2010 N.O.I.S.E. Legislative Priorities

1.      Establish New Noise Metrics

The current method of measuring the impacts of aviation noise on individuals and communities (Day-Night Sound Levels, DNL) is woefully inadequate. N.O.I.S.E supports a national initiative to study, define and establish new Noise Metrics meant to quantify the impact of a noise emission on the health and welfare of the general public.

2.      Federal Studies on Noise and Emissions

N.O.I.S.E supports the inclusion in Sec. 512 of HR 915, which authorizes a Study on the federal responsibility for aircraft noise and emissions standards.

3.   AIRCRAFT DEPARTURE QUEUE MANAGEMENT PILOT PROGRAM

      N.O.I.S.E supports the inclusion of the aircraft departure queue management pilot program. This Program Authorizes the FAA to establish a pilot program at five public-use airports to design, develop, and test new air traffic flow management technologies to better manage the flow of aircraft on the ground and reduce ground holds and idling times for aircraft.

      In selecting from among airports at which to conduct the pilot program, priority consideration shall be given to airports at which improvements in ground control efficiencies are likely to achieve the greatest fuel savings or air quality or other environmental benefits, as measured by the amount of reduced fuel, reduced emissions, or other environmental benefits per dollar of funds expended under the pilot program.

      (Section 510, of H.R. 915) 

4.     Support general conformity rules in Clean Air Act

        N.O.I.S.E urges the FAA and EPA to resist changing the “General Conformity” provisions of the Clean Air Act and opposes allowing a facility-wide emission budget whereby airports would establish their own level of emissions without having to perform additional analysis, exempting short-term construction projects from analysis under the “General Conformity” regulations, omitting analysis of ultra fine particles (PM 1.0 and below), and allowing states to establish lists of actions “presumed to conform” with the Clean Air Act, thus allowing project sponsors to avoid compliance.  

5.     Allow Sec. 189 to Expire and Allow Mitigation Beyond 65 DNL

This legislative priority was included in the House-passed version of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill (H.R. 915)

NOISE urges Congress to allow section 189 of Vision 100 (65 DNL restriction) to expire with the current FAA Authorization.  This provision interferes with several carefully negotiated mitigation plans between communities and local airports and also eliminates the prospect of mitigation beyond the 65 DNL for other communities.  NOISE believes that a nation-wide mandate is counterproductive and that the specifics of mitigation plans should be determined by local jurisdictions, taking into account the unique circumstances of each community. 

6.   Full Funding For The Airport Improvement Program

The House-passed FAA bill provides full funding for the Airport Improvement Program

NOISE urges Congress to reject Administration proposals to slash authorized funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and noise mitigation programs in the FAA “NextGen” reauthorization package.  NOISE supports authorization of AIP at levels comparable to funding provided through Vision 100, including similar scheduled increases.  NOISE opposes reduction of noise mitigation funding in the AIP by diverting funds that would otherwise go to noise mitigation to other priorities.  NOISE strenuously opposes any formula for AIP funding that result in a decrease of noise mitigation funding.  Additionally, Congress should strengthen points of order and budget protections that would make it difficult for appropriators to fund AIP below the authorized amount.

7.   Inject Additional AIP Funding in the Economy

      Create Construction Jobs: Depending on the timeframe, airports could commence work on important safety, security, and capacity projects, which are needed to meet the future aviation system for the country creating numerous construction jobs.

8.   Close The Small Aircraft Loophole

         Sec. 508 prohibits of House-passed bill (H.R. 915) prohibits planes weighing less than 75,000 pounds after December 31, 2013 from flying unless they meet stringent stage 3 noise level requirements. 

         NOISE supports legislation to address a loophole in federal aircraft noise requirements and prohibit the operation of all Stage 2 aircraft – regardless of size.  The exclusion in current law allows operation of Stage 2 aircraft weighing less than 75,000 pounds.  NOISE supports legislation introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ) to allow operation of stage 2 aircraft for only limited purposes, including: sale outside the United States, scraping the aircraft, or the modifications to stage 3 standards.

 9.   Extension of Section 160 Compatible Land Use Program

House passed bill (HR 915), section 148 extends of grant authority for compatible land use planning and projects by State and local governments. 

NOISE supports the extension of authorization for Vision 100 Section 160 as proposed by the FAA (NextGen section 315.)  Section 160 authorized the FAA to make Airport Improvement Program grants to states and units of local government with a goal of reducing incompatible land use around large and medium-sized airports.   

10. CLEEN Research Consortium

The House-passed bill (HR 915) establishes the CLEEN Research Consortium  

NOISE supports the FAA proposal for development of the Continuous Low Emissions, Energy and Noise (CLEEN) Research Consortium (NextGen section 606.)  The proposal would establish a world-class consortium, via cooperative agreement with the Center of Excellence, for development, maturing, & certification of lower energy, emissions, noise engine & airframe technology over 10 years.  CLEEN would have performance objectives for the reduction of environmental impact including noise, fuel efficiency and alternative fuel use, and emissions.   

11.    NASA Aeronautics Research Programs

NOISE opposes proposals to slash funding for Aeronautics Research Directorate programs within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) which would seriously limit the ability to accomplish their mission.  The division is charged by Congress with: “developing, and demonstrating in a relevant environment, technologies to enable ... commercial aircraft [with] performance characteristics [including] noise levels on takeoff and on airport approach and landing that do not exceed ambient noise levels in the absence of flight operations in the vicinity of airports from which such commercial aircraft would normally operate.”  The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is critical to the development of new aircraft technologies and has historically produced important advances and improvements in environmental impacts, performance, efficiency, and safety of engines, airframes, and other aspects of aircraft construction.

12.    Make ACRP Permanent

House passed bill (HR 915) makes the Airport Cooperative Research Program permanent.

NOISE supports the FAA proposal to make the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) permanent (NextGen sections 601 and 102.)  Past legislation (HR 1356) proposed to add $5 million a year from AIP for environmental research for airport surroundings, including reduction of community exposure to noise, aviation emissions, and other pollution sources.  The ACRP has been critical in supporting independent and academic research and development of airport operations recommendations and procedures.

13. The “Hushkits” Issue And The Move To Stage 4 Standards

NOISE supports accelerating the replacement of the noisiest Stage 3 aircraft with new Stage 4 rated models, beginning with Stage 2 aircraft equipped with “hushkits” to meet Stage 3 standards.  NOISE will continue to support stronger noise standards through participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
 

14. Develop A Low Frequency Noise Standard

NOISE encourages the FAA to develop standards for low frequency noise mitigation and to examine the impact of low frequency noise on a given locality, recognizing that the issue of low frequency noise is increasingly of concern in residential neighborhoods near the nation’s airports.

Community Issues
 

1.   Airport Planning Organizations / Community Involvement

      NOISE supports the passage of legislation requiring that, as a requirement of eligibility for federal funding of runway expansion or construction, an airport operator must obtain approval of the proposed project from an Airport Planning Organization.  The majority membership of this organization must consist of representatives of communities affected by the noise and other environmental consequences generated by air traffic at the airport.
 

2.   Capacity / Environmental Streamlining

As congested airports exercise the ability to expedite the environmental review process for increasing airport capacity, NOISE supports a reasonable, community-sensitive approach that does not sacrifice local input or a sound review of environmental consequences (including noise) of proposed increases in airport capacity.   

3.   Environmental Justice Study

      NOISE requests an environmental justice study that surveys aviation noise near our nation’s airports and considers whether it creates a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable in our society.

4.   Community Right-To-Know

NOISE calls on Congress to require that airports produce annual retrospective noise exposure contours, based on actual fleet and runway use, flight path, and other operational information, displaying the locations of aircraft noise exposure contours greater than 55 dB DNL.  These reports should compare actual noise exposure levels to predictions included in Part 150 or other studies and should be made easily accessible by the public.

Transportation / Airport Planning

1.   Regional Perspective In Airport Development

NOISE urges Congress to require Master Plan or Part 150 studies to consider other airports in the region when examining alternatives for airport construction or expansion.  This should include alternatives for load-balancing traffic and passenger levels amongst regional airports. 

2.   Community Involvement In Airspace And Traffic Redesign

NOISE urges Congress and the FAA to ensure that local communities are included as active and substantive partners when considering the redesign of airspace and airport traffic patterns.

Federal Policy Issues

1.   Enhance Mitigation Policies

NOISE supports setting 60 DNL as the minimum for the threshold of community compatibility.

NOISE opposes the categorical exclusion from environmental review of air traffic control procedures that occur above 3,000 feet (FAA Order 1050.1D), and supports raising the 3,000 foot exemption to 10,000 feet. 

2.   Environmental Assessment Projects

NOISE supports the continued study of noise contour projects, and supports the extension of Environmental Assessment projects out to the 55 DNL contour.  Further, Environmental Assessments should be conducted for all changes in nighttime procedures. 

3.   Full Disclosure

NOISE calls on Congress to require that Part 150 and Master Plan studies should include full disclosure and documentation of lobbying efforts for recommended development alternatives. 

Operator Issues

1.   Allow Operator Control Over Volume Of Takeoffs/Landings

NOISE supports legislation to give local operators the power to refuse to schedule a volume of flights that are well beyond its capacity.  

2.   Avoid Federal Circumvention Of Local Concerns

NOISE strongly opposes federal legislation mandating capacity expansion of any individual airport.  Such an unprecedented intrusion of the federal government in local transportation decisions is worrisome for many reasons, including calls for expedited environmental reviews and lack of sufficient guarantee that local communities will have a voice in deciding noise mitigation strategies.           

3.    Development of Environmental Mitigation Demonstration Pilot Programs

NOISE supports the development of Environmental Mitigation Demonstration (EMD) Pilot Programs as proposed by the FAA (NextGen section 604.)  EMD projects would demonstrate at public-use airports the practical benefits of promising research to reduce impacts on noise, air or water quality in the airport environment, with significant support from the AIP noise / environmental set-aside.  The benefit of the initial six pilot projects would extend beyond the individual airport, as the FAA would identify and disseminate best practice information based on project results. 

4.   Broaden Scope for AIP Funding Eligibility

NOISE supports making special studies or reviews eligible for AIP funding as proposed by the FAA (NextGen section 603.)  Past legislation (H.R. 1356) proposed to broaden current authority for the FAA and airport sponsors to enter into voluntary reimbursable agreements that are eligible for AIP assistance, including environmental reviews for airport development, environmental mitigation in an airport EIS, and part 150 approved mitigation programs. 

Technology and Operations Issues

1.   Commercial Supersonic/Hypersonic Aircraft

As aviation industry and research sectors seek the development of commercial supersonic and hypersonic aircraft, NOISE urges the FAA and Congress to ensure that these aircraft do not have a larger noise impact than other contemporary new production aircraft. 

2.   “Green Engine” Development

NOISE supports Congressman James Oberstar in his call for an “Apollo-like investment” by the United States and Europe to develop a new jet “green engine” within ten years that is thirty to forty decibels quieter than current jet engine levels. 

3.   Rotorcraft Noise Studies

NOISE supports study of the effects of non-military helicopter noise on individuals and development of recommendations for noise reductions related to rotorcraft traffic. 

4.   AIP Support for Environmental Review of Flight Procedures

NOISE supports making assessment of flight procedures eligible for AIP funding as proposed by the FAA (NextGen section 605.)  The house passed bill (H.R. 915) would allow AIP assistance for environmental review of implementation of noise abatement flight procedures approved in airport noise compatibility programs (Part 150).  This provision would help to bring new noise abatement flight procedures, including continuous descent approach, on line faster by using the same AIP-eligibility for environmental review as provided to FAA Airports Program.  Operational procedures offer the most promise for swift noise reduction, prior to introduction of new technologies.