HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-03-11 Letter to Henry J.C. Aquino and Troy N. Hashimoto SB 2649, SD1 Relating to Tour Aircraft
County of Hawai‘i
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Roy Takemoto
Managing Director
Harry Kim
Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
Deputy Managing Director
March 11, 2020
Representative Henry J.C. Aquino, Chair
Representative Troy N. Hashimoto, Vice Chair
Committee on Transportation
Dear Chair Aquino, Vice Chair Hashimoto, and Committee Members:
RE: SB 2649, SD1 Relating to Tour Aircraft
Helicopters are a valued component of our tourism industry. They also have been a source of endless complaints
from communities that lie in their flight paths, and there should be no doubt that noise can constitute both a nuisance and
a health hazard, especially in otherwise tranquil rural areas.
I have met with tour operators and asked them to develop a plan to address noise and safety. They took some
initial steps, and I commended them for that. Moreover, I am hopeful that tour operators and community members can
work together. However, the history laid out in SCR 183 (2018) is eye-opening:
“In 2000, the National Environmental Policy Act, in conjunction with the National Parks Air Tour Management Act
of 2000, required an Air Tour Management Plan to be implemented at various national parks throughout the country…
The objective of an Air Tour Management Plan is "to develop acceptable and effective measures to mitigate or prevent the
significant adverse impacts, if any, of commercial air tour operations upon the natural and cultural resources, visitor
experiences and tribal lands...In 2005, the project was upgraded to an Environmental Impact Statement, and the Federal
Aviation Administration published a notice of opportunity for commercial air tour operators granted interim operating
authority to review and self-correct annual authorizations. In 2008, Federal Aviation Administration and National Park
Service staff met with Hawai‘i air tour operators, and acoustic monitoring of three sites at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
was conducted. In 2011, a preliminary draft Air Tour Management Plan for Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park was
published, but…seven years later, in 2018, there [was] still no final Air Tour Management Plan for Hawai‘i Volcanoes
National Park…In addition, after more than sixteen years, no Air Tour Management Plan for any national park in the
nation has been completed…”
This history only reflects government failure to appropriately regulate noise over national parks, but it is not
surprising that government has been equally deficient when it comes to noise over residential areas. How can our
constituents be asked to tolerate the status quo?
SB 2649, SD1, would deny a permit to anyone “allowing the noise footprint of their tour aircraft to enter any
occupied property.” Given the noise complaints that helicopters generate, such legislation would be welcome news, but
only if it makes a meaningful difference. Therefore, if this route is taken, I would ask this Committee to be as stringent as
it deems reasonable in defining “noise footprint.” The helicopter industry should be required to become a responsible and
considerate corporate member of our community, and it is not there yet.
Respectfully Submitted,
Harry Kim
MAYOR