October 12, 1972
Page 35410
Mr. TUNNEY. Mr. President, I am prepared to yield back the remainder of my time unless someone else wants to talk, after I use up 1 more minute of my time. Is the Senator from Maine agreeable to that?
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I will agree to not more than a minute if I might respond.
Mr. TUNNEY. Mr. President, I would like to point out once again something that I made clear in my opening remarks.
The bill presently contains section 501(c) which states:
Each Federal agency with regulatory authority over air commerce, aircraft, or airport operations, or aircraft noise emissions, including the Civil Aeronautics Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency, shall exercise such regulatory authority so as to reduce noise in airport environments and surrounding areas.
That relates to such things as flight and operational procedures, and any other, means within present regulatory authority of relevant agencies. It relates to all those matters. No one can say the bill does not contain significant strong language now so that these agencies must utilize their authority to produce a quieter airport environment. I do not want the record to appear that the committee and the manager of the bill are not in favor of reducing airport noise. This language will insure that all existent regulatory authority must be used.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I may have to take more than a minute. There is no provision in the bill, unless I have been greatly mistaken during the course of committee work, over a period of weeks, that authorizes noise standards or the issuance of criteria, or which provides for the development of plans for airport managers, or to require the FAA to provide technical assistance.
I am not aware that it is there; but if it is we should have unanimous support for this amendment.
I gather the language the Senator refers to is on page 90 of the bill which reads, on line 17:
"(c) Each Federal agency with regulatory authority over air commerce, aircraft or airport operations, or aircraft noise emissions, including the Civil Aeronautics Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency, shall exercise such regulatory authority so as to reduce noise in airport environments and surrounding areas.”
I suggest that on its own with such authority the FAA has not used such authority; and if this means what it says, the Senator should be glad to incorporate in the bill the procedures covered by the pending amendment.
With that, unless others wish to speak, I am prepared to yield back my time.
Mr. TUNNEY. I yield back the remainder of our time.
Mr. MUSKIE. I yield back my time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is yielded back. The question is on agreeing to the amendment of the Senator from Maine. The yeas and nays have been ordered, and the clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
The result was announced – yeas 31, nays 47, as follows:
[Roll call tally omitted]
So Mr. MUSKIE's amendment was rejected.