Congress Pressing to Mitigate L.A.'s Helicopter Noise

In the latest edition of an ongoing tit-for-tat between Rep. Adam Schiff, (D-Burbank) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on one side of the issue and the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration on the other, the two democrats have attached legislation to the draft federal appropriations bill requiring the FAA to take additional action to reduce helicopter noise in Los Angeles County, reports Mark Madler.

Rep. Schiff is not satisfied with a report released by the FAA in May, following a pair of public hearings on the issue of helicopter noise. “For years, the FAA has not felt the urgency that homeowners and residents across Los Angeles County have felt – very literally with the rattling of windows – on the need to reduce helicopter noise,” said Rep. Schiff in a prepared statement earlier this week.

The new legislation would require the FAA to enact several measures from the report, and prove mitigation of noise impacts, or else additional changes will be required: “Schiff and Feinstein’s provision would force the FAA to act on six measures from the report, including evaluating and adjusting existing helicopter routes to lessen impacts on residential areas and noise-sensitive landmarks; analyzing whether helicopters could safely fly at higher altitudes; developing and promoting best practices for hovering and electronic news gathering; doing outreach to helicopter operators about the volunteer noise reduction policies; working to create a comprehensive noise complaint system; and participating in collaborative engagement between community representatives and helicopter operators.”