Lawmakers Re-Introduce Bill To Limit Overnight Airport Noise
BURBANK (CBSLA.com) — Two San Fernando Valley lawmakers want to bring residents some relief from noise by limiting the number of flights into and out of local airports.
Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) first introduced the Valley-Wide Noise Relief Act (PDF) in 2011 to force Bob Hope and Van Nuys airports to adopt curfews and minimize airport noise.
The legislators attempted to attach the curfew legislation to re-authorization funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but despite attracting bipartisan support, the measure failed to garner enough votes for passage.
The latest push in Congress began after the FAA in 2009 rejected a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew at Bob Hope Airport, claiming that it would "create an undue burden on commerce."
But Sherman told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO the FAA's argument is baseless.
Rep. Brad Sherman
"There are plenty of ways for both freight operators and passenger operators to serve the L.A. megalopolis without operating late at night," said Sherman.
The proposed legislation would clarify that both Bob Hope and Van Nuys airports should be exempt from the Airport Noise and Capacity Act, like other similarly situated airports were at the time of the bill's passage in 1990.
