Acceptance of Noise Exposure Maps for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, AZ

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces its determination that the Noise Exposure Maps submitted by the City of Phoenix for the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, Arizona under the provisions of Title I of the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act of 1979 (Public Law 96-193) and Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 150, are in compliance with applicable requirements.

EFFECTIVE DATES:

The effective date of the FAA's acceptance of the Noise Exposure Maps for the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, Arizona is October 10, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brian Armstrong, Airport Planner, Airports Division, AWP-611.1, Federal Aviation Administration, Western-Pacific Region. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 92007, Worldway Postal Center, Los Angeles, California 90009-2007. Telephone (310) 725-3614. Street address: 15000 Aviation Boulevard, Hawthorne, California 90261. Documents reflecting this FAA action may be reviewed at this same location.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This notice announces that the FAA finds that the Noise Exposure Maps submitted for the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, Arizona are in compliance with applicable requirements of Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 150, effective October 10, 2000.

Under Section 103 of the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act of 1979 (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”), an airport operator may submit to the FAA Noise Exposure Maps which meet applicable regulations and which depict noncompatible land uses as of the date of submission of such maps, a description of projected aircraft operation, and the ways in which such operations will affect such maps. The Act requires such maps to be developed in consultation with interested and affected parties in the local community, government agencies, and persons using the airport.

An airport operator who has submitted Noise Exposure Maps that are found by FAA to be in compliance with the requirements of FAR Part 150, promulgated pursuant to Title I of the Act, may submit a Noise Compatibility Program for FAA approval which sets forth the measures the operator has taken or proposes for the reduction of existing noncompatible uses and for the prevention of the introduction of additional noncompatible uses.

The FAA has completed its review of the Noise Exposure Map and supporting documentation submitted by the city of Phoenix. The specific maps under consideration are Exhibit 1, “1999 Noise Exposure Map” and Exhibit 2, “2004 Noise Exposure Map” in the submission. The FAA has determined that these maps for the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport are in compliance with applicable requirements. This determination is effective on October 10, 2000. FAA's acceptance of an airport operator's Noise Exposure Maps is limited to a finding that the maps were developed in accordance with the procedures contained in Appendix (A) of FAR Part 150. Such acceptance does not constitute approval of the applicant's data, information or plans, or a commitment to approve a Noise Compatibility Program or to fund the implementation of that program.

If questions arise concerning the precise relationship of specific properties to noise exposure contours depicted on a Noise Exposure Map, submitted under Section 103 of the Act, it should be noted that the FAA is not involved in any way in determining the relative locations of specific properties with regard to the depicted noise contours, or in interpreting the Noise Exposure Maps to resolve questions concerning, for example, which properties should be covered by the provisions of Section 107 of the Act. These functions are inseparable from the ultimate land use control and planning responsibilities of local government. These local responsibilities are not changed in any way under FAR Part 150 through FAA's review of the Noise Exposure Maps. Therefore, the responsibility for the detailed overlaying of noise exposure contours onto the map depicting properties on the surface rests exclusively with the airport operator which submitted those maps, or with those public agencies and planning agencies with which consultation is required under Section 103 of the Act. The FAA has relied on the certification by the airport operator, under Section 150.21 of FAR Part 150, that the statutorily required consultation has been accomplished.

Copies of the Noise Exposure Maps and of the FAA's evaluation of the maps are available for examination at the following locations:

Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 617, Washington, DC 20591;

Federal Aviation Administration, Western-Pacific Region, Airports Division, AWP-600, 15000 Aviation Boulevard, Hawthorne, CA 90261; and

City of Phoenix, Aviation Department, 3400 Sky Harbor Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ 85034.

Questions may be directed to the individual named above under the heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.