TagFAA(684)

Letter dated February 22, 2021 from Representatives Adam Smith (WA-09) and Katherine Clark (MA-05) to FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson urging swift implementation of the FY21 House Appropriations Report provision on the FAA sound insulation program. The letter addresses Airport Improvement Program (AIP) regulations barring airports from applying for federal funds for the same project more

This FAA presentation from February 18, 2021 explains Section 175 of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act, which addresses community noise concerns related to aircraft departure procedures. The law requires the FAA to consider dispersal headings or varied flight paths for new or amended departure procedures that direct aircraft between the surface and 6,000 feet over noise-sensitive areas, but only when the airport operator — not the community directly — formally requests it. Any approved changes must not significantly increase noise over noise-sensitive areas or interfere with the safe and efficient operation of the national airspace system.

This 2021 FAA report analyzes the Neighborhood Environmental Survey (NES), a large-scale study examining how aircraft noise affects communities around 20 U.S. commercial airports. Researchers surveyed over 10,000 residents and found that annoyance with aircraft noise increases steadily as noise levels rise, with significantly more people reporting high annoyance than older studies had suggested. The findings provide an updated national curve showing the relationship between measured noise exposure (DNL) and community annoyance, which can inform airport noise policy decisions.

The Washington State Department of Revenue submitted this 2021 report to the Legislature updating the state's action plan regarding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) policy on airport revenue. The FAA requires that any state or local taxes on aviation fuel enacted after December 30, 1987—including the hazardous substance tax, petroleum products tax, and local sales and use taxes—be spent exclusively on airport and aviation purposes. The report also recommends a method for separately tracking the amounts collected from these taxes on aviation fuel, developed in consultation with the Washington State Department of Transportation's Aviation Division.

The FAA conducted a large-scale Neighborhood Environmental Survey (NES) of 10,000 people near 20 U.S. airports to measure how aircraft noise affects community annoyance, finding that significantly more people are bothered by noise than older studies suggested — about 66% of respondents were highly annoyed at 65 decibels (DNL) and 20% at 50 decibels. The agency uses the Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) metric to measure noise exposure and is reviewing whether its longstanding 65 DNL threshold for 'significant' noise impact should be updated. The FAA is seeking public comment on these research findings before making any changes to official noise policy.

A 2021 presentation by Darlene Yaplee, founding member of the Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance (AICA), argues that the FAA's current systems for assessing and addressing aircraft noise and health impacts are outdated and in need of legislative reform. The document outlines community perspectives on aircraft noise and emissions legislation, covering problem framing, insights for future laws, noise reduction strategies, and real examples of community input. Residents across impacted communities are calling for meaningful relief from the noise and emissions burdens caused by modern air traffic.

In December 2020, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson transmitted a report to Congress fulfilling a requirement under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which directed the agency to study whether reducing jet aircraft approach and takeoff speeds could meaningfully lower noise for communities surrounding airports. The study was required to assess whether any such speed reductions would compromise aviation safety or reduce the efficiency of the National Airspace System, including effects on airport capacity, travel times, and fuel consumption. The report was sent to key congressional leaders overseeing transportation and commerce policy.