$307 Million Earmarked For Aiport Noise Pollution
To combat noise pollution near airports in 29 communities, the Department of Transportation has awarded $307 million in grants in 2004 to soundproof homes and schools.
The largest chunk of federal funding so far awarded – $18 million – will go to combat noise at the Louisville International-Standiford Field in Kentucky. The funds will go to buy 150 homes of people affected by noise from the planes, bringing the long buyout program near its end.
The Louisville airport expansion and relocation of families were announced in 1988. In 1994, the airport began voluntarily relocating people affected by airplane noise, which shakes homes and stops conversations until planes pass over.
When the program is complete, 1,692 families will have been moved because of the noise.
Louisville airport is a cargo hub of United Parcel Service Worldport operation, rather than a passenger hub, which could generate enough money to solve the problems.
Boston’s Logan International Airport in Massachusetts will receive $12 million; Seattle-Tacoma International in Washington gets $10.1 million; San Diego International in California will receive $8 million; and Ted Stevens Anchorage International in Alaska will get $7 million.
The federal money will pay for sound insulation for homes located near airports, noise barriers near runways and taxiways and enhanced noise tracking systems to monitor engine sound levels.
Airports may also use the funds to acquire land to create larger boundaries between airports and communities, contour airfields differently to reduce noise and take other measures that will help nearby neighborhoods.
The $307 in noise mitigation grants are being awarded by the Departments Federal Aviation Administration. Twenty-nine communities already have been informed that they will receive the federal funds totaling $118 million, while an additional $189 million will be awarded over the coming months.
Provided by the Environmental News Service.
