Dear Friends,

THANK YOU to all who joined the PACC Airplane Noise Study Session earlier this Fall, and the great Midtown Residents’ Association Ice Cream Social! A special thanks to everyone who spoke with PACC candidates that day and/or if you have been active this election season hosting or attending candidate events. And welcome to new supporters who stopped by the Sky Posse table and signed our petition!

We’ve received numerous questions and feedback. Two serious concerns stand out - the state of citizen and Palo Alto representation in the face of various airports impacting the city, and questions about SFO's GBAS project. In addition, we are in an unprecedented landscape for review of federal aircraft noise regulations. We are closely watching the status of the General Accountability Office (GAO) report regarding the FAA's plans about how to handle Precision Based Navigation due "by the end of 2022" (see the agency's commitments at the bottom of this link); the FAA has also embarked on a Noise Policy Review pursuant to the 2021 FAA Neighborhood Environmental Survey (NES) solicitation. We cannot afford any delays in FAA's responses to GAO and the NES because aviation lobbying to influence the 2023 FAA Reauthorization has started. 

Citizens have a significant body of inputs in the GAO report and in the FAA NES solicitation (this link contains Sky Posse's specific recommendations), which we are ramping up with new initiatives to engage our elected officials at all levels of government. We will be calling on YOUR ideas, participation and HELP to be successful in the various steps it takes to achieve policy change. Especially policies that protect the human and natural environment. Stay tuned and spread the word! 

Please be sure to VOTE on November 8 or earlier by mail-in-ballot!

PACC Study Session 

August 1, 2022: Status of National and Regional Airplane Noise Initiatives

see Sky Posse Letter to PACC with 3 asks

• Sky Posse requests: 1) address the jurisdictional and legal issues that prevent progress; 2) explore a city jet noise complaints app, 3) pursue the unanimous recommendations by the Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals to make progress on Community Priorities. 

• Address unfair concentration of routes and "Fly at Higher Altitudes!"
• Eliminate night time noise
• Need new Metroplex re-design team and resources to work for communities.

Eliminating low altitude night traffic and noise should be the easiest task for FAA because there is no traffic congestion at night. Assessments of alternatives using the right tools and metrics* that reflect our experience on the ground are also long overdue.

*Request to Members of Congress to ensure that adequate information about aircraft noise and exposure is made available to the public 

***As we go forward, much of what we need is within the power of local and regional officials to help accomplish.***



SPREAD THE WORD!

Ask neighbors to JOIN OUR CALLS TO ACTION and to get updates by sending "SUBSCRIBE" to info@skypossepaloalto.org