Councilmember Deb Jung to Testify in Support of State Legislation Addressing BWI Noise & Health Impacts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: China Williams, 410-313-2001
ccwilliams@howardcountymd.gov

March 8, 2022

COUNCILMEMBER DEB JUNG TO TESTIFY IN SUPPORT OF STATE LEGISLATION ADDRESSING BWI NOISE & HEALTH IMPACTS

Ellicott City, Maryland – Councilmember Deb Jung will testify in support of State legislation filed by Senator Clarence Lam and Delegate Terri Hill (SB 658 & HB 1103) to balance the planned growth of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) Airport and other state airports with consideration for the safety and health impacts airport operations may have on surrounding communities. Hearings for the bills will take place on March 9th at 1 p.m. in the Senate Finance Committee and on March 10th at 1 p.m. in the House Appropriations Committee. The BWI Roundtable, of which Councilmember Jung has been a member for nearly four years, will give oral testimony at both hearings in support of the measure. On March 7, the Howard County Council passed CR30-2022 expressing support for SB 658 & HB 1103; this resolution was submitted to the respective General Assembly committees as written testimony.

The legislation would establish a five-year committee of community members and health and environmental experts appointed by the Maryland General Assembly and the Governor to review matters related to medical and health burdens and environmental impacts resulting from commercial aviation infrastructure.

The measure comes in response to Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) major overhaul of the U.S. airspace with changes that went into effect beginning in 2015 at BWI Airport. The FAA’s implementation of the NextGen satellite guidance system resulted in highly concentrated flight paths of commercial jet traffic over established communities, historical landmarks, municipal development, schools, and parks up to 20 miles from the airport. In many cases planes are flying lower over populated areas than they did prior to NextGen. Hundreds of thousands of noise complaints have been filed with the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) by residents impacted by the changes.

Adding to the urgency of restoring balance is the announcement that over $158 million in Federal infrastructure funds have been secured by the Maryland Congressional Delegation to immediately support airport growth and enhancements over the next five years.