Response to lawsuit re Atsugi NAS

[Don Zweifel <zweifel@chapman.edu>]

To whom it may concern:

Regarding citizen noise complaints near Atsugi Naval Air Station, Japan.

The following is a proposed potential remedy to a perennially nettlesome
problem.

Don't believe that bribing the populace with hush money solves anything
other than in the short term. There is another methodology that may be
far more productive in squelching or greatly alleviating complaints in the
long run.

Noise abatement measures should be instituted on all the homes within the
immediate vicinity of this air station. Double-pane windows and acoustic
insulation installed in the walls and ceilings can greatly attenuate the
amplitude of ambient sound pollution. 

Our gov't and the host country could conceivably share equitably in the
costs of such a proposal. This particular solution worked quite well at
LAX in California several years ago. Most of the homes in the easterly
approach pattern were modified to comply with strict CNEL standards at no
cost to those homeowners. 

This remedy would appear to be far more substantive since it treats the
effect rather than the cause. It's ostensibly much more sensible to lessen
the noise impact of aircraft than relocate a vitally crucial airport.

 Don Zweifel