Thus, if the Airline Pilots Association feels that the regulations as promulgated do not protect their interests, there is a right for judicial review. Third, the Ad- ministrative Procedure Act would also apply. And, fourth, the 14th amendment to the Constitution requires due process, and, thus, it would be unconstitutional to deny a person a hearing if he were charged with violation of a regulation.
Mr. PEARSON. The Senator's state- ment is most helpful. It will allay some of the fears that have been expressed.
As I understand the Senator from Cali- fornia, the procedures for review are to come out of FAA regulations existing now or to be promulgated by them.
Mr. TUNNEY. The procedures for re- view are included in section 415 of the act. The APA and the 14th amendment also apply.
Mr. PEARSON. Either.
Mr. TUNNEY The FAA would have the right to veto regulations promulgated under the act if they are inconsistent witht the highest degree of safety. The FAA should guarantee that regulations, which become effective, assure that air- line pilots can fly safely. If the Airline Pilots Association is not satisfied with specific final regulations, the bill pro- vides for judicial review of the regula- tion, so that they could make their claim in a court of law. In addition, the pilot will be entitled to a full hearing as pro- vided by the Administrative Procedure Act and to constitutional protection.
would insert the requirements that the health levels set in the EPA standards be "necessary" in addition to "adequate" to meet the health needs. This determina- tion is made by EPA and is consistent with the intent of the committee.
In section 501(b) (1) a certain am- biguity respecting a joint determination by EPA and FAA on technology and cost of compliance has been cleared up. The amendment clarifies the fact that the determination is made by EPA, after consultation with FAA-a result which is certain to expedite the promulgation process. It will also assure that the issue of reasonable cost has a thorough airing as standards develop, but that such con- FAA veto of the standards. Moreover, a siderations cannot be the basis for an second criterion-demonstrable public benefit is now added to the list of fac- tors to be considered in developing the standards.
certificates. The hope is that EPA will move quickly to quiet as much of the fleet as possible.
Section 505 is deleted, because the re- quirement of EPA review is inserted in section 502(b) (2).
Section 506 is clarified to preclude States and localities from enacting iden- tical standards. This added pressure was thought essential in the absence of a tough and effective regulatory program. However, requirements of section 501 and enforcement provisions in the legis- lation give sufficient tools to accomplish a tough and coordinated enforcement program on the Federal level. There was no intention in the committee bill to alter the relative powers of the Federal Government, State and local government, and airport operator, over the control of aircraft noise. This amendment would also retain the same powers for all parties.
An additional sentence is added to sec- tion 507 to clarify the relationship of part A to the rest of the bill. Noise emis- sions standards are tied into certain other parts of the bill, as specifically cross-referenced. However, authority to establish aircraft noise emissions stand- ards is contained in part A of title V only.
levels on aircraft emissions will not be stalemated. At the same time we continue to accept the advisability of and necessity for a two-fold FAA veto on grounds of technological availability and safety.
Several Senators addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ator from Massachusetts is recognized. Mr. CANNON. Mr. President, a parlia- mentary inquiry.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ator will state it.
Mr. CANNON. Have the amendments been offered, and are they now pending?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The amendments are pending en bloc.
Mr. CANNON. Will the Senator yield to me for a question on the amendments? Mr. BROOKE. I believe I have the floor, Mr. President.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair has recognized the Senator from Massachusetts. Who yields time?
Mr. TUNNEY. I am prepared to yield the Senator from Massachusetts some time on the bill, but I believe that the Senator from Nevada wants to speak of these amendments that have already been offered.
Mr. BROOKE. Very well.
Mr. CANNON. I thank the Senator for yielding.
My question, Mr. President, relates to section 501(c). It is my understanding that section 501(c) conveys no new authority on any Federal agency to regulate or control the air transportation system of the United States. I ask the Senator if that is correct?
Mr. TUNNEY. That is correct.
Mr. STEVENS. As I understand the compromise worked out here, EPA will build up a force of experts to deal with the safety aspects of aviation. Does it decrease the authority of the FAA in any way, in terms of the people who now have the expertise and are dealing with the safety aspects of aviation in this country?
Mr. TUNNEY. No.
Mr. STEVENS. I am glad to hear that. We had great concern about that in the Commerce Committee, as I think the distinguished chairman of our subcom- mittee has reported.
I am fearful as to the ultimate result of what we are doing with regard to EPA generally. It seems that in almost every major bill this year, we have given EPA a license to substantially expand and threaten the expertise of other agencies. They, as I understand it, will not pro- mulgate the regulations dealing with safety or with financial aspects; those will originate with the FAA?
Mr. TUNNEY. That is correct. Now, of course, EPA is going to be promulgating regulations over aircraft noise emission levels, which will have an impact on safety, and what we have done in this bill is given to the FAA a veto power over any such regulations.
In other words, the regulations that come out governing noise emission levels of aircraft are going to have to be con- sistent with what the FAA considers to be the highest degree of safety.
Mr. STEVENS. I shall not speak to this at length, because I understand the time situation of Congress and the hard work that our committee staff and the
Mr. CANNON. With further reference to section 501(c) is this provision in subsection (c) intended to encourage to file suits of harassment citizens against Federal agencies charged with the responsibility for maintaining air commerce, in which the citizens seek to disrupt the air transportation system of the United States?
Mr. TUNNEY. Absolutely not. There is no desire at all on the part of the committee or on the part of the propo- nent of these amendments to disrupt air commerce through harassment-type suits.
As a matter of fact, section 501 (c) adds no new authority to the mandate given to any agency with regulatory author- ity over air commerce, aircraft or air- port operations, or aircraft emissions.
Mr. CANNON. I thank the Senator for yielding.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ques- tion is on agreeing to the amendments. Do the Senators yield back the remainder of their time?
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, who controls the time in opposition to the amendments?
ator from Delaware.
Mr. BOGGS. How much time does the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
Senator want?
Mr. STEVENS. I would like to ask the manager of the bill a few questions con- cerning the impact of this proposal.
Mr. BOGGS. I yield the Senator whatever time he needs.
chairman of the Subcommittee on Avia- tion in the Committee on Commerce
have done to try to work out the matter. But I am still feaful that the result will be that EPA will have a little FAA under its wings, and will start writing the reg- ulations and sending them over to FAA to check them, and they will be permitted to exercise their veto if the regulations affect the financial and safety aspects of aviation.
I do not believe that EPA should ex- pand itself to the position where it is an action agency. As I understood, they are a standards agency, and it seems to me they should have taken the regulations from the FAA in any area where they affect safety or financial aspects of avia-
tion.
Mr. TUNNEY. In effect, they are going
to have to take the FAA standards when it comes to safety and technological availability, factoring in a reasonable cost.
Mr. STEVENS. I thank the Senator very much.
ing the lives of millions of Americans.
From Inglewood, Calif., and Oak Lawn,
Ill., to East Boston, Mass., and Queens, N.Y., and even to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave- nue in Washington, D.C., our citizens are subjected to a regular bombardment of noise from over-flying aircraft.
The increasing size and power of the 1960's generation of jet aircraft first elevated aircraft noise to a primary na- tional problem. Yet, despite countless congressional hearings, agency and in- dustry studies, and citizen protests, there has been distressingly little aircraft noise reduction.
The airlines argue that the traveling public demands swift aircraft. The first generation of jet aircraft was built with this need in view. The airlines contend
that decreasing the noise from this fleet would be too great a cost burden for them or their passengers to shoulder. This argument, together with the claim that the technology was not yet available, governed our policy during the 1960's.
tantly, residential property values in these areas would be significantly enhanced.
Research on the development of quiet- er engines has been in progress for sev- eral years. Within the Government, the most significant programs have been co- ordinated by NASA and the Department of Transportation. DOT, which includes the Federal Aviation Administration within its organization, has conducted programs to modify aircraft flight and landing patterns in order to expose the planes as little as possible to inhabited areas. Also, it has authorized experi- ments with various forms of acoustical treatment of the engines. But although the Congress gave FAA the power to regulate aircraft noise in 1968, it regret- tably has not yet used that power to re- quire a reduction in noise among the existing fleet.
More recently, the NASA Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology has initiated work on a program to replace the front fan of jet aircraft; it is esti- mated that the resulting decrease in noise would be at least 75 percent. Ear- lier this year, the Congress appropriated $25 million for continued research and development of this important project.
In addition, several of the major aero- space companies as well as the airlines themselves have sponsored studies on jet noise reduction. Yet, in spite of all this research, there has been painfully little reduction of noise from the 1960's gen- eration of jet aircraft. There are en- couraging signs that the new generation of aircraft, the 747's, the DC-10's, and the L-1011's, will have significantly low-
except those owned or operated by a mili- tary agency, shall operate by January 1, 1978, in compliance with maximum Fed- eral noise regulations. The specific stand- ards would be those set forth in appendix C of part 36 of the Federal Aviation Reg- ulations in effect on September 1, 1972. This so-called part 36 noise level was established by the FAA in 1969 as the "technologically practicable" and "eco- nomically reasonable" limits of aircraft noise reduction technology. Regrettably, however, the setting of this regulation has had little noticeable or real effect on the current level of aircraft noise.
It is true that the so-called part 36 regulations have been met by the new wide-bodied passenger jets. However, available projections show that the num- bers 727, 737, and DC-9 jet airplanes will increase during the next decade, until there will be more than 1,200 of these planes operating on U.S. certificated scheduled airlines in 1980, as compared to fewer than 1,100 from these groups at the current time. Each of these planes ex- ceeds by a considerable margin in the ap- plicable part 36 standard.
Joint DOT/NASA Noise Abatement Of- This situation can be changed. The fice has been conducting extensive re- search and development on programs to reduce the noise in these and the other noisy jet aircraft now flying. Charts and projections have been made readily avail- able to Members of the Congress which show that these agencies are now close to developing the technology needed to ret- rofit these jets, either by means or ac- coustical treatment or through the re- placement of their front fans.
aircraft to meet the part 36 deadline is not radical or unrealistic. In fact, it is well within our grasp, and Congress would be delinquent if we did not do everything possible to insure that the goal is reached.
The amendment which I propose would grant the administrator of the aircraft noise abatement program, as well as the
airlines themselves, flexibility as to the means of meeting the maximum noise levels of part 36. In addition, the amend- ment is consistent with the principles of the best use of available financial re- sources, technology, and safety factors as indicated in both the original Senate and House sections on the administration of Federal aircraft noise regulations. Thus, any of a number of alternatives including retirement of certain aircraft can be chosen to meet the criteria in this amendment by 1978.
Finally, there is one remaining but vitally important issue that must be re- solved before aircraft noise abatement can become a reality. There must be a means of paying for the program. Al- ready, several proposals have been put forward, including bills introduced by Senator CRANSTON and myself requiring limited Federal assistance to finance retrofitting. Furthermore, the admini- stration is in the midst of its own study to determine the most appropriate means of financing a retrofitting program. Therefore, it is my intention to introduce a second amendment, following the dis- position of the pending amendment, to require the Secretary of Transportation to report to Congress by July 1, 1973, his recommendations for financing the pro-
er noise levels. But this new technology has not been applied to the 1960's gen- eration of aircraft, which will be with us for many years to come.
At the same time, Federal policy- executive, judicial, as well as legisla- tive has preempted local or State ac- tion to regulate aircraft noise through such means as establishing municipal noise levels or local landing pattern reg- ulations. The Federal Government can- not continue an essentially hands-off policy with respect to demands for reg- ulation of aircraft noise, and at the same time deny other governmental author- ities the right to adopt their own policies. Clearly, it is long past time when Con- gress should lead the way off of this treadmill, and enact the appropriate and necessary legislation to relieve millions of citizens across the Nation of this seri- ous noise problem.
Many Senators have argued that the solution of this problem is essentially a bureaucratic one: who will administer the program for the Government. But I believe a more important question must still be resolved: namely, what will the program be? Simply to shift some or all responsibility from one agency to another will not necessarily do anything more than create another layer of personnel familiar with the problem. But, if Congress establishes a goal that can be achieved, then we can reasonably expect that any agency designated to administer and enforce that goal will meet the congressional intent.
As a minimum goal, Congress should require that all commercial jet aircraft,
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