MAY 15, 2007 — Dismissing a “perception that somehow aviation doesn’t care about the environment,” Federal Aviation Administrator Marion C. Blakey, today told attendees at an International Civil Aviation Organization meeting on emissions that the Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction is a reflection of the U.S. commitment to developing solutions to environmental challenges. “PARTNER is working,” Blakey said.
Speaking before several hundred government aviation officials and industry representatives from throughout the world at ICAO headquarters in Montreal, Blakely said, “PARTNER is at the forefront of developing a new analytical capability that has the potential for revolutionizing how we develop environmental regulations. Their work will allow us to focus on impacts and optimize benefits.”
“We … brought together the best and the brightest minds across academia, industry, communities and government. Together with my colleagues at Transport Canada and NASA, we’ve tasked (PARTNER) with helping us identify the issues and find the solutions we need that allow aviation to grow while reducing its environmental impacts,” Blakely said.
In her remarks, Blakey cited several PARTNER projects including the development of Continuous Descent Arrival. “In less than two years, we started implementing a procedure developed by PARTNER research — Continuous Descent Arrival. CDA reduces noise, threats to local air quality and greenhouse gases. That’s a hat trick.”
Lauding another achievement, Blakey said, “PARTNER researchers have also helped us step to a critical operational issue. We found ourselves having to determine compliance with local air quality standards for particulates. Except we had no data or models to turn to. Earlier this year, we released a new version of our air quality model that incorporates particulate emissions.”
Blakey’s remarks were delivered at ICAO’s May 14-16 Colloquium on Aviation Emissions. The meeting included presentations on environmental problems caused by aircraft emissions; inventories, databases, methodologies, and models used to measure emissions impact; and mitigating emission effects on air quality and climate change. PARTNER representatives were among the colloquium presenters.
For the full text of Blakey’s speech, visit http://www.faa.gov/news/speeches/news_story.cfm?newsId=8848
Federal Aviation Administrator Marion Blakey speaking about PARTNER at ICAO’s Colloquium on Aviation Emissions. |
 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, 37-311, Cambridge, MA 02139