Attorney General Frosh Sends Letter to FAA Regarding Proposed Flight Changes at Reagan National Airport
BALTIMORE, MD (May 30, 2019) – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today sent aletter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell after the agency announced proposed changes to flight paths for incoming and outgoing planes on Runway 19 at Reagan National Airport.
“I am deeply troubled by the lack of transparency by the FAA. This proposal looks like it will cause more noise and disruption over residential areas already besieged by flights from the FAA’s last round of concentration of flight paths. This last minute announcement about flight path changes at Reagan National Airport was presented without discussion or opportunity for public input.”
“The area likely affected by this proposal contains parks, historic sites, residential areas, and other sensitive and protected areas. This proposal by the FAA fuels concerns by my office that changes to flight paths are being made without required environmental review and without public participation and input. It is absolutely necessary that the FAA provide Marylanders access and opportunity to review the proposal and provide feedback about its impact on Maryland communities and our environment.”
Letter send by LARRY HOGAN GOVERNOR to Brian E. Frosh Attorney General to file suit against Michael P. Huerta and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on behalf of all Marylanders suffering from the adverse effects of the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).
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STATE OF MARYLAND
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
LARRY HOGAN GOVERNOR
September 12, 2017
The
Honorable Brian E. Frosh Attorney General
Office of
Attorney General
200 St. Paul
Place
Baltimore,
MD 21202
Re: FAA Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)
Dear Attorney General Frosh:
I am writing to direct you to file suit against Michael P.
Huerta and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on behalf of all
Marylanders suffering from the adverse effects of the implementation of the
Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). As you may know, this
program instituted new departure and arrival routes from Baltimore- Washington
International Airport (BWI) as well as Reagan National Airport (DCA). The
changes at these two airports have caused a significant increase in noise
pollution for many of our citizens. Accordingly, it is imperative the suit
include both airports. We have heard from countless Marylanders, including many
community leaders and elected offficials, about this continuing problem. This
program has made many Maryland families miserable in their own homes with
louder and more frequent fights which now rattle windows and doors. As elected
leaders of this state, we cannot allow this situation to stand.
Instituted at the request of Congress, NextGen, both
nationally and in Maryland, was intended to modernize fight patterns in order
to save fuel costs. Promoted heavily by commercial air carriers, it has been
controversial from its inception and widely criticized for insufficient study,
notice, and outreach to the general public and the affected jurisdictions.
Notice to Maryland was inadequate and designated to ensure speedy approval
rather than to promote community input and discussion.
This is a nationwide problem, and other jurisdictions have
already filed suit. In fact, the US. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit, which will hear our challenge, has just ruled in favor of the city of Phoenix. The court found the FAA's approval of the fight paths to be
"arbitrary and capricious" with the result that the FAA will have to return
to the routes previously in place prior to September 2014, until it conducts a
new environmental review process. Thank you for your attention to this most
important issue affecting the citizens of Maryland.
Sincerely,
Larry Hogan
Governor
STATE HOUSE, ANNAPOLIS. MARYLAND 2:401
Hogan directs Frosh to sue FAA over BWI noise
Michael Dresser Contact Reporter The Baltimore Sun
"Gov. Larry Hogan directed Attorney General Brian E. Frosh on Tuesday to sue the Federal Aviation Administration over new flight patterns at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.
The flight patterns have provoked bitter complaints from area residents about excessive noise. The Republican governor instructed the Democratic attorney general to take legal action against the federal agency “on behalf of all Marylanders suffering from the adverse effects of the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System.”
Hogan told Frosh to sue the FAA and its administrator, Michael P. Huerta, to seek changes in arrival and departure routes at BWI and Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va. A spokeswoman for Frosh said the attorney general shares the governor’s concerns and is reviewing Hogan’s direction."
BWI noise - Colin Campbell Contact Reporter - The Baltimore Sun
"The state of Maryland filed a petition Tuesday in a federal court and another with the Federal Aviation Administration asking that the agency readjust flight paths that have upset neighbors of BWI Marshall and Reagan National airports by causing “greater community noise concerns than the FAA predicted,” according to one of the petitions. Residents first began noticing airliners flying lower over their houses in 2014, when the federal government introduced its new nationwide “NextGen” GPS-based system of air traffic management. The new system came with navigation procedures that resulted in lower flight paths producing more noise at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, Ronald Reagan Washington National in Arlington, Va., and other airports across the country. Thousands of Marylanders have had their lives disrupted since the new flight paths were implemented without the appropriate level of environmental review, public input and transparency,” Attorney General Brian E. Frosh said in announcing the petitions."
Comments
“Howard’s county executive last month joined his counterpart in Anne Arundel County and the governor in asking Maryland’s attorney general to sue the FAA,” - Reprinted in The Baltimore Sun newspaper.”
Some time ago I wrote the FAA is controlled by the airlines and is only interested in saving the airlines money and making the landing experiences of passengers comfortable.
This article was written on October 5, 2017
Editorial by the Howard County Times
“Sustained indifference by the Federal Aviation Administration to months of complaints about noise from takeoffs and landings at Baltimore-Washington International Airport has pushed more elected leaders to call for a lawsuit to force changes to flight patterns. Howard’s county executive last month joined his counterpart in Anne Arundel County and the governor in asking Maryland’s attorney general to sue the FAA, noting that some airport neighbors are living with “an unprecedented level of noise that has been life-changing.”