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Airport Improvement Program: FAA Complying With Requirement for Local Involvement in Noise Mitigation Projects

RCED-99-41 Published: Dec 28, 1998. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 1999.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO determined whether the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must enforce grant assurance as a condition of providing noise mitigation grants to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Transportation To avert expectations of additional consultation between an airport owner and the communities affected by airport noise, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, to determine whether the agency should require written declarations that a project is consistent with local plans and has local support from affected communities as called for by its current grant requirements. If the agency chooses not to require written declarations, this requirement should be removed from the grant assurances.
Closed – Implemented
FAA concurred with the recommendation, stating that it determined that there was no statutory basis for requiring written declarations that a project is consistent with local plans and has local support for affected communities. FAA said that eliminating this requirement would be appropriate, since public input is adequately required and documented within the noise mitigation planning process. FAA indicated that it would not incorporate this requirement into new grants and will publish a Federal Register notice before the end of fiscal year 1999 stating that a written declaration will no longer be required. Such a notice was published on August 18, 1999 and became effective September 1, 1999.

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Topics

AircraftAirportsEnvironmental policiesFacility constructionFederal aid for transportationGrant monitoringNoise pollutionTransportation lawGrant programsInsulation