Suffolk Assemblymen urge FAA and USDOT to keep consolidated air-traffic-control facility on Long Island
 
(Long Island, NY) Assemblymen Dean Murray (R,C-East Patchogue) and Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I,D,WF-Sag Harbor) are spearheading an effort to retain thousands of Long Island jobs by keeping the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) proposed integrated control facility on Long Island. Under the FAA’s plan, facilities in Westbury and Ronkonkoma would be closed and replaced by a new building in an as-yet-undetermined location.
 
Murray and Thiele sent a joint letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta advocating strongly for the new facility to remain on Long Island, both to maintain jobs for current staff and employ thousands more during the proposed building’s construction. The letter was signed by members of the Nassau – Suffolk County Delegation of the Assembly.
 
“The facility proposed by the FAA will save money, create jobs and reinforce our state’s transportation infrastructure. Its home should be right here on Long Island,” said Murray. “Locating it here will not only energize our region’s economy and local construction industry by creating over 1,000 new jobs, but it will save the FAA money as well.
 
Assemblyman Fred Thiele stated, “With the federal decision to construct a new ‘state of the art’ integrated control facility to replace existing facilities at Westbury and Ronkonkoma, it is imperative that this new facility be located on Long Island. Not only is it critical for the Long Island economy, it is in the best interests of the country. For Long Island, the facility means the retention of over 950 high paying jobs, most paying more than $100,000 annually and over 1,000 new construction jobs. For the nation, the FAA can provide the same high level of safety and security for our region’s air traffic, without the additional relocation costs that would be necessary to move the facility off the Island.”  
 
“With two facilities closing their doors in favor of the new plan, there will be an abundance of highly skilled FAA employees already living on Long Island. By constructing the proposed integrated control facility here, we can retain these jobs and save the FAA the money needed to retrain and relocate staff,” Murray added.  “Constructing the integrated control facility on Long Island is a must for our communities. Together with Assemblyman Thiele, we are going to work to keep this facility in Long Island and offer our full support and resources to assist in any way possible to accomplish this goal.”