8 The Courier sun • JUly 23, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com CONGRESSIONAL QUIET SKIES CAUCUS LOOKING FOR AIRPLANE NOISE MITIGATION BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com/@A_GiudiceReport Several local Congress members are continuing their fight to keep the skies over Queens — and communities across the country — quiet. The Quiet Skies Caucus, whose membership includes Congresswoman Grace Meng and Congressman Joseph Crowley, as well as representatives from several different states, sent a letter to Bill Shuster, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (HTIC) chairman, and Peter DeFazio, HTIC ranking member, with a list of recommendations they would like to see added to the 2015 Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act. This act would help address the harmful impacts of aircraft noise over Queens, Long Island and many other communities across the country. The first recommendation is to mandate a robust community engagement process, including predecisional public hearings, for new flight paths or procedures or changes to existing flight paths and procedures. “Meaningful, two-way communication with our communities is vital to ensuring that the concerns of residents are heard and incorporated into the final design of new airspace,” the letter stated. The Quiet Skies Caucus hopes to require the FAA to use supplemental noise metrics when considering the impact of aviation noise on affected communities and lower the acceptable noise threshold for affected homes and businesses. “The FAA should lower the current threshold from 65 to 55 DNL Day-Night Average Sound Level to reflect the fact that this standard, first established in the 1970s, is arbitrary and does not align with current health research and the lived experience of families in our congressional districts,” the caucus wrote. “My district in Queens — and many other communities across the country — continue to suffer from the blistering sounds of airplanes, and that excessive noise is negatively impacting the quality of life in the neighborhoods we represent,” Meng said. “Many of the recommendations we outline in our request are measures that I‘ve pushed for since I was elected to Congress, and incorporating our suggestions into this broad FAA bill would be the most effective legislative vehicle to address the problem of aircraft noise. Relief can’t come soon enough for those affected by the barrage of airplanes. I respectfully ask the committee to include our recommendations in the bill.” A third recommendation made is to clarify that airport operators are legally allowed to implement — and should strongly consider — noise mitigation options in communities experiencing aircraft noise levels below the current noise threshold. The Quiet Skies Caucus is looking to have their recommendations added to the 2015 Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act to address the harmful impacts of aircraft noise over Queens communities. They also hope to reform Section 213(c)(2) of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which allows FAA to short-circuit the environmental review process when implementing new flight paths and to mandate independent research on the health impacts of aviation noise. “For too long, the deafening roar of aircraft noise has burdened the communities that surround our airports — posing health risks, disrupting student learning and deteriorating their quality of life,” said Crowley. “Our airports can never be perfect neighbors, but we can take steps to make them better ones. Engaging our community, adequately studying the impact of aircraft noise, and implementing mitigation measures for affected residents are key steps in this process, and I’m proud to join my fellow caucus members in calling for these recommendations as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act.” Jamaica getting its first Starbucks BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@queenscourier.com/@AngelaMatua Jamaica residents looking to get their coffee fix will have a new option come 2016, as Starbucks opens its first store in the area. The chain’s Jamaica store will be located at 89-02 Sutphin Blvd. and seeks to hire “opportunity youth,” people between the ages of 16 and 24 “who face systemic barriers to meaningful jobs,” according to the company. The new location is a part of Starbucks’ 100,000 Opportunities Initiative and its goal is to hire 100,000 opportunity youth by 2018. The Jamaica store is one of five locations slated to open by 2016, with other locations across the country. Starbucks will hire 20 to 25 employees from the local community and also plans to work with local women- and minority-owned contractors and businesses to design and develop the store. An on-site training space will also be created to teach employees customer service and retail skills. “We have a long history of developing stores in diverse neighborhoods and we hope to do even more — together with the community — to bring great jobs, engage young people, and drive economic opportunity for all,” said Blair Taylor, chief community officer for Starbucks and chair of the Starbucks Foundation. “We want to be part of the solution in these communities and help create a sustainable future for those who may be looking for a second chance.” Photo via Flickr/Ivana Di Carlo The first Starbucks in Jamaica is slated to open in 2016, as part of the coffee chain’s 100,000 Opportunities Initiative.
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