Somebody emailed me this article today. I'm not sure which news outlet wrote it.
DiGAETANO, RANDALL CALL FOR IMMEDIATE CLOSURE OF TETERBORO AIRPORT
BAN ON NON-ESSENTIAL TRAFFIC SOUGHT
Convenience For The Rich Is Costing Lives
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February 2, 2005
(Bergen County, NJ) New Jersey Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano (R-Bergen/Passaic)and Bergen County Freeholder Elizabeth “Lisa” Randall are calling on all local elected officials and Gov. Dick Codey to demand that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey close Teterboro Airport to non essential traffic, following the devastating crash earlier today
Randall said Teterboro has been “an accident waiting to happen” for too long and that it’s time a “remove this menace from our community before more people are hurt and killed.”
The two Republicans are calling for an immediate ban on non-essential, non-government flights to Teterboro. The ban will give federal officials time to study the latest crash and to ensure that all safety measures are being followed to prevent future tragedies.
Randall said she would like to see the airport closed, but said federal aviation officials have been opposed to that idea for many years and admits permanently closing the airport would be difficult.
“Teterboro Airport is little more than a convenience for the wealthy corporate elite and celebrities who can’t be bothered going to Newark Airport. But people shouldn’t have to die so the rich and famous aren’t inconvenienced,” said Randall.
DiGaetano noted that today’s plane crashed in to a building just a few yards away from the county vocational high school. “Today's crash could have been a tragedy, many children could have been lost had this accident occurred just a few hours and a few feet from when and where it did” said DiGaetano. "We must ensure that the airport and those who use it are following safety procedures before Teterboro is reopened to anything other than essential traffic."
“The men and women from our emergency management services who responded should be commended for their dedicated work,” added the assemblyman.
“But the fact is that brave public servants cannot prevent tragedies. Only the governor and policy makers at the Port Authority can demand that a through review is completed before the airport is reopened,” added DiGaetano.
Randall said that Teterboro has become a political public relations opportunity for too long with too little being done to protect Bergen residents from the noise and pollutions caused by the airport.
“I am amazed to see many public officials today are busy slapping themselves on the back for their small role in stopping bigger jets from landing at Teterboro. But that’s not the issue we are facing today. It was not a 737 jet that crashed today; it was a smaller jet. So the real question is why is this airport allowed to operate at all in the most densely populated county in the state?”