Rep. Ruben Gallego Applauds Provisions in FAA Reauthorization to Help Phoenix Communities Harmed by Aircraft Noise; Calls for Further Action
Washington, D.C. – In response to sustained calls from Rep. Ruben Gallego for congressional action on aviation noise in Arizona, legislation introduced this week by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contains several key provisions that could help to provide relief to Phoenix residents plagued by acute levels of noise from passing aircraft.
Noise issues in the Phoenix area stem from the FAA’s decision in September 2014 to institute new flight paths at Sky Harbor International Airport without seeking the input of affected community members or local civic leaders. Chairman Shuster’s bill will require the FAA to review these flight path changes if the FAA Administrator determines that they have harmed communities in the vicinity of the airport. The measure also requires the FAA to consider steps to mitigate aircraft noise-related concerns if requested to do so by a local community or airport operator. In addition, the FAA will be required to submit a report to Congress on how the agency intends to improve its community engagement efforts.
Rep. Ruben Gallego released the following statement:
“I applaud Chairman Shuster for including language in the FAA Reauthorization that could finally allow my constituents some long-awaited peace and quiet.
“The FAA has been indifferent to the concerns of Phoenix residents whose lives and businesses have been disrupted by the misguided flight path changes at Sky Harbor. While this bill is a welcome step forward, I believe that the language must be strengthened in order to force the FAA to stop delaying and act to provide relief to our community.”
The language in Chairman Shuster’s bill, H.R. 4441, partially reflects the recommendations outlined in a July 2015 letter to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee led by Rep. Gallego.