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House bill would create panel to study airport night operations; federal grant rules and cargo flows cited as constraints
Summary
A public hearing on House Bill 758 asked the Legislature to form a study committee to examine whether New Hampshire should restrict flights between midnight and 6 a.m. State aviation officials told lawmakers federal grant assurances and overnight cargo patterns at Manchester could limit options.
CONCORD, N.H. — Representative Seth Miller introduced House Bill 758 on behalf of the sponsor, asking the House Transportation Committee to create a joint legislative committee to study airport operation hours and possible noise-abatement measures.
"This bill establishes a committee to study airport operation hours," Representative Seth Miller said, describing duties that would include examining whether the state should consider prohibiting departures from New Hampshire airports between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.
The bill drew technical testimony from Tricia Lambert, administrator of the New Hampshire Bureau of Aeronautics, who told the committee the state has 25 public-use airports and that 12 of them receive federal funding and associated grant assurances.
"There are 12 airports that receive federal funds that have grant assurances that require them to be open during that time," Lambert said, adding that many cargo flights arrive overnight. She also told lawmakers Manchester is "the third largest cargo airport in New England," and said restricting overnight operations would curtail that activity.
Lambert described the state's existing noise-abatement approach, which relies on FAA-approved noise contours to determine eligibility for mitigation measures such as window or HVAC work for properties within higher-decibel zones. She told the committee that the airport sponsor and the FAA determine how federal grant money is used for mitigation projects.
Committee members pressed several operational questions, including whether federal funding could be affected if an airport curtailed hours. Lambert said federal grant assurances could expose an airport to proration or repayment if the airport limited operations that had been funded by the federal government.
Representative Hambleton and Representative Sykes asked about implementation and how the bill could affect federal programs such as Essential Air Service; Lambert said only the Lebanon airport currently receives EAS funds and that the impact would depend on actual scheduled operations.
No committee action or vote was recorded at the hearing; the public hearing was opened and later closed with no formal action taken.
The bill would create a study committee to gather stakeholders and report back to the Legislature; the hearing record contains several technical questions lawmakers asked of the Bureau of Aeronautics about how mitigation and federal funding interact with any local restrictions.
The committee did not adopt or defeat the bill during the hearing; lawmakers and agency staff indicated the discussion was preliminary and technical work would be needed if the bill advanced.
