I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3597 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 
conduct a feasibility study for applying airport bubbles as a method 
of identifying, assessing, and reducing the adverse environmental impacts 
of airport ground and flight operations and improving the overall quality 
of the environment, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2005 
Mr. ROTHMAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency to conduct a feasibility study for applying 
airport bubbles as a method of identifying, assessing, 
and reducing the adverse environmental impacts of air-
port ground and flight operations and improving the 
overall quality of the environment, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Right to Know About Airport Pollution Act of 2005’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; and table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings and purpose. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Study of using airport bubbles. 
Sec. 5. Study of emission standards for airplane engines. 
Sec. 6. Progress reports. 
Sec. 7. Reporting of toxic chemical releases. 
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 Cali-
fornia— 
(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, includ-
ing— 
(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, 
volatile organic compounds, and other ozone precur-
sors targeted for reduction under Federal air pollu-
tion law; 
(8) develop an inventory of each source of air, 
noise, water, and solid waste pollution to be regu-
lated within airport bubbles and the level of reduc-
tion for each source; 
(9) list and evaluate programs that might be 
implemented to reduce air, noise, water, and solid 
waste pollution within airport bubbles and the envi-
ronmental and economic impact of each of the pro-
grams, including any changes to Federal or State 
law (including regulations) that would be required 
for implementation of each of the programs; 
(10) evaluate the feasibility of regulating air, 
noise, water, and solid waste pollutants in and
around airports using airport bubbles and make rec-
ommendations regarding which programs should be 
included in an effective implementation of airport 
bubble methodology; and 
(11) address the issues of air and noise pollu-
tion source identification and regulation that are 
unique to military air bases and stations. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administration shall submit 
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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