Aviation and the Environment: Results From a Survey of the Nation's 50
Busiest Commercial Service Airports (Letter Report, 08/30/2000,
GAO/RCED-00-222).

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed key environmental
concerns and challenges associated with airports' current operations and
future growth and the efforts of major airports and federal agencies to
address those concerns. GAO conducted a survey of the nation's 50
busiest commercial airports.

GAO noted that: (1) the survey responses indicated that noise, water,
and air quality issues are the primary environmental concerns/challenges
facing airports now and for the foreseeable future; (2) other issues of
concern cited by some airport officials were wetlands, endangered
species, environmental justice, and historical preservation; (3) noise
was the greatest concern reported by airport officials for both current
and future operations; (4) water pollution was the next greatest current
concern, followed by air quality, which is expected to be a greater
concern in the future; (5) these issues present challenges for airport
officials as they attempt to expand their airport's operations to meet
the growing demand for air traffic services; (6) airport officials have
undertaken a range of activities to more effectively balance airports'
current operations and future growth with the environmental impact of
these activities; (7) for example, officials from 33 of the 50 busiest
commercial service airports reported that they monitor aircraft noise at
least daily, and 47 reported that they monitor noise at least
occasionally; (8) the survey also provided insights into the federal
effort to help airports address their impact on the environment; (9) for
example, airport officials said that the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) effectively assists them in a number of environmental areas and
coordinates activities well among its offices; (10) the federal
environmental review process required under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 received mixed reviews from airport officials; and
(11) however, the majority expressed satisfaction with two of the three
levels of environmental review.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  RCED-00-222
     TITLE:  Aviation and the Environment: Results From a Survey of the
	     Nation's 50 Busiest Commercial Service Airports
      DATE:  08/30/2000
   SUBJECT:  Environmental monitoring
	     Airports
	     Commercial aviation
	     Surveys
	     Air pollution control
	     Water pollution control
	     Noise pollution control
	     Air transportation operations

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GAO/RCED-00-222

Appendix I: Views of Airport Officials

8

Appendix II: Survey Responses on Airport Information

27

Appendix III: GAO's Survey of the Nation's 50 Busiest Commercial
Service Airports

55

Appendix IV: Alphabetical Listing of the 50 Busiest Commercial
Service Airports,Based on 1998 Statistics

71

Appendix V: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments

73

Figure 1: Difficulty in Balancing Environmental Concerns
With Airport Operations Compared With 1989 8

Figure 2: Anticipated Date for Airports to Reach Capacity 9

Figure 3: Environmental Issues That Are a Major Concern for
Airports When Making Decisions About Current Operations 10

Figure 4: Environmental Issues That Currently Most Concern Airports 11

Figure 5: Environmental Issues That Most Concern Airports
Currently and in the Future 12

Figure 6: Noise Issues That Are a Major or Moderate Concern
for Airports 13

Figure 7: Noise Issues That Most Concern Airports 14

Figure 8: Air Quality Issues that are a Major or Moderate Concern
for Airports 16

Figure 9: Air Quality Issues That Most Concern Airports 17

Figure 10: Water Quality Issues That Are a Major or Moderate
Concern for Airports 19

Figure 11: Water Quality Issues That Most Affect Airports' Operations 20

Figure 12: Airports' Satisfaction With NEPA Review Process 21

Figure 13: Airports' Opinions of FAA's Effectiveness in Selected
Environmental Areas 22

Figure 14: Causes of Delays in Airport Capacity Expansion Projects 24

Figure 15: Degree to Which the Environmental Review Process (NEPA)
Contributed to Delays in Airport Expansion Projects 25

Figure 16: Share of Airports' Capacity Expansion Projects That Were Delayed
Primarily Because of Environmental Issues 26

Figure 17: Share of Airports With Expansion Projects Whose Projects Required
Environmental Reviews 28

Figure 18: Airports Canceling or Indefinitely Postponing Expansion Projects
Because of Environmental Issues 29

Figure 19: Average Number of NEPA Environmental Reviews
Conducted by the 50 Busiest Commercial Service Airports
in the Last 10 Years 30

Figure 20: Anticipated Growth Rate in Passengers and Operations
over the Next 10 Years 31

Figure 21: Number of Runways to Be Built or Extended by 2010 32

Figure 22: Average Number of Runways, Taxiways, or Terminals to
Be Built or Expanded by 2010 33

Figure 23: Approximate Population Within the 65 dB DNL Contour 34

Figure 24: Population Changes Within the 65 dB DNL Contour Over
the Past 5 Years 35

Figure 25: Portion of Airports' Noise Complaints That Come From
Areas Outside the 65 dB DNL Contour 36

Figure 26: Cumulative Totals for the Frequency of Airport Noise
Monitoring 37

Figure 27: Share of Airplanes Under 75,000 Pounds Operating at the Airports
38

Figure 28: Noise Mitigation Strategies Required or Encouraged
by Airports 39

Figure 29: Airports' Participation in Regional Air Quality Activities 40

Figure 30: Participation in Regional Air Quality Activities by
Airports in Nonattainment Areas 41

Figure 31: Current and Projected Percentage of Alternative-Fuel
Vehicles at the Airports 43

Figure 32: Status of Airports in Their State Implementation Plan's
Emissions Budget 45

Figure 33: Passengers', Tenants', and Employees' Modes of
Transportation to the Airport 46

Figure 34: Air Pollutant Emissions Reduction Strategies Funded
by Airports 47

Figure 35: Use of Deicing or Anti-Icing Chemicals at Airports 48

Figure 36: Deicing and Anti-Icing Chemicals Used at Airports 49

Figure 37: Airports' Use of Selected Deicing and Anti-Icing Chemical Capture
Techniques 50

Figure 38: Airports' use of Selected Deicing or Anti-Icing Fluid Disposal
Strategies 51

Figure 39: Recycling of Deicing/Anti-Icing Fluids 52

Figure 40: Frequency of Airlines' Reporting of Deicing or Anti-Icing
Chemical Use During Deicing Season 53

EPA Enviornmental Protection Agency

FAA Federal Aviation Administration

NEPA National Environmental Policy Act

Resources, Community, and
Economic Development Division

B-285637

August 30, 2000

The Honorable James L. Oberstar
Ranking Democratic Member
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Oberstar:

This report is designed to complement and enhance the information contained
in our report Aviation and the Environment: Airport Operations and Growth
Present Environmental Challenges (GAO/RCED-00-153), also being issued today.
That report responded to your request that we review the key environmental
concerns and challenges associated with airports' current operations and
future growth and the efforts of major airports and federal agencies to
address those challenges. This report provides a detailed,
question-by-question analysis of the responses to our survey we received
from officials at each of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service
airports. (See app. 3.)

The survey responses indicated that noise, water, and air quality issues are
the primary environmental concerns and challenges facing airports now and
for the foreseeable future. Other issues of concern cited by some airport
officials were wetlands, endangered species, environmental justice, and
historical preservation. Noise was the greatest concern reported by airport
officials for both current and future operations. Water pollution was the
next greatest current concern, followed by air quality, which is expected to
be a greater concern in the future. These issues present challenges for
airport officials as they attempt to expand their airports' operations to
meet the growing demand for air traffic services. Airport officials have
undertaken a range of activities to more effectively balance airports'
current operations and future growth with the environmental impact of these
activities. For example, officials from 33 of the 50 busiest commercial
service airports reported that they monitor aircraft noise at least daily,
and 47 reported that they monitor noise at least occasionally.

The survey also provided insights into the federal effort to help airports
address their impact on the environment. For example, airport officials said
that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) effectively assists them in a
number of environmental areas and coordinates activities well among its
offices. The federal environmental review process required under the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 received mixed reviews from
airport officials. However, the majority expressed satisfaction with two of
the three levels of environmental review.

We conducted our mail survey of the 50 busiest commercial service airports
in the United States from October 1999 through February 2000. In selecting
the airports for our survey, we used the number of air carrier operations
for 1998 as reported by FAA. The top 50 airports accounted for 80 percent of
all air carrier operations in 1998. To design our survey, we conducted
in-person pretests at four airports. We received completed surveys from all
50 airports. In addition, we conducted on-site interviews at seven other
airports covering topics in the survey. These visits assured us that the key
environmental issues--noise, water, and air--that we identified in our
interviews with industry representatives, federal officials, and citizen
groups were also the key issues for airport management. To gain a historical
perspective, we asked a number of questions covering previous time periods,
including the 10-year period from 1989 through 1999. We also interviewed
airport officials and obtained supporting documentation from them to
supplement the survey as necessary. Our review was conducted from July 1999
through August 2000 in accordance with generally accepted government
auditing standards.

We provided the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection
Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the
Department of Defense with a copy of our draft report for their review and
comment. Each agency concurred with the information included in the report,
and Department of Transportation officials provided technical and clarifying
comments that we incorporated as appropriate.

As agreed with your office, unless you publicly announce its contents
earlier, we plan no further distribution of this report until 14 days after
the date of this letter. At that time, we will send copies of this report to
interested Members of Congress; the Honorable Rodney Slater, Secretary of
Transportation; the Honorable William S. Cohen, Secretary of Defense; the
Honorable Jane Garvey, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration; the
Honorable Carol M. Browner, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency;
and the Honorable Daniel Goldin, Administrator, National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.

Should you or your staff need further information, please contact me at
(202) 512-2834. Major contributors to this report are listed in appendix V.

Sincerely yours,
Gerald L. Dillingham, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Transportation Issues

Views of Airport Officials

1. Compared with 1989, how difficult is it now for your airport to balance
environmental concerns with its operations?

Officials at more than half of the airports we surveyed indicated that
currently it is much more difficult to balance environmental concerns with
their airport's operations. Specifically, officials from 29 airports
described balancing environmental concerns with their airport's operations
as much more difficult, and officials from an additional 17 airports
described it as somewhat more difficult. (See fig. 1.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

2. Given your current infrastructure--without considering future expansion
projects--how long will it take for your airport to reach capacity?

Many of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports are already at
or above capacity, and 11 will reach capacity in the next 4 years. (See fig.
2.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

3. To what extent do the following environmental issues pose concerns when
making decisions about your airport's current operations?

Noise issues are the most serious concern for airport officials: 33 of the
airports we surveyed described it as a "major concern". Compatibility with
nearby land uses--the third most serious concern--is also linked to the
noise issue because federal guidelines consider noise over a certain level
incompatible with homes and schools. Officials from almost all of the
airports were concerned about noise issues to some degree. Officials from 49
of the 50 airports listed noise as a major, moderate, or minor concern. In
addition, water quality issues, often including deicing runoff, were
described as a "major concern" by officials from over half of the 50 busiest
commercial service airports. Most airport officials listed at least one
issue as a major concern, and on average airport officials listed three
issues as major concerns. (See fig. 3.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

4. Which issue concerns your airport most when making decisions about your
airport's current operations?

When asked to rank their current concerns, officials from over half of the
airports listed noise issues as their greatest concern. Although airports
had listed a number of environmental issues as major concerns in responding
to the previous question, noise was the most serious concern for over half
the respondents. Officials from 12 airports listed water quality issues as
their greatest concern. (See fig. 4.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

5. Which issue concerns your airport most when making decisions about your
airport's future operations?

Although noise will continue to be the most serious environmental issue in
the future, fewer airport officials ranked it as their greatest concern for
the future than listed it as their most serious current concern. Air quality
is expected to become the most serious issue for more airport officials in
the future. Officials from 16 airports ranked air quality as the issue that
most concerns them when making decisions about future operations--more than
double the number of airport officials that ranked it as the most serious
current issue. (See fig. 5.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

6. How much do the following issues related to noise concern your airport?

Among various noise issues, airport officials are most concerned about the
noise created by jet engines with hushkits that, despite national standards
designed to reduce their noisiness, are still louder than airport officials
would like. Officials from a majority of the airports listed engine noise as
a major concern. Over half of the airports also listed growing residential
populations near the airport, limited control over zoning, and increasing
noise as either a major or a moderate concern. (See fig. 6.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

7. Which two noise issues concern your airport most?

Aircraft engine noise was most often ranked as the most serious noise issue
by the airport officials we surveyed. However, officials from nearly as many
airports considered limited control over local zoning as their most serious
noise issue. Together, these two issues represent the most serious noise
concerns for 58 percent of the airport officials. (See fig. 7.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

8. What issues related to air quality concern your airport?

Many airports ranked automobile-related issues--an increasing demand for
parking and high levels of auto trips to and from the airport--as a major or
a moderate concern. Uncertainties about the Clean Air Act's requirements and
how to meet those requirements represented the airport officials' other most
serious air quality concern. Difficulties offsetting increased emissions to
comply with the Clean Air Act's requirements was also listed as a major or
moderate concern by officials from almost half of the airports
surveyed--second only to the growing demand for parking. (See fig. 8.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

9. Which air quality issue concerns your airport most?

When airport officials were asked to rank their air quality concerns,
uncertainty about how to conform with the Clean Air Act's requirements
ranked slightly higher than other issues. Officials at 12 of the airports
listed such uncertainty as their most serious air quality concern. The
growing demand for parking and the high number of auto trips to and from the
airport were close behind, with 11 airport officials ranking each of these
issues as their most serious air quality concern. (See fig. 9.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

10. How much do the following issues related to water quality concern your
airport?

When airport officials' major and moderate concerns are combined, their
greatest water quality concern is the need to control gas spills at the
airport, but more airport officials ranked the use of glycol-based
products--for deicing and anti-icing operations1--as a major concern. (See
fig. 10.)

Note: The total maximum daily load (TMDL) represents the maximum amount of a
pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality
standards.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

11. Of the items listed in the previous question, which two most affect your
airport's operations?

Deicing and anti-icing issues represent the water quality issues that most
affect airports' operations. When combined into one category, these
issues--lack of control/oversight over airlines' use of deicing/anti-icing
materials, the use of urea at the airport, and the use of glycol-based
products at the airport--become the category of concern. (See fig. 11.)
Officials at 11 airports were most concerned about glycol use at their
airport, and officials at 6 airports were most concerned about their lack of
control over deicing operations, and the officials at one airport were most
concerned about the use of urea at their airport.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

12. Considering both completed and ongoing capacity projects, what is your
general level of satisfaction with each of the following NEPA environmental
review processes?

Officials at 30 of the 49 airports that have recently undergone NEPA
environmental reviews were satisfied with the categorical exclusion and the
environmental assessment--finding of no significant impact processes.
However, the level of satisfaction was lower for the review of environmental
impact statements. (See fig. 12.)

Note: The figure represents the statistics for those officials with
experience in these levels of NEPA review. Officials from three airports did
not have experience with the categorical exclusion process. Officials from
two airports did not have experience with the environmental
assessment--finding of no significant impact process, and an official from
an one airport did not answer this part of the question. Officials from 10
airports did not have experience with the environmental impact statement
process.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

13. If you would like to provide examples for your answers to the previous
question (#12), please provide them here.

Officials from 16 airports provided some written examples of their
experiences with the NEPA process. Officials from nine airports noted that
the NEPA process took too long or was otherwise burdensome. According to
officials from a number of airports, multiple legal reviews and FAA's slow
processing of NEPA documents were also at least partially responsible for
the delays.

14. How effective is FAA when helping your airport with environmental
activities?

Officials from 32 airports reported that FAA was very or moderately
effective in answering their questions and addressing their concerns.
Officials from over half of the airports also reported that FAA was very or
moderately effective in coordinating activities within FAA, providing
standard rules and guidance, and processing paperwork. Airport officials
believed that FAA was less effective at coordinating with state agencies and
ensuring consistent treatment across FAA regions. (See fig. 13.)

Note: The responses of officials reporting that they were unsure about FAA's
effectiveness or that the issue did not apply to them were not included in
this figure. In addition, officials from five airports identified additional
issues in the "other" category.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

15. If any of your capacity projects were delayed over the last 5 years, how
much did the following factors contribute to the delay?

Officials at two-thirds of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service
airports reported that over the last 5 years, at least one airport capacity
project was delayed. Environmental issues of some type were the most common
cause of such delays. Environmental review, mitigation, mediation, and
lawsuits represent the top four causes of the delays. Officials from 17
airports indicated that no airport capacity projects were delayed over the
last 5 years. (See fig. 14.)

Note: Figure includes the responses of officials from the 33 airports that
experienced delays in capacity projects over the last 5 years.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

(Question 15 continued) Officials from 28 of the 33 airports that
experienced delays indicated that the environmental review process was a
major, moderate, or minor factor delaying airport expansion projects. The
NEPA environmental review process was a major factor, for 12 of the 33
airports experiencing delays and was at least a minor factor for 28 of these
airports. (See fig. 15.)

Notes: This figure includes the responses of officials from all but 1 of the
33 airports where capacity projects were delayed in the last 5 years: An
official from one such airport did not provide information on how the NEPA
process contributed to the delays. Percentages do not add to 100 because of
rounding.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

16. Which item most delayed your airport's capacity projects?

Officials from 23 of the 33 airports that experienced delays in capacity
projects cited one of the four environmental-related issues as the number
one delaying factor. (See fig. 16.)

Note: This figure includes the responses from officials at all but 1 of the
33 airports where capacity projects were delayed in the last 5 years
(because the official at 1 such airport did not answer this question).

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

Survey Responses on Airport Information

17. Is this airport currently located within a metropolitan statistical
area?

Officials from all 50 of the nation's busiest commercial service airports
noted that their airport is located in a metropolitan statistical area. That
means that all of the airports are located in cities or urbanized areas with
at least 50,000 people and in metropolitan areas with at least 100,000
people.

18. In the last 10 years, how many, if any, of your capacity expansion
projects (e.g., runway, taxiway or terminal expansions) required a
categorical exclusion, environmental assessment, or environmental impact
statement?

Officials from 10 airports reported that half or fewer of their capacity
expansion projects required any environmental review as defined in the
question. Overall, 23 airports reported that at least some of their airport
capacity expansion projects did not require an environmental review. (See
fig. 17.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

19. Over the last 10 years, were any capacity expansion projects canceled or
indefinitely postponed as a result of environmental issues?

Environmental issues caused airport officials to cancel or indefinitely
postpone expansion projects at 12 of the 50 busiest commercial service
airports in the last 10 years. (See fig. 18.)

Note: Two airports were not included in this figure. One official indicated
that the airport did not have any capacity expansion projects in the last 10
years, and another official wrote that two environmental processes caused
lengthy delays.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

20. How many of your airport's capacity expansion projects were granted a
categorical exclusion (CE) in the last 10 years?

21. How many environmental assessments in the last 10 years resulted in a
finding of no significant impact?

22. How many environmental impact statements did your airport complete in
the last 10 years?

Airport officials reported that the majority of airport expansion projects
received categorical exclusions. Based on their responses, the number of
airport capacity expansion projects approved through categorical exclusions
was six times greater than the number approved through environmental impact
statements and more than two times greater than the number approved through
environmental assessments that resulted in findings of no significant impact
on average over the last 10 years. (See fig. 19.)

Note: This estimate used the midpoints of the ranges provided by airport
officials in the survey to estimate the average. To simplify, the two
airports with more than 75 categorical exclusions were estimated to have 75,
and the one airport with more than 10 environmental impact statements was
estimated to have 10.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

23. What is your airport's projected growth for (a) operations and (b)
passengers over the next 10 years?

Passengers are projected to increase at a faster rate than operations.
Officials at 37 airports expected the rate of growth in passengers to exceed
25 percent over the next 10 years, while officials at only 20 airports
expected the same level of growth in operations. (See fig. 20.)

Note: One airport was uncertain of its expected growth rate for operations
and passengers, and officials from two airports did not answer this
question.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

24. How many capacity projects does your airport plan to complete between
now and 2010?

Of the 50 airports surveyed, officials at 34 are planning to build or at
least extend 56 runways in the next 10 years. A majority of the airports
will build or extend at least one runway over that period. (See fig. 21.)

Note: One airport indicated that it was uncertain about the number of
runways it planned to complete from now through 2010.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

(Question 24 continued)

The average number of capacity projects airport officials expected to
complete by 2010 is not strongly associated with the time when they expected
to reach capacity. For example, airports that are already at or above
capacity are planning to complete fewer runways, on average, than airports
that expect to reach capacity in 1 to 9 years. However, airports at or above
capacity are planning to complete slightly more taxiways and terminals than
airports expecting to reach capacity in 1 to 9 years. (See fig. 22.) In
addition, airport officials are planning to complete at least 10 capacity
projects per airport (runways, taxiways, terminals, gates, and ground access
projects), on average, by 2010. Officials from 23 of the 24 airports that
are already operating at or above capacity or will reach capacity in the
next 4 years are planning to complete at least one passenger terminal
project by 2010.

Note: One airport indicated that it was uncertain about the number of
runways, taxiways, or terminals it planned to complete from now through
2010. To simplify, we counted the airports with four or more capacity
projects as having four.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

25. What is the approximate population within the 65 dB DNL (or Ldn)
contour2 around your airport?

Twenty-two airports have between 1,000 and 25,000 people living within areas
where sound levels reach 65 dB DNL or more. (See fig. 23.) We conservatively
estimated that the total population living within such areas at 48 of the 50
busiest commercial service airports is 675,000 people.3 Our estimate is
based on data provided by the airports.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

26. Please describe the change, if any, over the past 5 years in the
population level within your airport's 65 dB DNL contour.

Officials from 23 airports reported that the population within their
airport's 65 dB DNL contour was moderately or greatly decreasing. Officials
from 16 airports described their populations as stable, and officials from
10 airports reported that the populations affected by noise near their
airport was moderately increasing. (See fig. 24.)

Note: One airport was unable to estimate the change in the population living
inside the 65 dB DNL contour.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

27. What portion of noise complaints received over the last 12 months came
from areas outside the 65 dB DNL contour?

Many noise complaints airports receive come from areas that federal criteria
do not consider significantly noise-impacted (areas with noise levels below
65 dB DNL). Officials from 35 airports reported that more than half of their
noise complaints came from areas that FAA has designated as compatible with
airport operations in terms of noise. (See fig. 25.)

Note: Two airports have not calculated the portion of noise complaints that
came from areas outside the 65 dB DNL contour.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

28. Approximately how often does your airport monitor noise levels?

Officials at over half of the airports monitor noise daily or more often,
and officials at almost all airports monitor noise at least periodically.
(See fig. 26.) An official from one airport reported that the airport does
not monitor noise.

Note: Officials from two airports reported that they are currently
installing new noise-monitoring systems, and an official from one airport
reported that the airport does not monitor noise.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

29. As you know, aircraft over 75,000 pounds are required to be Stage 3
compliant by December 31, 1999, but aircraft below 75,000 pounds are not.
What portion of the jets that currently take off and land at your airport
are below 75,000 pounds?

Officials at over half of the airports reported that very few of the
airplanes using their airports weigh less than 75,000 pounds. Officials at
only five airports reported that half or more of the airplanes operating at
their airport weigh less than 75,000 pounds. This suggests that most of the
airplanes that currently take off and land at the 50 busiest airports are
Stage 3 compliant because only airplanes weighing 75,000 pounds or less are
exempt. (See fig. 27.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

30. Please indicate the activities that are required or encouraged at your
airport to reduce the impact of aircraft noise.

Officials from the majority of airports noted that their airports either
require or encourage three noise mitigation strategies--ground run-up
(engine testing) restrictions or limitations, preferential use of certain
flight paths, and limits on the use of certain runways.4 All other
strategies are required or encouraged by fewer than half of the airports.
(See fig. 28.) Officials from 48 of the airports require or encourage at
least one of these noise mitigation strategies.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

31. Please indicate your airport's current participation, if any, in these
activities relating to regional air quality.

Almost half of the nation's 50 busiest airports are represented on a
committee that addresses air quality issues, and an equal number of airports
are represented at regional air quality meetings. Twenty-one airports also
conducted airport-specific emissions studies or audits. (See fig. 29.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

(Question 31 continued)

The level of participation in activities relating to regional air quality is
high among airports located in nonattainment areas.5 Officials from 25 of
the 31 airports located in nonattainment areas participate in at least one
activity related to regional air quality. (See fig. 30.) However, officials
from 6 airports in nonattainment areas do not participate in regional air
quality activities despite their area's poor air quality. In addition,
officials from 13 airports in nonattainment areas are not members of a
committee that addresses air quality and do not attend air quality meetings;
and officials from 15 airports in nonattainment areas have not conducted an
airport air emission study or audit. This level of nonparticipation is
important because an EPA study found that aircraft emissions are a
potentially significant, increasing source of pollution in 10 cities with
local air quality problems.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

32. Of the ground service equipment operated by your airport and its tenants
(e.g., maintenance vehicles, baggage carts), approximately what percentage
(a) use alternative fuels now and (b) are expected to use alternative fuels
within the next 5 years?

33. Of the ground access vehicles operated by your airport and its tenants
(e.g., taxis, shuttles, public transit), approximately what percentage (a)
use alternative fuels now and (b) are expected to use alternative fuels
within the next 5 years?

The use of alternative fuels at airports is currently limited. Approximately
2 percent of the ground service vehicles and 0.6 percent of the ground
access vehicles currently operating at the 50 busiest commercial service
airports use alternative fuels. However, at least some alternative-fuel
ground service vehicles are currently being used at 29 of the 50 airports.
In addition, airport officials expect the share of alternative-fuel vehicles
to quadruple in the next 5 years. (See fig. 31.)

Notes: We estimated the percentages of vehicles by interpolating the median,
an average statistic representing the point dividing the upper half of the
responses from the lower half. In addition, four airports were not included
in the figure. One airport indicated that it is unsure about the current or
projected share of alternative-fuel ground service equipment and ground
access vehicles. One airport indicated that a few airlines are voluntarily
considering the use of alternative-fuel ground service equipment and that
the airport uses electricity to power remote terminals and the parking
garage. One airport indicated that 100 percent of its buses use alternative
fuels. One airport indicated that a significant number of passengers use
public transportation to get to the airport.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

34. If your airport is located in a nonattainment area, does the state
implementation plan include an air emissions budget for airports?

The Environmental Protection Agency recently reported that aircraft have the
potential to contribute significantly to air pollution. However, as figure
32 shows, officials from 14 airports, or 42 percent of those in
nonattainment areas,6 reported that emissions from their airport are not
included in their state's plan for improving regional air quality--known as
the state implementation plan. In addition, officials from several airports
who noted that their airport was included in their state implementation plan
believed their emissions budget--or emissions limitation--was insufficient
to accommodate their operations and growth.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

Notes: Percentages do not add to 100 due to rounding. These statistics
represent the answers provided by airport officials. Data from the
Environmental Protection Agency conflict with some of these data. According
to the agency's data, officials from three airports that reported they were
in attainment areas are located in nonattainment areas, and officials from
three airports that reported they were in nonattainment areas are located in
attainment areas.

35. What percentage of all passengers, tenants, and employees use the
following modes of transportation to get to and from your airport?

The large majority of people still drive cars to the nation's 50 busiest
commercial service airports. We estimate that 40 times more people drive or
ride in cars to these airports than take public transportation. (See fig.
33.) This may help explain why cars, traffic, and parking represent three of
the airport officials' four top air quality concerns (see question 8).

Notes: We estimated the percentages of vehicles by interpolating the median,
an average statistic representing the point dividing the upper half of the
responses from the lower half. In addition, the percentages do not add to
100 because airports estimated the percentage using provided ranges and
rounding. Furthermore, the following were not included in the calculations:
Six airports wrote in additional modes of transportation. Two airports did
not indicate what percentage of passengers, tenants, and employees use cars
or vans/shuttles to get to and from the airport. Five airports were
uncertain about the percentage of people that use vans/shuttles, and four
airports were unsure about the percentage that use public transportation.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

36. Has your airport contributed funding to any of the following strategies
for improving air quality over the last 5 years?

The majority of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports fund a
variety of air pollutant emission reduction strategies. Most of the airports
provide funds for alternative-fuel vehicles and stations and provide
electricity and preconditioned air at gates so airplanes can save fuel and
reduce pollution by not running their own or stand-alone generators while at
the gate. (See fig. 34.) Forty-five of the 50 airports fund at least one of
these air emission reduction strategies.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

37. Are either deicing or anti−icing chemicals used at your airport?

Some deicing operations occur at most of the airports we surveyed, even
those that are located in a warm climate. (See fig. 35.)

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

38. What types of aircraft and runway deicing/anti−icing fluids are
normally used at your airport?

Propylene glycol is the most commonly used aircraft deicing or anti-icing
chemical. It is used at 40 of the 45 airports where deicing or anti-icing
chemicals are used. Ethylene glycol is the second most commonly used
chemical. (See fig. 36.) Although glycol products can be also be used on
runways, its use is declining, making potassium acetate the most commonly
used runway deicing or anti-icing chemical, according to a study by the
Environmental Protection Agency. Potassium acetate is used at 26 of the 45
airports that support deicing or anti-icing efforts. Typically, airlines or
contractors are responsible for deicing and anti-icing for aircraft, and
airports are responsible the same activities for the airfield pavement.
However, overall chemical use at airports varies. Officials from 45 airports
reported 19 different combinations of chemical use.

Note: Statistics include the 45 airports at which deicing or anti-icing
chemicals are used.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

39. How does your airport currently handle runoff from deicing or
anti−icing operations?

Vacuum sweeper trucks are the most common deicing or anti−icing
chemical capture technique used by the nation's busiest commercial service
airports. These trucks are used at 22 of the 45 airports where such
chemicals are used. (See fig. 37.) There does not appear to be a preferred
mix of capture strategies. The 45 airports with deicing or anti−icing
operations used 25 different combinations of chemical capture strategies.

Note: Statistics include the 45 airports at which deicing or anti-icing
chemicals are used.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

40. Currently, how does your airport dispose of deicing or anti−icing
fluids?

Over half of the 45 airports where deicing or anti−icing fluids are
used send at least some of the spent fluids to a publicly owned treatment
facility. (See fig. 38.) The airports reported using 18 different
combinations of approaches to dispose of deicing or anti−icing fluid.

Note: Statistics include the 45 airports at which deicing or anti-icing
chemicals are used.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

41. Does your airport recycle any of its reclaimed deicing or
anti−icing fluids?

Figure 39 shows that 12 of the 45 airports with deicing or anti-icing
operations recycle at least some of the reclaimed chemicals.

Note: Statistics include the 45 airports at which deicing or anti-icing
chemicals are used.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

42. During the deicing season, how often do airlines report their use of
deicing/anti−icing chemicals to the airport authority?

It is common for airlines to report their use of deicing/anti−icing
fluids to airports. As figure 40 indicates, 29 airports receive reports on
chemical usage at least once a month, and 38 receive some kind of reporting
from airlines.

Notes: Statistics include the 45 airports at which deicing or anti-icing
chemicals are used. In addition, two airports did not answer this question,
one airport indicated that it has no deicing season, and one airport
indicated that deicing occurs infrequently.

Source: GAO's survey of the nation's 50 busiest commercial service airports.

43. Please add any comments you wish on the issues in this survey.

Officials from 11 airports provided additional written comments on specific
environmental issues that concern them. As we requested, these comments
focused, in particular, on the airports' difficulties in balancing growth
and environmental impacts. A number of airport officials also provided
details about the environmental issues that threaten to impede their
airports' development. For example, officials from two airports cited their
lack of control over environmental impacts, noting that FAA controls some
aspects of airline activities yet the resulting impacts on noise and air
quality pose a concern for airports. Other issues raised included (1)
difficulties in managing wetlands and stormwater processes because of
overlapping state, county, and federal permitting requirements and (2) a
lack of accountability and communication within FAA on environmental impact
statements that impedes airport expansion projects.

GAO's Survey of the Nation's 50 Busiest Commercial Service Airports

List of the 50 Busiest Commercial Service Airports, Based on 1998 Data From
FAA

Officials from each of the following airports responded to the survey in
appendix III.

ï¿½ Anchorage International

ï¿½ Atlanta International

ï¿½ Austin/Bergstrom International

ï¿½ Baltimore-Washington International

ï¿½ Boston/Logan International

ï¿½ Charlotte/Douglas International

ï¿½ Chicago/Midway

ï¿½ Chicago/O'Hare International

ï¿½ Cleveland Hopkins International

ï¿½ Covington/Cincinnati International

ï¿½ Dallas Love Field

ï¿½ Dallas/Fort Worth International

ï¿½ Denver International

ï¿½ Detroit Metro Wayne County

ï¿½ Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood

ï¿½ Honolulu International

ï¿½ Houston Hobby

ï¿½ Houston/George Bush Intercontinental

ï¿½ Indianapolis International

ï¿½ John F. Kennedy International

ï¿½ Kansas City International

ï¿½ La Guardia

ï¿½ Lambert/St. Louis International

ï¿½ Las Vegas/McCarran International

ï¿½ Los Angeles International

ï¿½ Memphis International

ï¿½ Metropolitan Oakland International

ï¿½ Miami International

ï¿½ Milwaukee/General Mitchell International

ï¿½ Minneapolis/St. Paul International

ï¿½ Nashville International

ï¿½ New Orleans International/Moisant

ï¿½ Newark International

ï¿½ Ontario International

ï¿½ Orlando International

ï¿½ Philadelphia International

ï¿½ Phoenix Sky Harbor International

ï¿½ Pittsburgh International

ï¿½ Port Columbus International

ï¿½ Portland International

ï¿½ Raleigh-Durham International

ï¿½ Reno/Tahoe International

ï¿½ Ronald Reagan Washington National

ï¿½ Salt Lake City International

ï¿½ San Diego International/Lindbergh

ï¿½ San Francisco International

ï¿½ San Jose International

ï¿½ Seattle Tacoma International

ï¿½ Tampa International

ï¿½ Washington Dulles International

GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments

Gerald L. Dillingham, (202) 512-2834
Belva Martin, (202) 512-2834

In addition to those named above, Danielle Bartoni, Sandra Cantler, Keith
Cunningham, Beverly Dulaney, and Fran Featherston made key contributions to
this report.

(348240)

Figure 1: Difficulty in Balancing Environmental Concerns
With Airport Operations Compared With 1989 8

Figure 2: Anticipated Date for Airports to Reach Capacity 9

Figure 3: Environmental Issues That Are a Major Concern for
Airports When Making Decisions About Current Operations 10

Figure 4: Environmental Issues That Currently Most Concern Airports 11

Figure 5: Environmental Issues That Most Concern Airports
Currently and in the Future 12

Figure 6: Noise Issues That Are a Major or Moderate Concern
for Airports 13

Figure 7: Noise Issues That Most Concern Airports 14

Figure 8: Air Quality Issues that are a Major or Moderate Concern
for Airports 16

Figure 9: Air Quality Issues That Most Concern Airports 17

Figure 10: Water Quality Issues That Are a Major or Moderate
Concern for Airports 19

Figure 11: Water Quality Issues That Most Affect Airports' Operations 20

Figure 12: Airports' Satisfaction With NEPA Review Process 21

Figure 13: Airports' Opinions of FAA's Effectiveness in Selected
Environmental Areas 22

Figure 14: Causes of Delays in Airport Capacity Expansion Projects 24

Figure 15: Degree to Which the Environmental Review Process (NEPA)
Contributed to Delays in Airport Expansion Projects 25

Figure 16: Share of Airports' Capacity Expansion Projects That Were Delayed
Primarily Because of Environmental Issues 26

Figure 17: Share of Airports With Expansion Projects Whose Projects Required
Environmental Reviews 28

Figure 18: Airports Canceling or Indefinitely Postponing Expansion Projects
Because of Environmental Issues 29

Figure 19: Average Number of NEPA Environmental Reviews
Conducted by the 50 Busiest Commercial Service Airports
in the Last 10 Years 30

Figure 20: Anticipated Growth Rate in Passengers and Operations
over the Next 10 Years 31

Figure 21: Number of Runways to Be Built or Extended by 2010 32

Figure 22: Average Number of Runways, Taxiways, or Terminals to
Be Built or Expanded by 2010 33

Figure 23: Approximate Population Within the 65 dB DNL Contour 34

Figure 24: Population Changes Within the 65 dB DNL Contour Over
the Past 5 Years 35

Figure 25: Portion of Airports' Noise Complaints That Come From
Areas Outside the 65 dB DNL Contour 36

Figure 26: Cumulative Totals for the Frequency of Airport Noise
Monitoring 37

Figure 27: Share of Airplanes Under 75,000 Pounds Operating at the Airports
38

Figure 28: Noise Mitigation Strategies Required or Encouraged
by Airports 39

Figure 29: Airports' Participation in Regional Air Quality Activities 40

Figure 30: Participation in Regional Air Quality Activities by
Airports in Nonattainment Areas 41

Figure 31: Current and Projected Percentage of Alternative-Fuel
Vehicles at the Airports 43

Figure 32: Status of Airports in Their State Implementation Plan's
Emissions Budget 45

Figure 33: Passengers', Tenants', and Employees' Modes of
Transportation to the Airport 46

Figure 34: Air Pollutant Emissions Reduction Strategies Funded
by Airports 47

Figure 35: Use of Deicing or Anti-Icing Chemicals at Airports 48

Figure 36: Deicing and Anti-Icing Chemicals Used at Airports 49

Figure 37: Airports' Use of Selected Deicing and Anti-Icing Chemical Capture
Techniques 50

Figure 38: Airports' use of Selected Deicing or Anti-Icing Fluid Disposal
Strategies 51

Figure 39: Recycling of Deicing/Anti-Icing Fluids 52

Figure 40: Frequency of Airlines' Reporting of Deicing or Anti-Icing
Chemical Use During Deicing Season 53
  

1. Deicing involves the removal of frost, snow, or ice from aircraft
surfaces or from paved areas, including runways, taxiways, and gate areas.
Anti-icing prevents the accumulation of frost, snow, or ice on these
surfaces. Deicing and can be performed mechanically and/or by applying
chemical agents. Anti-icing can only be accomplished through the application
of chemicals.

2. Under federal land use guides incorporated into FAA regulations, the
noise boundary within which some land uses, such as residences and schools,
are considered incompatible with airport operations.

3. To calculate the number of people affected by noise at 45 airports, we
took the minimum possible value in the ranges for the estimates for the 43
airports that answered the question. We included a more specific estimate
for the airport that reported that its population within the 65 dB DNL was
over 100,000--adding 125,000 people to the estimate. For two airports that
provided only the number of households that are located within the 65 dB DNL
contour, we used FAA's approved methodology to approximate the number of
affected residents at 75,600 and 102,600, respectively.

4. The use of "restrictions" and "limitations" was based on the wording of
GAO's survey of airports and is not intended to reflect the special meaning
under FAA Aviation Regulation part 161.

5. Nonattainment areas are geographic areas in which the levels of common
air pollutants regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency are higher
than the levels allowed by federal standards.

6. Nonattainment areas are geographic areas in which the levels of common
air pollutants regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency are higher
than the levels allowed by federal standards.
*** End of document. ***