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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStudy Session #2 - Supplemental Communication - Final Report x. CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH Air Traffic Noise Working Group To: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members of Huntington Beach From: Air Traffic Noise Working Group (ATNWG) Date: September 04, 2018 Subject: Final Report and Recommendations on Increased Air Traffic Noise over the City Executive Summary This memo is the culmination of six months of investigation into increased jet noise over the City. The increased jet noise is a direct result of FAA changes to air traffic patterns. This increased jet noise has negatively affected the quality of life in substantial sections of the City. This assertion is validated by the signatures of over 1,100 City residents on a petition asking the City take action to address the increased jet noise problem. The finding of the investigation is that this is a large, complex, nationwide and long-term issue. There is no single or simple quick fix, and solutions will require a long-term commitment to establishing the relationships that will be needed to effect positive change. To support the over 1,100 petition signatories and other affected residents, schools, and businesses, it is proposed that the City engage the airports, airlines, FAA and other stakeholders to resolve the increased jet noise problem. Therefore, the ATNWG hereby submits to Council for approval the following recommendation: The City Council formally establish a standing Jet Noise Commission (JNC). The JNC will be tasked to identify and press for solutions to the commercial jet noise issue over the City that has resulted in a decreased quality of life for the residents. It shall routinely keep the City Council and City Attorney informed of progress and proposed remedies and monitor FAA developments that could negatively affect the residents' quality of life even further. er mrt AL COMMUNICATION Meeting Agenda Item No.' S � Page 1 of 4 Summary The ATNWG was formed by City Council memorandum on January 8, 2018. Since formation, the ATNWG has held regular meetings, and has had numerous discussions with residents, airline personnel, airport personnel, attorneys, legislators, the FAA, and subject matter experts. The ATNWG has concluded that there is a significant increase in commercial jet noise over Huntington Beach and it is severely and negatively impacting the quality of life of thousands of residents, especially those most directly under the new and concentrated air traffic routes. For many it is a massive and almost non-stop bombardment of jet noise that invades their right to the peaceful and quiet enjoyment of their homes. The substantial noise increase is a direct result of an FAA modernization program referred to as "NextGen". This situation is not unique to our City and is actually a nation-wide problem. It will not go away quickly, and if not continually monitored and addressed, could get worse in years to come. To date, the FAA has been reluctant(with very few exceptions)to address noise issues anywhere in the country. The FAA will never address Huntin,-ton Beach's increased noise concerns without the City brim-inz significant pressure to bear. As a result, the City will need a long-term commitment to continue the fight to reduce jet noise over the City. The ATNWG recommendation is to form a Commission to do that. Jet Noise Commission(JNQ Mission: Monitor the impact of commercial jet noise on the quality of life in Huntington Beach and advise the City Council and City Attorney on issues and proposed remedies. Responsibilities: • To conduct business in the proper manner for a City Commission. • To identify and propose remedies that could lead to reductions of jet noise over the City. • To advise City Council and City Attorney on the status of jet noise issues and proposed remedies. • To monitor FAA developments that could further reduce the quality of life in the City. • To monitor legislative and legal developments both locally and nationally that could be useful in pursuing remedies. Structure: The Commission should be constructed similar to other City Commissions. It would consist of two Council Liaisons and have seven at-large members. The seven at-large members will consist of Huntington Beach resident volunteers who are solicited, interviewed and selected by the Council Liaisons, subject to City Council approval. Ideally those chosen would have diverse backgrounds and be able to act as subject matter experts in the multitude of technicalities related to jet noise issues and potential solutions. Limiting Scope: The scope of the JNC is limited to the commercial jet traffic over the City. Other issues related to general aviation, police helicopters,banner-towing planes, military aircraft, air shows,and other aviation sources that may generate noise will not be addressed by this Commission unless directed otherwise by the City Council. Page 2 of 4 Background on Recommendations The ATNWG was established by City Council action on January 8, 2018 in response to a Councilmember initiated agenda item brought forward by Councilmembers Brenden and Delgleize. The key objectives for the ATNWG were stated as follows: 1) Define and prioritize remedies we seek; identify where authority/control resides. 2) Acquire technical information and flight data that supports our case. 3) Establish a working dialogue with the Federal Aviation Administration,the airlines, Long Beach Airport and other parties who can help to effect change. Seek voluntary cooperation through collaboration. 4) If necessary, activate a letter writing/email campaign to enlist community involvement. 5) If necessary, assess the feasibility of legal action. 6) Conduct a community meeting within 90 days. 7) Provide the community with on-going updates via the city's website. The ATNWG has met roughly every two to three weeks since Jan 31,2018. During that time there have been discussions with legal counsels, legislators, airline personnel,airport personnel,residents and similar groups in other cities. Technical information and data collection occurred and a very short summary of the technical aspects of the jet noise issue was presented to City Council on April 16, 2018. A campaign to enlist community support was started and over 1,100 signatures have been collected to date. The City's website has been updated and a separate StopTheJetNoise.com website has been created and funded by ATNWG members who also maintain the site. On June 13, 2018, a Community Workshop was held at the Senior Center in the Park to an audience of more than 200 residents. Coverage of that event was published in by the LA Times and OC Register. The ATNWG investigation determined there are three potential pathways to remediation: • Legal • Legislative • Collaborative Legal: The ATNWG, in concert with the City Attorney, held several meetings with outside consultants and legal counsels who specialize in jet noise issues and FAA matters. The goal of these meetings was to identify and assess pending and past litigation against the FAA around the country and to assess the feasibility of our City pursuing a legal remedy. The conclusion from this process indicated that any legal challenge would face insurmountable odds due to statutes of limitations, lack of standing,judicial deference to the FAA and cost. Furthermore, it was found that, even in cases where a City might have adequate standing and filed within the statute of limitations, there were few rulings against the FAA and, where there was(i.e. Phoenix)the victory was considered temporary in nature. It was also determined that any attempt to pursue litigation would end the possibility of bringing about change through collaboration. In Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, where lawsuits had been attempted,the FAA established a gag order while litigation was pending. With these factors in mind,the ATNWG felt that litigation was not a good choice for Huntington Beach.That said,the City should continue to actively monitor litigation and court rulings that would be relevant to our jet noise concerns. Page 3 of 4 Leizislative• The ATNWG members held multiple meetings locally with Congressman Rohrabacher to address the jet noise problem and the Congressman was very supportive, issuing letters to both the FAA and the CEO of Jet Blue advocating on our behalf. Mr. Rohrabacher introduced several noise-related amendments to the 2018 FAA reauthorization bill but, unfortunately,those amendments failed to gain approval and the House passed the bill without anything that addressed noise concerns. Reauthorization is now under consideration in the Senate where there appears to be little hope of any amendments that might help our cause. Congressman Rohrabacher has continued to fight for us by recently introducing the NO NOISE Act(HR 6558) which is currently awaiting a Committee hearing. This legislation, if passed, would instruct the FAA to place a higher priority on the consideration of impacts to communities under flight paths when developing flight procedures. Unfortunately,this bill would affect only future FAA proposals and would not bring any immediate change. In late May, while vacationing on the East Coast,Councilmember Brenden made a trip to Washington,DC where he held several meetings with various Congressional representatives including Congressman Rohrabacher, Congressman Lowenthal (Long Beach),representatives from the offices of Senator Feinstein and Senator Harris, and Majority Staff members of the House and Senate Committees addressing the FAA reauthorization bill. In these meetings,the Councilman shared our community's concerns, lobbied for noise- related amendments to the FAA reauthorization bill, and asked for support of our efforts to find consensus through collaboration. In the final analysis, while there is a common concern in Congress about jet noise impacts,the likelihood of legislative reform that brings about meaningful remedy to our community seems remote at best. Therefore, the ATNWG recommends that the City continue to advocate for legislative changes that would limit the impact of commercial jet noise on our community recognizing that the legislative approach is both slow and requires on-going commitment to follow through with federally elected and appointed officials. Collaborative: Realizing the dire outlook for the legal and legislative pathways,the ATNWG determined that the third pathway, collaboration, was likely to be our best choice. The ATNWG members have met,on multiple occasions, with noise experts from Long Beach Airport and John Wayne Airport. In the most recent of these meetings,the Chief Pilots from JetBlue and Southwest also participated while the FAA provided input through the Long Beach Airport staff. During his DC trip, Councilman Brenden was able to meet with the FAA's Metroplex Program Manager, James Arrighi, who indicated that the FAA would be willing to consider proposals developed through collaboration between the City,the airports, and the airlines. He also indicated that we could include FAA's TRACON(Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities) in our collaborative process.This was not possible before the DC meeting. At present,there is an active dialogue underway, involving all the parties mentioned, focused on increasing the altitude of jets on approach to Long Beach Airport. While this is only one of many jet noise issues we face, this particular issue has the greatest impact on our residents and offers the greatest likelihood of success through collaboration. Other issues will be addressed in the future, leveraging the good will of relationships we build through collaboration now. Therefore,the ATNWG recommends that the JNC be adopted and quickly formulated so as not to lose momentum. Page 4 of 4 Appendix A—Investigation Details The following provides a more detailed explanation of many of the findings and observations of the ATNWG investigation. I. ISSUES 1. Huntington Beach, and particularly the northwest section, has experienced a vast increase in aircraft noise over the past several years. Aircraft are flying at lower altitudes than before and air traffic patterns have concentrated flights—and corresponding noise and pollution—over particular neighborhoods. The aircraft noise is almost constant, with an average gap of only 3-4 minutes between planes for approximately 17 hours per day, 7 days a week. Inbound flights to LAX over Huntington Beach now run 24 hours per day. The noise from each jet lasts anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds over any ground point, and reaches levels anywhere from approximately 55-80 dB.' 2. The volume of flights will only continue to increase over time as airport facilities move to expand services. Cargo volume alone due to services such as Amazon is growing at an exponential rate. 3. The aircraft noise over Huntington Beach has two primary but related sources. The first involves changes in flight patterns by the FAA as part of what it refers to as its NextGen project. The second is alterations in flight volume, patterns, and altitudes for inbound traffic to Long Beach. 4. NextGen has been implemented by the FAA in Southern California through the SoCal Metroplex. The result for Huntington Beach has been a dramatic shift in jet traffic patterns into very narrow, compacted half-mile geographical corridors covering multiple approaches and takeoffs at all of the major Southern California airports, including LAX, Orange County, and Long Beach.2 This has placed massive and virtually non-stop noise burdens on citizens unlucky enough to live under those newly implemented corridors. Based purely on changes in the number of flights overhead, the jet activity increases appear to have exceeded 1,000-1,200%despite the fact that Huntington Beach is more than 12-15 miles from the closest of the involved airports. Under previous flight patterns, the noise burden was spread out and shared much more broadly among the Southern California populace. The NextGen project has now unfairly burdened Huntington Beach with the noise outputs generated by airports throughout the region. 5. While noise is the primary component of the problem,jet pollution involving burned and unburned fuel is now also significantly more concentrated over Huntington Beach. Low altitude flights below the 3000 ft. mixing level designated by the FAA unquestionably are creating pollution that is adversely affecting air quality and creating particulates at ground level. The FAA nonetheless has deemed these not to be"significant." Decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale such that a change of IOdB reflects a 10-fold increase in noise burden.Thus,a change from 50-60 dB would be a IN increase and a change from 50-70 db would be a 100x increase. Ambient noise in the affected areas is generally around 45 dB. 2 Flight corridors that previously were six miles wide have been reduced to half a mile. Overflights from outbound LAX traffic and international flights also are now traversing Huntington Beach at all hours. 6. Bird strikes on aircraft typically occur below 3000 ft. These can cause catastrophic aviation accidents. Most of the approaches now into Long Beach are below 3,000, with some as low as 1,500 ft. over Huntington Beach and the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. The FAA summarily dismissed this as a significant threat. 7. The ATNWG believes that the NextGen process lacked transparency by the FAA, that the actual impacts of the project exceed the modeled impacts, the impact assessment process was grossly faulty, and that the project is an abuse of the FAA's preemption powers over airspace. The FAA's standard for assessing whether the project would have significant impacts on Huntington Beach ignored any measure of the actual and gross differences between historical and current noise burdens.3 To the contrary, the FAA used a standard for assessing whether noise changes would have a"significant impact"based on a measure (65 DNL)4 that can almost never be met regardless of the number of aircraft or their frequency passing overhead.' 8. The FAA's NextGen project has adversely affected communities nationwide. Virtually identical complaints have been made by cities and residents in, among other places, Culver City, CA, Santa Monica, CA, Laguna Beach, CA,Newport Beach, CA, San Francisco, CA, Virginia Beach, VA, Phoenix, AZ, Georgetown, D.C., and Seattle/Tacoma, WA. 3 In a recent court filing in the Culver City case, the FAA asserted that,"in many cases, historical flight tracks were used instead of designing procedures that would overfly new areas, so as to reduce the possibility of adverse noise and pollution impacts on new communities."Along the same lines, it claimed that,"Throughout their design process, [the project designers] tried to keep aircraft within historical flight tracks to minimize noise impacts."This is akin to an argument that if the FAA put an eight-lane freeway on top of a two-lane country road,there would be no impact because the route previously existed.This defies logic and common sense. 4"DNL" is a noise metric which describes an average day/night sound level. To meet a 65 DNL threshold, which is the only level deemed"significant"by the FAA, noise would have to average 65 dB over an entire 24 hour period. Any spacing or gaps in jet noise, such as between flights or overnight when traffic is significantly reduced or at higher altitudes,makes it virtually impossible to achieve a 65 DNL level almost anywhere.Jets could be screaming overhead at a few hundred feet at 95 dB levels for several hours each day seven days a week and that would never reach a"significant"level because of the ambient noise levels over the balance of the 24-hour period. s The use of DNL also conflicts with California's noise measurement standards, which at least takes into account the extra disturbance to residents during evening hours. The FAA asserts preemption over any California standards. II. DISCUSSION Huntington Beach has become an epicenter for heavily concentrated new approach and flyover patterns that involve virtually every major airport in Southern California, particularly Long Beach, LAX and Orange County. Many of these flight paths previously did not exist at all, or existed at usage levels that created only a fraction of the noise impacts and pollution. Adding to the problem, Long Beach has significantly increased the number of daily incoming flights, with the FAA permitting very low altitude approaches over Huntington Beach despite the airports being more than 15 miles away. The combined result is virtually constant aircraft noise over significant swaths of Huntington Beach beginning as early as 5:30 a.m. and continuing past 11:30 p.m., with some LAX and international flights continuing overhead throughout the night. Despite these obvious and massive noise increases, the FAA's pre-implementation Environmental Analysis for the project shockingly concluded that there would be"no significant impact" from the changes over Huntington Beach, and a Finding of No Significant Impact("FONSI") was adopted. This simply belies the facts and it is understandable why many Huntington Beach residents are becoming increasingly irate and frustrated with their government officials, particularly at the federal level. The NextGen project was implemented by the FAA with no actual advance notice to anyone in the most impacted areas of our city. Instead, "notice"to the public apparently was provided via postings in public libraries and several regional workshops that provided misleading, if not false, information about the anticipated noise impacts.Notwithstanding that the FAA was or should have been aware with accurate measurements and modeling that certain sections of our city would be materially and adversely impacted, the Environmental Assessment providing the"notice" included no information upon which Huntington Beach residents could reasonably have understood that they would be subjected to massive noise increases.6 They simply had no realistic or practical way of knowing that anything was coming until after the project was already implemented. The ATNWG believes this opacity may have been baked into the process by the FAA precisely to avoid citizen complaints and preclude actual participation by the most affected residents. This is not a minor or trivial impact on the quality of life and environment for Huntington Beach residents. It is for many a massive and almost non-stop bombardment of air traffic noise that threatens their right to the peaceful and quiet enjoyment of their homes, parks, and community.7 There also are studies suggesting that the noise materially and negatively affects students in local schools. It further has been suggested that these new traffic patterns are impacting the very sensitive Bolsa Chica Wetland, where there are abundant local and migratory bird species, some of which fly at altitudes that are particularly at risk with the Long Beach landings. To date, Congress has shown little appetite to direct the FAA to alter the NextGen project that cost billions of dollars to design and implement. While the FAA Reauthorization Bill that is awaiting Senate approval makes some nominal concessions in the area of future noise studies, it does nothing to alter the current NextGen changes or suggest that any changes to provide relief to Huntington Beach residents are in the works. 6 Based on meetings with representatives from the City of Newport Beach,the NextGen"Project Description" was virtually impossible to understand even by paid, experienced aviation consultants. On June 13,2018,the ATNWG sponsored a Community Meeting at the Senior Center. Over 200 residents attended. That is a remarkable turnout and demonstrates how important this non-partisan issue is to Huntington Beach. Possible legal challenges have been considered in conjunction with the City Attorney's Office. The primary obstacle appears to be the exceedingly short limitation period for challenging NextGen's"no significant impact" findings under NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act), which time passed long before the impacts from the project were actually felt in Huntington Beach. Most of the NEPA challenges have already been dismissed by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals based solely on the filing beyond the challenge date. They have not yet reviewed the merits of the pending lawsuits. It is also known that the D.C. Circuit has a strong deference to the FAA's actions. But it is also noted the Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch has written opinions dealing with using the `deference' precedence and believes it to be incorrect. There may, however, be other legal options available that do not directly challenge the NEPA findings. These include possible Constitutional challenges to the NextGen implementation by the FAA, and possible actions against local airports and airlines to the extent they have been granted some discretion in flight patterns and altitudes. Any such options will need to be vetted and directed by experienced aviation counsel in conjunction with jet noise consultants. Accordingly, the ATNWG recommends that Council: 1. Retain experienced aviation noise Counsel to explore legal and non-legal options in conjunction with the City Attorney and the ATNWG; 2. Permit Counsel to retain an expert noise consultant to obtain data necessary to support the City's position and to provide guidance on possible remediation alternatives; 3. Convene a standing commission to continue the effort to fight FAA created noise increases both now and in the future. The citizen members of the ATNWG would like to thank the Mayor and Council for their support, and to particularly acknowledge the leadership, energy, and efforts provided by the honorable Council Members Patrick Brenden and Barbara Delgleize. Apr 2017. Jan 2014 August 2016 NextGen Jan 2018 FAA Intent FAA Files Implemented ATNWG to Perform EA Ft]NS1 ! Formed r• .,., s ME ISn.. Jan: Jan 2016 .fan 2017 Jan 2018 Jan 2014 '✓ .°' Sep 2018 October 2016 Jun 2018 Jun 2015 F©NSI Appeal ATNWG FAA Publishes Filing Deadline Community Draft EA Workshop Figure 1-NextGen Timeline Appendix B - ATNWG Members City Council Sponsors: ❖ Patrick Brenden ❖ Barbara Delgleize City Staff Members: ❖ Antonia Graham Members: ❖ James Baker ❖ Connie Betz ❖ Michael Bourgeault ❖ Phil Burtis ❖ Scott Combest ❖ John Erskine ❖ Chris Kunze ❖ Christine Monheim ❖ Jeff Morin ❖ Ed Mountford ❖ Dave Porter ❖ Lloyd Sargeant ❖ Gordon Smith ❖ Mario Tabernig Appendix C — Sample of Public Comments Received 1. The recent jet noise over Huntington Beach due to the FAA changes is unacceptable and I plan on doing all I can to help fight this issue in order to help get our environment back to normal. We have low flying jets into Long Beach, we now have inbound LAX traffic as well 24/7, and much more traffic AND NOISE than ever before. it's time we fight what the FAA has done to help protect us all in Huntington Beach, CA. 2. The airplane noise has gotten much worse. I work from home and the noise is disturbing my client calls. We purposely chose this community to live in because of the peace and quiet...now that's changed and I fear it will negatively affect our property values. 3. I live directly under the flight path into Long Beach. I have to hold phone calls, pause my TV just to hear over the jet engines. My backyard has become 5x noisier that ever making enjoying being outside less enjoyable. When talking to someone, you pause the conversation as a jet passes over. I'm woken in the early hours of the morning by jets that I can hear enough to wake us from our sleep. 4. The planes are getting lower and lower in their approach to Long Beach airport. This raises the volume of the planes. It's also very scary to see them so low after experiencing the Cerritos air crash in the 1980s 5. You cannot land at John Wayne after 10pm due to noise over communities but you can fly over my home all night to land at LB. Not ok. 6. Way too many planes flying over SEHB, loud & low sometimes. We have noticed a large increase over the last year. 7. Flights landing in Long Beach are coming over my neighborhood too low, too often and far too loud! 8. I have noticed the difference lately. It's extremely disruptive. I work from home and it's so loud I can't even take a phone call. 9. It's not right having to hear loud jet noise for those who bought a home and now have to put up with this. Fight paths cannot just appear. It's not right. 10.The noise level and frequency has gotten much worse recently! It's hard to even sit outside and enjoy this sunshine we pay so much for, it's very disruptive. Nighttime is especially bad, too- at least 1 per minute it seems. I understand the need for the flights, but there has to be another option. 11. Jet noise is substantially worse and directly overhead, yet there the navy weapon storage facility is a huge open area less than a half mile away. 12.They fly over our house every day and it's so loud sometimes it's hard to enjoy our backyard. Feels like we live at the airport 13. Our sleep is disrupted every night now and it's affecting our health. 14. I am extremely affected by the airplane noise! They go over my house every 1-3 min. 15. we need full Huntington Beach support on this. Tell your friends and neighbors. We need a full showing in order to get real help from the city... 16. I have been a homeowner in HB for over 40 years and it is definitely louder than ever! Not sure if there are any more airplanes, but they are definitely lower and loud. You can read the words on the sides of the planes and almost see the people in the windows. Lol. I have also noticed a lot more sought on my patio cover, window sills and car. Not sure if that has anything to do with airplanes, but it is very strange. If other cities are fighting this problem, our city should contact the other cities to see how it is done. 17. Recent changes in air traffic patterns over our neighborhood have created constant and intolerable noise levels that have significantly and negatively impacted our lives. The new traffic patterns are vastly different from anything previously experienced in our area. Immediate action needs to be taken to change the air traffic patterns to mitigate the constant noise bombardment. 18. I am woken up before it is light out in the morning by jet noise and past 10:30 at night even with a sound diffuser on!!!! Please realize the jet noise disrupts quality of life and interrupts sleep on a daily basis. Jet routes can be changed and jet path height is way too low. 19. Air traffic has increased considerably without any regard for the residents affected by the noise. 20.This nonsense noise is invasive, frustrating, and progressively getting worse. 21.This loud and frequent jet noise occurs throughout day and night, and has reduced quality of life for those who live below the flight path. 22. I have lived in HB for 28 years; around the corner from old Meadowlark airport... yes there was an airport where Ralph's is now. We NEVER experienced the noise we do now. Jets that are cutting their flight patterns and roaring over my home. 23. Have definitely noticed louder, lower planes &some helicopters plus lots of contrails in the sky. They can't be healthy for us to breathe in. Lower flights &high flying birds makes for a dangerous combination right over our roofs, busy streets &freeways. 24. I've lived in Huntington Beach for 18 years. I've noticed the noise has gotten worse in the past 2 years. 25. Yes, have definitely noticed the increase frequency of low plains over the neighborhood. We need to get this changed! 26. I live in Huntington Beach and the approach angles to LGB directly over our community is terribly loud and unnecessary. 27.They 'sneak' in at late hours of the night hoping we just get used to it. Between the sirens, the cheap ass rides that don't even sound street legal, now the plane activity, time to cash out! 28. Our community is already noisy here downtown but the added constant jet noise really makes life stressful. The low over-flights are disconcerting and have impacted quality of life on this area. I'm also leery of safety of constant low flying jetliners in this densely populated area. 29.The loud jets are irritating. They cause pollution right over my house. The airlines don't compensate me for the distraction and loss of health benefits from them doing business right over my head. I have no sympathy for these large corporations that have no concern over me. 30. I have lived in Huntington Beach for 37 years in the La Cuesta Villa neighborhood and have never experienced the jet noise bombardment that we are having now. The daily roaring jet noise over my home is quickly becoming unacceptable. This jet noise is greatly different from anything previously experienced in my neighborhood, with the planes seemingly flying much lower and much more frequently. The jet noise starts very early in the morning and continues into the night. It would have been helpful if neighborhoods had been informed about this oncoming situation early on so we could have expressed our concerns. Please keep us informed of City Council Meetings and of any actions taken. 31.The Air traffic noise has become intolerable! We aren't even leaving our windows open yet. Wait till you have to disclose to residential sellers/buyers and we lose 20% of our property values! 32. Jets going to Long Beach, LAX and more are using Huntington Beach on their routes. They fly low and loud way past 10 pm and way earlier than 7 am. We often hear a jet in the middle of the night. There is NO peace and quiet here as it used to be when we moved here in 1972. 33.The FAA implemented its NextGen/MetroPlex project in Southern California without any meaningful environmental impact to neighborhoods that are now under a flight path. The FAA was not truthful about the increase of jet noise or about the "quick left/short cut" in its Environmental Assessment presented to cities &citizens. We bought our home over 20 years ago because of the peace and quiet neighborhoods. The past 1 1/2 years, our peaceful life has been ruined by John Wayne Airport south-east departures (KSNA-PIGGN). These commercial & private jets take a quick left turn after clearing NB back bay, roar down the coast &going over my neighborhood as low as 7000'. They accelerate as they go over making even more noise! Noise that wakes me up, sets of 3 commercial jets assault us hourly! 30+ flights each day ! We were never in a flight path prior to the FAA "project". It's horrible! We all have to work together to force the FAA to work with citizens to find solutions that work for us 34. We've lived in HB for 20 years, and only in the last year or so the jet noise has become unbearable. Seems no public input was taken into consideration before implementing changes which have impacted our lives here in HB. The constant whine of the jet motors is very unsettling. I'm hearing that whine as I type this. We must fight these changes 35. We have lived, worked and owned a business in HB for over 31 years. We have never heard the commercial jet noise as bad as it is now - and we had absolutely no input into what was changed. Doesn't seem right. 36. I live in downtown Huntington Beach 92648 and this frequent noise from low-flying jets is much more than a "nuisance." It affects wildlife and air pollution, in addition to causing noise pollution. 37. We live close Bolsa Chica wetlands. The noise has become unbearable Planes fly so low we can read numbers on some planes. I've complained but nothing changes. Something has to be done! 38. We live in Seacliff on the Greens and jet noise is much louder and more frequent than we were told in our home purchase disclosures! 39. We noticed the frequency and noise of airplanes inside and on the patio. It's also annoying on the beach - can hear planes over the waves crashing. What a shame. 40. I live under the jet path and hanging out in our backyard by the pool now it seems every 20-30 mins a big plane flies over and it's horribly loud. I miss my quiet backyard and had I know that our house was going to become one of the flight paths we may not have purchased our house 6yrs ago. I grew up by Cleveland airport and that was horrible, feel like my childhood is coming back to me. No more noise 41. Jets come over the house top daily at Warner and Glenstone as the sounds has increased. Been in the area for years never this better. 42. I chose to specifically live where I do for certain reason and being under a flight path being woken up at 7am or disrupted in the evening wasn't one of them. Neither was having my asthma and allergies further affected. 43. I live in a condo community of Warner Ave, most times it sounds like they trying to land on the roof. It scares children and pets, forget about getting a good night's sleep. 44.The jet noise has increased at least 50% in the last year, jets fly directly over my home. The FAA did not notify HB residents prior to this recent flight path change. We only found out after hearing the engine noise and lower flights over our homes. No notification from the FAA is unacceptable! It's time to stop their noise pollution in our beautiful surf city. 8/31/2018 Air Traffic Noise SUPPLEMENTAL Working Group Final Report September 4, 2018 Background :• Airplane noise complaints to the City increased significantly in early spring 2017 :• Air Traffic Noise Working Group Formed • Council memo January 8, 2018 • First meeting January 31, 2018 • Initially 10 members and 2 alternates Residents and subject matter experts COMMUNICATION Meefing r: • 8/31/2018 Key Objectives 1 Define . . identifyauthority/control resides. 2. • supports our case. Airport3. Establish a working dialogue with the Federal Aviation Administration, the airlines, Long Beach d other parties who can help to effect change. Seek voluntary cooperation through collaboration. 4. If necessary, activate a letter writing/email campaign to enlist community involvement. 5. If necessary,assess the feasibility of legal action. 6. Conduct a community meeting within •0 days. website.7. Provide the community with on-going updates via the city's ✓Define and prioritize remedies we seek;identify where Higher altitudes and modified ground tracks.FAA,airport authority/control resides controllers,individual airlines and pilots. ✓Acquire technical information and flight data that supports Have captured real-time data,obtained data from both LGB our case. and SNA plus some 3'd party historical data. ✓Establish a working dialogue with the Federal Aviation Have held numerous meeting with airports,airlines,elected Administration,the airlines,Long Beach Airport and other officials and even FAA personnel. Have also met with other parties who can help to effect change.Seek voluntary city groups(both elected and citizen-led)to determine their cooperation through collaboration. situation and look for commonality. ✓If necessary,activate a letter writing/email campaign to Created the"StopTheletNoise.com"website and began a enlist community involvement. petition signing campaign resulting in over 1,100 signatures. ✓If necessary,assess the feasibility of legal action. Investigated legal activity around the country and consulted with local aviation attorneys. ✓Conduct a community meeting within 90 days. Held community workshop on June 13,2018 and had over 200 people in attendance. ✓Provide the community with on-going updates via the city's website. The City website contains updated information and points to the"StopTheJetNoise.com"website. 2 Members :• Jim Baker :• Council Member Brenden :• Connie Betz Council Member Delgleize :• Michael Bourgeault :• City Staff Antonia Graham :• Phil Burtis :• City Intern Alyssa Palma :• Scott Combest John Erskine Chris Kunze :• Christine Monheim :• Jeff Morin :• Ed Mountford Dave Porter :• Lloyd Sargeant :• Gordon Smith :- Mario Tabernig Member Profiles :• Concerned and affected residents •: Current commercial jet pilot Retired airport manager :• Retired pilot :� Aerospace engineers :• IT developers •: Attorneys :• Business executives 8/31/2018 Individuals Submitting Noise Comments 351 Monthly Comparison 600 523 5 J80 00 Q4 407 ti7 JIv 448 444 400 313 183 338 351 100 55 200 100 0 JW-17 Aug-17 Sep-17 Oct-17 Ilov-17 Dec-17 Jan-18 Feb 18 Mar-18 Apr-18 May 18 Jun 18 Jul 18 ■Individuals Submfttinq Comments CompWnts by ZipCode1 Zip Lade Complaints Units W248 1 1 90278 1 1 "a• a a s 90712 1 1 90713 7 1 t 90720 1 1 90740 29 2 May CY-T-D 2018 90755 1 12018 90B02 1 1 American/Mesa Airlines 0 r0 15 r2 150.01. 90804 10 2 Detta/Sky West Airlines 0 2 -200.0% 4 3 33.3% 90805 40 2 FedEx 0 0 0 0 90806 1 1 JetBlue Airways 25 16 56.3% 124 94 31,M 90807 101 47 Southwest Airlines 0 0 0 3 -300.0% 90M 31 27 UPS 0 0 0 0 90814 1 1 Subtotal 25 18 3IL996 233 102 30.4% 90815 3 2 92612 47 1 Amer—ri/Sky West Airlines r0 0 0 0 92626 3 Delta/Sky West Airlines 0 0 0 0 3 Subtotal 0 0 0 0 92647 147 5 lWg ' 92648 25 21 All GA,Charter 8 Other 13 12 8,396 57 77 -26.C", 92649 532 17 !TOTAL 38 30 26.7% 190 179 6.1% 1 AirportNot 13 Surcharges $7,900 $2,100 , , ,00 brand Total l,780 Consent Decree $120,000$78,000 $558,000 $468,000 TOTAL 1$127,Ml $ $479,200 4 The Recommendation •: Whereas This is a long term and complicated issue; The City needs to have a voice in the process; The collaborative approach is currently making progress; •: We hereby recommend Council establish the Jet Noise Commission (JNC) Jet Noise Commission •: Mission To monitor the impact of commercial jet noise on the quality of life in Huntington Beach and advise the City Council and City Attorney on issues and proposed remedies. •: Structure • Two Council Liaisons • Seven at-large members Huntington Beach resident volunteers Selected by the Liaisons subject to Council approval 8/31/2018 Jet Noise Commission ,<<,�„�,, •: Responsibilities • To conduct business in the proper manner for a City Commission. • To identify and propose remedies that could lead to reductions of jet noise over the City. • To advise City Council and City Attorney on the status of jet noise issues and proposed remedies. • To monitor FAA developments that could further reduce the quality of life in the City. • To monitor legislative and legal developments both locally and nationally that could be useful in pursuing remedies. Scope • Limited to the commercial jet traffic. How Did We Get to This Recommendation? 1 . ATIVWG Action Plan :• Identify the issues •: Consensus on priority :• Investigate causes :• Identify potential remediation pathways Identify the Issues :• Nestled between 3 airports • Los Angeles (LAX) • Orange County/John Wayne (SNA) • Long Beach (LGB) :• Multiple types of air traffic • Commercial passenger planes • Private planes • Cargo planes • Military planes • Other 1 . The Consensus on Issues :• Focus on commercial passenger jets • Arrivals are the biggest impact • Each airport presents a different problem May imply different solutions :• Goal is rerouted paths and increased altitudes Investigation •: What caused the change? :• How did it get approved? :• How are the residents affected? 8/31/2018 The Change by the FAA :• NextGen • Satellite-based system of air traffic management • Not one technology, but many technologies and procedures •: Goals • Increase the safety, efficiency, capacity, predictability, and resiliency of American aviation • Note that noise abatement isn't one of the goals :• Rollout in SoCal Metroplex • Spring 2017 NextGen Resulted In : :• Two significant impacts: • Rerouting flight paths Planes over us now that were not before • Compressing flight path corridors 6 mile corridor shrinks to % mile corridor LGB Arrivals: Aug 2016 J. 1 r Iz ., LGB Arrivals: Aug 2017 8/31/2018 Pathways to Remediation Legal Collaborative Action Paths • Review existing Meet with LGB lawsuits Meet with JBU • Explore options Meet other City Reps Legislative • Meetings with Rohrabacher • Meeting with Feinstein • Meeting with FAA Pathways to Remediation legal Collaborativ Action Paths • Review existing Meet with LGB lawsuits Meet with 1BU • Explore options Meet other Cit Legisl • Meetings with Ito era acher • Meeting with Feinstein u • Meeting with FAA 11 1 . The Environmental Assessment :• FAA Timelines • EA announced in January 2014 • Draft EA released June 2015 Announcement in local papers Jun 2015 Apr 2017 FAA Publishes NextGen Jan 2014 Draft EA Aug 2016 Implemented FAA Intent FAA Files to Perform EA FONSI 11112014 Action Paths slative Meetings with Rohrabacher Meeting with Feinstein Meeting with FAA 12 Provided 30-day comment period • Comment period extended twice; total 90 days > 33 public briefings • FONSI issued Aug 2016 60 day response filing deadline Pathways to Remediation f, a 8/31/2018 Legislative Actions Collaborative Review existing :• Met with Congressman Rohrabacher • Drafted letters to the FAA and Jet Blue CEO • FAA re-authorization bill every 5 years Introduced 4 amendments Unfortunately bill adapted without amendments • Introduced HR 6558 the "NO NOISE" Bill Currently in committee :• Met with Senator Feinstein's Staff • Drafted letter to the FAA • Senate has their version FAA re-authorization bill Pathways to Remediation lawsuits Meet with JBU � Meet with UGB 1 . r Collaborative Actions :• Several Meetings • Long Beach airport noise personnel • John Wayne airport noise personnel • Jet Blue & Southwest Chief Pilots :• Met with FAA NextGen Program Manager • Indicated the FAA could consider local solutions Summary :• Formed a working group to investigate the noise issue � Investigated legal aspects � Investigated legislative aspects ✓ Initiated collaborative discussions :• Recommend a Jet Noise Commission Continue to track & push for resolution o " 14 9/4/2018 MY CIVIC CMS Export to PDF This issue is new Est. Resolution Date: Not Yet Set I Agenda & Public Hearing #112152 New Received Assigned Referred Resolved Canceled Comments - Select Action Select Resolution sub type Select Action Select Resolution City Council Meeting COMMENTS &ADDITIONAL NOTES Add New Note Airplane Noise. Please establish a permanent jet noise commission and resources to continue the fight to stop the jet noise issue.We need your help to stop the jet noise .Thanks. Add Files Opened: By: Phone: 09/04/2018 Jill 12:54 PM Device: Share With Citizen Change Who's Notified Email: Closed: countryjilll@yahoo.com Notify Department Est. Res. Date 11:2i'�ul� FSubmit SllF�P�.�11A�NTAL. COMMUNICATION Meeting Dale: � !— Reassign Issue Type Issue SubType (�Agenda Item NO.' Agenda & Public Hearin City Council Meeting O ��S d`� � � e�� Click here to chat eecinn 1Aln rLor Ci innnr+1Aln r4or https://mycity.mycivicapps.com/rail/index/4300 1/2