Legislation that would empower the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to oversee airplane noise issues in the U.S. has been introduced by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The Quiet Communities Act would transfer the responsibility for overseeing airplane noise from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which currently oversees airplane noise issues, to the EPA, which Senators Schumer and Gillibrand said in a press release is “better fit to address these matters, as its main focus is to protect human health and the environment.” The legislation would also require an EPA study of airport noise and evaluate how the FAA measures noise levels, how sets health-impact thresholds, and the effectiveness of its abatement program. For Senator Gillibrand’s press release, click here.
