Letter to FAA re Watertown and Belmont airplane noise

Senator Brownsberger and other legislators sent the following letter to the FAA regarding local airplane noise.

December 18, 2013

Amy Lind Corbett, Regional Administrator
Federal Aviation Administration
New England Region
12 New England Executive Park
Burlington, MA 01803-5299

Dear Ms. Corbett:

We write as the state delegation representing Watertown and Belmont out of concern arising from the increase in airplane noise in our communities due to the implementation of the new Runway 33L departure procedure at Logan Airport.

The cities and towns affected by this change were not given adequate notice of the anticipated change. Although the FAA’s modeling suggests that the DNL average changes are limited, the frequent, repeated roars have very noticeably and adversely affected many residents. The FAA should have made a greater effort to alert communities of the change and its impact. If they had, potential alternatives could have been discussed and considered prior to the implementation of the change.

We understand that the FAA will conduct a post-implementation review of the departure procedure, and we have learned that this review will be internal and will not seek public input nor include consultation with the Logan Airport Community Advisory Community (CAC). We ask that you provide the affected communities and the CAC an opportunity to review the true impact of the change and to consider less impactful alternatives as part of your post-implementation analysis.

We request a meeting with you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

William N. Brownsberger                                                       Jonathan Hecht
State Senator                                                                           State Representative

David Rogers                                                                          John Lawn
State Representative                                                               State Representative

Cc: Terry English, Program Manager, Boston Logan Airport Noise Study;
The Honorable Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator;
The Honorable Edward Markey, U.S. Senator; and
The Honorable Katherine Clark, U.S. Congresswoman

View letter.