Is Anyone Looking Into Airport Noise?
February 27, 2019
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Recently, I have received multiple messages and calls from you about the path airplanes have been taking over our City and the associated noise. The effects are extremely disruptive to many in our community. We are not alone in our frustrations with airplane noise. Residents across the peninsula have been very upset about airplane noise for a long time. I would like to share information with you regarding the efforts being put forth to raise awareness about aircraft noise and the challenges we are facing.
The SFO Airport/Community Roundtable is one of the liaison relationships that I have been assigned to; February 6th was the first meeting of 2019 for the SFO Airport/Community Roundtable. The Roundtable is made up of a group of elected officials representing the citizens of San Francisco and San Mateo County on issues related to aircraft operations from San Francisco International Airport. The Roundtable monitors a performance-based noise mitigation program implemented by airport staff, interprets community concerns, and attempts to achieve noise mitigation through a cooperative sharing of authority among the aviation industry, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SFO management, and local government. In addition to the SFO Airport/Community Roundtable that meets 6 times a year, there are meetings for a Ground-Based Noise Ad-Hoc Subcommittee and a Technical Working Group.
The biggest frustration residents of the peninsula have with the Roundtable is that it has no authority to change flight paths. Federal Law and the FAA own the flight paths. The SFO Airport/Community Roundtable can respectfully raise awareness continuously without any change to flight paths unless the Federal Government and the FAA choose to change a flight path.
The authority to control aircraft in flight and on the ground is vested exclusively in the FAA. The FAA, however, cannot control the number of flights nor the time of day of aircraft operations. Federal law preempts any local government agency from implementing any action that is intended to control the routes of aircraft in flight. Neither the SFO Airport/Community Roundtable, local elected officials, nor airport management can control the routes of aircraft in flight or on the ground.
So, what is being done to represent our residents of the peninsula who are affected by flight noise daily?
The efforts of the SFO Airport/Community Roundtable roll up to Congresswoman Jackie Speier. I urge you to visit her page and, specifically, go to “Airplane Noise” under “Issues & Legislation.” You will achieve a thorough understanding of how things started, where the SFO Airport/Community Roundtable fits in, what has been accomplished, and how the process is continuing. Congresswoman Jackie Speier is working with Bay Area colleagues Anna Eshoo and Sam Farr to raise awareness with the FAA for the need to improve flight procedures to reduce noise impact.
We have had some success which has felt more like small steps forward. Congresswoman Speier's amendment requiring the federal government to take steps to reduce the noise and health impacts of commercial air traffic was included in a bill focused on FAA reauthorization and passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on April 27th, 2018. Congresswoman Speier was disappointed in the FAA backing away from solutions that had been proposed and previously considered to be "feasible.” Her public response is available on the “Airplane Noise” page of her website.
The good news is that there are many people in this fight; the bad news is we are trying to pass legislature against the FAA. Please continue to reach out to me at sgehani@fostercity.org on this topic and/or any other topic that may be of interest to you.
