Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus

September 24, 2020  Press release 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) today released a letter they and 27 other Members of the House sent to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Stephen Dickson expressing concern about a recent FAA report regarding airplane noise metrics. Norton is a senior member of the Aviation Subcommittee and co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus. Bass is also a member of the Quiet Skies Caucus. The full letter can be found here.

November 7, 2019 Press release 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), co-chairs of the Quiet Skies Caucus, released a letter today to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Caucus requested a response within 30 days to more than 45 specific questions regarding the FAA’s efforts to reduce noise pollution. The full letter can be found here.

Oct 18, 2019 During the hour-long discussion, the Caucus emphasized four priorities:  

• dispersing flight patterns to alleviate airplane noise levels,
• completing and releasing studies on the impacts of airplane noise on residents, 
• creating an accessible central repository of resident  complaints, and 
• conducting increased community outreach.

August 13, 2019 The letter was signed by Quiet Skies Caucus Co-Chairs Eleanor Holmes  Norton (D-DC), and Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Vice Co-Chair Mike Quigley  (D-IL).

"We are concerned about a number of actions that FAA has taken, or not  taken, in recent months. In 2015, FAA began a study to reevaluate the  current 65 DNL threshold for determining eligibility for residents  impacted by airport noise to qualify for noise abatement assistance-  this study predates and is different from a study authorized in the 2018  law that reauthorized the FAA. FAA had reported in May of

2018 that the study was nearly final but to this date has still not  been released. In August of 2018, the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the  Quiet Skies Caucus wrote to Acting Administrator Elwell requesting an  update on the status of the study, which was then already four months  delayed. The study is now nearly 15 months delayed and FAA has still not  given any indication about a reason for the delay or when it might be  released.

We respectfully but urgently request a detailed update on the status  of this study, including a date of expected release in the near future.  Twice in the last few months, Acting Administrator Elwell had been  scheduled to meet with the Quiet Skies Caucus and, through no fault of  his own, the meetings needed to be postponed. We understand the  challenge of congressional and agency scheduling but we believe it is  necessary for the FAA Administrator, accompanied by other agency  personnel with a detailed knowledge of the issues at hand, to sit with  our caucus and discuss these issues of serious concern to our  constituents. Please get in touch with the office of Co-Chair Norton or  Co-Chair Lynch to schedule a meeting with the caucus members in  September 2019."