Our Work

71 Community groups urge Congressionals to protect communities from adverse aviation impacts of noise, health, and emissions through the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023. The FAA Reauthorization Act is a United States federal law that is passed by Congress and signed by the President. It reauthorizes the FAA for five years on a wide range of measures: extends the FAA’s funding and provides new authorities and responsibilities. For reference, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 was signed by Congress on October 3, 2018, and the President on October 5, 2018.

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.

AICA and CJSC, LLC co-hosted a webinar with panelists Barbara Lichman at Buckhalter and Steve Taber at Leech Tishman to learn about what Supreme Court cases Loper Bright and Corner Post might mean for the legal challenges on aviation environmental issues, such as noise impacts. The four panelists have extensive backgrounds in aviation law, environmental policy and compliance, and environmental advocacy. The webinar covered an overview of cases and a question/answer session.

Three community groups submitted a joint public comment in the Federal Register regarding NASA’s planned test. The overarching input is for NASA to design, execute, and derive findings from the Varied AAM Noise and Geographic Area Response Difference (VANGARD) test to accurately reflect how impacted communities experience noise.

Presentations by Darlene Yaplee (AICA) and Don Scata (FAA) on FAA and AICA webinar and by Tami Mulcahy (Quiet Skies Los Altos, CA) and co-authored by Darlene Yaplee (AICA) and Marie-Jo Fremont (Concerned Residents of Palo Alto, CA).

Media Coverage “JASA study to narrow to draw broad conclusions on AEDT accuracy, FAA says,” Airport Noise Report (ANR), March 22, 2024; Public Record Submissions for the June 12, 2023 NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC) Meeting; Public Record Submissions for the February 28, 2023 NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC) Meeting; Comment on Petition for Exemption – Summary of Petition Received; Ampaire, Inc.; Public Record Submission for the August 23, 2023 Advance Aviation Advisory Committee (AAAC) Meeting; Comment on Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification

AICA’s public comment in the Federal Register regarding DOT’s request for information on Advanced Air Mobility, Docket ID No. DOT-OST-2023-0079.

Presentations by AICA co-founders on “Is It Time to Retire a 30-Year-Old Aviation Single Noise Metric (DNL)?” and “FAA Community Engagement Scorecard – Is the FAA’s Community Engagement Improving?

The FAA has asserted that it has improved its community engagement efforts over the past few years. To determine if these efforts have been adequate and resulted in improvements, from the perspective of local community groups, the Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance (AICA) developed the project FAA Community Engagement Scorecard (FAACES). This project originated at the Aviation Noise and Emissions Symposium and received media coverage by Airport Noise Report (ANR).

AICA presented at the REDAC meeting during the public forum. REDAC provides a public forum at their bi-annual meetings. As an FAA advisory committee, REDAC provides advice and recommendations to the FAA Administrator on the needs, objectives, plans, approaches, content, and accomplishments of the aviation research portfolio. Additionally REDAC works the ensure FAA present and future aviation research activities are coordinated with similar research being conducted outside the FAA.

This presentation will discuss Community Engagement based on the speaker’s experience and perspectives from additional members of aviation-impacted communities. Is the term “community” used consistently? What is “meaningful engagement” for people near flight paths? Who is the “community” in Community Engagement? The presentation was subsequently covered by Airport Noise Report (ANR).

The December 20, 2021 letter requests the Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus to contact DOT Secretary Buttigieg requesting that he direct the FAA to recommend multiple community representatives to the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC) before the June 2022 NAC charter renewal. Subsequently the 62 organizations’ letter was covered by Airport Noise Report (ANR) and the Quiet Skies Caucus sent a letter to DOT Secretary Buttigieg and issued a press release.

Three community groups submitted a public comment in the Federal Register regarding the FAA’s Noise Portal. The overarching message of the comment letter is that the FAA’s proposed collection of information fails the OMB’s collection requirements.

62 communities nationwide that are severely impacted by aviation noise and emissions sent a letter urging the NAC to hear from a broad range of perspectives if/when it convenes meetings on community engagement. The letter was subsequently excerpted in Airport Noise Report (ANR).

Presentations by AICA members on topics including: strategies to reduce noise impacts, noise metrics, the Air Traffic Noise and Pollution Expert Consensus Act of 2021, and critical areas to change through legislation.

Community advocates outline problems with the FAA’s Community Engagement process and document instances where they believe the FAA has not acted in good faith.

46 advocacy groups nationwide responded to public comments filed in the Federal Register by Airlines for America (A4A) regarding the FAA’s Neighborhood Environmental Survey (NES). The letter was subsequently covered by Airport Noise Report (ANR).

AICA produced three documents pertaining to the FAA’s Neighborhood Environmental Survey: A response to a Quiet Skies Caucus (QSC) letter to FAA Administrator Dickson, a public comment in the Federal Register, and a response to FAA Administrator Dickson’s announcement that the FAA will work with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to update FAA’s aviation noise policy.

This presentation discusses national legislative priorities and predictions based on the speaker’s experience and perspectives from other members of aviation-impacted communities.

Grassroots groups nationwide encouraged President-Elect Biden to include funding to restore the EPA’s’s Office of Noise Abatement and Control (ONAC) in his Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Proposal and presented his transition team with a proposal that describes the role the ONAC would take in regulating aviation noise. Letters also were sent to Secretary John Kerry, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Ed Markey, and Congressman Stephen Lynch asking that they give the proposal to President-Elect Biden’s transition team.

The FAA’s April 2020 Report to Congress on alternative noise metrics and the 65 DNL standard for airplane noise fails to fulfill the requirements of sections 173 and 188 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. Responses to the metrics report: Executive Summary, Technical Response, Questions to FAA Pertaining to the Metrics Report, a letter from the Quiet Skies Caucus (QSC) to FAA stating “The FAA’s report is unacceptable,” and a press release and letter from the QSC asking the FAA for formal responses to questions.