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FAA Noise Policy Review – October 2022-Current

Date: October 2022-Current

Description: After reporting the Neighborhood Environmental Survey (NES) results on January 13, 2021, FAA stated its plan to “bringing on board the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to assist with designing an inclusive and participatory policy review framework and process that prioritizes input from substantially affected stakeholders, including local communities”. The FAA/FMCS Interagency Agreement (IAA) was signed September 10, 2021. On May 1, 2023 the FAA announced it would review its Noise Policy and solicited comments to the Federal Register.

20. Media Coverage: “AICA Asks Buttigieg to Add Grassroots Groups to Noise Advisory Committee”, Airport Noise Report (ANR)

July 26, 2024 – AICA and 91 Communities send a letter to the Honorable Pete Buttigieg urging him to direct the FAA to include its grassroots community members on FAA advisory committees and in community engagement activities required under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. Airport Noise Report (ANR) vol. 36, no.22 (July 16, 2024).

19. Letter: 91 Organizations Signed Letter to DOT Re: Communities Seek Sufficient Representation for FAA Committees – July

July 18, 2024 – 91 organizations request the Honorable Pete Buttigieg to direct the FAA to sufficiently represent grassroots impacted communities for FAA Advisory Committees and community engagement provisions in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The letter specifies what would be sufficient representation of impacted communities.

18. Media Coverage: “21st Century Noise Policy Requires New Thinking, Community Activist Asserts”, Airport Noise Report (ANR)

July 12, 2024 –  An ANR newsletter article on AICA’s presentation and paper for NOISE-CON 2024 that attached the paper to the ANR issue for its subscribers. Airport Noise Report (ANR) vol. 36, no.21 (July 12, 2024).

17. NOISE-CON 2024 Presentation: “Realizing a 21st Century Noise Policy” by Darlene Yaplee

June 10, 2024 – Presentation by Darlene Yaplee for the NOISE-CON session on “FAA Noise Policy Review”, an annual conference run by the Institute of Noise Control Engineers (INCE-USA). Presentation was based on the NOISE-CON 2024 paper, see entry “16.” below. Additional session presentations were: Aviation Noise in the United States: The FAA’s Civil Aviation Noise Policy Review – Donald Scata Jr., FAA; Aviation Noise in the United States: The Current State of FAA Research on Community Response – Adam Scholten, FAA; Airport Perspectives on FAA Noise Policy Review – Melinda Pagliarello, ACI-NA; Aviation Noise Review – Kenley Farmer, Airlines for America; PARTNER Project 1, Low-frequency Noise and FAA’s Noise Policy Review – Victor Sparrow, Penn State.

16. NOISE-CON 2024 Paper “Realizing a 21st Century Noise Policy” by Darlene Yapee and Cindy L. Christiansen PhD, AICA and Marie-Jo Fremont, Concerned Residents of Palo Alto

June 2024 – Realizing a 21st Century Noise Policy, Proceedings of the NOISE-CON 2024 Conference, New Orleans, LA, June 10-12.

15. Media Coverage: “Community Participants Give Mixed Review of July Panel Discussion with FAA,” Airport Noise Report (ANR)

November 3, 2023 – An ANR newsletter article features three AICA members who led the community side of the panel discussion on how effective the July 13, 2023 webinar was. Airport Noise Report (ANR) vol. 35, no.36 (November 3, 2023).

14. Media Coverage: “Communities Call Claim of Significant Reduction in Noise Exposure Misleading,” Airport Noise Report (ANR)

October 20, 2023 – The ANR newsletter features an article on the AICA’s response to A4A, IATA, ACI-NA, and AAAE Comment ID No. FAA-2023-0855-4396 in the Federal Register regarding FAA’s Request for Comments on Review of the Civil Aviation Noise Policy, Docket ID No. FAA-2023-0855. Airport Noise Report (ANR) vol. 35, no.34 (October 20, 2023).

13. Media Coverage: “Updated Noise Policy Should Include Next-Gen Impacts, New Annoyance Data,” Airport Noise Report (ANR)

September 15, 2023 – The ANR newsletter features an article on the AICA’s public comment in the Federal Register regarding FAA’s Request for Comments on Review of the Civil Aviation Noise Policy, Docket ID No. FAA-2023-0855. Airport Noise Report (ANR) vol. 35, no.29 (September 15, 2023).

12. AICA’s Federal Register Comment on Noise Policy Review

September 9, 2023 – AICA’s public comment in the Federal Register regarding the FAA’s Request for Comments on Review of the Civil Aviation Noise Policy Review, AICA Comment ID FAA-2023-0855-2206.

Note: The FAA presentation on Noise Policy Review Update at the ANE Symposium 2024 stated 4,857 comments were received and 643 (13%) comments were endorsements of a comment made by the Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance (AICA).

11. Media Coverage: “Take advantage of FAA’s extended comment period on jet noise standards and mitigation,” Guest Commentary, La Jolla Light

July 17, 2023 – Dr. Matthew Price, Chris McCann and Anthony Stiegler, co-founders of Quiet Skies La Jolla and San Diego, inform La Jolla Light readers about the Noise Policy Review (NPR) comment-extension period to 9/30/23, citing their work with AICA.

10. Webinar: FAA Noise Policy Review – Panel Discussion with FAA and AICA

July 13, 2023 – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance (AICA) held a virtual panel discussion moderated by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). FAA and AICA agreed to discuss the review framework and facilitate the submission of meaningful comments by members of local communities who are substantially affected by noise and noise impacts.

9. Letter: Seventy-One Community Organizations Request 60-Day Extension for Noise Policy Review and Advanced Air Mobility Federal Register Comments

June 7, 2023 – Seventy-one community organizations requested a 60-day extension to comment on two Federal Register Notices: FAA Noise Policy Review and DOT Advanced Air Mobility.

8.  Letter: QSC Sends Letter to Honorable Pete Buttigieg – Identical to FAA Letter Requesting FAA to Establish a Community Group Noise Policy Advisory Committee and Answer AICA questions on FAA/FMCS Interagency Agreement

January 20, 2023 – The QSC letter states “we sent an identical letter to the FAA on December 1, 2022 and are waiting for a written response.”

7. Media Coverage: “Quiet Skies Caucus Asks FAA to Form Advisory Committee of Community Groups Within 30 Days,” Airport Noise Report (ANR)

December 9, 2022 – The ANR newsletter features an article about the December 1, 2022 Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus letter to the FAA that requests the formation and participation of an impacted-communities advisory committee in the FAA’s noise policy review. The ANR article lists ten questions to the FAA about the Interagency Agreement and noise policy process that are posed in AICA’s Letter to Quiet Skies Caucus, November 7, 2022. Airport Noise Report (ANR) vol. 34, no.40 (December 9, 2022).

6. Letter: QSC Requests FAA to establish a Community Group Noise Policy Advisory Committee and answer AICA questions on FAA/FMCS Interagency Agreement

December 1, 2022 – The QSC is “unsatisfied with the lack of information and communication about the [noise policy] review process” and requests that the FAA form a community group advisory committee and answer AICA questions. The Quiet Skies Caucus letter is based on new information AICA obtained on November 1, 2022 through FOIA of a modified FAA/FMCS IAA document, a corresponding AICA Executive Report 2.0 and the prior documents of the AICA Executive Report 1.0 and AICA Letter to the Quiet Skies Caucus October 10, 2022.

5. AICA “Executive Report 2.0 on FAA Noise Policy”

November 7, 2022 – AICA received a copy of “Modification One”, a modified version of the FAA/FMCS Interagency Agreement (IAA), via responses from FAA and FMCS FOIA requests. Subsequently, this assessment report was written. Report 2.0 includes an updated timeline and questions for the FAA to answer. 

4. Letter: AICA Letter and Requests to Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus (QSC) Re: AICA Executive Report 2.0 on FAA/FMCS Interagency Agreement

November 7, 2022

3. Media Coverage: “Local Community Groups Hit Hardest by NextGen Left Out of Noise Policy Review,” Airport Noise Report (ANR)

October 21, 2022 – The ANR newsletter features an article about the FAA/Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) Interagency Agreement for the FAA’s Noise Policy Review. It references the AICA’s Executive Report 1.0 and AICA’s Letter to Quiet Skies Caucus and includes quotes from ten impacted community groups. Airport Noise Report (ANR) vol. 34, no.35 (October 21, 2022). 

2. AICA “Executive Report 1.0 on FAA Noise Policy”

October 10, 2022 – The AICA obtained a copy of the FAA/FMCS Interagency Agreement (IAA) through a FOIA request to FMCS and subsequently wrote an assessment report including questions for the FAA to answer. 

1. Letter: AICA Letter and Requests to Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus (QSC) Re: AICA Executive Report 1.0 on FAA/FMCS Interagency Agreement

October 10, 2022

Key Related Resources

  • Nicholas Miller Comment to ID No. FAA-2023-0855-0150, May 17, 2023
  • J.J. Alonso, T.C. Rindfleisch, D.C. Jackson, Metroplex Overflight Noise Analysis (MONA) project, Comment to ID No. FAA-2021-0037-3754, FAA Request for Input on Research Activities to Inform Aircraft Noise Policy, April 14, 2021
  • Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance, FAA-2021-0037-3765 FAA Request for Input on Research Activities to Inform Aircraft Noise Policy, April 14, 2021
  • Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance, Comment to ID No. DOT-OST-2023-0079-0104, DOT Request for Information on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), August 10, 2023 
  • Studio Cities for Quiet Skies, Comment to ID No. DOT-OST-2023-0079-0021, DOT Request for Information on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), July 31, 2023
  • Dr. Martin Roosli “Updating Swiss Guidelines for Transportation Noise” – Aviation Noise and Emissions (ANE) Symposium 2022

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