Dear <Congressman Polis or other member of Congress>,
On behalf of Citizens For Quiet Skies, I am writing to ask for your help to reduce excessive aviation noise in our community.
Communities across Colorado and beyond are facing serious impacts created by aviation activities. Currently, there is no local authority able to adequately address this problem. For example, during the past several years Boulder County residents have been subjected to increasing noise from skydiving operations originating at Vance Brand Airport in Longmont. Skydiving operations are distinct from other general aviation traffic and they create a significant noise burden on the local community. While other planes take off and go somewhere, the jump planes remain within a designated "flight box" over our homes for the entire duration of their flights. Each flight climbs steeply and noisily to jump altitude, gaining 13,000 vertical feet of altitude in about 10 minutes. They operate multiple jump planes concurrently, with peak activity on the weekends. And finally, they operate for more than 12 hours per day, creating nearly constant airplane noise. Here is a video illustrating the impact of skydiving operations in Boulder County:
Mile-Hi Skydiving Noise Abuse Over Altona, Colorado
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Skydiving operations are significantly degrading the quality of life in Boulder County - something must be done.
To date, we have pleaded with the city of Longmont, the owner and operator of the airport. We also conducted a lengthy lawsuit against the skydiving operator. These efforts have been unsuccessful, in large part due to the FAA's presumed authority over all aviation noise regulations. Therefore, we find it necessary to seek relief at the federal level.
Congress is currently working on the FAA Reauthorization bill, which is expected to be finalized later this summer or early fall. I am requesting your support to include the following provisions in that proposed legislation:
1. Grant explicit authority to the airport operator to adopt reasonable regulations to reduce aviation noise impacts to the community.Examples of reasonable regulations would include limiting the number of operations, limiting the hours of operations and banning certain aircraft based on noise characteristics. The FAA grant assurances presumably allow the airport proprietor to adopt "reasonable regulations" to reduce aviation noise. However, in practice the FAA deems ALL such regulations to be "unreasonable." The FAA has shown no interest in reducing aviation noise at general aviation airports and we find no evidence of noise-based regulations that the FAA has actually approved. In fact, tasking the FAA with the authority for noise regulations is contradictory to their primary mandate of promoting aviation interests.
2. Require a thorough environmental impact study and local approval for specific aviation activities that create an undue burden on the local community.Two examples of these activities include a.) designation of a "flight box" for aviation activities, which is a geographic area in which aviation activities such as skydiving or stunt maneuvers are conducted, and b.) use of airport property for a Parachute Landing Area (PLA), also called a "drop zone," where parachutists land. The PLA should be granted under the land use policies of the local government, and they should have the explicit authority to deny access to airport property for use as a PLA.
Additionally, we would like to encourage you to join the "Quiet Skies" congressional caucus, which was recently formed in response to the ongoing and oftentimes blatant abuse of citizens' rights with respect to aviation impacts. Other members include Henry Waxman, Adam Schiff and Anna Eshoo, all of California, Mike Quigley (Ill.), Alan Grayson (Fla.), Keith Ellison (Minn.), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), Mike Capuano (Mass.) and Katherine Clark (Mass.)). With your support, we can move forward with meaningful amendments to the FAA reauthorization bill that will significantly improve the quality of life for ordinary citizens.
Thank you for your consideration of this important issue
Sincerely,
<name>
<address>