BILL NUMBER:  S6614

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to direct the department of environmental
conservation, with the assistance of the department of transportation,
to conduct a study on the environmental and human health impacts of
John F. Kennedy international airport and LaGuardia airport

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

To require the Departments of Environmental Conservation and
Transportation to conduct a study describing the environmental, noise,
and human health impacts caused by runways, including new runways, and
air traffic at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia
Airport.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Section 1 of the bill directs the Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC), with the assistance of the Department of
Transportation, to conduct a study describing the environmental,
noise, and human health impacts caused by runways, including new
runways, and air traffic at John F. Kennedy International Airport and
LaGuardia Airport. The bill mandates the monitoring of noise levels
experienced in 2018 and 2019 and that particular attention be paid to
the impact of pollution and emissions on the life, health, and
property values of residents living adjacent to flight paths at such
              

airports. DEC is required to reports its findings to the Governor and
Legislature by October 31, 2019.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

Communities in Nassau and Suffolk counties and parts of New York City
are experiencing a declining quality of life due to noise pollution,
environmental impacts, and other possible ill effects from air traffic
patterns around JFK and LaGuardia airports. Noise complaints in
affected neighborhoods have skyrocketed as a result of changing air
traffic patterns and too many planes flying on low approaches to these
airports. This has led to a near-constant and deafening noise level
that studies have shown is frequently above the day-night average
noise level (DNL) of 65 decibels (dB), which is considered a
significant aviation noise threshold. This bill will mandate that New
York State study the environmental and health effects of flight
patterns associated with the use of certain runways, particularly at
night, at these airports.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

2017: Assembly Bill A8283 Curran

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS :

There could be some financial cost to the agencies tasked with
conducting these studies.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
Immediately.