The House has adopted a set of amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, including two offered by Don Beyer (D-VA) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) addressing helicopter noise in the National Capital Region.
“Despite widespread complaints from residents across the National Capital Region and our engagement with the Pentagon on this issue, every indication suggests that helicopter noise keeps getting worse,” said Beyer. “These amendments would give policymakers and concerned citizens’ groups the hard data to define the problem in clear terms, and to help inform solutions. These ideas were the direct results of a townhall I held with constituents last year and continuous feedback from residents, as well as the Department of Defense’s 2018 report on its helicopter use in the region. I thank my colleague Congresswoman Norton for her support, and my colleagues for agreeing to pass our amendments.”
Beyer and Norton offered the amendments as complaints about aircraft noise continue to proliferate across the National Capital Region. They recently partnered on an appropriations amendment, which also passed, to require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prioritize combating aircraft noise.
Text of the NDAA amendments is available below, along with summaries from the House Rules Committee:
- Beyer (D-VA), Norton (D-DC) – Amendment No. 69 – Requires DoD to fulfill one of the recommendations of its 2018 report entitled “Report on the Effects of Military Helicopter Noise on National Capital Region Communities” by establishing a noise inquiry website to track and analyze complaints.
- Beyer (D-VA), Norton (D-DC) – Amendment No. 70 – Requires DoD to submit a report to Congress on the frequency of helicopters used for executive travel in the National Capital Region.
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