Aldermen pressing for a
firm commitment from the city to reduce noise from jets at O'Hare
International Airport were told Friday by the outgoing aviation
commissioner that "airplanes do create noise."
Regarding the
record number of O'Hare noise complaints received from Chicago and
suburban residents over the past year, Chicago Aviation Commissioner
Rosemarie Andolino said: "I can't say that information (on noise
complaints) is going to change the result of anything. I can't say to
you that we are going to stop flying."
During hearing on the
Department of Aviation's 2015 budget, Andolino, who is set to leave her
post soon, offered no promises of noise abatement. Instead she stressed
the economic importance to the region of the almost $10 billion O'Hare
expansion project, and she pointed out that airplane noise is a national
issue.
Flight patterns at O'Hare shifted to mostly easterly and
westerly flows in October 2013 when a second new runway opened. The
change redirected jet noise, hitting communities east and west of the
airport with more noise while generally reducing the impact north and
south of the airfield.
Andolino rejected a proposal from Ald.
Margaret Laurino, 39th, that the city keep O'Hare's four diagonal
runways open to help spread out the noise from takeoffs and landings.
"The process doesn't allow for that," Andolino said, referring to a state law that limits O'Hare to eight total runways.
Under
the O'Hare Modernization Program, two diagonals will remain and they
will be used sparingly, primarily when strong crosswinds make the
planned six east-west runways unusable, according to the Federal
Aviation Administration.
Andolino said the city has asked the FAA
to expedite a national review of a rule that determines homeowners'
eligibility for government-funded residential soundproofing based on
24-hour jet noise averages.
The FAA study, which could lead to a lower noise threshold being established, is expected to take several more years.
The
FAA's NextGen air-traffic modernization program is aimed primarily at
improving safety and increasing capacity for more flights, Andolino
said, but NextGen will also help reduce noise.
"Technology is our friend," she told aldermen.
Amid
the noise-related questions, the overall tone of the hearing was mostly
a love fest praising Andolino, who has been aviation commissioner since
2009 and was director of O'Hare expansion starting in 2003.
Mayor
Rahm Emanuel said earlier that Andolino would step down in October, but
she has remained on the job and hasn't indicated when her last day
would be.
Emanuel asked former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to lead a nationwide search for Andolino's replacement.
At
Friday's hearing, Ald. Mary O'Connor, 41st, renewed her call for City
Council hearings on the noise impact of O'Hare's expansion. O'Connor and
Laurino first requested the hearings almost a year ago.
"The
parallel runways have greatly diminished the quality of life on the Far
Northwest Side," O'Connor said. "This is the new reality."
Andolino told aldermen that "unfortunately, we don't always have the answers that some community groups would like to see."
- Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com
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