Legislation Will Expand Use of Federal Dollars for Sound Insulation Repairs and Replacements
(Washington, DC) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Adam Smith (D-WA-09) introduced the Sound Insulation Treatment Repair and Replacement Program Act, which would allow the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to waive the regulation that bars the use of federal funds on the same project twice for airports who choose to repair or replace sound insulation that are failing.
“We’ve got a very specific problem for the people who live near Sea-Tac Airport whose properties were soundproofed decades ago and are in need of updates and repairs, but the airport can’t use its federal dollars to make those fixes until we change the law,” said Senator Murray.“That’s why I am proud to join Representative Smith in introducing the Sound Insulation Treatment Repair and Replacement Program Act. Our bill waives an antiquated FAA regulation that bans the use of federal dollars on the same project twice for certain noise mitigation replacement projects —passing this legislation will bring relief to homeowners living near the airport.”
“We must do everything we can to support communities impacted by aviated noise and emissions. The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) is an important fund used to mitigate homes from aviation noise, however, current regulations prohibit the use of AIP funds on the same home or structure twice. The legislation Senator Murray and I are introducing today would allow the FAA to bypass this regulation to ensure that residents have access to federal funds for necessary repairs or replacements and homes are properly insulated from the harmful impacts of aviation noise,” said Representative Adam Smith. “Thank you to Senator Murray and the Port of Seattle for their work on this legislation, which is crucially important to the Puget Sound region and aviation impacted communities across the country.”
“We are deeply grateful to U.S. Representative Adam Smith and U.S. Senator Patty Murray for their leadership on aircraft noise and emissions issues, and for introducing today’s legislation. The Port is committed to working with surrounding communities to utilize all available federal funding for sound insulation in homes and buildings near the airport, and this bill would allow us to identify and then receive grants to provide additional sound insulation to eligible homes. We look forward to working with our Congressional delegation toward passage of this legislation,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed.
“I applaud the effort by Congressman Smith to allow the Port of Seattle to access federal dollars to repair failed sound insulation for the thousands of airport community residents who granted a permanent aviation easement to the Port in exchange for insulation that in too many cases has failed to last,” said Washington State Senator Karen Keiser.
“SeaTac, one of the fastest growing airports in the country, has noise and air quality issues that impact our community. These impacts are even greater for residents who have failed Port packages that no longer reduce aircraft noise. Thankfully Senator Murray and Rep. Adam Smith are working at the federal level to allow these homes to receive much-needed fixes to provide noise relief to homeowners in our community,” said Washington State Representative Tina Orwall.
“As a new mom and a neighbor of the airport, I support the Sound Insulation Treatment and Replacement Program Act which protects SeaTac residents from the impacts of airport operations. This bill would allow the FAA to revisit decades-old sound insulation packages and bring them up-to-date to meet current codes and protect vulnerable residents from airport noise and its impacts which affects their quality of life,” said Sea-Tac Deputy Mayor Senayet Negusse.
A fact sheet of the Sound Insulation Treatment Repair and Replacement Program Act can be found here. The bill text can be found here.
###