementing any new air traffic procedures," the senators concluded.

Click here to read the full text of the letter.