Norton and Members of Quiet Skies Caucus Introduce Bill to Require Study on Health Impacts of Airplane Noise

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said she was relieved that Members of Congress have moved to the next step to deal with the burgeoning issue of airplane noise following a year of frustration Norton has had in working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the issue in D.C. The Congresswoman this week joined Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and members of the bipartisan Quiet Skies Caucus to introduce H.R. 598, the Airplane Impacts Mitigation (AIM) Act of 2017. The AIM Act will ensure that strong, independent research into the health impacts of prolonged exposure to airplane noise and emissions is available to inform FAA decision-making. Norton is a founding member of the Quiet Skies Caucus, a congressional group attempting to take the issue of airplane noise nationwide.

"I am pleased to join my congressional colleagues to nationalize the issue of airplane noise and elevate the real risks it poses to communities across the country," Norton said. "New flight paths designed to implement NextGen have dramatically increased airplane noise in neighborhoods, such as those I represent in the District of Columbia, causing significant sleep deprivation and other potential health impacts. The frustration with FAA has become palpable. I worked to get FAA to participate in an airplane noise working group with D.C. residents, but FAA has now pulled back their effort to adjust the flight paths departing north from Ronal Reagan National Airport without consulting the affected communities. Communities around the country being hurt by airplane noise need to work together to get FAA to the table to get real reforms to NextGen flight paths. Our bill is a good place to start to make NextGen work for residents on the ground as it does for planes in the air."