Congressman Crow Tackles Coloradans’ Airport Noise, Safety Concerns in FAA Reauthorization Bill

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06), member of the Quiet Skies Caucus, voted to pass theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2023, after the inclusion of key provisions requiring the FAA to address aviation noise and improve and protect the lives of Coloradans living under concentrated flight paths.

In 2021, an in-air collision near Centennial Airport raised significant concerns for the families residing below the flight path in Colorado's 6th district. These residents continue to be deeply affected by high-decibel noise caused by concentrated flights. 

“Coloradans in the sixth district have suffered from the constant loud noise caused by a concentration of flights over their homes—and efforts to address the problem have consistently fallen short. Colorado’s families deserve better,” said Congressman Crow. “We need to advance the aviation noise priorities in the FAA reauthorization to address these concerns and protect the families underneath the flight paths of Colorado’s Centennial Airport and major aviation hubs in the US.” 

Alongside the Quiet Skies Caucus, Congressman Crow helped advance the following measures included in the FY24 FAA reauthorization bill to:  

• Establish an Aviation Noise Officer tasked with working directly with the public to assess and address aviation noise faced by average Americans;
• Establish an airport community task force to engage communities impacted by airport development;
• Establish a Community Collaboration Program within the FAA to facilitate community engagement in revising and creating new FAA policies;
• Require the FAA to review and revise the FAA Noise Standards before implementing changes to noise policies;
• Require the FAA to work with airports and neighboring communities to modify routes to mitigate aircraft noise impacts; 
• Order a study on aviation noise metrics by the National Academies to assess the efficacy of current noise metrics; and
• Order a GAO study to examine ways in which a state, territorial or local government could mitigate the negative impacts of helicopter noise; and 

Today’s legislation builds on Congressman Crow's efforts to ensure proper oversight of the FAA and address community health and safety concerns related to the aviation industry. Crow’s efforts include pressing the FAA for answers on theenvironmental impact of airport noise, urging Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to direct the FAA to increase the presence of community representatives, and encouraging the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to prioritize aircraft noise as an environmental, health, and safety issue.