From:            Bernedine Lund
To:                Commission-Public-Records
Subject:           Re: [EXTERNAL] Comment for Tuesday Feb 9 commissioner"s meeting
Date:              Monday, February 8, 2021 9:12:14 PM
Attachments:      PoS Commissioner 2-9-2021.pdf
FAA Aircraft Noise Policy and Research Efforts - Request for Comments.pdf
Thanks for the response. Here are my comments and the FAA Policy and Request
for Input.
Stay safe - Bernedine
On Monday, February 8, 2021, 03:17:13 PM PST, Commission-Public-Records  wrote:

Thank you for letting us know, Bernedine.
Just a reminder to please submit your written comments before 9:00am on February 9.
Best Regards,
Commission Public Records
From: Bernedine Lund 

Sent: Monday, February 8, 2021 3:09 PM
To: Commission-Public-Records 
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment for Tuesday Feb 9 commissioner's meeting
WARNING: External email. Links or attachments may be unsafe.
Hello, I will most likely send you a comment in writing tonight or in the morning, We
have a medical appt by video conference at 1 PM tomorrow and that may overlap
with the public comments. The comment will ask the Commissioner[s to respond to
the FAA's draft policy on noise and I'll send a copy of that draft policy as well.
Thanks.
Bernedine Lund
philandbernedine2002@yahoo.com



2-9-2021 PoS Commissioner's meeting, Public Comment 2-9-2021, Bernedine Lund, resident of
Federal Way, member of QSPS and volunteer for 350 Seattle Aviation Group 

Hello, Commissioners, 
Attached is a copy of a request from the FAA on input for its Aircraft Noise Policy and Research
Efforts  see the Comments on the last page of the Policy. Here too is a link if you would rather
read it on line. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/13/2021-00564/overviewof-faa-aircraft-noise-policy-and-research-efforts-request-for-input-on-research-activities.
The
deadline for comments is March 15th, and several people n the community are planning to give
input.
It would be helpful if you, as Port Commissioners, would add your response to the FAA. You
are in a good position to know about the increases in public complaints and what is be
contributing to them. Adding your comments about the issues the public has had with the
increased noise would let the public know that you are interested in the noise and its effect of the
local communities.
I'm not sure how to phrase my comments to the FAA given the FAA's blatant disregard for
previous public comments from others and its dismissal of the issue of noise as requested in the
2018 FAA reauthorization bill. This current request for more information seems to be a delay
tactic where they can say they are studying the issue before taking any action, when they already
know about the issues. 
Comments I am going to make include the following, though I hope to have more by next week.: 
-    The DNL is an old metric based on the Schultz Curve that is difficult to replicate using our
current noise monitors. The noise metric also does not capture the long sound waves that one
can feel more than hear. 
-    The nature of rising and falling noise from aircraft and the frequent flights, such a 1 every 2
minutes for hours on end, is more akin to torturous exposure that to annoyance.  Noise has
been used in the past to weaken and disorient prisoners who cannot mitigate nor get away
from the noise; it is hard to find a difference between that description and that of being under
a flight path.
-    The current FAA mandate is to ensure the safety of the flying public; it needs to be expanded
to include the safety of all citizens, both local and international.

These are sure to change over the next week before I send them in.

AUTHENTICATED
US GOVERNMENT,

GPO,
2722           Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 8/ Wednesday, January 13, 2021/Notices

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION   2601-2623, as recodified at 49 U.S.C.  DATES: Comments on this notice must
Subtitle IX, Ch. 701Commercial Space  identify the docket number and be
Federal Aviation Administration          Launch Activities, 49 U.S.C. 70101      received on or before March 15, 2021.
70119 (1994), requires certain data be
[Docket No. FAA-2020-1157]                                                          ADDRESSES: Send comments identified
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performance; (b) the accuracy of the       summary to the public of the research     through Friday, except Federal holidays.
estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to     programs it sponsors on civil aircraft      FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
enhance the quality, utility and clarity    noise that could potentially inform        Donald Scata, Office of Environment
of the information collection; and (d)      future aircraft noise policy. The FAA      and Energy (AEE-100), Federal Aviation
ways that the burden could be            invites public comment on the scope      Administration, 800 Independence Ave.
minimized without reducing the quality   and applicability of these research        SW, Washington, DC 20591. Telephone:
of the collected information. The agency   initiatives to address aircraft noise.        (202) 267-0606. Email address:
will summarize and/or include your        The FAA will not make any
NoiseResearchFRN@faa.gov.
comments in the request for OMB's       determinations based on the findings of
clearance of this information collection.   these research programs for the FAA's     Contents
OMB Control Number: 2120-0608.      noise policies, including any potential    Supplementary Information
Title: Commercial Space               revised use of the Day-Night Average      Overview of FAA Research on Aircraft Noise
Transportation Licensing Regulations.     Sound Level (DNL) noise metric, until it   (1) Effects of Aircraft Noise on Individuals
Form Numbers: FAA Form 8800-1.     has carefully considered public and         and Communities
Type ofReview: Renewal of an          other stakeholder input along with any      Speech Interference and Children's
information collection.                                                                  Learning
additional research needed to improve
Neighborhood Environmental Survey
Background: The Commercial Space    the understanding of the effects of         Health and Human Impacts Research
Launch Act of 1984, 49 U.S.C. App.       aircraft noise exposure on communities.     Impacts to Cardiovascular Health

Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 8/Wednesday, January 13, 2021/Notices              2723

Sleep Disturbance                         than 250 airports have used this
Economic Impacts                                                        process   areas experiencing significant aircraft
to consider changes to local land use
(2) Noise Modeling, Noise Metrics, and                                                   noise has started to show a gradual
Environmental Data Visualization         planning and zoning, sound insulation,    expansion. The introduction of
Aviation Environmental Design Tool        acquisition of homes and other noise-     Performance Based Navigation (PBN)
Noise Screening                          sensitive property, aircraft noise           procedures, as needed to safely and
Environmental Data Visualization           abatement routes and procedures, and     efficiently modernize the national air
Supplemental Noise Metrics                other measures. Over $6 billion in         transportation system,? has also
(3) Reduction, Abatement, and Mitigation of   funding has been provided for airports    provided noise benefits for many by
Aviation Noise                          to undertake noise compatibility
Aircraft Source Noise Reduction                                                         allowing for new and more efficient
programs and implement noise
Noise Abatement                                                                    flight paths, but has in some places
Noise Mitigation Research                 mitigation measures. The FAA            resulted in community concerns,
Aircraft Noise Policy Background           encourages the process by providing      particularly related to increased
Comments Invited                          financial and technical assistance to       concentration of flights. In 2016, the
airport sponsors to develop Noise         FAA released an update to the FAA
Background Information               Exposure Maps and Noise Compatibility  Community Involvement Manual to
Since the mid-1970s, the number of     Programs, and implement eligible noise-  reaffirm the FAA's commitment to
people living in areas exposed to          related mitigation measures               inform and involve the public, and to
significant levels of aircraft noise 1 in      recommended in the program,             give meaningful consideration to
the United States has declined from       depending upon the availability of        community concerns and views as the
roughly 7 million to just over 400,000     funding.                                  FAA makes aviation decisions that
today. At the same time, the number of      In addition to noise compatibility       affect community interests. The FAA
commercial enplanements has increased  planning, the FAA also issues grants to    has since developed and begun
from approximately 200 million in 1975   airport operators and units of local        implementing a comprehensive and
to approximately 930 million in 2018.     government to fund mitigation projects,   strategic approach to transform and
The single most influential factor in that   most notably to sound-insulate homes,    enhance FAA community involvement
decline was the phased transition to       schools, and other noise-sensitive         practices, including working through
quieter aircraft, which effectively          facilities. While sound insulation         airport community roundtables, to
reduced the size of the areas around       reduces indoor noise levels, it does not    equitably discuss opportunities to shift
airports experiencing significant noise     address concerns about noise interfering
or, when possible, reduce aircraft noise
levels. That transition was the result of    with the enjoyment of the outdoors.
exposure.
the development of new technology by    Moreover, there are limits to the
effectiveness of sound insulation. In       Overview of FAA Research on Aircraft
aircraft and engine manufacturers;
establishment of increasingly stringent    some areas with elevated noise levels,     Noise
noise standards for civil subsonic         sound insulation may not sufficiently       Recognizing that aircraft noise
aircraft, investments by U.S. airlines in   reduce interior noise levels to meet        remains a primary concern of
many
established interior noise standards.4
newer, quieter aircraft; and                                                          stakeholders, the FAA is actively
requirements by the FAA and the         Conversely, in areas where overall noise   working to understand, manage, and
United States Congress to phase out       levels are lower, interior noise standards  reduce the environmental impacts of
operations by  older, noisier aircraft.       may already be met without additional    global aviation through research,
A second                           sound insulation treatments.5
factor has been cooperative                                              technological innovation, policy, and
efforts by airports, airlines and other         Today's civilian aircraft are quieter      outreach to benefit the public.
than at any time in the history of jet-
aircraft operators, State and local                                                       With the vision of removing
powered flight. The FAA, aircraft
governments, and communities to                                               environmental constraints on aviation
reduce the number of people living in     manufacturers, and airlines continue to   growth by achieving quieter, cleaner,
work toward further reducing aircraft      and more efficient air transportation, the
areas near airports exposed to
noise at the source.6 As an example, the
significant levels of aircraft noise. Under                                             FAA has worked closely with a number
noise produced by one Boeing 707-200
the FAA's Airport Noise Compatibility                                             of industry, academic, and
Planning Program, airports may         flight, typical in the 1970s, is equivalent  governmental stakeholders to assemble
in noise to 30 Boeing 737-800 flights
voluntarily initiate a collaborative                                                   a comprehensive portfolio of research
that are typical today." As a result, for     activities (including leveraging research
process to consider measures that
reduce existing noncompatible land       many years there was a steady decline     undertaken by others) aimed at guiding
in the number of people exposed to       investments in scientific studies,
uses and prevent new noncompatible
land uses in areas exposed to significant   significant noise in communities located  analytical tools, and innovative
levels of aircraft noise. Since 1983, more  near airports. In recent years, however,    technologies to better understand and
as aviation industry growth has led to     manage aircraft noise. However, due to
an increase in operations in many areas,
Under longstanding FAA policy, the threshold                                              the complex nature of aircraft noise and
of significant aircraft noise                      the number of people and the size of the   the varied priorities and concerns of
exposure in residential
areas is a Day-Night Average Sound Level of 65                                                 stakeholders, no single set of findings
decibels (dB). See the "Aviation Noise Abatement      #FAA Order 5100.38D, Appendix R.             can completely guide decision making.
Policy," issued by the Secretary of Transportation      SP.J. Wolfe et al., 2016 Costs and benefits of US
and the FAA Administrator in 1976. This document                                             A broad understanding of aircraft noise
aviation noise land-use policies Transportation
is available on the FAA website at https:/          Research Part D 44 (2016) 147-156, http://          and any potential impacts, from
many
www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/policy_guidance/   dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2016.02.010.              different perspectives, is therefore
envir_policy/.                                  See, for example, | I    li   onthe FAA's      needed. Summaries of the FAA's key
2 Consistent with International Civil
Aviation      "Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise"
Oy i  li  standards, FAA has set increasingly   (CLEEN) Program at: https://www.faa.gov/about/     8 See Section 213, "Acceleration of
more stringent aircraft certification noise standards,   office_org/headquarters_offices/apl/research/                                    NextGen
such as the Stage 5 noise certification standard. 82                                              Technologies," of the FAA Modernization and
aircraft_technology/cleen/.
FR 46123 (October 4, 2017).                                                                Reform Act of 2012, Public Law 112-95,
7 Based                                                                   213, 126
on an average of approach and takeoff
3 This                                                                               Stat. 11, 46-50 (2012), 49 U.S.C. 40101 note (PBN
process is outlined under 49 U.S.C. 47501    certificated noise levels as defined in 14 CFR
et seq., as implemented by 14 CFR part 150.                                            part    implementation required at key airports by
36.
statutory deadline).

2724           Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 8/ Wednesday, January 13, 2021/ Notices

research, tools, and technology            Health, the FAA is working to             might reduce economic productivity.
programs designed to potentially inform   understand the relationship between      The FAA is also in the developmental
aircraft noise policy are provided below.   aircraft noise exposure and                stage of a research project that would
cardiovascular health. The researchers
(1) Effects of Aircraft Noise on                                                       build on existing work done by MIT that
Individuals and Communities           are doing this by leveraging existing      has used housing value data to reveal
national longitudinal health cohorts       the willingness of people to pay to avoid
Speech Interference and Children's       wherein statistically large numbers of     aircraft noise exposure. This research is
Learning                              people provide data about their health    intended to serve as a follow on to the
Much of our current understanding on  on a periodic basis over the course of     Neighborhood Environmental Survey
speech interference due to noise was      many years. These studies are typically    (described in the next section), to
established by the Environmental         used to understand the relative risk of     determine whether the findings of that
Protection Agency (EPA) in the 1970s.    different factors like diet on different
survey on residents' sensitivity to
The findings from these early research     health outcomes like heart disease. The    aviation noise is also reflected in their
assessments are still relevant for today's   Boston University team is expanding the  "revealed preferences" when making
considerations on the impacts from       list of factors to include aircraft noise     housing location decisions.
aircraft noise. However, the FAA is also   exposure such that it can be placed in
investigating whether there are related    context with other factors that could      Neighborhood Environmental Survey
considerations warranting more detailed  increase one's risk of cardiovascular         To review and improve the agency's
studies. One area in particular is the       disease. The team is leveraging existing   understanding of community response
potential effects of aviation noise on       collaborations with well-recognized and   to aircraft noise, the FAA initiated the
reading comprehension and learning      respected health cohorts including the    Neighborhood Environmental Survey
motivation in children. Initial research    Nurses' Health Studies and the Health     (NES) to help inform ongoing research
in this area has shown there are           Professionals Follow-Up Study, as well    and policy priorities on aviation noise.
challenges in designing effective          as a complementary study at Boston       Section 187 of the FAA Reauthorization
studies, and this continues to be an area   University that is examining the           Act of 2018 11 requires the
of interest to better inform noise           Women' Heath Initiative cohort through   Administrator of the FAA to "conclude
mitigation and abatement strategies for    funding from the National Institutes of    the Administrator's ongoing review of
schools and other noise-sensitive          Health.                                    the relationship between aircraft noise
facilities. While additional research in     Sleep Disturbance                         exposure and its effects on communities
this area is still being explored, the FAA                                             around airports
The FAA is working with a team led                    . . . [and] submit to
has invested more than $440 million in                                             Congress a report containing the results
sound insulation treatments at schools    by the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine to conduct a          of the review."
around the country 10 in order to                                                       Due to the interest from Congress and
national sleep study that will quantify
mitigate any potential issues related to                                               other stakeholders in the findings of this
the impact of aircraft noise
aircraft noise.                                                         exposure on   research, an expanded summary is
sleep. The study will collect nationally
Health and Human Impacts Research     representative information on the        provided in this notice below. The full
text of the NES report, including a
While community annoyance due to    probability of being awoken by aircraft
detailed description of the methodology
aircraft noise exposure provides a useful  noise exposure. The study will start
and findings, as well as additional
with input being requested from
summary measure that captures public                                            background material to help inform
perceptions of noise, a full                approximately 25,000 respondents
understanding of the impact of noise on   through a mail survey. These surveys      readers, is available on the FAA's
will be used to determine the eligibility   website at: www.faa.gov/go/
communities requires a careful
of respondents for a detailed field study   aviationnoise.
consideration of the potential
that will involve roughly 400
physiological impacts as well.                                                        Overview of the Survey
volunteers. The volunteers in the
Knowledge of physiological impacts
detailed field study will use equipment      Working with statisticians and noise
could also help the FAA develop
provided by the research team to collect   experts,12 the FAA worked with other
targeted measures to address aircraft                                                 Federal agencies that have statutory,
both noise and electrocardiography data
noise. Emerging research capabilities are
providing new opportunities to examine  in their homes while they sleep. The      regulatory, or other policy interests in
aviation noise, to conduct a nationwide
specific impacts of noise on humans.      electrocardiography data combined with
When these are examined in a holistic     information on the level of aircraft noise   survey to update the scientific evidence
on the relationship between aircraft
manner with research on community     exposure will advance our
noise exposure and its annoyance
annoyance, they could further inform     understanding of the physiological        effects on communities around airports,
effects of aircraft noise on sleep.
aircraft noise policy considerations. The                                             based on today's aircraft fleet and
FAA is conducting research on the        Economic Impacts                       operations. The NES included a range of
potential impacts of aircraft noise on        In addition to the aforementioned       questions on a variety of environmental
cardiovascular health and sleep
community and physiological impacts,    concerns, including aviation noise
disturbance, as described below.          the FAA is also working with              exposure.
Impacts to Cardiovascular Health         researchers at Massachusetts Institute of     The team of expert consultants, under
direction from the FAA, surveyed
In partnership with academic           Technology (MIT) to conduct an
empirical assessment of the economic     residents living around representative
researchers that are being led by the
Boston University School of Public        impacts to businesses located             U.S. airports, drawing upon well-
underneath aircraft flight paths. This      established research methods in order to
assessment will take into account the
2EPA, 1973, Public Health and Welfare Criteria                                                 11 Public Law 115-254.
For Noise, https://nepis.epa.gov/.                 economic benefits from aviation
12 The FAA contracted with Westat,
*Provided through Airport Improvement         activities, as well as potential                                           a leading
statistics firm, and HMMH, a leading noise
Program funding since 1994.                     environmental and health impacts that    consultancy, to conduct the survey.

Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 8/ Wednesday, January 13, 2021/ Notices              2725

ensure scientific integrity and historical   over the years.16 The dose-response       terms of the percentage of people who
continuity with prior studies, while also   relationship it depicts has provided the    are "highly annoyed" and describes
employing advancements in techniques   best tool available to predict noise-       aircraft noise exposure in terms of the
for noise modeling and social surveys.     induced annoyance for several decades.   DNL noise metric. Based on the 1992
The NES consisted of over 10,000 mail    In 1992, the Federal Interagency          FICON Report, discussed previously,
responses from residents in               Committee on Noise (FICON) reviewed    both the percentage of population
communities around 20 statistically       the use of the Schultz Curve, and          highly annoyed and the DNL noise
representative airports across the          created an updated version of the curve   metric have continued to be recognized
Nation, making it the single largest        using additional social survey data.1"      for this purpose including by FICON's
survey of this type undertaken at one      The updated dose response curve was
successor, the Federal Interagency
time. In addition to the mail responses,    found to agree within one to two          Committee on Aviation Noise in its
the consultants also conducted a follow-   percent of the original curve, leading      2018 report.20
up phone survey, which included over    FICON to conclude that "the updated
2,000 responses to a series of more        Schultz Curve remains the best available  NES Results
detailed questions. The FAA is now       source of empirical dosage-effect to         Compared with the Schultz Curve
considering the full NES results, in        predict community response to            representing transportation noise, the
conjunction with additional research      transportation noise." 18 According to     NES results show a substantially higher
findings as they become available, to      the 1992 FICON Report, the DNL-
percentage of people highly annoyed
determine how they may inform its       annoyance relationship depicted on the   over the entire range of aircraft noise
noise policy considerations.               Schultz Curve "is an invaluable aid in     levels (i.e., from DNL 50 to 75 dB) at
assessing community response as it       which the NES was conducted. This
Overview of Community Response to     relates the response to increases in both   includes an increase in annoyance at
Noise                                  sound intensity and frequency of
lower noise levels. The NES results also
occurrence." Although the predicted
Historically, two of the main types of                                              show proportionally less change in
annoyance, in terms of absolute levels,
information considered by the FAA and                                           annoyance from the lower noise levels
may vary among different communities,
other Federal agencies in relating noise                                              to the higher noise levels.
the Schultz Curve can reliably indicate
exposure to community response have    changes in the level of annoyance for       Comparing the percent of population
been: (1) Case studies analyzing           defined ranges of sound exposure for      highly annoyed due to noise exposure
individual and group actions (e.g.,                                                   between the updated Schultz Curve for
any given community.1 While the
complaints or legal action) taken by       validity of the dose-response              transportation noise in the 1992 FICON
residents of communities in response to   methodology used to create the Schultz   Report and the NES:
noise; and (2) social surveys (such as the   Curve remains well supported, its           * At a noise exposure level of DNL 65
NES) that elicit information from          underlying social survey data, including   dB, the updated Schultz Curve from the
community residents regarding their      the additional data used by FICON to      1992 FICON Report indicated that 12.3
level of noise-induced annoyance.         update the curve, is now on average       percent of people were highly annoyed,
Annoyance is defined as a "summary     more than 40 years old and warrants an   compared to between 60.1 percent and
measure of the general adverse reaction    update. The NES was conducted to        70.9 percent within a 95 percent
of people to noise that causes              create a new nationally representative     confidence limit from the NES.
interference with speech, sleep, the        dose-response curve to understand how     * At a noise exposure level of DNL 60
desire for a tranquil environment, and     community response to aircraft noise      dB, the updated Schultz Curve from the
the ability to use the telephone, radio,
may have changed.                      1992 FICON Report indicated that 6.5
or television satisfactorily." 13 The           The NES's collection of a nationally     percent of people were highly annoyed,
results of social surveys of noise-          representative dataset on community      compared to between 43.8 percent and
induced annoyance are typically plotted   annoyance in response to aircraft noise    53.7 percent within a 95 percent
as "'dose-response curves' on a graph     provides a contemporary update to the    confidence limit from the NES.
showing the relationship between the     Schultz Curve, including technical          * At a noise exposure level of DNL 55
level of DNL 14 cumulative noise          refinements to improve its reliability. As  dB, the updated Schultz Curve from the
exposure and the percentage of the        with the Schultz Curve, the NES           1992 FICON Report indicated that 3.3
population that is "highly annoyed."      describes community annoyance in       percent of people were highly annoyed,
Current FAA noise policy is informed                                            compared to between 27.8 percent and
16 See Fidell, S., D. Barber, "Updating
by a dose-response curve initially                                        a Dosage-    36.8 percent within a 95 percent
Effect Relationship for the Prevalence of Annoyance
created in the 1970s known as the                                                   confidence limit from the NES.
Due to General Transportation Noise," Journal of
Schultz Curve.15 This dose-response      the Acoustical Society ofAmerica, 89, January         * At a noise exposure level of DNL 50
1991, pp. 221-233; also see Finegold, L.S., C.S.
curve is generally accepted as a                                                      dB, the updated Schultz Curve from the
Harris, and H.E. von Gierke, 1992, Applied
representation of noise impacts and has                                             1992 FICON Report indicated that 1.7
Acoustical Report: Criteria for Assessment of Noise
been revalidated by subsequent analyses  Impacts on People, Journal of the Acoustical        percent of people were highly annoyed,
Society ofAmerica, June 1992; also see Finegold,     compared to between 15.4 percent and
L.S., C.S. Harris, and H.E. von Gierke, 1994,
13 Federal Agency Review of Selected Airport                                                23.4 percent within a 95 percent
Community Annoyance and Sleep Disturbance:
Noise Analysis Issues (FICON), 1992.                                                        confidence limit from the NES.
Updated Criteria for Assessing the Impacts of
14 The Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL
or    General Transportation Noise on People, Noise         Graphics comparing the updated
Ldn) is the 24-hour average sound level, in decibels,  Control Engineering Journal, Volume 42, Number 1,   Schultz Curve from the 1992 FICON
for the period from midnight to midnight, obtained   January-February 1994, pp. 25-30.
after the addition of ten decibels to sound levels for    17 The FICON 1992 analysis added              Report and the curve from the NES are
to the Schultz
the periods between midnight and 7
a.m., and       Curve's original database of 161                  provided on the FAA website at
survey data points
between 10 p.m., and midnight, local time. See 14    and calculated an updated dose-response
curve      www.faa.gov/go/aviationnoise.
CFR 150.7.                                  using the same methodology but with a total of 400
15 See Schultz, T.]. 1978, "Synthesis of Social
survey data points.                              20 Federal Interagency Committee
Surveys on Noise Annoyance," Journal of the         18 FICON, 1992.                                                         on Aviation
Noise Research Review of Selected Aviation Noise
Acoustical Society ofAmerica 64(2): 377-405.         191bid., vol. 1, p. 2-6.                        Issues (FICAN), 2018.

2726           Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 8/ Wednesday, January 13, 2021/ Notices

Advancements in Survey Methodology   teleworking in today's economy.24       Aviation Environmental Design Tool

Earlier work to understand              Changes in expectations for spending
time outdoors versus indoors and the        The Aviation Environmental Design
community response to noise, including
associated aircraft noise exposure         Tool (AEDT) is the FAA's required noise
Schultz's dose-response analysis, was                                       may
also be a factor.                           and environmental modeling
based on the premise that the                                                        application for all U.S. domestic
annoyance from any source of noise         * The rise of social media, the
regulatory analyses requiring FAA
would be the same for a given DNL       internet, and other national and global    review. The AEDT also provides
noise level. However, more recent work   information sources, leading to an
analysis support for the International
has shown that aircraft noise often        increased awareness and perception of
Civil Aviation Organization
results in higher levels of                 local and national noise issues.
annoyance                                         Committee on Aviation Environmental
compared to the same level of noise         * Overall societal response to noise     Protection, and is used as a research and
from ground transportation sources.21     due to a combination of these or other     assessment tool by other Federal
There have been relatively few
surveys    factors.                                  agencies, universities, and industry
of communities in the United States
In addition to the NES, which focuses   stakeholders.
about aircraft noise undertaken over the
on annoyance, the FAA is also engaged      Through collaborations with
last four decades. However, other
in a range of research initiatives aimed    government, university, and industry
countries around the world have
at providing information on other         partners, the FAA actively manages
conducted aircraft noise surveys during
impacts of aircraft noise, including        AEDT to ensure that features and
this time considering aircraft noise
effects on children's learning, sleep        capabilities are developed to meet
separately from noise from other modes   disturbance, and potential health         expanding environmental analysis
of transportation. The results of these
effects. Each of these research initiatives   needs, and to ensure that as new data
surveys, as reflected in a dose-response    focuses on a distinct type of potential      and technologies become available they
relationship published by the             adverse effect associated with aviation     are incorporated in order to enhance
International Organization for
noise exposure. The potential adverse     modeling accuracy and efficiency. The
Standardization? have consistently      effects explored by these initiatives       AEDT builds on a legacy of noise
shown higher levels of annoyance than                                      may
also be factors influencing the             modeling development, and is based on
exhibited by the Schultz Curve.
Informed by these results, the national    annoyance reported by the NES.           detailed aircraft-specific noise
However, research in these areas is still    measurements and internationally
dose-response curve in the NES report
reflects only responses to the question     ongoing and therefore was not             accepted aircraft performance models
about aircraft noise exposure.              specifically addressed by the NES.         and standards. A dynamic development
Additional details on these research       process is used to create new versions
Other Factors                             programs is provided below.              of AEDT. This process allows for new
features and capabilities to be added as
In addition to enhancements in         (2) Noise Modeling, Noise Metrics, and
needed, for example, when required by
Environmental Data Visualization
survey techniques and changes to the                                               policy updates or informed by emerging
way aircraft operate, there are likely         As a core component of FAA's work    research findings.
other factors contributing to a change in
to address aircraft noise, as well as
the way communities respond to aircraft                                    a      Noise Screening
noise. Future work is needed to fully      requirement of its environmental
regulatory commitments, the FAA must     Building from the high-fidelity noise
understand the specific drivers behind
maintain the ability to accurately          modeling capabilities available through
these reasons, but several possibilities                                                AEDT, the FAA is also working to
include:                                   quantify aircraft noise exposure around
airports and throughout the National      develop an updated noise screening
* Changes to where people
are          Airspace System. High-fidelity            tool. This updated noise screening tool
choosing to live, including societal        modeling is the only practical method to  will use a simplified noise modeling
migration to increasingly urban           accomplish this objective, as aircraft      process to facilitate an expedited review
environments.23 Additionally, growth     noise needs to be quantified over         of proposed Federal actions where
and changes to the makeup of suburban   relatively large scales in an efficient and   significant noise impacts are not
communities and their proximity to       consistent manner. For more than four    expected. Such an approach is
urban hubs may also be influencing       decades, the FAA has workedclosely     beneficial where a proposed Federal
factors on community expectations for    with industry, academic, and             Action is limited in scope and could
aircraft noise exposure.                    governmental stakeholders to advance     qualify for a categorical exclusion under
the FAA's procedures for implementing
* How people work and live,           research and development in aircraft
the National Environmental Policy Act
including influencing factors such as      noise modeling. This effort advances the
increased in-home business and          analytical tools, metrics, data, and        (NEPA).25 The primary goal of updating
standards required to provide high        the noise screening tool is to decrease
the amount of time that an analyst will
#1 See, for example: Janssen,
S., &, Vos, H. (2011).   quality results to inform the public and
Dose-Response Relationship between DNL and       other stakeholders about noise exposure   need to conduct an assessment while
Aircraft Noise Annoyance: Contribution of TNO.     levels. The FAA has also beenactively    also ensuring a fully validated result
Retrieved from TNO Report TNO-060-UT2011
exploring ways to use emerging           that is readily understandable by the
00207.
22 International Organization for
Standardization.   technologies to visualize environmental   public. While the output from a noise
(2016, March 1, 2016). International Standard 1996  data including noise
exposure.            screening tool cannot provide the same
1, AcousticsDescription Measurement and                                                   level of detail as a comprehensive
Assessment of Environmental NoisePart 1:
Basic     24 Work to explore changes                    modeling tool, the simplified process
Quantities and Assessment Procedures, 3rd edition.                          to how population
distribution throughout the day are related to        provides for an expedited initial view of
23The U.S. Census Bureau indicates that the
aircraft noise exposure is planned under Airport
percentage of the population living in urban areas
has increased from 73.6                        Cooperative Research Project (ACRP) 02-84           25 See FAA Order 1050.1F, Environmental
percent in 1970 to 80.7
percent in 2010, an increase of 7.1 percent.          [Anticipated] http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/          Impacts: Policies and Procedures, Chapter 5
TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4421.         ("Categorical Exclusions").

Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 8/ Wednesday, January 13, 2021 / Notices              2727

any potential changes in aircraft noise     (3) Reduction, Abatement, and              As new aircraft and engine
exposure.                                Mitigation of Aviation Noise             technologies lead to quieter aircraft over
Environmental Data Visualization          To directly address noise concerns,     time, the FAA works to establish aircraft
certification standards based on noise
The FAA has been developing ways to  the FAA sponsors multiple research
utilize geospatial data to improve the                                                stringency requirements. These
programs to explore different concepts    standards are a requirement of the
agency's ability to communicate          for aircraft noise reduction. As aircraft
airworthiness process and are described
environmental data to the public. For     noise is a complex issue, no single
in 14 CFR part 36. These requirements
example, the FAA has designed an        concept is capable of providing a         do not force manufactures to develop
Environmental Visualization Tool to      universal solution. However, by
new technology. However, as new noise
take advantage of the availability of high  conducting research across different       reduction technologies emerge they do
quality geospatial data to deliver an       areas, the FAA is developing solutions
ensure that new aircraft continue to
agency-wide resource using a             to reduce noise at its source, abate noise
meet increasingly quieter standards
consistent, common visual language.      through operations, and mitigate the      within the bounds of what is
Once fully implemented, this common    effects of noise on communities. The
visualization platform will serve the       intent of this approach is to have a        technologically feasible and
needs of multiple environmental                                                  economically reasonable.
variety of options to reduce the noise
programs within the FAA, including      being experienced by those living near    Noise Abatement
those presenting aircraft noise data to     airports around the country and to have     The FAA is also supporting multiple
the public.                                options that could be tailored to specific   efforts to identify means to abate noise
Supplemental Noise Metrics              airports.                                through changes in how aircraft are
The FAA's primary noise metric,       Aircraft Source Noise Reduction          operated in the airspace over
communities. In the immediate vicinity
DNL, was developed and validated to       As noted previously, the single most    of an airport, use of voluntary noise
identify significant aviation noise         influential factor in the historical          abatement departure procedures (NADP)
exposure for land use and mitigation      decline in noise exposure was the         has been a longstanding technique
planning as well as for determining       phased transition to quieter aircraft.       available to reduce noise. Recent
significant change in noise exposure      Through the public-private partnership    research is examining the effectiveness
under NEPA review. In some cases,
of the Continuous Lower Energy,          of these procedures and identifying
however, it can be useful to supplement
Emissions, and Noise (CLEEN) Program,   means of improving their use.
DNL with the use of other noise metrics.
the FAA and industry are working          As the FAA works to modernize the
While other noise metrics may not
together to develop technologies that      National Airspace System, new aircraft
provide as complete an understanding    will enable manufacturers to create
of the cumulative noise exposure from                                              flight procedures have been designed to
aircraft and engines with lower noise      take advantage of PBN technologies. To
activity around an airport and its          and emissions as well as improved fuel    better understand both the
associated airspace, they often can
efficiency.28 The technologies being       environmental benefits and challenges
provide opportunities to communicate    accelerated by the CLEEN Program have
the specific characteristics of noise                                                  posed by PBN, the FAA is working to
relatively large technological risk.         re-examine ways to routinely consider
changes due to the unique aspects of a     Government resources help mitigate this  noise during flight procedure design.
proposed action. The FAA's NEPA       risk and incentivize aviation             This effort includes an exploration of
procedures address the use of
manufacturers to invest and develop      how PBN can better control flight paths
supplemental noise metrics.26 To assist    these technologies. By cost-sharing the    and move them away from noisethe
public in understanding noise
impacts, and to better facilitate            development with the FAA, industry is    sensitive areas, how changes in aircraft
communication among communities     willing to accept the greater risk and can  performance could be safely managed to
better support the business case for this   reduce noise, and how systematic
interested in systematic departure flight
track dispersion, the FAA is working to    technological development. Once         departure flight track dispersion can be
entered into service, the CLEEN
assess the use of potential supplemental                                             implemented to abate noise concerns.
metrics. For a supplemental metric to be   technologies will provide societal           In a recent partnership with the
benefits in terms of reduced noise, fuel    Massachusetts Port Authority
effective in evaluating potential means
of achieving flight track dispersion, and   burn, and emissions throughout the fleet  (Massport) and MIT, the FAA jointly
for years to come. In addition to the       contributed to research considering how
to ensure that communities understand
benefits provided by technologies         Area Navigation (RNAV) PBN
the impacts of dispersion (i.e., that
dispersion does not eliminate noise but    developed under the CLEEN, the          procedures could be designed and
rather it may move noise to other          program leads to advances in the          implemented to reduce noise. Multiple
neighborhoods), the supplemental        analysis and design tools that are used    concepts were explored that highlighted
on every aircraft or engine product        how collaborations between the FAA,
metric will need to effectively
communicate the changes in noise        being made by these companies; this      airport operators, and community
extends the benefits of the CLEEN         members can produce innovative noise
exposure that will occur in all of the
communities affected by the change,      Program well beyond the individual       abatement strategies.
both those that would be exposed to less  technologies being matured.                 A recently completed analysis of
noise and those that would be exposed                                             operational procedures that resulted
to more noise.2?                           Section 188 and Sec 173, https://www.faa.gov/      from the Massport-MIT-FAA
about/plans_reports/congress/media/Day-Night_     partnership shows that for modern
aircraft on departure, changes in aircraft
26 See FAA Order 1050.1F, Environmental        Average_Sound_LevelsCOMPLETEDreportw_
letters.pdf.                                  climb speed have minimal impact on
Impacts: Policies and Procedures, Appendix B,        28 See, for example, information
paragraph B1.6; 1050.1F Desk Reference, Section                               on the FAA's      the overall aircraft departure noise. The
"Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise"
11.4.
(CLEEN) Program at: https://www.faa.gov/about/     current best practice for NADP, using
27FAA, 2020, Report to Congress: FAA           office_org/headquarters_offices/apl/research/       International Civil Aviation
Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-254)       aircraft_technology/cleen/.                      Organization distant community or

2728           Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 8/ Wednesday, January 13, 2021/Notices

"NADP-2" departure procedure, has      individual home treatment costs,
been shown to minimize modeled noise   minimal benefit can be expected for
impacts. This analysis also shows that     sound insulation treatments applied for     The FAA recognizes that a
for modern aircraft on arrival, changes                                                                            range of
noise exposures below DNL 65dB.        factors may be driving concerns due to
in approach airspeed could have a                                                 aircraft noise. However, as outlined in
noticeable impact (reductions of 4-8      Aircraft Noise Policy Background
this notice, a broad understanding of
dBA) on the overall aircraft noise at         Community response to noise has       aircraft noise and its potential impacts
relatively large distances from touching   historically been a primary factor          is needed in order to better
down (between 10 and 25 nautical miles                                                                     manage and
underlying the FAA's noise-related       reduce concerns from aviation noise.
from the runway). While NADP          policies, including the establishment of
procedures have the potential to reduce                                                The FAA is inviting comments on
DNL 65 dB as the threshold of
community noise, they may also have                                             these concerns to assist the
"significant" aircraft noise exposure.                                  agency in
implementation challenges that will       The FAA has been using a DNL of 65      assessing how resources should be
need to be overcome. Research is          dB as the basis for: (1) Setting the         directed to better understand and
ongoing at MIT to address these           agency's policy goal of reducing the       manage the factors underlying the
challenges.29                              number of people exposed to significant   concern from aircraft noise exposure.
In addition to airplane operations, the
aircraft noise; 32 (2) the level of aircraft
FAA is also examining the potential for
noise exposure below which residential
helicopter noise abatement through       land use is "normally compatible,"as
changes in operational procedures. The   defined in regulations implementing the
FAA has partnered with the Volpe
Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement
Center, the National Aeronautics and      Act of 1979,33 and (3) the level of
Space Administration, the Pennsylvania                                                       f any, additional
aircraft noise exposure below which
State University, and operator
noise impacts of FAA actions in           investigation, analysis, or research
organizations to explore new ways to                                               should be undertaken in each of the
residential areas are not considered
safely fly rotorcraft while also reducing    "significant" under section 102(2)(C) of   following three categories as described
noise through the Fly Neighborly
the National Environmental Policy Act    in this notice:
Program.3                              of 1969.34                                 e Effects of Aircraft Noise on
Noise Mitigation Research                  Research results, as reflected in the     Individuals and Communities;
Noise mitigation is the effort to take     programs and studies described in this      * Noise Modeling, Noise Metrics, and
actions to reduce the impact of aircraft    notice, will provide new information on   Environmental Data Visualization; and
noise exposure that occurs. The primary   how aircraft noise in communities
near
* Reduction, Abatement, and
mitigation strategies involve               airports may be effectively managed and
Mitigation of Aviation Noise?
encouraging responsible land use         will inform future decision making
on
planning in airport communities and,     the FAA's aircraft noise policies.            (2) As outlined in this notice, the FAA
where appropriate, the application of        However, as previously stated, the      recognizes that a range of factors may be
sound insulation treatments to eligible    FAA will not make
any determinations    driving the increase in annoyance
homes or other noise-sensitive public     on implications from these emerging      shown in the Neighborhood
buildings (e.g., schools or hospitals). In    research results for FAA noise policies    Environmental Survey results compared
extreme cases where sound insulation     until it has carefully considered public    to earlier transportation noise
technologies cannot provide adequate     and other stakeholder input, and
annoyance surveysincluding survey
mitigation, the acquisition of residential   assesses the factors behind any            methodology, changes in how
homes and conversion to non-            increases in community impacts from     commercial aircraft operate, population
residential land use is also an option.      aircraft noise exposure. Unless and until   distribution, how people live and work,
As sound insulation treatment costs     any changes become effective, all          and societal response to noise. The FAA
have continued to rise and new research   existing FAA regulations, orders, and     requests input on the factors that may be
on the human impacts from noise         policies remain in effect. The FAA is      contributing to the increase in
becomes available, the FAA is exploring   committed to informing and involving
annoyance shown in the survey results.
the cost-benefit calculus of existing        the public, and to giving meaningful
noise mitigation strategies and            consideration to community concerns       (3) What, if any, additional categories
technologies in order to better direct      and views as the FAA makes aviation     of investigation, analysis, or research
where and how limited mitigation        decisions that affect them.                should be undertaken to inform FAA
resources should be applied. Recent                                                noise policy?
academic research 31 and internal           32 See "Aviation Environmental
and Energy         Authority: National Environmental Policy
assessments have raised questions about  Policy Statement," 77 FR 43137, 43138 (July 23,     Act (NEPA) 42 U.S.C. 4321 et.
the benefits of sound insulation relative   2012), available on the FAA website at [URL]. The                               seq., Aviation
"noise goal" identified in this document includes    Safety and Noise Abatement Act (ASNA) 49
to the costs. While the relative benefits
"[rJeduc[ing] the number of people exposed to       U.S.C. 47501 et. seq., Federal Aviation
Act,
of sound insulation for noise
exposures   significant noise around U.S. airports."           49 U.S.C. 44715.
above DNL 65dB will depend on the        3349 U.S.C. 47502. The regulations implementing
this section are codified at 14 CFR                  Issued in Washington, DC.
part 150.
29 https://ascent.aero/project/anal                3449 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C). See FAA Order           Kevin Welsh,
lytical                                          1050.1F,
approach-for-quantifying-noise-from-advanced-      "Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures"
Director, Office ofEnvironment andEnergy.
operational-procedures/, https://ascent.aero/        (2015), Exhibit 4-1. The "j ifi   :  threshold for
project/aircraft-noise-abatement-procedure-         noise used for NEPA                           [FR Doc. 2021-00564 Filed 1-12-21; 8:45 am]
purposes in FAA Order
modeling-and-validation/.                      1050.1F is also used by the FAA for determining
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
30 https://www.rotor.org/initiatives/fly-neighborly.   significant adverse noise effects under 49 U.S.C.

#1 Wolfe, Malina, Barrett                      47106(c)(1)(B) for airport development projects
& Waitz 2016, Cost and
benefits of US Aviation noise land-use policies,      involving the location of an airport or runway or a
major runway extension. See 80 FR 44209, 44223
Transportation Research Part D.                  (July 24, 2015) (preamble to FAA Order 1050.1F).