TagNextGen(68)

This 2018 FAA memorandum explains how a special environmental review shortcut—called a Categorical Exclusion (CATEX 1)—can be used to streamline approval of certain GPS-based flight procedures (RNAV/RNP) at major airports, including core hub airports like Sea-Tac, without requiring a full environmental impact study. The exclusion applies unless officials determine that extraordinary circumstances exist that could cause significant environmental harm, such as notable noise impacts on surrounding communities. Specific documentation and approval from FAA environmental and legal offices are required before the exclusion can be applied.

A presentation by David Goebel addressing the noise impact of the FAA’s NextGen program on Vashon Island. The document covers airport flow fundamentals, conventional RADAR vs NextGen RNAV approaches, and action items for addressing the noise issue.

The FAA's Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) program is a public-private partnership aimed at reducing aircraft fuel burn, emissions, and noise through new engine and aircraft technologies and alternative jet fuels. Running in three phases from 2010 through 2025, the program sets increasingly ambitious targets, including up to a 75% reduction in NOx emissions and a 40% reduction in fuel burn by 2026. These advancements are relevant to communities near busy airports like Sea-Tac, as the program's noise reduction goals include a 25 dB cumulative reduction relative to Stage 5 standards.

In January 2018, Des Moines resident and filmmaker Steve Edmiston addressed the Port of Seattle Commission, arguing that a prior FAA briefing on NextGen flight procedures omitted critical information about health harms from aircraft noise, nationwide community opposition, lawsuits against the FAA, and related legislation. Edmiston announced a project to deliver the full, fact-based briefing the Commission originally requested, presenting his information in two-minute public comment segments over an estimated 10 months. His goal was to push the Port to move beyond what he called 'selective environmentalism' and make better-informed decisions about the human and environmental costs of expanded flight operations at SeaTac Airport.

This November 2017 presentation by David Goebel examines how the FAA's NextGen modernization program—specifically the new 'HAWKZ' RNAV flight procedure—has increased aircraft noise over Vashon Island, located west of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It explains why so many arriving flights are routed over the island despite SeaTac's runways running north-south, compares the old radar-based approach with the new GPS-guided one, and discusses the real-world altitude impacts residents have experienced. The presentation also covers community response options and what other affected neighborhoods have done to push back against similar NextGen-related noise increases.

A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the City of Phoenix, vacating a 2014 FAA order that had implemented new flight routes and procedures at Sky Harbor International Airport. The court found the FAA's order flawed and sent the matter back to the agency for further review. The case highlights how municipalities can successfully challenge FAA flight path decisions that impact communities near airports.

A federal appeals court ruled in 2017 that the FAA acted arbitrarily when it changed flight routes at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in 2014 without adequately consulting city officials or thoroughly reviewing environmental impacts. The new routes increased air traffic over historic neighborhoods and public parks by 300%, yet the FAA conducted consultations only with low-level employees who lacked the authority to speak on the city's behalf. The case highlights the legal obligations federal agencies have to meaningfully engage local governments and assess noise impacts before implementing major flight path changes.