RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is the owner and operator of Chicago O'Hare International Airport, which annually serves many millions of passengers who land and take off on many thousands of flights; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Aviation Administration is charged with regulating civilian aviation in the United States, including development of airports, establishment of flight paths, monitoring effects of aviation-related noise, and other aviation-related concerns affecting public health and safety; and
WHEREAS, part of the FAA's function is to publish information on anticipated airport-related noise in conjunction with new or changed airport operations, and to take public comment on such information in order to find ways to ameliorate the impact of noise on nearby residents and institutions; and
WHEREAS, recent reports indicate that the FAA has fallen short of its legal obligations in several crucial ways in connection with the construction, opening and use of new runways at Chicago O'Hare International Airport: by failing to hold public hearings within affected areas, as required by law; by publishing incomplete and inaccurate data before public hearings, although in possession of accurate information; by quietly changing data and information after conclusion of public hearings;
WHEREAS, as a result of the FAA's alleged failures to obey applicable law, local residents on the Northwest Side of Chicago and in nearby suburban communities seriously impacted by a great increase in noise from airplanes landing and taking off at Chicago O'Hare International Airport; and
WHEREAS, the impact of the noise affects the quality of life of thousands of people;
and
WHEREAS, the alleged failures of the FAA prevent affected residents and institutions from obtaining financial assistance for noise reduction measures; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Committee on Aviation conduct hearings into the matters set forth in the preamble of this Resolution, and report the...
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