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TIMESLEDGER | 2 QNS.COM | FEB. 21-27, 2020
BY JENNA BAGCAL
As the 50th anniversary
of the first Earth Day approaches,
a Queens lawmaker
is bringing increased
awareness to environmental
issues.
Senator John Liu announced
the start of the New
York State Senate’s Earth
Day Poster Celebration, open
to children in kindergarten
through sixth grade. The
posters will be displayed online
and should reflect the
celebration’s theme of “Reduce,
reuse, recycle.”
“It is important to enhance
environmental literacy
of elementary school students,”
said Liu. “The Earth
Day program will be an effective
way to educate the
young generation about the
importance of protecting the
environment. I hope many
children in my district participate
in this program and
show their creativity.”
The statewide event encourages
children to be creative
but also to convey a deep
commitment to making the
environment a better place.
Through this project, others
will see the importance
of recycling, pushing them
to imagine new solutions for
solid waste reduction.
Former Wisconsin Senator
Gaylord Nelson came up with
the idea for the first Earth
Day following a massive oil
spill in Santa Barbara, California
in 1969. On April 20,
1970, 20 million Americans
participated in coast-to-coast
rallies to demonstrate for a
healthy, sustainable environment.
Since its inception 50 years
ago, Americans have commemorated
the day by helping
to improve air quality,
drinking water and animal
protections. The government
has passed landmark legislation
to support these efforts
including the Clear Air Act,
the Clean Water Act and the
Endangered Species Act.
For its part, New York
State has passed the bottle
bill and promoted green
energy in a continuing effort
to make a difference in
the environment. The bottle
bill, otherwise known as
the Returnable Container
Act, has reduced roadside
container litter by 70 percent
and helped to recycle
5.1 billion plastic, glass
and aluminum beverage
containers in 2016.
Schools interested in participating
must submit all entries
by April 20, 2020. Click
here for instructions on how
to enter.
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal
by e-mail at jbagcal@qns.
com or by phone at (718) 260-
2583.
BY JENNA BAGCAL
For years, Queens residents
living near LaGuardia
and JFK airports have been
subjected to excessive airplane
noise. But recently, Congresswoman
Grace Meng introduced
legislation to continue
the effort to reduce noise levels
in these areas.
Meng’s legislation would
aid residential areas by requiring
that the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) lower
the standard in which it determines
acceptable noise levels,
also known as Day-Night Average
Sound Level (DNL).
DNL is the average noise
level over a 24-hour period
with an applied penalty of
10 decibels when measuring
noise level between 10 p.m. and
7 a.m. Currently, the DNL is 65
and the law would require the
FAA to bring it down to 60 and
develop a plan to bring it down
to 55 within 10 years.
The DNL standard has been
at the same level since 1970s
when the country had a lower
air traffic volume than it does
today. The measuring system
was the result of a transportation
noise survey, after which
the FAA established a DNL of
65.
Lowering the DNL would
mitigate excessive airplane
noise that has plagued Queens
and other communities around
the country. The law would
also allow more residents to
qualify for federal sound insulation
programs, which would
reduce noise pollution in their
homes.
“Queens residents need relief
from the blistering sounds
of airplane noise over our borough,
and lowering the DNL
would help combat the problem,”
said Meng, a founder and
former co-chair of the Congressional
Quiet Skies Caucus.
“It is unacceptable that excessive
noise continues to affect
quality of life in our communities.
I urge all of my colleagues
to support this legislation so
that we can alleviate the impact
that aircraft noise has
on my constituents, and those
impacted in other parts of the
country. We deserve relief!”
The FAA is currently working
to evaluate alternative
sound measuring metrics to
the DNL following a provision
that Meng helped pass into law.
Her measure would require
the agency to inform affected
communities of these alternative
methods once its study is
complete.
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal
by e-mail at jbagcal@qns.
com or by phone at (718) 260-
2583.
Senator John Liu Courtesy of Liu’s offi ce
Liu announces poster
celebration ahead of
Earth Day anniversary
Proposed legislation would lower
the FAA standard of measuring
acceptable airplane noise levels
I urge all of my colleagues
to support this legislation
so that we can alleviate the
impact that aircraft noise
has on my constituents, and
those impacted in other
parts of the country. We
deserve relief!
Grace Meng
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