Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Act
Bill: S.4558 | Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. (D-MD)
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Act
This bill directs the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to establish an initiative to research, develop, and demonstrate new technologies and concepts to reduce emissions and noise from aircraft. Emissions to be addressed include carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), water vapor, black carbon, and sulfate aerosols.
The goals and objectives of the initiative shall include (1) ensuring U.S. leadership in research and technology innovation leading to substantial reductions in aviation noise and emissions; (2) reducing greenhouse gas emissions from new and replacement aircraft to the extent necessary to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. aviation by 2050; and (3) noise levels from aircraft throughout all phases of flight that do not exceed ambient noise levels in the absence of flight operations in the vicinity of the flight route.

To amend title 51, United States Code, to direct the Administrator of 
   the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to establish an 
   initiative to conduct research, development, and demonstration on 
  technologies capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and noise 
            emissions from aircraft, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Air travel currently contributes approximately 3 
        percent to global carbon emissions, but emissions from this 
        sector are expected to triple by 2050.
            (2) A healthy, thriving aviation sector contributes to the 
        quality of life and economic well-being of the United States. 
        In 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration found that civil 
        aviation accounted for 5.2 percent of the United States gross 
        domestic product, generated $1,800,000,000,000, and supported 
        10,900,000 jobs.
            (3) Existing aircraft technologies contribute to noise 
        pollution that has adverse impacts on the quality of life in 
        affected communities. As air traffic volumes 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 net-zero 
        greenhouse gas emissions from the United States aviation sector 
        by 2050.
            (5) Research on technologies to lessen the environmental 
        and noise impacts of aviation is ongoing, but should 
        accelerate, and should include work on the further maturation 
        and integration of multiple enabling technologies on production 
        aircraft, including novel integrated systems at the aircraft 
        level.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION INITIATIVE ON 
              REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS AND NOISE EMISSIONS FROM 
              AIRCRAFT.

    (a) Initiative Required.--Section 40112 of title 51, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (b) through (f) as 
        subsections (c) through (g), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
    ``(b) Research and Development Initiative on Reduction of 
Greenhouse Gas and Noise Emissions From Aircraft.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish an 
        initiative to research, develop, and demonstrate new 
        technologies and concepts--
                    ``(A) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 
                aviation, including carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, 
                other greenhouse gases, water vapor, particulates, 
                black carbon and sulfate aerosols, and increased 
                cloudiness due to contrail formation;
                    ``(B) to reduce noise emissions from aircraft; and
                    ``(C) to enable associated aircraft performance 
                characteristics.
            ``(2) Goals.--The goals of the initiative shall be--
                    ``(A) to ensure United States leadership in 
                research and technology innovation leading to 
                substantial reductions in aviation noise and greenhouse 
                gas emissions;
                    ``(B) to enhance and expand basic research, and the 
                translation of basic research into applications, that 
                may lead to transformational advances in reducing 
                aviation noise and greenhouse gas emissions;
                    ``(C) to accelerate research and development that 
                contributes to maturing new technologies for reducing 
                aircraft noise and greenhouse gas emissions; and
                    ``(D) to obtain and disseminate associated testing 
                and performance data that facilitates the incorporation 
                of new technologies into commercial aircraft 
                development as soon as practicable.
            ``(3) Objectives.--The objectives of the initiative and 
        goals in paragraph (1) shall include--
                    ``(A) a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 
                new and replacement aircraft to the extent necessary to 
                achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from United 
                States aviation by 2050;
                    ``(B) noise levels from aircraft throughout all 
                phases of flight that do not exceed ambient noise 
                levels in the absence of flight operations in the 
                vicinity of the flight route; and
                    ``(C) demonstration of new technologies and 
                integrated technology suites developed pursuant to such 
                initiative on new and replacement aircraft.''.
    (b) Technology Focus Areas.--In carrying out the research and 
development initiative established under section 40112(b) of title 51, 
United States Code, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration (referred to in this Act as the ``Administrator'') 
shall advance research, development, and demonstration projects on 
promising technologies such as--
            (1) advanced subsonic propulsion technology, design, and 
        integration;
            (2) electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, including 
        battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric systems;
            (3) direct burn of liquid hydrogen through advanced 
        turbofan optimization for burning liquid hydrogen and 
        minimizing associated water vapor emissions;
            (4) airframe concepts and configurations that 
        simultaneously reduce noise and greenhouse gas emissions;
            (5) analysis of technology options, including cost-benefit 
        analysis of greenhouse gas and noise emissions reduction 
        technologies;
            (6) analytical tools for system-level and system-of-
        systems-level modeling and integration;
            (7) airspace operations improvements;
            (8) noise emissions reduction; and
            (9) any other effort, as determined by the Administrator, 
        that contributes to a sustainable future for aviation.
    (c) Implementation.--In implementing the initiative established 
under section 40112(b) of title 51, United States Code, the 
Administrator shall, to the extent practicable--
            (1) ensure that testing and performance data integrates the 
        results of community acceptance surveys conducted by the 
        Federal Aviation Administration and other relevant studies, 
        including studies on the impacts of new noise effects from 
        novel propulsion systems and from airspace operations changes;
            (2) provide testing and performance data on the 
        technologies described in subsection (b) of this section to the 
        Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to 
        facilitate the work of the Federal Aviation Administration in 
        identifying new requirements for policy, infrastructure, and 
        administrative capacity necessary to enable the safe 
        integration of such technologies on aircraft;
            (3) pursue partnerships with organizations, current 
        commercial production aircraft providers, academic 
        institutions, small businesses, and new entrants, including 
        partnerships to advance research and development activities 
        related to both regional aircraft and aircraft designed to 
        accommodate more than 125 passengers;
            (4) include universities, academic institutions, and other 
        research organizations in the partnerships under paragraph (3);
            (5) expand basic research;
            (6) ensure equity in research sponsorship and partnership 
        opportunities with underrepresented students, faculty, and 
        minority-serving institutions;
            (7) continue to coordinate with the Department of Energy on 
        battery technology research;
            (8) make available the research and development carried out 
        under the initiative established under subsection (b) of 
        section 40112 of title 51, United States Code, to help enable 
        an industry-wide shift toward aircraft concepts that reduce 
        greenhouse gas emissions and aircraft noise to achieve the 
        goals and objectives under paragraphs (2) and (3) of such 
        subsection; and
            (9) continue to support research, development, and 
        demonstration of aircraft concepts, including systems 
        architecture, materials and components, integration of systems 
        and airframe structures, human factors, airspace planning and 
        operations, and the integration of related advanced 
        technologies and concepts, with the goal of carrying out test 
        flights with integrated subsystems by 2025.
    (d) Annual Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall 
submit a report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives on the progress of the 
efforts carried out under the initiative established under subsection 
(b) of section 40112 of title 51, United States Code, including--
            (1) measured progress toward net-zero greenhouse gas 
        emissions and reduced noise emissions from United States 
        aviation;
            (2) an updated, anticipated timeframe for readiness of 
        technologies and aircraft to be adopted by industry with the 
        emissions reduction levels directed under such subsection; and
            (3) an identification of fundamental aeronautics research 
        activities contributing to achieving the goals and objectives 
        of such initiative, as described in paragraphs (2) and (3) of 
        that subsection, and a description of any obstacles to 
        achieving such goals and objectives.
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