Dear Friends,

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!

Thank you for being advocates to reduce aviation noise and air pollutants. 

The City of Palo Alto has published its annual survey asking residents about their priorities for the upcoming year. The survey is one of the inputs that Councilmembers use to decide on what issues will be on Council’s Agenda. Airplane noise, in particular the 60-day Statute of Limitations on FAA actions, needs to be on Council's agenda. Last year, four priorities were voted on - Economic Recovery; Housing; Climate Change and Community Health and Safety, with airplane noise included under Health. Council members have been asked to submit their proposals for 2023; some have asked to continue the 2022 focus, some are asking to drop Health and Safety to adopt new topics. We need YOU to keep Community Health and Safety as a continuing 2023 Council priority.

CALL TO ACTION!

Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey by January 9

Ask PACC to KEEP Health and Safety in 2023, with new and more proactive efforts to address airplane noise, a serious community health concern.

Other:

• Better to register (You are given the option to post with or without your name)
• In the Survey, under Health and Safety, we are asked to offer ideas about “what should the City be doing differently.” We suggest you ask Council for resident input on alternatives to what has been presented by City consultants at the recent Airplane Study Session. Sky Posse’s suggestions are here. 
• Based on the Airplane Study Session in the Fall, we also suggest that PACC needs to engage residents early in the year to more robustly explore options to address the issues. There are more alternatives than what the City’s consultants presented at the study session. 

THE YEAR AHEAD:

FAA’s funding expires in 2023, presenting Congress with an opportunity to address some of our concerns with legislative initiatives for the agency’s Reauthorization. Also, the General Accountability Office recommendations about Precision Based Navigation require an FAA response now, at the end of the month. In addition, the agency has been undergoing a Noise Policy Review in response to their study that shows that the 65 DNL threshold that underpins the FAA’s noise policies is no longer valid. Our observations about the study are here and recommendations for change are here. Stay tuned, JOIN our calls to action, and SPREAD THE WORD!

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