"Northwest opposes expansion of noise-abatement programs in Twin Cities"

Friday, August 8, 2003

Northwest opposes expansion of noise-abatement programs in Twin Cities
The Associated Press

  
MINNEAPOLIS - A top Northwest Airlines executive says the airline doesn't
want to expand a noise-abatement program in the Twin Cities because it wants
to preserve jobs and keep security tight at airports.

Northwest President Doug Steenland said Thursday the airline has done more
than its fair share by spending $7 billion on new, less noisy aircraft.

Said Northwest chief executive Richard Anderson: "We have operated very
responsibly with respect to the whole issue of noise insulation at the
Minneapolis-St. Paul airport." Anderson said earlier this week it would be a
"major policy shift" to begin insulating homes exposed to noise that falls
under the long-standing 65-decibel standard.

U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., criticized Northwest last week for working
with a conference committee to block plans by the Metropolitan Airports
Commission to insulate homes that fall within an average 60- to 64-decibel
range.

Dayton accused Northwest of a "sneaky, slimy and sordid shenanigan" in the
way it lobbied for a measure inserted into a House-Senate conference
committee report.

Currently, there is a federal standard for providing funds for soundproofing
near airports. That threshold is an average of 65 decibels in takeoff and
landing paths.

The MAC operates the airport, where Northwest leases 81 percent of the
gates. The agency has spent more than $208 million to reduce noise in more
than 7,200 houses exposed to an average of 65 decibels. Funding for the
project has come from multiple sources, including federal grants, surcharges
on airline tickets and fees paid by airlines.

Anderson stressed that Northwest supported the program, which included
installing new windows and taking other steps to buffer airport noise.

Northwest wants Minneapolis-St. Paul airport revenue to be used for purposes
other than expanding the noise insulation program, Steenland said. Northwest
is the largest tenant at the airport.

The House-Senate conference committee was working on a Federal Aviation
Administration bill and was the target for the controversial noise program
language because the FAA has the power to approve federal funds for noise
abatement.

As chairman of the Senate Aviation Subcommittee, Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss.,
was in a position to help Northwest. Dayton and Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.,
said last week that Lott amended the bill to forbid the use of federal
grants for noise mitigation in areas below 65 decibels.

On Thursday, Steenland did not say whether Lott came to the aid of the
Eagan-based carrier.

Instead of earmarking federal dollars to expand the noise insulation
program, Steenland said the money would be better spent on federal air
marshals and more airport screeners.



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