[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 185 (Friday, December 18, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S8877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FAA COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I wish to join my colleague from Arizona, 
Senator McCain, in a colloquy regarding an aviation noise concern of 
particular interest to his constituents in the Phoenix area.
  During the floor debates on the transportation and housing 
appropriations bills in both the House and the Senate, there were a 
number of amendments adopted related to the Federal Aviation 
Administration's air traffic procedures and, in particular, the noise 
that FAA-approved flight patterns create in communities. The Senator 
from Arizona offered an amendment dealing with this issue, which I was 
happy to accept during the abbreviated consideration of the THUD bill 
on the Senate floor.
  As a result, the omnibus includes bill language requiring the Federal 
Aviation Administration to update its ``community involvement manual'' 
related to new air traffic procedures in order to improve public 
outreach and community involvement. The FAA is directed to complete and 
implement a plan which enhances community involvement and proactively 
addresses concerns associated with performance-based navigation 
projects.
  I know this is an important issue for you, Senator McCain, and I 
appreciate you joining me on the floor today so that we can send a 
clear message to the FAA about the importance of involving your 
constituents.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I wish to thank the Senator from Maine for 
her consideration. I wish to provide further detail on the provision 
included in the omnibus requiring the Federal Aviation Administration 
to improve community involvement policies and address concerns stemming 
from changes associated with performance based navigation projects, 
including what we expect the FAA to do to provide relief for impacted 
communities, and what that means for the people of Arizona.
  I appreciate the Senator from Maine for acknowledging that community 
outreach on the part of the FAA to date has been lacking, and that 
efforts underway at the FAA to update their community involvement 
practices have not been sufficient. I look forward to working with her 
to continue to accomplish the intent of the language I introduced which 
was adopted by unanimous consent earlier this year during Senate 
consideration of the transportation and housing appropriations bills.
  Since September 2014, residents in Arizona around the Phoenix Sky 
Harbor Airport have had their daily lives impacted by changes to 
flights paths made without formal notification to the airport or 
community engagement before the changes were implemented. The intent 
the language included in the omnibus is to improve outreach to the 
community and airport, providing an opportunity for notification and 
consultation with the operator of an affected airport and the community 
before making future flight path decisions.
  Furthermore, for changes that have already been implemented, as is 
the case in Phoenix, the Administrator shall review those decisions to 
grant a categorical exclusion under Section 213(c) of the FAA 
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to implement procedures in which 
the changed procedure has had a significant effect on the human 
environment in the community in which the airport is located, if the 
airport can demonstrate that the implementation has had such an effect. 
If this review indicates that the flight path changes have had such an 
impact, the FAA shall consult with the operator of the airport to 
identify measures to mitigate the effect of the procedure on the human 
environment, including considering the use of alternative flight paths.
  This would not impede the efforts to modernize our Nation's airspace 
through NextGen or substantially undermine efficiencies and safety 
improvements realized through those efforts. It does create a long-
awaited, much-needed opportunity for residents around Phoenix Sky 
Harbor International Airport negatively impacted by flight noise to 
have their voices heard by the FAA.
  Ms. COLLINS. To be clear, the FAA should be ensuring that local 
communities have a voice when decisions that affect them directly are 
being made by the agency.

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