BILL ANALYSIS
AJR 41
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AJR 41 (Lieu)
As Amended June 16, 2010
Majority vote
TRANSPORTATION 8-4
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|Ayes:|Bonnie Lowenthal, | | |
| |Blumenfield, Buchanan, | | |
| |Eng, Furutani, Galgiani, | | |
| |Hayashi, Portantino | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Jeffries, Bill Berryhill, | | |
| |Miller, Niello | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Memorializes the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
the United States Department of Transportation, and the members
of the California congressional delegation to work
collaboratively to review noise and air pollution emission
levels and the safety of flight operations at Santa Monica
Municipal Airport (SMO). Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes various statements relative to SMO, its operations, and
aspects of the current flight situation surrounding SMO to be
problematic for surrounding residents.
2)Memorializes FAA and specified federal government agencies and
the California congressional delegation to work
collaboratively to review noise levels and the safety of
flight operations at SMO, and to carefully examine the air
pollution impact on the surrounding communities.
3)Memorializes those entities to enlist the help of expert
scientists to study the effects of emissions from SMO and
apply that science into remediation efforts.
4)Encourages those entities to work together to establish and
implement a reasonable and minimum distance between aircraft
operations at the SMO and the neighboring communities.
AJR 41
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5)Memorializes those entities to work together to develop and
offer federally funded relocation assistance to affected
homeowners who desire it.
6)Strongly encourages FAA to honor the decision of the City of
Santa Monica to increase safety precautions and restrict the
use of class C and D aircrafts at SMO.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Under federal law, confers primary jurisdiction over all
aspects of air travel in the United States to FAA, including
the administration of an ongoing aviation safety program.
2)To the extent permitted by federal law, authorizes local
governments to regulate the operations of airports within
their jurisdictions.
3)Under state law, requires an Airport Land Use Compatibility
Plan for public use airports. Further, requires a California
Aviation System Plan including, but not limited to a Policy
Element, a Capital Improvement Plan, an Inventory Element, and
a System Requirements Element.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : General aviation airports are those airports used by
the general public that are not used by the commercial airline
companies that provide scheduled passenger service. SMO is a
general aviation airport owned by the City of Santa Monica
(Santa Monica), although many of the neighborhoods immediately
surrounding the airport are within the City of Los Angeles.
Over the last several years, the local residents have complained
to the author concerning the operations of SMO, relative to air
pollution and noise impacts. The author has attempted to
address these concerns with limited success (see "Related Bills"
section).
According to the author, the goal of this resolution is to spur
the federal government to take action to reduce exposure to
toxic jet fuel exhaust byproducts and noise pollution, and
prevent their deleterious health effects. The office further
contends that "since the 1980s, a number of changes have taken
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place with respect to aircraft operations at SMO, including
longer jet aircraft idling times. In addition, more
high-polluting jet aircraft use SMO than ever before. In recent
years the number of jet aircraft operations at SMO has increased
from an annual total of 1,000 in 1984 to tens of thousands
today."
Related bills : AJR 37 (Lieu), Resolution Chapter 127, Statutes
of 2008, memorialize FAA to engage in a collaborative process to
review the safety of flight operations at the SMO and to examine
the role that the airport plays in the regional aviation
transportation system.
AB 700 (Lieu) of 2007, would have required Santa Monica to
establish a technical advisory committee to evaluate relevant
and appropriate studies and data regarding SMO and submit a
report to the Legislature and FAA with recommendations about
potential actions that could be taken to reduce the air quality
impacts caused by air traffic connected with SMO. That bill was
held in Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 2501 (Lieu) of 2006, would have required SMO to record the
engine type and operation times of the landing and takeoff
operation cycles, as defined, of all aircraft operating at SMO
and make the data available to the public. That bill failed in
the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee.
Analysis Prepared by : Genevieve Brown/Ed Imai / TRANS. /
(916) 319-2093
FN: 0004857