U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman John Sarbanes announced $4,000,000 in federal funding to support noise mitigation efforts for residents living near the BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. This funding will support the installation of noise mitigation measures for more than 220 residences in Glen Burnie.

Following the transition to NextGen flight paths, the lawmakers have worked with local Maryland communities, facilitating meetings and discussions between the Federal Aviation Administration and local residents to bring relief to those affected by aviation noise and changes in flight paths.

Some of the noise-related measures the lawmakers have fought for and secured include directing the FAA administrator to conduct a review on the effects of aircraft noise exposure on local communities and to review FAA’s community involvement in areas impacted by NextGen, including how they will engage airports and communities in future projects and lessons learned from NextGen implementation.

In 2015, the FAA implemented its Next Generation Air Transportation System to modernize how it manages U.S. airspace. As a result of this shift, new approach and departure paths have concentrated flights over neighborhoods not previously impacted. In response, the lawmakers have repeatedly worked alongside community members to push the FAA to improve noise mitigation efforts.

Recent measures that the lawmakers worked to secure in Congress direct the FAA to ensure that Airport Improvement Program funds are made available to reduce the impact of noise on local communities. They include $8 million to support regular engagement with communities affected by aviation noise; $37.732 million during fiscal 2021 for research on reducing aviation emissions and noise; $2 million to study the impact of aviation noise by the aviation sustainability center; and $37.5 million for the Continuous Lower Energy, Emission, and Noise program in order to accelerate the development of aircraft and engine technologies.