SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Right to Know About
Airport Pollution Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) the serious ground level ozone, noise, water
pollution, and solid waste disposal problems attend-
ant to airport operations require a thorough evalua-
tion of all significant sources of pollution;
(2) the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et
seq.)—
(A) requires each State to reduce emis-
sions contributing to ground level ozone prob-
lems and maintain those reductions; and
(B) requires the Administrator of the En-
vironmental Protection Agency to study, in ad-
dition to other sources, the effects of sporadic,
extreme noise (such as jet noise near airports)
on public health and welfare;
(3) the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
(33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) establishes a regulatory
and enforcement program for discharges of wastes
into waters;
(4) the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C.
300f et seq.) establishes primary drinking water
standards and a ground water control program;
(5) the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C.
6901 et seq.) regulates management and disposal of
solid and hazardous waste;
(6) a study of air pollution problems in
California—
(A) has determined that airports are sig-
nificant sources of air pollution; and
(B) has led to the creation of an airport
bubble concept; and
(7) the airport bubble concept is an approach
that—
(A) treats an airport and the area within
a specific radius around the airport as a single
source of pollution that emits a range of pollut-
ants, including air, noise, water, and solid
waste; and
(B) seeks, by implementation of specific
programs or regulations, to reduce the pollution
from each source within the bubble and thereby
reduce the overall pollution in that area.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to require
the Administrator to conduct—
(1) a feasibility study for applying airport bub-
bles to airports as a method of assessing and reduc-
ing, where appropriate, air, noise, water, and solid
waste pollution in and around the airports and im-
proving overall environmental quality; and
(2) a study of air pollutant emission standards
established by the Environmental Protection Agency
for airplane engines to determine whether it is fea-
sible and desirable to strengthen the standards.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency.
(2) AIRPORT BUBBLE.—The term ‘‘airport bub-
ble’’ means an area—
(A) in and around an airport (or other fa-
cility using aircraft) within which sources of
pollution and levels of pollution from those
sources are to be identified and reduced; and
(B) containing a variety of types of air,
noise, water, and solid waste sources of pollu-
tion in which the aggregate of each type of pol-
lutant from the respective sources is regulated
as if the various sources were a single source.
SEC. 4. STUDY OF USING AIRPORT BUBBLES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall conduct
a study to determine the feasibility of regulating air, noise,
water, and solid waste pollution from all sources in and
around airports using airport bubbles.
(b) WORKING GROUP.—In conducting the study, the
Administrator shall establish and consult with a working
group comprised of—
(1) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration (or a designee);
(2) the Secretary of Defense (or a designee);
(3) the Secretary of Transportation (or a des-
ignee);
(4) a representative of air quality districts;
(5) a representative of environmental research
groups;
(6) a representative of State Audubon Societies;
(7) a representative of the Sierra Club;
(8) a representative of the Nature Conservancy;
(9) a representative of port authorities of
States;
(10) an airport manager;
(11) a representative of commanding officers of
military air bases and stations;
(12) a representative of the bus lines that serve
airports who is familiar with the emissions testing
and repair records of those buses, the schedules of
those lines, and any problems with delays in service
caused by traffic congestion;
(13) a representative of the taxis and lim-
ousines that serve airports who is familiar with the
emissions testing and repair records of the taxis and
limousines and the volume of business generated by
the taxis and limousines;
(14) a representative of local law enforcement
agencies or other entities responsible for traffic con-
ditions in and around airports;
(15) a representative of the Air Transport As-
sociation;
(16) a representative of the Airports Council
International-North America;
(17) a representative of environmental special-
ists from airport authorities; and
(18) a representative from an aviation union
representing ground crews.
(c) REQUIRED ELEMENTS.—In conducting the study,
the Administrator shall—
(1) collect, analyze, and consider information on
the variety of stationary and mobile sources of air,
noise, water, and solid waste pollution within airport
bubbles around airports in the United States,
including—
(A) aircraft, vehicles, and equipment that
service aircraft (including main and auxiliary
engines); and
(B) buses, taxis, and limousines that serve
airports;
(2) study a statistically significant number of
airports serving commercial aviation in a manner de-
signed to obtain a representative sampling of such
airports;
(3) consider all relevant information that is
available, including State implementation plans
under the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.)
and airport master plans;
(4) consider the air quality implications of air-
port and ground and in-flight aircraft operations,
such as routing and delays;
(5) assess the role of airports in interstate and
international travel and commerce and the environ-
mental and economic impact of regulating airports
as significant sources of air, noise, water, and solid
waste pollution;
(6) propose boundaries of the areas to be in-
cluded within airport bubbles;
(7) propose a definition of air pollutant emis-
sions for airport bubbles that includes hydrocarbons,
to Congress a report describing the results and rec-
ommendations of the study required by this section.
SEC. 5. STUDY OF EMISSION STANDARDS FOR AIRPLANE
ENGINES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall conduct
a study of air pollutant emission standards established by
the Environmental Protection Agency for airplane engines
to determine whether it is feasible and desirable to
strengthen the standards.
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit
to Congress a report describing the results and rec-
ommendations of the study required by this section.
SEC. 6. PROGRESS REPORTS.
Not later than 1 year after the enactment of this Act,
and every year thereafter, the Administrator shall submit
to the appropriate congressional committees a report
which details the progress being made by the agency in
complying with section 4 and section 5 of this Act.
SEC. 7. REPORTING OF TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall pro-
mulgate regulations requiring each airport that regularly
serves commercial or military jet aircraft to report, under
section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community
Right-To-Know Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 11023) and sec-
tion 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (42
U.S.C. 13106), releases and other waste management ac-
tivities associated with the manufacturing, processing, or
other use of toxic chemicals listed under section 313 of
the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know
Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 11023), including toxic chemicals
manufactured, processed, or otherwise used—
(1) during operation and maintenance of air-
craft and other motor vehicles at the airport; and
(2) in the course of other airport and airline ac-
tivities.
(b) TREATMENT AS A FACILITY.—For the purpose
of subsection (a), an airport shall be considered to be a
facility as defined in section 329 of the Emergency Plan-
ning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 (42
U.S.C. 11049).
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