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Second
Lawsuit to be made. FAA refuses to comply with weight limit.
Did you know that DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) is the second
busiest airport in Georgia after Hartsfield-Jackson, and
it occupies an area in north DeKalb County larger than New
York’s LaGuardia Airport? We are very concerned about
the direct environmental, health, and financial impacts that
the continuing illegal expansion of oversized jet traffic
at PDK is having on more than 100,000 residents in nearby
areas of DeKalb and Fulton counties.
We know about these violations because Open DeKalb Inc.
recently won a major Open Records Law Suit against DeKalb
County and PDK Airport. Because of the lawsuit, the County
released flight records documenting that more than 200
oversized jet take-offs and landings per month are now
occurring at PDK Airport. These oversized jet operations
violate the contractual agreement DeKalb County made with
the FAA to abide by a 66,000 lb. weight/size limit on aircraft
using PDK. For related documents, see www.opendekalbinc.org.
Open DeKalb Inc. and other concerned citizens have repeatedly
called these violations to the attention of DeKalb County
and the FAA, but officials have refused to comply with
the weight limit. In fact, some government officials are
now even saying that the weight limit doesn’t exist!
Oversized jets flying at low altitudes over our homes,
schools, and businesses produce many noise, safety, and
environmental hazards. As just one example, jets produce
more than 14 toxic emissions, some carcinogenic, that remain
unregulated by the Federal government. For details, see
the NESCAUM
Report at www.pdkwatch.org. Such an environmental
burden over densely settled residential areas is, simply
put, unacceptable.
We have concluded that if we don’t take further
legal action now to require mandatory enforcement of the
County’s contractual weight limit at PDK Airport,
the number of such flights will increase, greatly threatening
our homes, neighborhoods, and overall quality of life.
We need your help NOW. This is a crucial stage in our
David vs. Goliath battle. We won before against great odds
and we must do so again. Your tax-deductible donation to
Open DeKalb, Inc. is essential to be able to undertake
the further legal action necessary to secure court-ordered
mandatory enforcement of the PDK weight/size limit to protect
our homes, neighborhoods, and communities.
If you would like additional information about Open DeKalb
and the weight limit issue, please call
me at 404-728-8908, or Larry Foster at 678-637-9227,
or e-mail us at questions@opendekalbinc.org.
Contributions
to Open DeKalb Inc. are tax-deductible and can
be made by U.S. mail to Open DeKalb Inc., P. O. Box 190895,
Atlanta, GA 31119, or click here
to make a contribution online .
Thank you for your support of this vital effort to protect
our neighborhoods from the threats caused by illegal oversized
jet traffic. We can’t do it without you!
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