NEWPORT BEACH : Jet Noise Hearing Will Be Extended

Responding to complaints from city officials who charged that their views were being ignored, a congressional subcommittee will hear further testimony on a national airport noise regulation law in August.

Reps. Barbara Boxer (D-San Francisco) and Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) agreed Wednesday to return to Newport Beach later this summer after receiving complaints from city officials who were not allowed to address the panel at a hearing on Monday.

“I don’t really know what went wrong, but I’d be glad to go back out there again after the break in July,” said Boxer, who heads the House subcommittee on government operations.

“I think this is exceptionally good news,” added Cox, who said that the August hearing will not be an exclusive hearing for city officials, “but you can bet city officials will lead off.”

During a four-hour hearing Monday, about 500 residents and officials from around the state told the panel they wanted to retain some local control over regulating noise generated by airports.

The Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 requires airlines to replace older, noisier aircraft with quieter models by the end of the decade.

City residents and county officials told the congressional panel they were concerned about turning all regulatory power over to a federal agency. They also expressed concerns that an exemption protecting John Wayne Airport from any new rules would be eliminated under the new policy.

City officials said they want to emphasize their role in carving out an agreement with the county on a $150-million expansion at John Wayne Airport.

“Apparently we were too successful in resolving these differences because last fall the federal government decided to pass legislation, (and without) a grandfathering clause . . . would have stripped the last vestige of noise protection from our citizens,” Mayor Phil Sansone said in the letter written to Boxer and Cox on Monday.

Cox, who learned of local officials’ exclusion after Monday’s meeting began, said they had been left off the agenda because staff members said too many speakers had been scheduled.