Story ID: 
East Hampton Delays Restriction Enforcement
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The Long Island town agreed to wait on enforcing curfew and noise penalties, as a federal court judge ponders a petition for a temporary restraining order.
Word Count: 191
The town of East Hampton on New York’s Long Island will delay enforcement of noise and access restrictions at its airport for at least three more weeks. The announcement came at a U.S. District Court hearing on Monday in response to a temporary restraining order (TRO) request filed by Friends of the East Hampton Airport and other parties, NBAA among them, that have challenged the legality of the restrictions; they include a mandatory nighttime curfew, an extended curfew on “noisy” aircraft and a limit on their use of one trip a week during the summer.

At issue is whether federal aviation grant assurances received by the town remain in force and whether the town has the authority to limit airport operations. The town believes the assurances expired on December 31 last year, citing a waiver it received from the FAA. Aviation industry groups maintain that agreement was illegal and the restrictions remain in place through 2021. An attorney for the FAA also agreed that a TRO is necessary to give the agency time to study the issues. An opinion on the TRO request is expected by June 8.