The governor of New York has vetoed a bill that would have limited helicopter traffic at a busy westside heliport in New York City.
Records show Gov. Kathy Hochul struck down the so-called "Stop the Chop" bill, passed by state lawmakers following a rise in helicopter noise complaints in recent years. Noise complaints made jumped by nearly 700% between 2019 and 2021, according to Bloomberg.
State Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) sponsored the bill to ban nonessential flights from the West 30th Street heliport and allowed people to sue for excessive noise.
Hochul vetoed the bill Thursday, claiming the airspace is regulated by the federal government and not the state.
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"Certain elements of this legislation run counter to the federal scheme regulating New York's airports and airspace," the governor wrote to the state Senate.
Hoylman expressed his frustration with the governor's decision and said he would redouble his efforts in the coming legislative session by introducing legislation to close the heliport altogether at the Hudson River Park.
“I’m extremely disappointed by the Governor’s veto of our Stop the Chop Act, the first major state legislative effort to address the ill-effects of helicopters," Hoylman said in a statement. "The Governor has left us no choice."
