TagNoise Pollution(35)

A federal court ruled in 2023 that the EPA had unreasonably delayed for over 40 years in carrying out its legal duties under the Noise Control Act of 1972, which requires the agency to regulate environmental noise, publish noise-related reports, and help state and local governments develop noise control programs. Although President Reagan defunded the EPA's noise office in 1982, Congress never actually repealed the Noise Control Act, meaning the EPA's obligations under the law remained in force. The court granted partial summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, finding the EPA's inaction on four key counts unlawful.

A federal court ruled in July 2026 that the EPA has unlawfully delayed carrying out its duties under the Noise Control Act of 1972, a law that has remained on the books even though the agency effectively shut down its noise control program in 1982 after Congress approved President Reagan's budget cuts. The lawsuit, brought by Quiet Communities, Inc. and Jeanne Kempthorne, argued that over forty years of EPA inaction on noise regulation violated the agency's legal obligations. The court granted partial summary judgment for the plaintiffs on four counts, finding the decades-long delay unreasonable, while dismissing other claims for lack of jurisdiction or failure on the merits.

A document explaining changes to aircraft arrival patterns at SeaTac airport around 2015, including the introduction of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) technology and lowered flight altitudes. The changes concentrated flight paths over Vashon Island in a narrow corridor, causing increased noise pollution for residents who chose to live there for its peaceful environment.

A letter from the City of Burien to WSDOT criticizes the 2017 Washington Aviation System Plan (WASP) for failing to address the health and environmental impacts of growing aircraft noise and air pollution on communities near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The letter argues that the plan focuses too narrowly on aviation and economic development while ignoring issues such as hearing loss, poor student performance, sleep disruption, and asthma affecting lower-income and ethnically diverse neighborhoods. The author calls on WSDOT and regional governments to explore alternative airport locations to relieve the disproportionate burden placed on South King County communities.

A 2024 study published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology assessed the public health impacts of military aircraft noise from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington State, finding that over 74,000 residents were at risk of adverse health effects including annoyance, sleep disturbance, hearing impairment, and delays in childhood learning. Researchers integrated seven years of acoustic monitoring data with flight operations records and noise simulation models to map noise exposure across six counties in northwestern Washington. The study's findings and open-source workflow offer a reproducible tool for evaluating population health risks from aviation noise, with broader applications for informing noise policy, land use planning, and mitigation efforts.

Burien resident and former Boeing Field Noise Officer Sharyn Parker testified in support of HB 1683, arguing that the Port of Seattle deliberately understated Sea-Tac Airport's growth projections to avoid alarming nearby communities, while simultaneously planning a multi-billion dollar expansion — leaving residents exposed to increasing noise and emissions without adequate mitigation. She points to the Port's 2013-2018 Part 150 Noise Study becoming outdated just two years after approval, and a four-year delay in implementing approved sound insulation measures, as evidence of mismanagement and misleading communications. Parker and coalition members are calling for nighttime cargo flights to be offloaded to a new regional airport, contending that Sea-Tac has exhausted both its physical footprint and airspace capacity.