December 2019 MCQSC Update: Congressional Letter to FAA — Address Noise Issues Caused by NextGen

If airplanes roaring endlessly overhead have disturbed your holidays -- as we know they have! -- your be pleased to know that our Maryland congressional delegation and numerous other U.S. senators and representatives sent a letter Dec. 20 to the FAA Administrator raising concerns about communities suffering under the concentrated flight paths created by the FAA’s NextGen airspace modernization effort.

The letter extensively references an August, 2019 Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General (IG) report about the implementation of NextGen. 

A few choice quotes from the Congressional letter to FAA Administrator Dickson:

As you know, since its introduction of Metroplexes in 2010, the FAA has concentrated flight paths over neighborhoods, schools, and national monuments in order to make the airspace more efficient.  This heavy air traffic produces constant noise and particulate matter that has yet to be deemed safe by the FAA or any other government agency. 

The FAA boasts of profits for airlines, shipping companies, and other industry stakeholders, but the burden of noise, health risks, and declining property values falls on the backs of hard-working Americans. 

 We would appreciate your review of the [DOT IG] report and a detailed timeline of your plan to implement procedures that will mitigate harm to the communities we represent.

 The Montgomery County Quiet Skies Coalition is very grateful to Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator Ben Cardin, and Congressman Jamie Raskin for this letter, and for their continued efforts to help us resolve this serious problem.