OCTOBER 2019

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FAA ADMITS NOISE EXPOSURE AND SAFETY WAS NOT A CONSIDERATION IN NEXTGEN ROUTES.

"......THE FOCUS WAS UPON OPTIMIZING ROUTES AND AIRSPACE DESIGN"

OPTIMIZATION WAS "THE ONLY" CONSIDERATION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL ISSUES AUDIT FINDINGS ON THE FAA'S METROPLEX AND NEXTGEN IMPLEMENTATION

In a bombshell and likely accidental admission, the FAA revealed the truth about how the MetroPlex and NextGen flight paths were designed without noise, ground safety and public impact issues being considered.  The FAA was responding in writing to an audit conducted by the Transportation Departments Inspector General.  The audit report stated that community noise issues were problems that were causing delays with the FAA's implementation of the MetroPlex program across the Country.  The FAA's response to the audits findings stated that after noise issues became problematic, it later changed it's processes to include those concerns in future design procedures.  But in doing so, it admitted that the original design processes (which were used for the Sky Harbor NextGen flight paths) only considered optimization of paths to benefit the industry.  Here is the text of the FAA response regarding noise concerns from page 37 of the audit report:

 "In order to address extensive community concerns about new noise exposure, procedures are designed and implemented that do not maximize efficiency benefits, but do result in less noise exposure. When the Metroplex program began in 2010, the focus was upon optimizing routes and airspace design. When community concerns were included in the design equation, optimization was no longer the only consideration. It is an extraordinarily complex balancing act to provide both efficiency benefits to industry and to minimize new noise exposure in communities. These are usually competing priorities." 

The FAA also went on to admit that the programs only intent was to make use of all available airspace which created new noise impacts over areas that previously had not experienced flight path intrusions:

"The intent of the Metroplex program was to make efficient use of all available airspace, which created new noise impacts. In many communities, some neighborhoods experience less noise, and some more. Relieved communities generally have not recognized the beneficial noise reductions, while impacted communities strongly oppose the new or increased exposure."

The title of the  audit report, issued on August 27th is "FAA Has Made Progress in Implementing Its Metroplex Program, But Benefits for Airspace Users Have Fallen Short of Expectations".  The report goes on to say the the FAA is behind schedule in implementing the programs and that benefits as promised are questionable.  Other statements from the report include:

• "Delays have occurred largely due to increased community concerns about aircraft noise."
• "Since 2014, further delays have occurred as FAA has implemented new PBN (Performance Based Navigation) procedures at more sites, largely due to increased community concerns about aircraft noise. For example, in fiscal year 2018, FAA cancelled the Phoenix Metroplex project due to litigation related to a previous PBN project."
• "The FAA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Metroplex1 program has evolved by necessity to reflect changes in technology, as well as growing public concern about aircraft noise in areas previously not exposed. This was a result of the implementation of new, more efficient, precision flight paths."
• "Metroplex benefits to airspace users have fallen well short of predictions, and there is no consensus on actual benefits achieved."
• "Measurable benefits to aircraft operations, such as improved aircraft fuel consumption due to routing efficiency are not a priority for communities concerned about new areas exposed to aircraft noise..."
• "In some cases, community concerns have escalated into lawsuits, causing even further delays. In fiscal year 2018, FAA cancelled the Phoenix Metroplex project due to litigation related to an earlier Phoenix PBN project where concerns from communities were not resolved. FAA is also facing litigation challenges in Northern California, Washington, DC, and Southern California"

With the FAA's admissions in its audit responses, it proves that Phoenix, Scottsdale and other communities across the Country have been correct in challenging the FAA's processes and disregard for public impact and welfare.  The FAA should  immediately begin to redesign the airspace in those cities where it's original designs have severely impacted public safety and created environmental noise pollution.  The FAA admittedly ignored the impacts of noise pollution knowing that the public would be harmed. If the FAA continues to fail to respond to its wrongdoing, it should be forced legislatively or legally to restore the public's right to a properly conducted design process.  SCANA will be hailing the FAA and all local and national parties to hold the FAA accountable.

To read the full IG's audit report please CLICK HERE. 

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THE FAA FINALLY RESPONDS

The FAA finally responded October 9th via email to requests from SCANA and Scottsdale Mayor Lane to provide a status update on the comments and proposals the FAA received from it's April public workshops.  Both responses were identical.  Here is the FAA response to SCANA:

Dear Mr. Kern:

Thank you for your August 22, 2019 email to Raquel Girvin, Regional Administrator. We apologize for the delay in response regarding your inquiry for an update from the FAA on where we stand on the analysis and disposition of comments made regarding the concepts of potential flight paths from our Scottsdale workshop.

The FAA has received over 1,100 comments which are still being carefully reviewed and considered. We will require at least another month to get a better disposition on the comments. Please feel free to email us then and we will provide you with another update.

Regards,

Federal Aviation Administration

Office of the Regional Administrator

Western-Pacific Region

We will hope that in that month of additional time the FAA says it needs to complete its analysis, that it will announce its intentions to retract the departing flight paths over Scottsdale that the U.S. Court of Appeals has labeled "arbitrary and capricious".  If the FAA stonewalls any future changes after the admissions it made above regarding how noise issues were never considered in the design process, one option available for the City, SCANA and residents is legal action similar to the suit filed and won by the City of Phoenix and the Historic Districts.  SCANA will track the fallout from these revelations and post any updates on our website.

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LAKE ARROWHEAD CALIFORNIA NEWS ARTICLE STATES FAA IS MOVING NEXTGEN FLIGHT PATH BACK TO ORIGINAL LOCATION

The article states that in an August 5th conference call with San Bernardino County the FAA confirmed that it is going to move a 2017 NextGen flight path that infringed on Lake Arrowhead, California communities, back to the original location.  The FAA has been doing environmental analysis and flight path testing over the last several months.  It is anticipated the change will be in place in December.

SCANA congratulates Lake Arrowhead on their victory and the coming restoration of their lifestyle. 

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PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE EFFORTS TO RESTORE THE QUIET AND SAFE SKIES SCOTTSDALE ENJOYED BEFORE THEY WERE STOLEN BY THE FAA

WE DID NOT MOVE TO THE FAA, THE FAA MOVED TO US!

Thousands of homeowners in Scottsdale and across the Country purchased their homes before an airplane superhighway was "arbitrarily and capriciously" placed over their neighborhoods without their knowledge or input.