1 ANAC Report to the Milton Board of SelectmenMarch 8, 2016
2 LOGAN AIR TRAFFIC IS INCREASINGJet traffic at Logan Airport has increased by more than 59 thousand flights since 2009. LOGAN AIR TRAFFIC IS INCREASING Logan Airport Runway Use, Jet only The lowest number of flight Logan experienced was 257 thousand in 2009 – the height of the last recession. Since then, traffic has risen by 23% to 317 thousand jet flights in 2015. Source: Massport
3 LOGAN NOISE COMPLAINTS ARE STEADILY RISINGNoise complaint increases coincide with NextGen and RNAV implementations. LOGAN NOISE COMPLAINTS ARE STEADILY RISING Airplane Noise Complaints: Boston Logan Airport – Number of Noise Complaints Noise complaints have been rising steadily since 2012, increasing at a Compound Annual Rate of 135%. This time period coincides with the implementation of RNAVs within Milton and other cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The total number of noise complaints filed at Logan has increased 4.5x since 2012. The total number of noise complaints filed by Milton citizens increased twenty-five fold during the same period. Source: Massport
4 MILTON HAS FILED THE MOST NOISE COMPLAINTS OF ANY LOGAN AREA COMMUNITY FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARSMilton already has a head start on filing the most noise complaints for the fourth year in a row. 2016 – Year to Date 2015 – Total Number of Complaints through January 31, 2016 Number of Complaints Filed Milton has filed 21% of all noise complaints for the year. February and March are expected to bring an even greater number of noise complaints for what are typically low-volume months. The 2015 figures equate to at least one complaint for every 5 people in town – the highest of any South Shore community, and nearly double the number of complaints filed in 2014. Milton filed more than twice as many noise complaints in 2015 as Massport received in all of 2012. As of September 30, 2015, Milton had already filed more noise complaints than it did in all of 2013. As of November 30, 2015, Milton had already filed nearly as many noise complaints as it did in all of 2013 & 2014, combined. n = 1,001 n = 17,685 2014 – Total 2013 – Total Number of Complaints Filed Number of Complaints Filed Source: Massport n = 12,855 n = 6,881
5 MILTON HAS FILED MORE NOISE COMPLAINTS THAN THE NEXT TWO MOST-IMPACTED MUNICIPALITIES – COMBINEDIn terms complaints filed, Milton has the greatest airplane noise burden of any town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Top 10 Cities and Towns by Number of Noise Complaints – January 1, 2012 to January 31, 2016 Total Number of Complaints The ten cities and towns most-affected by Boston Logan airplane noise (as measured by number of noise complaints) are as follows: Milton Hull Belmont Somerville Cambridge Arlington Lynn Winthrop South Boston Weymouth Milton has filed more noise complaints than the next two most-impacted municipalities (Hull and Somerville), combined (Milton – 9,918, Hull and Somerville combined – 7,160). Source: Massport
6 MILTON HAS FILED NEARLY SEVEN TIMES AS MANY NOISE COMPLAINTS AS ITS IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORS SINCE 2012The skies around Milton are demonstrably quieter than the skies over Milton. Number of Noise Complaints Filed by Milton’s Immediate Neighbors – January 1, 2012 to January 31, 2016 Total Number of Complaints Milton has already filed more than 8 times as many noise complaints as its neighbors. Milton filed 1.5x as many noise complaints in the first nine months of 2015 as its neighbors have filed since 2012. Given this uneven distribution, it is highly unlikely that Milton will receive support from its neighbors regarding airplane traffic redistribution. This dynamic, and the imbalance around it, should have been foreseeable by Massport when the CACs were created. Source: Massport
7 MILTON ALSO HAS THE MOST CALLERS OF ANY COMMUNITYMilton has more callers filing noise complaints than any other community in the Commonwealth, including communities that are many times our population size. Top 10 Cities and Towns by Number of Callers – January 1, 2016 to January 31, 2016 Total Number of Callers The ten cities and towns most-affected by Boston Logan airplane noise (as measured by number of callers) are as follows: Milton Cambridge Arlington Somerville Hull East Boston Medford Roslindale South Boston Belmont Milton has nearly as many callers as the next three largest groups of callers (Cambridge, Arlington, and Somerville) combined. Source: Massport
8 ARRIVALS – WHAT THEY SAY THEY DOAccording to the Massport website, the 4R/4L combination should be used only 18% of the time. ARRIVALS – WHAT THEY SAY THEY DO “Logan's runway use based on the winds and the percentage each configuration is utilized” 4R and 4L are the two runways that bring arriving aircraft into Logan Airport by having them fly over Milton. Wind direction has repeatedly been presented as the primary factor in ensuring aircraft safety, as it is purportedly safer for planes to land in headwinds given the great lift the headwind can provide in the event a pilot needs to abort a landing. Source: Massport
9 33% 29% 1.4% 36.3% ARRIVALS – WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DOBased off of Massport’s own information, Milton saw nearly twice as many arrivals in 2015 as Massport reports it should. ARRIVALS – WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO “Logan's runway use based on the winds and the percentage each configuration is utilized” In 2015, 4R and 4L were used for arrivals 33% of the time, nearly twice the 18% indicated by Massport. Therefore, it is clear that wind direction plays little part in the choices Massport and the FAA make in choosing which runway to use. Part of the reason for this overuse is that 4R/4L combination provides Massport with a pair of long, parallel runways that they can land a exceptionally high volume of air traffic. Going forward, it would be reasonable to assume that Massport and the FAA will increase the use of 4R, especially given the greater size and weight of the international flights that Massport is looking to attract. These international flights include the A380, which can carry 41% more passengers than a 747. 33% 29% 1.4% 36.3% Source: Massport
10 REPORT ON THE BUSPH AIR QUALITY STUDYStudents from the Boston University School of Public Health are preparing to measure air quality in Milton REPORT ON THE BUSPH AIR QUALITY STUDY Graduate students from the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) are conducting a study of outside ultrafine particle pollution (UFP) from low-flying airplane traffic over our town. This small pilot study includes measuring pollution at several locations in town during the last half of March and presenting a report of the findings in early May. Given the scope of the study, and the fact that UFPs are an issue for flights that are below 3,000 feet, students will be focusing on residences under the 4R flight path. The 4L flightpath was also a consideration – however – 4R receives 6 times as much jet traffic as 4L. Measurements will take place during the last 3 weeks of March: March 13-April 2. Residents looking to participate in the study by allowing monitoring equipment to be placed in their yards are encouraged to contact ANAC at by March 11th. Matt Crowley from ANAC initiated contact with Jon Levy at Boston University, and Cindy Christiansen, Ph.D., is working with the students to design the study. ANAC is helping identify and secure access to suitable monitoring sites around the town. The students will identify which sites best met their needs. The students will report the results of the study to the Board of Health. ANAC would like the students to also report the results of the study to the Board of Selectmen.
11 ANAC has seven recommendations on steps it believes the Board of Selectmen should be taking to address airplane traffic over Milton RECOMMENDATIONS As follow up to the requests made in the Board's 11/9/15 letter to the FAA, Massport, and the president of the Logan CAC, again request a face-to-face meeting with the FAA and/or Massport – and continue to do so on a monthly basis – until such a meeting takes place to address our deep concerns over the inherent flaws in the BLANS process. Request a meeting with Governor Baker’s office to discuss Massport, BLANS, and the negative impact that overall runway use has on Milton. Follow up with Congressman Lynch and others regarding the output and deliverables from the December 3, 2015 meeting at Milton High School. Ask Congressman Lynch’s office to request that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) form a study committee that will synthesize all current scientific information on the health effects of airplane and other traffic pollution on adults and children. This synthesis should include evidence on the health effects of sleep disturbance and deprivation as well the effects of air and noise pollution. The goal is to define persistent exposure to low-flying jets as a public health problem, much like was eventually done for second hand smoke. Engage a lobbyist to work on behalf of Milton to raise awareness of the ongoing negative impact of the FAA’s NextGen program. Review the August 2, 2002 Record of Decision (ROD) to assess whether the ROD requires adherence to PRAS goals and reporting. Write to the airlines that operate flights over Milton – either alone, or with Massport – to ask them to install vortex generators on the A320 series aircraft to reduce airplane noise.