TagAdam Smith(59)

The Burien Airport Committee held a virtual meeting on October 20, 2020, to discuss issues related to Sea-Tac Airport's impact on surrounding communities. Key agenda items included comparing airport roundtables in other cities, reviewing next steps for the SeaTac Airport Stakeholder Advisory Round Table (StART), and examining a proposed University of Washington study on school air quality near the airport. The committee also discussed 2021 federal legislative priorities and received reports on meetings with congressional representatives Adam Smith and Rick Larsen.

Currently, FAA law has extremely complicated rules for establishing a noise boundary around airports. (A noise boundary is a geographic area inside which there is a certain acceptable noise level.) This is referred to as the DNL65. and it has several major flaws. The FAA Reauthorization Act Of 2018 attempted to address these flaws in several ways. This letter, from a caucus of Congressmen engaged on airport community issues complains to the Administrator that the spirit of the law is not being adhered to and demands that he make attempts to put his agency into compliance. The language is fairly technical, however there are a couple of basic points they raise: First, that the noise boundary be determined by actual noise measurements (currently the noise boundaries are 'modeled' and those calculations often do not reflect in any way the lived experience for residents.) Second, that the 'acceptable' noise level of sixty five decibels (hence DNL65) has been determined to be far too high to conform with current understandings of healthy living.

A bill introduced in the 116th Congress by Representative Smith of Washington would allow airports to receive additional federal funding under the Airport Improvement Program for noise mitigation projects on buildings that have already received such assistance. The bill would permit the Secretary of Transportation to waive the usual restriction on repeat federal funding if increased aircraft noise, deteriorating soundproofing, or damage caused by prior mitigation work justifies further action. Eligible buildings must fall within the DNL 65 noise standard and be certified by a state-licensed building inspector, making this legislation particularly relevant to communities near high-traffic airports like Seattle-Tacoma International.

An earlier version of this bill was introduced into the 115th Congress as HR6168

In March 2020, Port of Seattle officials and representatives from surrounding cities including Burien, Tukwila, SeaTac, Federal Way, and Des Moines traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with the FAA and members of Congress about aircraft noise and emissions issues affecting the Puget Sound region. The group advocated for implementation of key provisions from the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act, including a review of the 65 DNL noise standard, a study on the health impacts of overflight noise, and a new environmental mitigation pilot program. The meetings emphasized that local authorities have limited power to address flight paths, aircraft types, or noise insulation funding, and that federal action is needed to provide new tools and resources for affected communities.