Ruling in 2020, the court ordered the FAA and NPS to adopt limits on air tours over 23 national parks, including Haleakala and Hawai ‘i Volcanoes national parks.
The order came in response to a lawsuit by Hawaii Island Coalition Malama Pono and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which argued that the agencies were offering little relief from the noise being generated by air tours.
In siding with the petitioners, the court noted, “For nineteen years, the agencies have failed to comply with their statutory mandate despite Congress’s command to ‘make every effort’ to do so within two years of an application.”
