There is extremely disappointing news to report with respect to aircraft noise and pollution control.
As a result of failed legal attempts to maintain our locally owned airport as a private, prior permission required (PPR) facility, the Town of East Hampton formally filed with the FAA to convert to a public use airport and all that brings. The courts rejected the Town’s strategy to convert our airport from public to a private, prior-permission-required facility, in order to control aircraft operations, impose a reasonable curfew, limit numbers and concentrations of flights and regulate the noisiest aircraft. In an attempt to avoid another contempt of court order from a noticeably biased bench, with no real support from the Federal Aviation Administration, with which the Town partnered to legally and properly make this necessary transition for the sake of the entire East End, the Town determined this the safest protocol.
As a practical matter, filing Form 7480-1, has no real impact on the day-to-day operations, except that the airport will now be listed on the Notice to Airmen or NOTAMS as a public use airport, where before it was PPR. The NOTAMS serves as a guide to pilots nationwide about what kind of flight activity is available or acceptable at which airports.
A press release issued by the Town in February indicates they are trying to settle litigation with aviation interests that has been ongoing for nearly a decade in several arenas. While defending this litigation is funded by lucrative revenue streams from airport users themselves in the form of landing fees, tenant leasing for hangars and fuel flowage surcharge – not by the taxpayers, as is often wrongly claimed by airport supporters often in full-page ads in the East Hampton Star – the recent court decisions have made going forward with some of these lawsuits impractical, in the opinion of the current East Hampton Town Board.
Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez commented in the February press release: “The town continues to assess all available options with respect to the airport and is exploring options for a settlement agreement to resolve the ongoing litigation in a manner that provides reasonable access for aviation users while also providing relief to East Hampton residents.”
Alarmed by this disclosure, local aircraft noise reduction advocates and environmentalists concerned about jet fuel leaking into our sole source aquifer, directly beneath the airport grounds, are deeply concerned that the Town is abandoning its most important leverage – closing the airport. This could have been legally done at any time. This community of advocates for a regulated airport is concerned that the Town is voluntarily weakening its bargaining position.
In reaction to this adverse development, the noise affected should make their feelings known directly to members of the East Hampton Town Board. In addition, those affected by aircraft noise and gas emissions are reminded to continue to log their complaints at: Airport or New-Mobile-App-to-File-Complaints or call: 1-800-376-4817.