Airport Highlights 2009 0306 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-~ ~,;`y~, 2008 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES NOISE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES 1. ESTABLISH NEW NOISE METRICS The current method of measuring the impacts of aviation noise on individuals and communities (Day-Night Sound Levels, DNL) is woefully inadequate. NOISE supports a national initiative to study, define and establish new Noise Metrics meant to quantify the impact of a noise emission on the health and welfare of the general public. Z. FEDERAL STUDIES ON NOISE AND EMISSIONS NOISE supports the inclusion in the FAA Reauthorization bill of the provision in the House-passed version of the bill which authorizes a Study on the federal responsibility for aircraft noise and emissions standards. (Section 510, of H.R. 2881) ~. AIRPORT DEPARTURE QUEUE MANAGEMENT NOISE supports the inclusion of the aircraft departure queue management pilot program. This Program Authorizes the FAA to establish a pilot program at five public-use airports to design, develop, and test new air traffic flow management technologies to better manage the flow of aircraft on the ground and reduce ground holds and idling times for aircraft. (Section 508, of H.R. 2881) 4. SUPPORT GENERAL CONFORMITY RULES IN CLEAR AIR ACT NOISE urges the FAA and EPA to resist changing the "General Conformity" provisions of the Clean Air Act and opposes allowing afacility-wide emission budget whereby airports would establish their own level of emissions without having to perform additional analysis, exempting short-term construction projects from analysis under the "General Conformity" regulations, omitting analysis of ultra fine particles (PM 1.0 and below), and allowing states to establish lists of actions "presumed to conform" with the Clean Air Act, thus allowing project sponsors to avoid compliance. S. ALLOW SEC. I89 TO EXPIRE AND ALLOW MITIGATION BEYOND 65 DNL This legislative priority was included in the House passed version of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill (H.R. 2881) NOISE urges Congress to allow section 189 of Vision 100 (65 DNL restriction) to expire with the current FAA Authorization. This provision interferes with several carefully negotiated mitigation plans between communities and local airports and also eliminates the prospect of mitigation beyond the 65 DNL for other communities. NOISE believes that a nation-wide mandate is counterproductive and that the specifics of mitigation plans should be determined by local jurisdictions, taking into account the unique circumstances of each community. 6. FULL FUNDING FOR THE AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM The House passed FAA bill provides full funding for the Airport Improvement Program NOISE urges Congress to reject Administration proposals to slash authorized funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and noise mitigation programs in the FAA "NextGen" reauthorization package. NOISE supports authorization of AIP at levels comparable to funding provided through Vision 100, including similar scheduled increases. NOISE opposes reduction of noise mitigation funding in the AIP by diverting funds that would otherwise go to noise mitigation to other priorities. NOISE strenuously opposes any formula for AIP funding that results in a