Highlighting the collaboration between the state and federal delegation, Rep. Katherine Clark (MA-05), Massachusetts House Speaker Bob DeLeo, and State Sen. Joe Boncore (First Suffolk & Middlesex) announced that the Federal Appropriations bill passed by the House of Representatives on July 31, 2020, included a mandate directing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to update certain outdated airplane noise insulation installed in households over 27 years ago. Congresswoman Clark utilized her position on the Appropriations Committee to secure the inclusion of this noise mitigation measure after ongoing efforts from both the federal and state offices to work with residents concerned about aging noise insulation and the impact of aviation noise.
“Residents near Logan Airport have endured far too many sleepless nights due to the high level of aviation noise in their communities. They shouldn’t be on the hook financially to replace outdated federally funded noise insulation when this equipment reaches the end of its useful life,” said Congresswoman Katherine Clark MA (MA-5). “Speaker DeLeo, Senator Boncore, and I regularly discuss ways we can collaboratively resolve local issues, and this legislative achievement is the latest in a series of steps we’ve taken together to address this pressing concern for residents who deal with airplane noise on a daily basis.”
“Residents will now have the opportunity to obtain new windows that meet today’s standards for sound insulation,” said State Senator Joe Boncore (D-Winthrop). “When Congresswoman Clark asked how to best meet local needs, Speaker DeLeo and I agreed that ensuring residents are safe and comfortable in their homes was of utmost importance. Thank you also to the countless members of our community, led by the Airport Hazards Committee, who reached out directly to raise these issues and ensure awareness for environmental justice.”
Over the last several decades, residents in certain communities surrounding Logan Airport were provided federally funded noise mitigation insulation to reduce the impact of aviation noise pollution. That sound mitigation insulation is now aging. The Appropriations bill directs the FAA to consider noise reduction equipment installed prior to 1993 to be “unmitigated” and to permit all affected residences with old and obsolete mitigation measures to be eligible for new insulation. In 2018, the federal and state offices worked together to secure a mandate in the FY19 Omnibus Appropriations bill requiring the FAA to study how to address aging airport noise mitigation insulation and fund an additional 8 field staff positions at the FAA dedicated to addressing aviation noise.
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