TagEPA(85)

An EPA official warned in the early 1970s that environmental laws were slowing the construction and expansion of airports across the U.S., even as air travel demand was projected to double by 1980. Dr. Stanley Greenfield highlighted that airports create both direct pollution — including noise, air, and water contamination — and indirect impacts through the industrial and residential growth they attract nearby. He called for a comprehensive national program to address aircraft-airport noise, while acknowledging that the technology to fully eliminate aircraft noise at its source was not yet available.

H.R. 1048, the Aviation Noise and Emissions Mitigation Act, introduced in February 2023, would direct the EPA to establish a 3-year pilot grant program to measure aircraft and airport noise and emissions—including greenhouse gases, particulate matter, and ultrafine particles—in communities near airports and flight paths. Grant recipients would be required to use technology capable of tracing noise and emissions to specific sources, produce neighborhood- and ZIP Code-level data, and work with local organizations to develop mitigation strategies. The program aims to create a replicable national model for ongoing monitoring and to identify frontline communities disproportionately impacted by aviation-related pollution.

This document is a technical annex to the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks Inventory, outlining the methodologies used to measure and categorize national greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2015. It identifies 'key categories' — the emission sources with the greatest impact on total national greenhouse gas levels, trends, and uncertainty — using standardized IPCC guidelines. The largest emission sources identified include road transportation, coal-fired electricity generation, and natural gas combustion across industrial, residential, and commercial sectors.