Dear N.O.I.S.E. Members:
We wanted to share some developments as they relate to federal aviation noise policy. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need additional information.
As you may recall, The FY2015 Omnibus Bill, which was passed in December, 2015, included language that called for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide their updated Community Involvement Manual to Congress within six months.
N.O.I.S.E. applauds this Congressional action to help communities affected by aviation noise. In addition, we wanted to make you aware that Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced a subsequent amendment on the Senate floor for the Senate Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill that would have required the FAA to report quarterly to Congress on their progress to implement the policies included in the Community Involvement Manual. Although this amendment was not taken up, we applaud the Senator's efforts and will continue to work with him and other Congressional advocates to advance this language.
On April 19, the Senate approved an 18-month FAA reauthorization Bill (H.R. 636) with overwhelming bipartisan support, 95-3. However the House has yet to take final action on their version of a reauthorization. The current FAA Authority is set to expire on July 15, 2016. Congress must either pass a bill or another extension to keep the FAA operating beyond the 15th. N.O.I.S.E. will continue to closely monitor this situation and will update members on any input sought on this important initiative.
We will keep you updated on all developments as they occur.