Eight Associations Successfully Lobby Congress Eliminate The Provision

A group of eight aviation associations recently sent a joint letter to the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee in a successful attempt to convince the committee not to regulate by legislation.

At issue was the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, which contains an amendment to impose a noise curfew at Burbank, California’s Bob Hope Airport. The amendment was defeated on Tuesday.

The broad coalition had said the amendment circumvents existing federal law (the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990) intended to prevent a patchwork of inconsistent local requirements.

The wide-ranging group brought together general and air carrier aviation, including HAI, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airlines 4 America, the Airline Pilots Association, the Cargo Airline Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the National Air Transportation Association, and the National Business Aviation Association.

“The amendment sets a dangerous precedent, and would do little, if anything, to improve the noise environment around Burbank,” read the letter. “Further, such a precedent would open the floodgates to the creation of a patchwork of confusing and complex operating restrictions across the country that would undermine our national aviation and airport system.”

It concluded, “The aviation industry is committed to working with communities through local programs. However, the amendment proposed for Bob Hope Airport represents an attempt to circumvent ANCA and would damage our nation’s successful long-standing policy. We urge you to oppose this and any other amendment which would restrict aircraft operations at our nation’s airports.”

HAI supported its fellow aviation associations in this matter because an inconsistent patchwork of noise regulations benefits no one — least of all helicopter operators.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.rotor.com