QuietSkies.net representative suggests sending the letter below to federal elected officials --
* * *
Dear ,
As you know the Senate and House may soon pass an interim 2016 FAA Re-authorization Bill. At present there are House (H.R. 4441 ) and Senate ( H.R. 636) bills which must be reconciled to a single bill and passed by both houses.
These two bills have provision that, in a perfect world, might be sufficient to get us on the road to fair and safe noise levels for those of us on the ground. Unfortunately we don't live in that perfect world and many sections of the bills are simply "feel good" phrases that relate to greater citizen input to airspace changes. There is no requirement to change the threshold from 65DNL to 55DNL or to any other value for that matter. And, as we all know, if the noise threshold is not changed then, with or without citizen involvement, the FAA will have no motivation to make needed changes.
The only section that comes close to helping us get meaningful and potentially safer noise levels is Sec. 604 of H.R. 4441 which states:
SEC. 604. Aircraft noise exposure
(a) Review- The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
shall conduct a review of the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and its effects on communities around airports.
(b) Report
(1) In general- Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report containing the results of the review.
(2) Preliminary recommendations - The report shall contain such preliminary recommendations as the Administrator determines appropriate for revising the land use
compatibility guidelines in part 150 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, based on the results of the review and in coordination with other agencies"
[Note: An exact copy of SEC 604, with proper indentation, is available]
Please do what you can to keep Sec. 604 in the final bill.
Thanks in advance,
--
"The Congress declares that it is the policy of the United States
to promote an environment for all Americans free from
noise that jeopardizes their health or welfare."
NOISE CONTROL ACT of 1972
<<<