Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 42 / Tuesday, March 4, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 12037 

comment period was provided for in the 

proposed rule. 

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 993 

Marketing agreements, Plums, Prunes, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements. 

For the reasons set forth in the 

preamble, 7 CFR part 993 is amended as 

follows: 

PART 993—DRIED PRUNES 

PRODUCED IN CALIFORNIA 

■ 1. The authority citation for 7 CFR 

part 993 continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 601–674. 

■ 2. Section 993.347 is revised to read 

as follows: 

§ 993.347 Assessment rate. 

On and after August 1, 2013, an 

assessment rate of $0.28 per ton of 

salable dried prunes is established for 

California dried prunes. 

Dated: February 25, 2014. 

Rex A. Barnes, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–04691 Filed 3–3–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

7 CFR Part 1220 

[Docket No. AMS–LPS–13–0066] 

Soybean Promotion, Research, and 

Consumer Information Program: 

Amendment of Procedures and 

Notification of Request for Referendum 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service 

(AMS); U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA). 

ACTION: Interim final rule with 

opportunity for comments. 

SUMMARY: This interim final rule would 

amend the procedures to Request a 

Referendum by removing the specific 

number of soybean producers eligible to 

request a referendum under the Soybean 

Promotion, Research, and Consumer 

Information program, commonly known 

as the Soybean Checkoff Program. The 

number of soybean producers will be 

replaced with language that allows the 

Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to 

update this number based on 

information provided by USDA. 

Additionally, this action would remove 

specific USDA and Farm Service 

Agency (FSA) Web site and office 

addresses and replace them with more 

flexible language. These changes will 

enable AMS to announce future 

Requests for Referendum without 

engaging in additional notice-andcomment rulemaking. This rule also 

serves as AMS’ official notice that 

soybean producers may request a 

referendum to determine if producers 

want a referendum on the Soybean 

Promotion and Research Order (Order), 

as authorized under the Soybean 

Promotion, Research, and Consumer 

Information Act (Act). If at least 10 

percent (not in excess of one-fifth of 

which may be producers in any one 

State) of eligible producers, as 

determined by USDA, participate in the 

Request for Referendum, a referendum 

will be held within 1 year from that 

determination. If results of the Request 

for Referendum indicate that a 

referendum is not supported, a 

referendum would not be conducted. 

The results of the Request for 

Referendum will be published in the 

Federal Register. 

DATES: Effective March 5, 2014. 

Comments must be received by April 3, 

2014. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be posted 

online at www.regulations.gov, or sent 

to James R. Brow, Agricultural 

Marketing Specialist, Research and 

Promotion Division, Livestock, Poultry 

and Seed Program, AMS, USDA, Room 

2610–S, STOP 0251, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC, 20250– 

0251; or via Fax to (202) 720–1125. 

Comments will be made available for 

public inspection at the above address 

during regular business hours or via the 

Internet at www.regulations.gov. 

Comments received will be posted 

without change, including any personal 

information provided. All comments 

should reference the document number, 

Document No. AMS–LPS–13–0066; the 

date of submission; and the page 

number of this issue in the Federal 

Register. 

AMS also announces that soybean 

producers may request a referendum 

during a 4-week period beginning on 

May 5, 2014, and ending May 30, 2014. 

To be eligible to participate in the 

Request for Referendum, producers 

must certify that they or the producer 

entity they are authorized to represent 

paid an assessment at any time between 

January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2013. 

Form LS–51–1, Soybean Promotion 

and Research Order Request for 

Referendum, may be obtained by mail, 

fax, or in person from FSA county 

offices from May 5, 2014, to May 30, 

2014. Form LS–51–1 may also be 

obtained via the internet at http:// 

www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/

SoybeanInformationont

heSoybeanRequestforReferendum 

during the same time period. Completed 

forms and supporting documentation 

must be returned to the appropriate 

county FSA office by fax or in person 

no later than close of business May 30, 

2014; or if returned by mail, must be 

postmarked by midnight May 30, 2014, 

and received in the county FSA office 

by close of business on June 6, 2014. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

James Brow, Agricultural Marketing 

Specialist, Research and Promotion 

Division, Livestock, Poultry and Seed 

Program, AMS, USDA, Room 2092–S, 

STOP 0251, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW., Washington, DC, 20250–0251; 

Telephone 202/720–0633; Fax 202/720– 

1125; email to James.Brow@

ams.usda.gov or Rick Pinkston, Field 

Operations Staff, FSA, USDA, at 

Telephone 202/720–1857, Fax 202/720– 

1096, or by email at Rick.Pinkston@

wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Executive Order 12866 and Executive 

Order 13563 

Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 

direct agencies to assess all costs and 

benefits of available regulatory 

alternatives and, if regulation is 

necessary, to select regulatory 

approaches that maximize net benefits 

(including potential economic, 

environmental, public health, and safety 

effects, distributive impacts, and 

equity). Executive Order 13563 

emphasizes the importance of 

quantifying both costs and benefits, 

reducing costs, harmonizing rules, and 

promoting flexibility. This action has 

been designated as a ‘‘non-significant 

regulatory action’’ under § 3(f) of 

Executive Order 12866. Accordingly, 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) has waived the review process. 

Executive Order 13175 

This interim final rule has been 

reviewed in accordance with the 

requirements of Executive Order 13175, 

Consultation and Coordination with 

Indian Tribal Governments. The review 

reveals that this interim final rule would 

not have substantial and direct effects 

on Tribal Governments and would not 

have significant tribal implications. 

Executive Order 12988 

This interim final rule has been 

reviewed under Executive Order 12988, 

Civil Justice Reform. This action is not 

intended to have a retroactive effect. 

The Act provides that administrative 

proceedings must be exhausted before 

parties may file suit in court. Under 

section 1971 of the Act, a person subject 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with RULES
12038 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 42 / Tuesday, March 4, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 

to the Order may file a petition with 

USDA stating that the Order, any 

provision of the Order, or any obligation 

imposed in connection with the Order, 

is not in accordance with the law and 

request a modification of the Order or 

an exemption from the Order. The 

petitioner is afforded the opportunity 

for a hearing on the petition. After a 

hearing, USDA would rule on the 

petition. The Act provides that district 

courts of the United States in any 

district in which such person is an 

inhabitant, or has their principal place 

of business, has jurisdiction to review 

USDA’s ruling on the petition, if a 

complaint for this purpose is filed 

within 20 days after the date of the entry 

of the ruling. 

Further, section 1974 of the Act 

provides, with certain exceptions, that 

nothing in the Act may be construed to 

preempt or supersede any other program 

relating to soybean promotion, research, 

consumer information, or industry 

information organized under the laws of 

the United States or any State. One 

exception in the Act concerns 

assessments collected by Qualified State 

Soybean Boards (QSSBs). The exception 

provides that to ensure adequate 

funding of the operations of QSSBs 

under the Act, no State law or 

regulation may limit or have the effect 

of limiting the full amount of 

assessments that a QSSB in that State 

may collect, and which is authorized to 

be credited under the Act. Another 

exception concerns certain referenda 

conducted during specified periods by a 

State relating to the continuation of a 

QSSB or State soybean assessment. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

In accordance with the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 601– 

612), USDA is required to examine the 

impact of the interim final rule on small 

entities. The purpose of the RFA is to 

fit regulatory actions to the scale of 

businesses subject to such actions so 

that small businesses will not be 

disproportionately burdened. 

For the purpose of the Request for 

Referendum, the Secretary would use 

the most recent number of soybean 

producers identified by FSA. The latest 

number of soybean producers identified 

by FSA is 569,998 and was obtained 

using information from 2011 and 2012 

acreage reports. The data were sorted in 

such a manner as to include all 

producers that were engaged in the 

production of soybeans in at least one 

of the 2 years and exclude counting a 

producer more than once if that 

producer engaged in production during 

both years. The majority of producers 

subject to the Order are small businesses 

under the criteria established by the 

Small Business Administration (SBA) 

[13 CFR 121.201]. SBA defines small 

agricultural producers as those having 

annual receipts of less than $750,000. 

This interim final rule would amend 

the procedures to request a referendum 

by removing the specific number of 

soybean producers eligible to request a 

referendum under the Soybean 

Promotion, Research, and Consumer 

Information program, commonly known 

as the Soybean Checkoff Program. The 

number of soybean producers will be 

replaced with language that allows the 

Secretary to update this number based 

on information provided by USDA. 

Additionally, this action would remove 

specific USDA and FSA Web site and 

office addresses in §§ 1220.619, 

1220.622, 1220.628, and replace them 

with more flexible language. Further, 

the information collection requirements 

are minimal. Requesting form LS–51–1 

to participate in a Request for 

Referendum may be done by mail, inperson, by facsimile, or via the Internet 

and would not impose a significant 

economic burden on participants. 

Accordingly, the Administrator of 

AMS has determined that this interim 

final rule will not have a significant 

economic impact on a substantial 

number of small business entities. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 35), the reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements included in 

7 CFR part 1220 were previously 

approved by OMB and were assigned 

control number 0581–0093. 

Background 

The Act (7 U.S.C. 6301–6311) 

provides for the establishment of a 

coordinated program of promotion and 

research designed to strengthen the 

soybean industry’s position in the 

marketplace, and to maintain and 

expand domestic and foreign markets 

and uses for soybeans and soybean 

products. The program is financed by an 

assessment of 0.5 of 1 percent of the net 

market price of soybeans sold by 

producers. The final rule establishing a 

Soybean Promotion, Research, and 

Consumer Information program was 

published in the July 9, 1991, issue of 

the Federal Register (56 FR 31043), and 

assessments began on September 1, 

1991. 

The Act required that an initial 

referendum be conducted no earlier 

than 18 months and not later than 36 

months after the issuance of the Order 

to determine whether the Order should 

be continued. The initial referendum 

was conducted on February 9, 1994. On 

April 1, 1994, the Secretary announced 

that of the 85,606 valid ballots cast, 

46,060 (53.8 percent) were in favor of 

continuing the Order and the remaining 

39,546 votes (46.2 percent) were against 

continuing the Order. The Act required 

approval by a simple majority for the 

Order to continue. 

The Act also required that within 18 

months after the Secretary announced 

the results of the initial referendum, the 

Secretary would conduct a poll among 

producers to determine if producers 

favored a referendum on the 

continuance of the payment of refunds 

under the Order. 

A July 25, 1995, nationwide poll of 

soybean producers did not generate 

sufficient support for a refund 

referendum to be held. A refund 

referendum would have been held if at 

least 20 percent (not in excess of onefifth of which may be producers in any 

one State) of the 381,000 producers 

(76,200) nationwide requested it. Only 

48,782 soybean producers participated 

in the poll. Consequently, refunds were 

discontinued on October 1, 1995. 

The Act also specifies that the 

Secretary shall, 5 years after the conduct 

of the initial referendum and every 5 

years thereafter, provide soybean 

producers an opportunity to request a 

referendum on the Order. Additionally, 

the Act specifies that these subsequent 

polls require that at least 10 percent (not 

in excess of one-fifth in any one State) 

of all producers must request a 

referendum in order to trigger the 

conduct of a referendum. If a 

referendum is requested, it will be held 

within 1 year of that determination. 

From October 1 to November 16, 

1999, a nationwide Request for 

Referendum was conducted to 

determine if there was sufficient interest 

among soybean producers to vote on 

whether to continue the soybean 

checkoff program. Ten percent of the 

eligible 600,813 soybean producers 

nationwide (not in excess of one-fifth of 

which may be producers in any one 

State) were needed to participate in the 

Request for Referendum to trigger a 

referendum. Only 17,970 eligible 

soybean producers completed valid 

requests. 

Five years later, another Request for 

Referendum was conducted May 1, 

2004, through May 28, 2004. As in the 

prior Request for Referendum, the 

purpose was to determine if there was 

sufficient interest among soybean 

producers to vote on whether to 

continue the soybean checkoff program. 

To be eligible to participate in the 

Request for Referendum, producers or 

the producer entity that they are 


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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 42 / Tuesday, March 4, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 12039 

authorized to represent had to certify 

and provide supporting documentation 

showing that they or the producer entity 

they represent paid an assessment 

sometime during the representative 

period between January 1, 2002, and 

December 31, 2003. Ten percent of the 

total eligible 663,880 soybean producers 

nationwide (not in excess of one-fifth of 

which may be producers in any one 

State) were needed to participate in the 

Request for Referendum to trigger a 

referendum. Only 3,206 eligible soybean 

producers completed valid Requests for 

Referendum. This number did not meet 

the requisite number of 66,388; 

therefore, a referendum was not 

conducted. 

The most recent Request for 

Referendum was conducted from May 4, 

2009, to May 29, 2009, at FSA county 

offices. To trigger the referendum, ten 

percent of the total eligible 589,180 

soybean producers (not in excess of onefifth of which may be producers in any 

one State) needed to complete the 

Request for Referendum. A total of 759 

valid Requests for Referendum were 

completed. This number did not meet 

the requisite number of 58,918. 

Therefore, a referendum was not 

conducted. 

Changes to the Regulations 

AMS is amending the language in 

§ 1220.616 to remove the specific 

number of soybean procedures from the 

regulatory language. Data provided by 

FSA has been used to amend the 

number of soybean procedures prior to 

any Request for Referendum. The data 

were sorted in such a manner as to 

include all producers that were engaged 

in the production of soybeans in at least 

one of the 2 years and exclude counting 

a producer more than once if that 

producer engaged in production during 

both years. Using the last two crop year 

acreage reports for which complete data 

is available ensures that all eligible 

producers are counted, as some 

producers use soybeans in rotation with 

other crops and do not plant soybeans 

every year or the market for some 

producers in a particular crop year may 

not have been conducive to growing 

soybeans. This methodology is 

consistent with that used during the last 

amendment to § 1220.616 in 2009. 

Further, this change will enable AMS 

to announce future requests for 

referendum without engaging in 

additional notice-and-comment 

rulemaking. 

In addition to the changes relating to 

the number of eligible soybean 

producers, AMS also will amend 

§§ 1220.619, 1220.622, and 1220.628 

regarding Web site addresses and office 

locations as a result of internal changes 

within USDA, including AMS and FSA. 

This interim final rule also provides 

official notice for the upcoming Request 

for Referendum. 

Notice of Request for Referendum 

Soybean producers may request a 

referendum to determine if they want a 

referendum on the Order, as authorized 

under the Act. To be eligible to 

participate, producers must certify that 

they or the entity they are authorized to 

represent paid an assessment at 

sometime between January 1, 2012, and 

December 31, 2013. They must complete 

form LS 51–1, Soybean Promotion and 

Research Order, Request for 

Referendum, in its entirety in person, by 

mail, or by facsimile from May 5, 2014, 

through May 30, 2014. Individual 

producers and other producer entities 

would request a referendum at the 

county FSA office where FSA maintains 

and processes the producer’s, 

corporation’s, or other entity’s 

administrative farm records. For the 

producer, corporation, or other entity 

not participating in FSA programs, the 

opportunity to request a referendum 

would be provided at the county FSA 

office serving the county where the 

producer, corporation, or other entity 

owns or rents land. Form LS 51–1 may 

also be obtained via the Internet at 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/

SoybeanInformationonthe

SoybeanRequestforReferendum. If 

obtained by the Internet, Form LS 51– 

1 must be completed in its entirety and 

returned with the supporting 

documentation to the county FSA office 

where FSA maintains and processes the 

producer’s, corporation’s, or other 

entity’s administrative farm records. For 

the producer, corporation, or other 

entity not participating in FSA 

programs, the opportunity to request a 

referendum would be provided at the 

county FSA office serving the county 

where the producer, corporation, or 

other entity owns or rents land. 

Form LS 51–1 and accompanying 

supporting documentation may be 

returned in person, by mail, or facsimile 

to the appropriate county FSA office. 

Forms and supporting documentation 

returned in person or by facsimile must 

be received in the appropriate county 

office prior to the close of business of 

May 30, 2014. If returned by mail, Form 

LS 51–1 and accompanying 

documentation must be postmarked no 

later than midnight of May 30, 2014, 

and received in the county FSA office 

by close of business on June 6, 2014. 

Supporting documentation could 

include proof that an assessment was 

paid between January 1, 2012, through 

December 31, 2013, sales receipt, etc. 

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553, it is found 

and determined upon good cause that it 

is impracticable, unnecessary, and 

contrary to the public interest to give 

preliminary notice prior to putting this 

rule into effect and that good cause 

exists for not postponing the effective 

date of the rule until 30 days after 

publication in the Federal Register in 

order to conduct the Request for 

Referendum in a timely manner, 

consistent with the provisions of the Act 

and regulations. 

A 30-day comment period is provided 

for interested persons to comment on 

the changes to § 1220.616. For the same 

reasons, this comment period is deemed 

appropriate. 

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1220 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Advertising, Agricultural 

research, Marketing agreements, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Soybeans and soybean 

products. 

For the reasons set forth in the 

preamble, 7 CFR Part 1220 is amended 

as follows: 

PART 1220—SOYBEAN PROMOTION, 

RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER 

INFORMATION 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 1220 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6301–6311 and 7 

U.S.C. 7401. 

Subpart F—Procedures to Request a 

Referendum 

■ 2. In § 1220.616, paragraph (d) is 

revised to read as follows: 

§ 1220.616 General. 

* * * * * 

(d) For purposes of paragraphs (b) and 

(c) of this section, the number of 

soybean producers in the United States 

will be determined by the Secretary 

using data provided by USDA. 

■ 3. In § 1220.619, paragraph (b) is 

revised to read as follows: 

§ 1220.619 Time and place for requesting a 

referendum. 

* * * * * 

(b) Producers can determine the 

location of county FSA offices by 

contacting the nearest county FSA office 

in their State or by an online search of 

FSA Web sites. 

* * * * * 

■ 4. In § 1220.622, paragraph (b) is 

revised as follows: 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with RULES
12040 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 42 / Tuesday, March 4, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 

§ 1220.622 Certification and request 

procedures. 

* * * * * 

(b) To request a referendum, eligible 

producers may obtain form LS–51–1 in 

person, by mail, or by facsimile during 

the request for referendum period from 

the county FSA office where FSA 

maintains and processes the producer’s, 

corporation’s, or other entity’s 

administrative farm records. For the 

producer, corporation, or other entity 

not participating in FSA programs, the 

opportunity to request a referendum 

would be provided at the county FSA 

office serving the county where the 

producer, corporation, or other entity 

owns or rents land. Eligible producers 

may also obtain form LS–51–1 via the 

Internet at a Web site provided by the 

Secretary. For those persons who chose 

to obtain form LS–51–1 via the Internet, 

the completed form and required 

documentation must be submitted to the 

county FSA office where FSA maintains 

and processes the producer’s, 

corporation’s, or other entity’s 

administrative farm records. For 

producers, corporations, or other 

entities not participating in FSA 

programs, the opportunity to request a 

referendum would be provided at the 

county FSA office serving the county 

where the producer, corporation, or 

other entity owns or rents land. 

* * * * * 

■ 5. In § 1220.628, paragraph (a) is 

revised as follows: 

§ 1220.628 Results of the request for 

referendum. 

(a) The Administrator, FSA, shall 

submit to the Administrator, AMS, the 

reports from all State FSA offices. The 

Administrator, AMS, shall tabulate the 

results of the Request for Referendum. 

USDA will issue an official press release 

announcing the results of the Request 

for Referendum and publish the same 

results in the Federal Register. In 

addition, USDA will post the official 

results at a Web site address provided 

by the Secretary. Subsequently, State 

reports and related papers shall be 

available for public inspection upon 

request during normal business hours at 

an address provided by the Secretary. 

* * * * * 

Dated: February 25, 2014. 

Rex A. Barnes, 

Associate Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2014–04690 Filed 3–3–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 36 

[Docket No.: FAA–2012–0948; Amdt. No. 

36–29] 

RIN 2120–AJ96 

Stage 3 Helicopter Noise Certification 

Standards 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: This rulemaking adopts more 

stringent noise certification standards 

for helicopters that are certificated in 

the United States (U.S.). This rule 

applies to applications for a new 

helicopter type design. It also allows 

applicants to upgrade Stage 1 and Stage 

2 helicopters to Stage 3 when applying 

for a supplemental type certificate. A 

helicopter type certificated under this 

standard is designated as a Stage 3 

helicopter. This rule adopts the same 

noise certification standards for 

helicopters that exist in the standards of 

the International Civil Aviation 

Organization (ICAO). These more 

stringent noise certification standards 

adopted into U.S. regulations will 

reduce noise exposure from helicopters 

certificated in the United Stated and are 

consistent with the FAA’s goal of 

harmonizing U.S. regulations with 

international standards. 

DATES: Effective May 5, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: For information on where to 

obtain copies of rulemaking documents 

and other information related to this 

final rule, see ‘‘How To Obtain 

Additional Information’’ in the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 

this document. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

technical questions concerning this 

action, contact Sandy Liu, AEE–100, 

Office of Environment and Energy, 

Federal Aviation Administration, 800 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 

493–4864; facsimile (202) 267–5594; 

email: sandy.liu@faa.gov. 

For legal questions concerning this 

action, contact Karen Petronis, AGC– 

210, Office of the Chief Counsel, 

International Law, Legislation and 

Regulations Division, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 800 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; 

telephone: (202) 267–3073; email: 

karen.petronis@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority for This Rulemaking 

The FAA’s authority to issue rules on 

aviation safety is found in Title 49 of the 

United States Code. Subtitle I, Section 

106 describes the authority of the FAA 

Administrator. Subtitle VII, Aviation 

Programs, describes in more detail the 

scope of the agency’s authority. 

This rulemaking is promulgated 

under the authority described in 

Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart III, Section 

44715, Controlling aircraft noise and 

sonic boom. Under that section, the 

FAA is charged with prescribing 

regulations to measure and abate aircraft 

noise. This regulation is within the 

scope of that authority since it 

establishes new noise certification 

standards for helicopters that are 

applicable to new type designs. 

Overview of Final Rule 

This final rule adopts noise standards 

for helicopters that are to be type 

certificated in the United States. The 

standards apply to applications for a 

new type certificate, and subsequent 

changes to a type certificate for which 

application is made after the effective 

date of this rule. These regulations 

incorporate the same noise certification 

standards for helicopters that exist in 

Annex 16, Volume 1, Chapter 8 and 

Chapter 11 (Amendment 7) in the 

standards of International Civil Aviation 

Organization (ICAO). This action is 

consistent with the FAA goals of 

reducing exposure to helicopter noise 

and of harmonizing U.S. regulations 

with international standards. 

Background 

ICAO Noise Certification Standards 

The ICAO is the international body 

with the responsibility for the 

development of international standards 

under the Convention on International 

Civil Aviation (the Chicago 

Convention). Consistent with their 

obligations under the Chicago 

Convention, Contracting States 

(including the United States) agree to 

implement ICAO standards in their 

national regulations to the extent 

practicable. The standards for aircraft 

noise are contained in ICAO Annex 16, 

Environmental Protection, Volume 1, 

Aircraft Noise. 

In 1997, ICAO’s Committee on 

Aviation Environmental Protection 

(CAEP) chartered the Rotorcraft Task 

Group (RTG) to study potential 

increases in the stringency of noise 

certification standards for helicopters. 

The FAA participated in the RTG from 

1997 to 2000. By the fifth session of 

CAEP in 2001, more stringent noise 

standards for helicopters had been 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with RULES