SCHAKOWSKY PLEDGES TO WORK FOR ADDITIONAL SOUNDPROOFING FUNDS FOR 9TH CD DURING ADDRESS TO OHARE NOISE COMPATIBILITY COMMISSION

MAY 7, 2004

SCHAKOWSKY PLEDGES TO WORK FOR ADDITIONAL SOUNDPROOFING FUNDS
FOR 9TH CD DURING ADDRESS TO O'HARE NOISE COMPATIBILITY COMMISSION

ROSEMONT, IL - U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today addressed the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC) and renewed her pledge to seek more federal funds to the 9th Congressional District for soundproofing and noise mitigation projects.

Below is Schakowsky's statement:

Thank you Mayor Mulder, Commissioner Roberson, and Commission members, for allowing me to address you today.

I want to thank the commissioners of O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission for the important work that you do and all you have accomplished. You are recognized nationally as an organization that effectively reduces aircraft noise and its impact on communities around one of the world's busiest airports. And you accomplish this through the cooperation and participation of the communities that are affected by the noise.

Under Mayor Mulder's leadership, the ONCC has grown and become increasingly effective since it was established by Mayor Daley in 1996. Now, almost 40 communities around O'Hare cooperate and work together to make the quality of life better for their residents. Through your noise monitoring, residential and school soundproofing programs, community outreach, and technical initiatives, you have reduced the impact of aircraft noise for thousands of people.

ONCC's invitation to be the only community-based aircraft noise group on the Partnership for Air Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction Center of Excellence, a collaborative with the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA, shows the strength of your leadership and impact. Congratulations on this important selection. I will support the funding and initiatives of the Center of Excellence Program, and look forward to working with the partnership to reduce air transportation noise and emissions.

I am especially excited to be here today as you welcome your newest member, the City of Park Ridge, which is located in my Congressional District. I would like to thank the other members of the commission that are in my district for their hard work, Chicago, Des Plaines, Niles, Norridge, Rosemont, and School Districts 59, 63, 80, 214, 234, and 299.

When I was elected to Congress in 1998 I pledged to advocate for my constituents by supporting funding for soundproofing and quieter aircraft technology, and I am here today as your partner in decreasing aircraft noise and its impact.

It is extremely impressive that the ONCC oversees the world's largest school sound insulation program and has soundproofed over 80 schools and has over 20 currently in the design or construction phase. I support full funding of the ONCC's School Sound Insulation Program, and will work to ensure full funding of the 80% of the program that the FAA funds through its Airport Improvement Grants. I also fully support the City of Chicago's 20% contribution through the Passenger Facility Charge. I am happy to see that your program recently approved 15 schools for aircraft noise monitoring, 6 more than were tested last year. Eight of these schools are in my district, in Park Ridge, Des Plaines, and Norridge.

Your Residential Sound Insulation Program is also considered one of the best in the nation, and has improved the quality of life for thousands of residents around O'Hare. I understand that you have completed insulation of homes in the 70 Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) contour, and are working on homes in the 69 DNL area. I support the full funding and implementation of this important program through the City of Chicago's Passenger Facility Charge, and look forward to the day when all homes down to the 65 DNL contour are soundproofed. I understand that this program has been met with very high satisfaction levels, a tribute to the hard work of the Commission members.

On the technology front, I know you have been working on many cutting-edge initiatives that would reduce noise at its source. Your work on the Fly Quiet Program, which I understand provides guidance for pilots to use operating procedures that lead to quieter flights, such as the use of designated nighttime runways, is very important. The ONCC's work on the Airport Noise Monitoring System, O'Hare Noise Hotline, and monitoring expansion and construction projects at O'Hare, have helped mitigate noise. The fact that overall aircraft noise continued to decline at O'Hare last year shows that this work is having a real impact.

I support your work with the FAA on the Advanced Flight Track Procedures (AFT-Pro), which would keep departing aircraft on flight tracks over non-residential areas during nighttime hours, and I offer my assistance on this project if there is any way I can be helpful.

I also support full funding of the NASA Quiet Aircraft Technology (QAT) Program, and I know that the ONCC has worked to keep this funding at respectable levels. This is a very important program that identifies noise reduction technologies that will help make aircrafts quieter, and it should continue to be funded at the levels that NASA requests.

I look forward to continuing our partnership, and I will keep fighting for the funding necessary to continue the good work that you are doing to mitigate aircraft noise. Thank you.