[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 1, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2087-E2088]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    AMENDMENT ESTABLISHING THE POSITION OF AIRCRAFT NOISE OMBUDSMAN

                                 ______


                            HON. BOB FRANKS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, November 1, 1995

  Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, today the Transportation and 
Infrastructure Committee, of which I am a member, passed the Franks 
amendment to H.R. 2276, the Federal Aviation Administration 
Revitalization Act of 1995. My amendment would establish the position 
of aircraft noise ombudsman within the Federal Aviation Administration 
[FAA].
  The idea of an aircraft noise ombudsman is long overdue. In my home 
State of New Jersey, the FAA has either arrogantly dismissed or totally 
ignored the pleas from my constituents for relief from intolerable 
aircraft noise. 

[[Page E 2088]]
After the Expanded East Coast Plan [EECP] was implemented by the FAA in 
1987, it took years for the FAA to even react to the significant 
increase in aircraft noise over New Jersey that resulted from their 
policies. The adoption of my amendment would ensure that the American 
people have an advocate in the FAA bureaucracy who will represent the 
concerns of residents affected by airline flight patterns.
  This amendment also gives citizens someone to turn to should they 
have a comment, complaint, or suggestion, dealing with aircraft noise. 
As the experience in New Jersey demonstrates, the FAA views the real 
concerns of constituents regarding aircraft noise as nothing more than 
a minor inconvenience. For example, when the FAA was flooded by 
telephone calls from irate citizens after the EECP was implemented, 
their response was to belatedly install an answering machine on a 
single telephone line which was constantly jammed and to which citizens 
were unable to get through. The arrogance and insensitivity of this 
agency can no longer be tolerated. Our constituents deserve to talk to 
a real, live human being who can answer their questions about the 
decisions that directly affect their quality of life.
  Furthermore, by requiring that the ombudsman be appointed by the FAA 
Board, and not by the Administrator, Congress will ensure that the 
position is filled by a fair and independent individual, and not simply 
by a mouthpiece for the FAA bureaucracy. The days of the FAA turning a 
deaf ear to the very people who pay their salaries are over.
  Mr. Speaker, my amendment is extremely important to the people of New 
Jersey and to the residents of any area that could find themselves 
severely impacted after the FAA announces a change in flight patterns. 
After suffering for nearly a decade from a constant barrage of aircraft 
noise, my constituents have lost all faith in the FAA. As this 
committee takes a leadership role in restructuring the FAA, it is 
vitally important that Congress take steps to restore public confidence 
in this agency by giving citizens a voice inside the FAA. If any of my 
colleagues doubt the level of ire and disgust the FAA has earned over 
their mishandling of this issue, I encourage them to attend the 
November 9, Aviation Subcommittee hearing on aircraft noise in New 
Jersey.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that my amendment passed the Transportation 
and Infrastructure Committee earlier today by voice vote, with Members 
on both sides of the aisle, including the distinguished ranking 
minority member from Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar], speaking in support. I 
urge all my colleagues to support the Franks amendment to H.R. 2276 by 
becoming a cosponsor of this important bill.

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