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NOISE Aviation Community Empowerment / Policy Summit Press Release

NOISE Policy Summit briefs community leaders and workshop participants on the importance of aviation-noise research, sound insulation and technological developments

Phoenix, AZ – (November 10, 2011) The National Organization to Insure a Sound-controlled Environment (NOISE) held its 3rd Annual 2011 Aviation Policy Summit/Community Involvement Workshop,   in conjunction with the National League of Cities (NLC) Congress of Cities and Exposition in Phoenix, AZ on November 9th.  The Congress of Cities and Exposition is the NLC's annual convention that brings together thousands of local elected officials from across the United States and offers a broad range of learning opportunities through cooperative dialogue and workshops.

Continuing the tradition of local collaboration, NOISE partnered with the North Tempe Neighborhood Association (NTNA) to solicit community and citizen participation in this year's event.  Through NTNA's efforts, NOISE was able to secure a varied and in-depth panel of local and national aviation noise abatement stakeholders. Tempe, Arizona Mayor Hugh Hallman spoke at length on the City’s history working with Phoenix Sky Harbor to address the impacts of the airport on his community.

“North Tempe Neighborhood Association was delighted to have Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman speak before attendees about Tempe – Phoenix Sky Harbor relations,” noted Barbara Sherman of NTNA.  Mayor Hallman noted that Tempe benefits greatly from Phoenix Sky Harbor and simply wants the airport to be a good long-term neighbor.

Workshop attendees included elected officials, noise abatement experts and community activists. The group heard presentations on various topics including advances in sound insulation studies, a federal legislative/regulatory update, and a European airport overview. 

“This forum is always a unique opportunity for elected official to learn new strategies to influence change in our communities regarding excessive aviation noise. This year’s Policy Summit / Community Involvement Workshop was no exception. I was especially pleased with the presence of sound-insulation industry leaders, who spoke on residential insulation issues. Those within the industry are key to making people aware of the implications of potential changes at the FAA regarding this important component of aviation-noise mitigation,” said Parkway Village Mayor Mary Rose Evans, who serves as NOISE Vice-President.

Participants and NOISE members expressed a continuing interest in discussing the growing evidence of aviation-noise related health impacts on humans. To provide for this important request, attendees were first given an overview of PARTNER (the Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction) which is a leading aviation research organization and a FAA “Center of Excellence.”

NOISE Executive Director Dennis McGrann and PARTNER Advisory Board Chair then spoke on the upcoming research project (known as Project 44) that will be the first national-scale investigation of health impacts of airport noise in the US.

“The NOISE Policy Summit is the ideal place to brief community leaders and workshop participants on the importance of aviation-noise research and technological developments and to highlight the critical importance of PARTNER research,” said McGrann.

NOISE has been a long time advocate of the PARNTER program and led the effort to secure initial federal financial support.

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N.O.I.S.E. Congratulates Curtis Holsclaw: New Deputy Director of the Office of Environment and Energy, Federal Aviation Administration

8/15/11 -- Washington, D.C -- The National Organization to Insure a Sound-controlled Environment (N.O.I.S.E.) extends its congratulatons to Curtis Holsclaw, the new Deputy Director of the Office of Environment and Energy in the Federal Aviation Administration.

Executive Director Lourdes Maurice, in a release to PARTNER stakeholders:

"[Holsclaw] has 30 years of experience, encompassing assignments in industry and Federal service.  During the last 19 years, Curtis has been a Manager in the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Environment and Energy.  His experience covers all aspects of environmental issues, including oversight and enforcement of Federal environmental regulations, research and development, and international environmental policies and standards.  Curtis has acted in the Deputy Director position since April.

AEE and APL are very fortunate to have someone of Curtis' caliber in this position.  Please join me in congratulating him."

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N.O.I.S.E. Solicits Input for 2011 Fall Conference

Washington, D.C. -- The National Organization to Insure a Sound-controlled Environment (N.O.I.S.E.) is soliciting input for their upcoming 2011 Aviation Policy Summit/Community Involvement Workshop, which will be held in conjunction with the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Congress of Cities and Exposition in Phoenix, AZ.  The Summit will take place on Wednesday, November 9th from 10:30am-4:30pm at the Phoenix Convention Center (reception to immediately follow).

N.O.I.S.E. is an affiliate of the NLC and has served for over four decades as America’s only nationwide, community-based association committed to reducing the impact of excessive aviation noise on local communities.  Composed of local elected officials representing thousands of citizens across the United States, N.O.I.S.E. serves to help communities join together and inject the concerns of their constituents into the national debate on airport expansion policy. N.O.I.S.E. seeks a resolution to aviation and airport noise concerns by bringing affected communities, local airport officials, and federal policymakers together to work on federal policies to reduce unreasonable levels of aviation noise through a combination of quieter aircrafts, increased noise abatement resources, and opportunities for local communities to contribute to airport expansion decisions. NOISE hosts two main conferences a year (one in the fall and one in the spring), both in conjunction with NLC.

The 2011 Aviation Policy Summit/Community Involvement Workshop is an all day event designed to encourage dialogue between aviation noise abatement experts and community leaders to learn from each other and share best practices. In the past, presenters have included a range of elected officials, community activists, sound insulations and land use planning experts, FAA representatives, among others.  In an effort to ensure the organization’s members get the most beneficial information out of this summit, N.O.I.S.E. is accepting speaker and topic ideas for the 2011 Aviation Policy Summit/Community Involvement Workshop until August 31st.

“We strive to always provide a varied and worthwhile panel to our members.  As a community-based organization, we find it beneficial to highlight local communities and provide a forum for our participants to both learn and share their unique stories and experiences with each other.  Understanding that each of our members have slightly different needs we also bring in policy and industry experts and are always open to speaker and topic suggestions to best address the dynamic needs of our group”, said President of N.O.I.S.E. and NLC Board Member, Minneapolis Councilmember Sandy Colvin Roy.

The Congress of Cities and Exposition is the NLC's annual convention that brings together thousands of local elected officials from across the United States. The Congress of Cities and Exposition offers a broad range of learning opportunities through cooperative dialogue and workshops for over 4,000 participants, including more than 2,000 elected and appointed officials and stakeholders interested in implementing various programs and policy. 

Please contact N.O.I.S.E. Communications Director, Johnna White (202) 544-9893 jewhite@locklaw.com with any questions or suggestions.

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N.O.I.S.E Announces New Online Presence

Washington, DC - July 26th, 2011

As the National Organization to Insure a Sound Controlled Environment continues to advocate for members in the aviation noise debate, the organization is pleased to announce the new look of its online presence.

Emily Tranter, National Outreach Director for NOISE, said “The NOISE organization is continuously working to advance its messaging and communications strategy. That is why I am pleased to announce to NOISE members the redesigned and user-friendly aviation-noise.org website.  The new design gives NOISE members the most current information they need to stay informed about NOISE media appearances, upcoming events and on-going advocacy work.”

Ongoing developments intend to make the site more user-friendly and allow for electronic registration and remittance. The organization enters the dynamic world of social media, as well.  Elected officials on Twitter are encouraged to follow and “mention” @AviationNoise.

“We encourage NOISE members to visit the new website and provide us with comments of suggestion as to how we can better serve you and, at the same time, offer greater visibility to the general public and potential new members,” Tranter said.

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N.O.I.S.E. Board Elects New Secretary

Washington, D.C. On January 14th, 2011, the N.O.I.S.E. Executive Board elected the Honorable Mary Hynes, Vice-Chair of the Arlington County Board, as N.O.I.S.E. Secretary by a unanimous vote. Councilmember Hynes will be replacing George Nichols of Washington, D.C. after his nearly 20 years of serving N.O.I.S.E.

 

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