I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5450 
To amend title 51, United States Code, to require a National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration initiative on reduction of greenhouse gas emis-
sions and noise emissions from aircraft, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 17, 2019 
Mr. BEYER (for himself, Mr. TONKO, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
ROUDA, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. 
ESHOO, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. LOWENTHAL, 
Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. SUOZZI, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, and Mr. BLUMENAUER) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To amend title 51, United States Code, to require a National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration initiative on re-
duction of greenhouse gas emissions and noise emissions 
from aircraft, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cleaner, Quieter Air-
planes Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Air travel currently contributes approxi-
mately 3 percent to global carbon emissions, but 
emissions from this sector are expected to triple by 
2050. 
(2) A healthy, thriving aviation sector contrib-
utes to the quality of life and economic well-being of 
the United States. In 2014, the Federal Aviation 
Administration found that civil aviation accounted 
for 5.1 percent of the United States gross domestic 
product, generated $1.6 trillion, and supported 
10,600,000 jobs. 
(3) Existing aircraft technologies contribute to 
noise pollution that has adverse impacts on the qual-
ity of life in affected communities. As air traffic vol-
umes increase and the adoption of performance- 
based navigation technology proceeds, the problem of 
noise pollution is becoming more severe in some 
areas. 
(4) The United States has adopted a goal of 
carbon-neutral growth in aviation from 2020. 
(5) Research on technologies to lessen the envi-
ronmental and noise impacts of aviation is ongoing, 
but should accelerate, and should include work on 
the further maturation and integration of multiple 
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enabling technologies on production aircraft, includ-
ing novel integrated systems at the aircraft level. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRA-
TION INITIATIVE ON REDUCTION OF GREEN-
HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND NOISE EMIS-
SIONS FROM AIRCRAFT. 
(a) INITIATIVE REQUIRED.—Section 40112 of title 
51, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (b) through (e) 
as subsections (c) through (f), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing new subsection (b): 
‘‘(b) TECHNOLOGIES FOR GREENHOUSE GAS EMIS-
SIONS AND NOISE EMISSIONS REDUCTION.— 
‘‘(1) INITIATIVE
REQUIRED.—The Adminis-
trator shall establish an initiative to build upon and 
accelerate previous or ongoing work to develop and 
demonstrate new technologies, including systems ar-
chitecture, components, or integration of systems 
and airframe structures, in aircraft concepts that 
are capable of reducing both greenhouse gas emis-
sions and noise emissions from aircraft by at least 
50 percent compared to the highest-performing air-
craft technologies in service as of December 31, 
2019, with the goal of deploying new technologies 
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developed pursuant to the initiative on regional 
transport aircraft intended to enter into service by 
2030 and on single-aisle aircraft designed to accom-
modate more than 125 passengers intended to enter 
into service by 2040. 
‘‘(2) APPROACH.—In carrying out the initiative, 
the Administrator shall do the following: 
‘‘(A) Continue and expand work of the Ad-
ministration on research, development, and 
demonstration of aircraft concepts described in 
paragraph (1), and the integration of related 
advanced technologies and concepts, with the 
goal of carrying out test flights by 2025. 
‘‘(B) To the extent practicable, work with 
multiple partner organizations, including cur-
rent commercial production aircraft providers 
and small businesses and new entrants, on re-
search and development activities related to 
both regional transport aircraft and aircraft de-
signed to accommodate more than 125 pas-
sengers in order to achieve an industry-wide 
shift towards aircraft concepts for the reduction 
of greenhouse gas emissions and noise emis-
sions. 
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‘‘(C) Provide guidance to the Federal Avia-
tion Administration (FAA) on technologies de-
veloped and tested pursuant to the initiative in 
order to assist the work of the Federal Aviation 
Administration to identify new requirements for 
policy, infrastructure, and administrative capac-
ity necessary to enable the safe deployment of 
such technologies on transport category air-
craft.’’. 
(b) REPORTS.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, 
the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration shall submit to Congress a report on the 
progress of the work under the initiative required by sub-
section (b) of section 40112 of title 51, United States 
Code (as amended by subsection (a) of this section), in-
cluding a description of any perceived obstacles to achiev-
ing the goal of a 50-percent reduction in both greenhouse 
gas emissions and noise emissions from aircraft as con-
templated for the initiative. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated for the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration for the initiative re-
quired by subsection (b) of section 40112 of title 51, 
United States Code (as so amended), amounts as follows: 
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