Res 0383-2014

By Council Members Koo, Vallone, Vacca, Constantinides, Koslowitz and Ulrich Whereas, Many communities near LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport are severely impacted by constant airplane engine noise; and Whereas, The deafening sound has been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, disrupts student learning, and drowns out the joys of daily life; and Whereas, In 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued regulations requiring all new commercial aircraft designs to meet Stage 4 noise standards, which represented a significantly lower decibel level than what was standard at the time; and Whereas, While these new rules were a significant step toward improving the quality of life for those who live near airports, the FAA was silent on whether airlines would need to phase out older airplanes or retrofit them with quieter engines; and Whereas, The Silent Skies Act (H.R. 3650) would improve the quality of life for those who live near airports by mandating that the FAA issue regulations by the end of 2015 requiring all commercial airplanes to meet Stage 4 noise standards; and Whereas, In order to introduce quieter airplanes into the market, the Silent Skies Act would mandate that the new regulations require airlines to phase in quieter engines at a rate of 25% of their fleets every five years, so that all commercial airplanes meet the quieter standards by at least 2035; and Whereas, The bill would also encourage research and development of quieter engine technologies by authorizing a new partnership program for the development of technologies to help meet Stage 4 standards; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, the Silent Skies Act. LS#5253 (Session 9) 12/12/2013 JM