SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO EVALUATE VAN NUYS JET NOISE.Byline: Jesse Hiestand Staff Writer VAN NUYS - A committee appointed by Van Nuys Airport Van Nuys Airport (IATA: VNY, ICAO: KVNY, FAA LID: VNY) is a public airport located in Van Nuys, California in the San Fernando Valley, within the Los Angeles city limits. and elected officials will re-examine re·ex·am·ine also re-ex·am·ine tr.v. re·ex·am·ined, re·ex·am·in·ing, re·ex·am·ines 1. To examine again or anew; review. 2. Law To question (a witness) again after cross-examination. efforts to curb jet noise and possibly seek new restrictions, a committee member said Wednesday. In addition to assessing the success of the nighttime departure curfew for loud jets, the Part 150 Steering Committee steer·ing committee n. A committee that sets agendas and schedules of business, as for a legislative body or other assemblage. steering committee Noun will examine whether to enlarge the area of homes that qualify for soundproofing Soundproofing is any means of reducing the intensity of sound with respect to a specified source and receptor. There are several basic approaches to reducing sound: increasing the distance between source and receiver, using noise barriers to block or absorb the energy of the sound . ``We're going to take a serious look at some substantative issues in the noise mitigation Noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce unwanted environmental sound. The main topics of noise mitigation (alternatively known as noise abatement) are: transportation noise control, architectural design, and occupational noise control. plan to see what has worked and what hasn't,'' said committee member Susan Little, legislative assistant to Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills. ``Maybe there's some new technology or other things we could learn from other airports to incorporate here.'' The committee makes recommendations to the Los Angeles World Airports Los Angeles World Airports or LAWA is the airport oversight and operations department for the city of Los Angeles, California. This department owns and operates Los Angeles International Airport, LA/Ontario International Airport, Palmdale Regional Airport, and Van , which plans to seek federal money for soundproofing homes around Van Nuys Airport. Key among the committee's concerns is the airport prediction that annual jet operations will rise 22.8 percent over the next four years. The committee has 21 members appointed by local politicians and airport officials. Since the late 1980s, the committee has met sporatically to draw up noise control measures acceptable to both the airport and residents. Those include the curfew, a Fly Friendly program that encourages pilots to minimize noise on take-off and plans to soundproof sound·proof adj. Not penetrable by audible sound. sound  proof v. houses and
apartments closest to the airport.
First, committee members want more information about ongoing efforts to quiet the jets. They plan to meet again in about a month. The committee's work was sidelined for years as the airport tackled other noise issues, including a non-addition rule to cap the number of noisy Stage 2 jets at current levels. The Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. approved the rule last week.
Anti-noise activists say the non-addition rule will have little affect because it only restricts certain jets while allowing overall jet operations to increase. Gerald Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino, said that by scrutinizing current abatement measures, the 150 Steering Committee may close loopholes. ``It's a breakthrough in that if the airport will really look at the real problem and how bad it will be by 2004 they may consider some new measures and there might be some relief,'' Silver said. |
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