Quiet Skies Caucus Co-Chairs Norton, Lynch and Vice Chair Quigley Announce Victories in FAA Reauthorization Bill Passed Out of Transportation & Infrastructure Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– The co-chairs of the Quiet Skies Caucus (QSC), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Vice Chair Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) announced victories for aircraft noise mitigation included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill passed out of the House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee last week.

Among other victories, the bill establishes an Aviation Noise Officer tasked with working directly with the public to assess and address aviation noise faced by average Americans; establishes an airport community task force to engage communities impacted by airport development; establishes a Community Collaboration Program within the FAA to facilitate community engagement in revising and creating new FAA policies; requires the FAA to review and revise the FAA Noise Standards before implementing changes to noise policies; requires the FAA to work with airports and neighboring communities to modify routes to mitigate aircraft noise impacts; orders a study on aviation noise metrics by the National Academies to assess the efficacy of current noise metrics; and orders a GAO study to examine ways in which a state, territorial or local government could mitigate the negative impacts of helicopter noise.

“As members of the QSC, we are deeply concerned about the impact of aviation noise on the health and quality of life of our constituents,” Norton said. “The victories the Caucus got included in the committee-passed version of the FAA reauthorization bill will help mitigate the negative effects of aircraft noise on our districts.”

“While we still have a lot of work to do, I am encouraged to see several noise mitigation directives included in the FAA reauthorization bill that was passed by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,” said Lynch. “Airplane noise and pollution has been a debilitating, persistent issue for residents living in and around Boston and I will continue to work with my colleagues on the Quiet Skies Caucus to ensure these provisions are included in the final bill.”

“For years, I’ve been working to mitigate harmful noise pollution impacting those living around Chicago’s airports,” said Quigley. While we have received commitments from the FAA, it’s not enough. These issues persist and continue to put our constituents health at risk. I’m pleased to see the provisions in the FAA reauthorization take a new, community-driven approach. They involve hearing directly from those being affected in order to better address and resolve excessive aircraft noise.”

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