Preserving Our Airport Noise Controls : * Vocal Residents Keep Weaker National Policy From Superseding Tough Local One

Each night after 10 p.m., the noise level in the Newport Harbor area drops noticeably. After 11 p.m., residents in the Orange-Santa Ana-Tustin area welcome noise relief too, as the periodic whine of commercial jets flying in and out of John Wayne Airport ceases--at least until 7 the next morning.

It has been that way for the last five years, ever since warring Newport Beach residents and city officials and the county, which operates the airport, resolved lawsuits seeking to block airport expansion by reaching a settlement. The compromise limits airport noise by controlling not only the hours of jet operation but the kind of aircraft that fly in and out, the routes they use, the way the flights are flown and even how many passengers can be accommodated at the new terminal.

Fortunately, that agreement is still intact, thanks to a strong public reaction and some help from Sens. Alan Cranston and Pete Wilson and Reps. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) and Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad).

The problem began when a rider was attached to the complex federal budget bill that would establish a national noise-control policy at airports throughout the country. What most troubled Orange County, in addition to the obvious loss of local jurisdiction at its own airport, was that the proposed policy was far less restrictive than the one already in operation here.

Local airports should be able to go beyond any minimum federal noise levels, especially when the quieter approach has the agreement of the the airport operator and the surrounding community. County residents and their representatives were loud and vigorous in pushing that point. Their outcry forced Congress to back off and sensibly include a “grandfather” clause that exempted existing agreements.

It shows what can happen around the airport when you make a lot of noise.