Seeks Review Of KDCA Runway 19 Approach, Environmental Assessment Of KBWI Procedures

The State of Maryland has filed two petitions regarding flight paths at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) and at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport (KBWI). The first action is a petition for review in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit regarding the FAA's implementation changes to the approach flight path for Runway 19 at DCA. The second is an administrative petition, filed with the FAA, that requests a supplemental environmental assessment as well as revisions to area navigation routes and procedures for BWI.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh noted that the FAA failed to conduct the necessary environmental reviews prior to implementing the new flight paths. “The FAA must follow required procedures before implementing changes to flight paths that impact thousands of Maryland residents,” Frosh said in a news release. “Thousands of Marylanders have had their lives disrupted since the new flight paths were implemented without the appropriate level of environmental review, public input, and transparency.”

“Maryland is taking this important action on behalf of our many citizens who continue to suffer from intolerable noise pollution due to the NextGen program’s flight paths,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Our administration remains committed to bringing relief and restoring the quality of life for tens of thousands of Marylanders living around our airports.”

In October 2017, Attorney General Frosh selected outside counsel, Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell, to assist the State in taking action against the FAA over its NextGen flight paths and procedures for the DC Metroplex, which includes DCA and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). The new flight paths at DCA and BWI have resulted in thousands of noise complaints from Maryland residents.

(Source: MD Attorney General news release)

FMI: www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov