Sponsors (17)
The bill expands recognition, engagement, and funding for communities harmed by aircraft noise and pollution—giving more residents voice, data, and grants—while creating new fiscal demands, administrative burdens, and potential trade‑offs in where noise and costs are borne.
State and local airport stakeholders (and the communities they serve) gain a dedicated funding stream — $750M for FY2025–FY2034 plus a capped post‑2034 mechanism — to finance noise mitigation and airport projects, providing predictable resources for program rollout.
Homeowners, renters, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and day cares in designated communities receive targeted grants to insulate buildings and reduce indoor aircraft noise, improving sleep, health, and learning environments.
Communities outside traditional FAA contours and those near low‑altitude jet routes can be formally designated and form community boards, giving residents a clearer, recognized voice to request assessments and engage the FAA.
Taxpayers, the FAA, and airport users face increased costs because of new studies, monitoring, action plans, equipment, grants, and required airport contributions — and Trust Fund revenue is redirected rather than used to lower aviation user taxes or other FAA priorities.
Expanding eligibility and capping post‑2034 funding (0.25% of Trust Fund growth) may dilute available dollars, crowd out higher‑need projects, and leave the program underfunded if demand grows.
New reporting, data requests, community meetings, liaison roles, and implementation deadlines increase FAA and airport administrative burdens and could divert staff and technical resources from other priorities.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Establishes FAA recognition of aviation‑impacted communities, funds NAS studies and community assessments, creates community boards, and authorizes $750M (FY2025–FY2034) for noise mitigation grants.
Official title: To require the Federal Aviation Administration to provide funding for noise mitigation, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 31, 2025 by Adam Smith · Last progress January 31, 2025
Allows communities affected by aircraft noise (including areas outside FAA's traditional 65 DNL contour) to be designated by local officials for FAA recognition, form community boards, request community assessments, and receive federally funded noise‑mitigation grants. The bill requires the FAA to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to produce a data-driven framework, diagnostic tool, and recommendations on assessing and mitigating aviation noise and related emissions, and authorizes $750 million from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund for FY2025–FY2034 to implement the program and grants. The law sets outreach, language-access, and board‑composition rules; creates a process for FAA-community action plans and an independent appeals panel; requires grant eligibility standards based on NAS tools; and directs FAA and airport operators to share responsibility for mitigation in specified circumstances.