WASHINGTON — Howard County is asking a federal judge to get involved with its petition against the Federal Aviation Administration over increased noise complaints around BWI Marshall Airport.
The county had originally filed an administrative petition with the FAA back in July, but The Baltimore Sun reports that the agency had declined to take action, saying that there was “no major federal action associated with these actions,” and that the new procedures were fully implemented years ago.
Last month, Howard County filed a petition in a federal court, attaching the original petition and asking a judge to intervene.
At issue is a new air traffic controlling system called NextGen, which causes planes to fly lower to save fuel. This has caused substantially more noise for the surrounding communities, particularly Hanover, Elkridge and Columbia.
The system has led to complaints at other airports around the country as well, including here in D.C., where residents also took the FAA to court over noise surrounding Reagan National Airport.
Those residents were rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit back in March, and then again in July when they asked the court to reconsider.
The FAA now says that it is reviewing the petition, and will then assess what to do next.
